“The bitch of it all is that I like Lacey. I really do. She’s a sweet girl. And I hate that I hurt her.”
He spins the football on his finger and studies my face. “You planning to ask Dani to Homecoming?”
I laugh. “No.”
“Do the right thing then. Ask the sweet girl.”
“She thinks we’ll be Homecoming king and queen. I think this is all part of some high school fantasy of hers.”
“I would think it would be you, me, or Damon as king. Hey, you said you’ve been honest with Lacey about your feelings, so if you can’t give her love but you care about her, at least let the girl have her dream. Do it up big. I’ll help you brainstorm. Or at least watch some YouTube videos. What’s your mom cooking tonight?”
“Fajitas, I think.”
“Perfect. I’ll come home with you after practice. We’ll get Damon and Haley to help us.”
I nod my head. “Yeah, you’re right,” I say because it’s been four days and the girl who I do love still hasn’t found the time to call me.
We brainstorm a little during practice and talk a bit about the logistics of asking her on the field. We stop in Coach’s office.
“Coach,” Damon says, “we want to get your permission on something.”
“What’s that, son?”
“Well,” I say, “I’m going to ask Lacey to Homecoming sometime during the game on Friday. We haven’t worked out all the details yet—”
“But we were sort of thinking, maybe right before the second half starts,” Pace finishes.
“Sure. Why not? As long as she’s going to say yes. We don’t need Mackenzie crying under the bleachers if she says no.”
“They’ve been dating since last year, Coach,” Damon says.
“Except that she’s been flirting with Pace here for most of this week because she saw a photo of Damon’s sister kissing Chase on his birthday,” Coach replies.
“Do you know everything, sir?” I ask.
“I sure do,” he replies. “Now, get the hell out of my office.”
After practice, the three of us go to my house. Dinner is a pretty quick meal because Madden has a football game. I tell Mom that we’ll clean up, so they won’t be late, and we sit around the kitchen table, still eating. Dani’s name is mocking me just above my place mat, and irritated, I cover it up.
“So,” Damon says to me, “you want it to be big. On the field. In front of everyone? Or do you, like, want to take her off to the side and ask in private?”
“In front of everyone,” I say. “And there has to be roses involved.”
“And probably a glitter sign,” Pace says with a sigh. “Do you have any glitter?”
“I’m sure my sister does.”
“Excellent,” Pace says. “She needs to help us.”
Damon shouts out, “Hay Girl, get down here! We need you.”
Haley comes halfway down the stairs, phone in her hand.
What? she mouths.
“Get off the phone and come help us plan a homecoming proposal,” Damon says.
“Oh!” she says excitedly and then tells whoever she’s talking to that she’ll call them back. She rushes over and takes a seat next to Pace. “Who are you all asking?”
“Well, for right now, we just need a plan for Chase,” Pace tells her. “I have a girl I like, but I’m not sure if she likes me.”
“You’re adorable, Pace,” Haley says. “I don’t know why she wouldn’t. And what about you, Damon?”
“You know, I was just sitting here, thinking Chase might be on to something with this asking-early thing.”
“Well, sure,” Haley says. “Girls love it. They know if they are going to have a date, so they can plan. They can start shopping. All that stuff.”
“And I get pick of the litter.”
We hear scratching on the back door and see Angel and Winger on the deck, wanting in. They are panting, and I know, earlier, they were chasing each other in the backyard. But I thought Ryder was out there with them.
I stand up and go look out into the backyard. I’m actually surprised he didn’t go to the game with my parents. Usually, we all go, but Madden sprained his wrist last week and has to sit out for a few games.
I open the door and let the pups in, giving them lots of love, and then look out to see where Ryder is. When I don’t see him, I turn back and ask Haley if he was going somewhere.
“Not that I know of,” she says. “I thought he was out with the dogs.”
“I’m going to go check on him. Keep brainstorming.”
I go out onto the deck and then down the stairs. I still don’t see him, but I hear giggling coming from the tree house that’s built into the play set and head that way. What I find is Ryder sitting in it—with a girl.
They are kissing, and he’s got his hand up under her shirt.
I clear my throat.
The girl notices me first, blushes furiously, and quickly backs away from Ryder. I know he’s in the eighth grade, and I know that Damon and I were doing things like this back then, but it sort of freaks me out a little. Mostly because I never did talk to him after he walked in on Lacey and me last week.
“Um, I just wanted to tell you that I let the dogs in. They were at the door.”
“Cool,” Ryder says, seemingly not the least bit embarrassed.
“We’re eating chips and queso and planning homecoming proposals. You two want to come in and help us?”
“No,” Ryder says, but the girl goes, “Ohmigosh, yes!”
“Awesome,” I say to her. “I’m Chase.”
“Oh, I know who you are. I’m Sasha. I’m a cheerleader.”
“Nice to meet you, Sasha.”
She goes down the slide to exit the tree house. Ryder is still sitting in there, pouting.
“You suck,” he whispers to me.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you should be out here alone with that girl.”
“You’re one to talk,” he sasses.
“Actually, I am. And if you don’t do as I say, Mom’s the one I’m going to be talking to.”
He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Fine. Did I get you in trouble the other night? Is that why you’re trying to ruin my life?”
I can’t help but laugh as I watch the girl skip toward the stairs. “She’s going to hear about romantic high school homecoming proposals. You have an eighth-grade formal coming up, don’t you?”
“Yeah, so?”
“You going to ask her?”
He shrugs. “Depends on if she lets me put my hand up her shirt again.”
“I really hope you’re just joking about that.”
Ryder grins at me. “I am. I actually really like her. And, yes, I hope she will be my girlfriend soon.”
“Why haven’t you asked her already?”
“It’s new-ish.”
When he gets out of the tree house, I rub my hand across his hair and tease him. “My little bro is growing up.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he says.