The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(46)

Suddenly, I thought of Rudy with her rust and grime and was immediately filled with guilt. Like I was cheating on her for admiring another car.

Maybe I needed to sleep more. I think I was starting to get a little delusional.

“So, did you decide on which college you’re going to yet?” I asked to kill the quiet.

A small smile played on his lips, but his gaze remained straight ahead. “Would you kill me if I said Columbia?”

“Ha-ha, if you’re going to Columbia, then you better stop the car now so I can beat you up.”

He let out a low whistle under his breath. “Can we wait until we get home first? I don’t really want to have other witnesses around when you’re whooping my ass.”

“Well, it’s no fun to do it in private.”

Brian chuckled, but he didn’t say anything else. And he refused to look at me. I narrowed my eyes at him, and fluttery waves of panic washed over me. “Wait, you’re joking, right?”

“Sort of.” He let out a snort and finally turned to look at me when we reached a red light. His eyes laughed down at me, and his dimple was like a crater in his cheek. “I decided on NYU for journalism. So at least I’ll be nearby.”

“Oh.” Of course he wouldn’t fight me for Columbia. He knew how much it meant to me. “So premed’s definitely out of the picture?”

“Yeah, it would be interesting, and Tulane’s definitely where my parents want me to go, but I doubt I’d be happy.”

This was something that had been troubling him all year, so I was glad that he finally had it figured out. And it was the exact decision that I thought he should make. “That great, Brian. It really is.” I laid my hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “What made you change your mind?”

His eyes glanced down at my hand. “Actually … it’s because of you.”

“Me? How?”

“You know exactly what you want to do. And you worked your ass off to get there. Your passion and determination…” He shook his head. “I guess I just want that, too. To be in love with my job. Even if it means I’ll probably have to spend my life eating canned beans and noodle soup while you’re dining in five-star restaurants with judges and senators.”

Touched that he thought so highly of me, I gave his arm another light squeeze. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring you as my date to one or two of the dinners. For old times’ sake.”

Brian snickered. “Thanks in advance for the free food.”

“No problem.” I pulled away and looked out the window as he turned onto my street. “So I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, then. If I ever get my acceptance letter.”

“You will. They’d be stupid not to take you, and Columbia isn’t for stupid people.” His confident tone reassured me. “Are you glad I’ll be close by?”

“Of course.” At least now that I knew he wasn’t out to take my spot. He let out a snort and I hit his arm. “Seriously, I am. It’d be nice to have someone there with me. That way I won’t be too lonely. You know, when school starts and everyone hates me.”

“Nobody hates you,” Brian cut in with a frown.

“They do when it comes to school stuff. Don’t lie.”

The car grew quiet again as he pulled up in front of my house. Finally, he cut the engine and nodded. “All right, maybe they do sometimes, but not me.”

“I know you don’t. That’s why we’re friends even though you’re the valedictorian and I’m not.” I was only half kidding. A part of me was still burning over not being able to give the speech. It was something I dreamed of doing when I was little. When I first learned what the word valedictorian even meant.

“If you want, I could screw up in my classes for the rest of the year and you could take the spot.”

“Whatever.”

He unbuckled his seat belt and turned in his seat to lean toward me with a little grin. “Seriously, you just say the word.”

Even though I knew he was just kidding, his offer cheered me up. I leaned toward him, mirroring his stance. “The old me may have considered it for a second, but the victory would feel too hollow. Besides, there’s still a chance that I might get it on my own. Fair and square.” Slim, but the chance was still there.

“All right, I won’t make it easy for you, then.”

“I wouldn’t want you to.” With a grin, I leaned back in my seat and reached for my seat belt.

“Have you ever thought about what it would be like if we ever started dating?” Brian suddenly asked. His dark eyes were bright and intense as he gazed at me.

I was too surprised by his question to respond at first. My hand just froze on the belt buckle, like it had forgotten how to unlatch it. Time stood still as Brian’s question ran over and over in my head like an annoying Energizer Bunny.

It was a simple yes-or-no question. And one that I knew the answer to. Yet why couldn’t I just say it? This was a perfect opportunity to find out about his feelings toward me.

Because I wasn’t ready for the answer. Not yet. This wasn’t part of the plan. “What do you mean?”

He ran his hand through his hair, messing it up. “We just seem so compatible. Perfect, even.”