“It’s like you’ve been drunk on love or something,” he says with a little chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.
“I probably have been. But it’s not good for me. It has to stop. I’m over her—well, I’m working on getting over her.”
“You’re going cold-turkey sober?” he says with a smile.
“Why don’t you ever have girl drama?” I ask with a laugh.
“Because, me, I’m less of a binge drinker and more of a day drinker. You sure you aren’t just, like, hungover? You know, the day after is always the worst, but then it gets better. It will get better.”
“I considered it before Thanksgiving, solidified my decision after we came home from the game the day after Thanksgiving, and have continued to think about it since. I’m firm on this. And I am never drinking again.”
This causes Damon to laugh out loud. “Dude, you’re going to become—what’s that word—a tittillater.”
“I think you mean teetotaler. Someone who abstains from alcohol.”
“Hmm. I think I like the tittie one better. As a matter of fact, when we were on our recruitment visits, I ranked all the schools in some very important categories. One of which was boobs.”
“Boobs?”
“Yep, how pretty the girls were. I mean, if all else is equal, it’s a good tiebreaker, for sure.”
“You don’t have to do this, you know. I haven’t wanted to tell you because I know it’s your dream. To follow in your dad’s footsteps.”
“Chase, we’re in this together. Where you go, I do, too. We’ve be planning this since—”
“We were eight,” I finish as relief washes over me. “So, what else did you rank them on?”
“Game-day experience. Coaching staff. Number of top-ranked draft picks. Facilities. Campus. The town around campus. The weather. And last but not least, the tacos.”
“Tacos?”
“I mean, yeah. It’s my favorite food. I can’t go somewhere that doesn’t have a really excellent Mexican restaurant. Did you think during our meal on our own at each school that it was just a coincidence we ate Mexican food?”
“I don’t think I realized that.”
“Did you have a favorite one?”
“I don’t remember, honestly.”
“Did you rank the schools?” Damon asks me, his head tilted at me, looking puzzled.
“No.” I laugh. “I just went along for the ride.”
“Dude, it’s like we’ve switched brains or something.”
“I knew the word teetotaler,” I tell him.
“Good point. Plus, if we’d switched brains, I’d know all the dirty things you’ve thought about my sister. So, it’s probably a good thing we didn’t.”
“I’ll drink to that,” I say, holding up my Gatorade.
“Hold that thought.” He gets up and runs upstairs then comes back down with a notebook and hands it to me. “Here, take this. Let me know what you decide. But can we put it on the back burner until after Saturday? We need to finish our last high school season with another state championship.”
“Now that I know we’ll still go to college together and I can stop freaking out about it, yeah, actually, I can.”
When I get back to my house, I find Lacey waiting for me in my room.
“Hey, I was just over at Damon’s. Why didn’t you tell me you were here?”
“I think I’m a little bit in shock.” She waves a folded-up piece of paper toward me and says flatly, “I got in. I’m going to Auburn.”
I pull her up off the chair and hug her. “Lacey! That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you! Were your parents excited?”
“Yeah, they were. I honestly still can’t believe it. I keep thinking someone will call me and be like, Yeah, we meant that other Lacey.”
“It’s really cool you already know where you’re going.”
“What do you mean? Nebraska is all I’ve ever heard about from you since we’ve been friends.”
“Yeah, well, I’m thinking it might not be the right fit for me anymore.”
“Wait. What are you saying?”
“I’m considering my options.”
She grins. “Well, you visited Auburn, right? Come there with me.”
“Lacey, I wouldn’t want you to think—”
“That it meant something? Don’t worry; I’d have no expectations.”
“Well, the thing is, I wouldn’t be going with you exactly. I’ll be graduating in December and starting college in January, so I can play spring ball.”
“Chase! It’s December. How long have you known about this? Like, you’re accepted and basically enrolled in college? You planned this?”
“Yes, I had to plan for all options.”
“When were you going to tell me? And what about prom?”
“I won’t be here.”
She lets out a huge sigh. “Oh, Chase, you infuriate me. I really don’t know why I put up with it.”
“Honestly, Lacey, you shouldn’t. You deserve better. Someone who really loves you. I hope you go to Auburn and find him.”
“We’re over, officially now, aren’t we? I mean, we sort of already have been, basically since your birthday, but …” She studies my face. “Did you change your mind because Dani brought that guy home for Thanksgiving?”
“I’d say, that’s definitely part of it.”
“Well, if you’re not going to Nebraska and you decide to go to Auburn, let me know. Especially if you’ll already know the ropes when I get there in the fall.”
“Did you have tacos there? Like, when you visited?”
“Actually, yes! They have this great Mexican restaurant a few blocks from campus. I went back twice in one weekend!”
And I can’t help but smile.
Mr. Too-Nice-For-You Guy.
Devaney
“Well, congratulations,” my brother says when I answer his call. “You finally broke him. And probably me in the process.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Your little Thanksgiving stunt. Bringing that poor guy home. I bet he had no clue what he was getting sucked into.”
“I liked him.”
“Yeah, I liked him, too. We all liked him. But that’s not the point. The point is, you were using him. At least Chase has been honest with Lacey about what’s up. You paraded Eddie around like he was the greatest thing since cell phones. We all felt sorry for him. And what’s worse is that you made out with Chase in the laundry room and probably would have had sex with him had he let you. Sex, Dani. With Chase. In the laundry room. While your boyfriend was two rooms over, talking to Papa!”
“I, um, did Chase tell you about that?”
“He didn’t have to. I could tell by the way things went down. You really think no one notices the chemistry between you and Chase? Or the anger or whatever you both happen to be feeling at the moment? Fortunately, the nice guy, Eddie, didn’t seem to, but still, it’s just wrong.”