P.S. I Like You(42)

We exchanged numbers then he unlocked his car and held out one arm. I wasn’t sure what the one arm was offering but I slid in for a side hug. “Thanks for coming. That was fun.”

“It was. See you later.”

When he left I squeezed Isabel’s hand and she squeezed mine back. I’d gone on a date with Lucas! And we’d exchanged numbers. And hugged!

It had been perfect.

I could finally move on from my pen pal.





“Why is he in the house?” my dad asked, stepping over the rabbit. Ashley and I were in the living room, watching a documentary on fire ants (her idea, not mine) that I was finding oddly fascinating.

My mom, who sat at the table, stringing beads onto a necklace, said, “He needs some exercise. If he had a bigger cage … ” She gave Dad her pleading eyes.

“I’m not building a mansion for a rabbit.”

“Did I say mansion? Girls, did I say mansion?”

I held up my hands. “Leave us out of this. That rabbit is evil. I’m on dad’s side.”

“There are no sides,” Mom and Dad both said at the same time.

Ashley looked at me, raised her eyebrows, then said, “So we don’t have to vote anymore? Ever?”

My dad laughed. “Those are just fun and games. Get ready to vote on the best pie in two days. I’ve perfected my recipe.”

Ashley stood up. “Come on, Lily. Let’s take a walk.”

“But I don’t want to. The fire ants.” I pointed to the TV.

She pulled on my arm. “Come on.”

“Fine. We’re going for a walk.”

We were halfway down the block before she said, “Why did you throw away the newspaper clipping?”

“What?” I asked, even though I had heard her perfectly.

“The one I saw on your wall for weeks.”

“I didn’t throw it away,” I argued. “It’s still in the corner of our room somewhere … in a tight crumpled-up ball.”

Ashley bumped my hip. “I thought you were finally going to get over your fear and share your songs.”

“I was. But my guitar is broken so I can’t now.” I didn’t mention that Lucas might know someone who could fix it. I didn’t want to get my hopes up just in case that didn’t come to anything.

“Get a new guitar,” Ashley said as we rounded the corner.

“You know I can’t afford that.”

“Rent a guitar.”

“I … ”

She tapped a mailbox as we passed it, like it had taken her side in the argument. “That’s what I thought. You jumped on the first excuse available to get out of the competition.”

I scowled in annoyance. “Ashley. My guitar is broken. The thing I have to use to write half of the song. I think that’s a pretty good excuse.”

“Fine. If that’s the only reason, you can share the words to the song you’ve been working on with the family on Thanksgiving.”

I paused then said, “Fine. I will.”

“Good. Grandma and Grandpa are going to be there, too.”

“I know.”

“And Aunt Lisa and her kids. And Uncle James and his kids.”

“I know.” Was she trying to talk me out of this or just make me admit I was terrified?

“And Mark.”

“I know … wait … who?”

“The guy from work. We’re getting serious.”

“Really?” My sister never got serious with anyone so that surprised me. “The guy that saw food on your teeth?”

She shoved my arm. “Shut up.”

I laughed. “Just kidding. That’s cool, Ash.”

“So I invited him over for Thanksgiving dinner.”

I nodded. A boyfriend at Thanksgiving would be new. “If you like this guy, keep him far away from our house,” I said. “Especially on holidays.”

She laughed like I was joking but then her laughter trailed off into a worried expression. “Oh no. You’re right. I’ve made a mistake.”

I nodded. “It’s not too late to tell him to stay home.”

“Our family can all be normal for one day, right?” Ashley asked hopefully. “That won’t be hard. We’ve been normal for a stretch of time before.” She sounded doubtful.

“It’s your funeral.”

“It’ll be fine.” She waved a hand in the air. “I’ll be there to run interference.”

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

“Do not say things like that when he’s over.”

“I can’t quote The Wizard of Oz? Everyone knows The Wizard of Oz. And if he doesn’t then you should be glad that we found out so early in the relationship.”

She put her hand to her forehead. “You’re right. He needs to stay home.”

“Exactly.”

“He’ll stay home … but you’re still sharing your song on Thanksgiving.”



“You did what?” I was pouring hot gravy into the dish and nearly spilled it on the counter. A little splattered on my wrist and I wiped it quickly before it burned me.

“Please, Lily,” Mom said with a sigh. “Let’s not get dramatic about this. I thought you knew him.”