Wednesday, May 11th, Morning: Olivia

Charlie drags in at the last possible moment. I have no idea whattime he and Sophie and Wes got home last night. I was out the second my head hit the pillow, despite being a little keyed up from the Uber ride home and the texts from Leo, but when I woke up this morning, Sophie was asleep in the bed next to me.

I wish she didn’t have plans with her mom today, because Sophie handled my mom like a champ, even if she overdid it a bit. I looked back through the texts and Sophie made me sound very happy!! But Mom loved it and commented several times that she was glad I was having such a great day!!

But since today it’s back to Charlie being me again, I feel sure we’re going to get busted by lunch.

Charlie walked right in, handed me his phone, then crashed on the couch like last time. I set an alarm on mine before leaving it on the floor next to him to make sure he doesn’t oversleep. Okay, so I actually set three alarms. Ten minutes apart. He’s going to be thrilled.

Whatever cream Nonna gave Sophie last night worked wonders, since I’m a lighter shade of red and pain-free. I slathered a ton of sunblock on and plan to reapply every two hours.

Choosing my most upbeat playlist, I crank the music up so loud I can’t think about any of the things that could go wrong today. I’m trying to get my mind right. It’s going to be hot without a cloud in sight if my weather app is to be trusted. And from the schedule I found on the tournament website, it’s also going to be a long day. I cast a glance at the bag in the passenger seat that has my western-themed outfit and boots. There’s probably no chance I can leave, if yesterday’s attempt is any indication. But I’m hopeful!

I’ve also got to figure out how to handle Leo. Will it be awkward if I run into him today? He’s keeping a secret for me, but for how long? It doesn’t help that he thinks we’re mean to the Evil Joes, but he has NO IDEA what those girls have done to us over the years. Now that I think about it, I should be mad at him for forming opinions on things he doesn’t understand.

And then there are the tournament rules. Lily gave me a booklet yesterday before I left the course, and oh my God there are so many rules. I tried really hard to read them all, but I didn’t get through the whole booklet. And some of them don’t even make sense! One was Don’t give advice. Yeah, okay, no problem. I have no advice to give!

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to enforce the rules or tattle on the players, though. I’m hoping she was just trying to educate me.

But what I’m not expecting is the traffic to get into this place. I circle the lot twice before I find a spot to park.

From what I’ve gathered in my internet research and eavesdropping, some of these tournaments are for school teams and some are for individual players. This one is the individual player type, and it looks like every player has a parent or coach with them. There will be three days of play, the third day ending with an awards thingy.

As I walk up to the clubhouse, I can easily spot the tournament officials. They’re all wearing matching shirts and hats with their logo embroidered on each one. Since Coach Cantu works for the club (and I work for him) our main function is to make sure there are no issues with the course and to support the tournament people in any way we can.

I find Coach and Lily next to the doors where the balls and pyramid molds are kept.

Of course Coach checks his watch before he says, “Morning, Olivia. Just like yesterday, let’s get each station ready.” He hands me a walkie-talkie and I clip it to the waistband of my mom shorts.

Thankfully, Lily helps, and we move down the line much faster than I did yesterday, although I still have a hard time getting a pyramid exactly right.

“Is this everyone who’s playing in the tournament?” I ask. While there are a lot of people here, only about half are players.

Lily finishes another perfect stack on her first try. “Players will trickle in all morning. There are different tee-off times based on how the player is ranked. The better you are, the later you start.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” I mean, it doesn’t at all, but I’m tired of looking stupid when it comes to golf. There’s already a line ready to start practicing, so we quickly get the last few pyramids finished, knowing we’ll have to start all over shortly.

After an hour of constantly replenishing balls, Coach Cantu calls for me over the walkie-talkie.

“Olivia, meet me at the check-in table,” he says over the static.

“Yes, Coach,” I answer, and walk across the green grass to a long table set up on the back patio of the clubhouse.

“Hey, Coach,” I say when I come up next to him.

“Olivia, this is Donald Williams, one of the tournament officials. You’re going to drive him around today.”

Mr. Williams barely spares me a glance. “Nice to meet you, Olivia.” His right arm is in a cast and sling and he’s studying a clipboard in his left hand.

Coach turns toward me and leans in close, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Normally, they drive themselves around, but obviously he needs some help. Your only job is to take him where he wants to go. Remember what I said about staying still and quiet while someone is teeing off, and stay to the cart paths. Reach out if you need anything.”

Coach leaves, and I’m left with Mr. Williams, who is still ignoring me. “I’ll go get a cart and pick you up just over there,” I say, pointing to an open area to the right of the patio.

As I walk to get the cart, I pull out Charlie’s phone so I can text him.

ME:I have to drive this guy around all day so there’s no way I’m making the party at 11. I need you to hang out near Danlee’s house though. Sorry!! Text me if you need me and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible

He’s probably still sleeping; the alarms aren’t set to go off for another thirty minutes.

I grab the closest cart and pull it around to pick up Mr. Williams. He’s got a bag, a box, a clipboard, and a cooler bag, and it takes us a few minutes to get everything loaded just the way he likes. It takes about thirty seconds for me to realize he’s very particular. Like ridiculously so.

The clipboard has a list of all the players and their start times and other information I can’t decipher. A glance at the top sheet shows the lineup for the guys, with Leo starting in third place and Locke just a few spots behind him. Those are the only names I recognize before he moves the clipboard out of view.

I wish I’d paid more attention to what Coach was saying this past semester, because it’s killing me not knowing what all these numbers and terms mean.

Mr. Williams seems to finally get settled. His clipboard in his lap, his phone in the cupholder, and a pen in his left hand. “Okay, let’s start at the tee box for hole one. I want you to pull up to each hole and stop. I will tell you when and where I want to go next. Please do not speak to me or anyone unless I tell you it’s okay.”

I nod, afraid to even answer him, and put the cart in drive. It lurches forward, but at least he doesn’t fly out of the open front window.

We don’t have far to go, and I pull up just off the tee box. I sit still while he makes notes on his clipboard although it’s obvious he’s struggling with using his left hand to write. I think about offering to write for him, but he told me not to speak, so I keep quiet. After a few minutes, he seems satisfied.

“Tee box two.” And since I don’t move as quickly as he thinks I should, he adds a clipped “Now.”

We watch players. He asks the spectators to be quiet or to move back to the cart path. He makes notes on his clipboard. He talks on the walkie-talkie. I see various players from my school on different holes. Locke’s on seven, while Cal and David are on eight and nine. The girls from my school are on the back side of the course on holes eleven, fourteen, and sixteen. Since Locke was the first familiar face I saw, I gave a small wave when we made eye contact, but the grunt from Mr. Williams had me pulling my arm back down. Now I ignore everyone else I see, not wanting to get any of us in any trouble. I hope they know I’m trying to follow the rules.

The entire time, Charlie’s phone is vibrating in my back pocket. I’m praying these are texts meant for him and not him trying to reach me.

We’re starting back over at the tee box for hole one when I spot Leo.

There are four players who will tee off from this box once the golfers ahead of them clear out of the way. Leo is holding his club out in front of him and doing some side-to-side stretch. He hasn’t seen me yet, so I take a little moment to stare at him.

He’s wearing soft gray pants and a white-collared golf shirt that pops against his tan skin. His curls are out of control, twisting around the edge of his baseball cap. The cap itself is worn-looking and faded. You can tell it used to be dark blue but is now almost a soft purple. It makes me think it means something to him, since all of his other clothes look pressed and fresh.

I’m still eyeing him up and down, so it’s embarrassing when I get back to his face and he’s staring right at me. Smirk and all. I giggle, then turn away and collide with Mr. Williams’s glare.

“So how many golfers do you know who are playing today?”

I do a quick count. “Seven,” I respond quietly.

“Will this be a problem?” he asks.

I’m shaking my head. “No. No, sir. Not at all.”

Mr. Williams puts his clipboard on the dash and gets out of the cart. He moves around to the front as if wanting a closer view of what’s happening at box one.

I avoid looking at Leo again but do take the opportunity to check the phone, since it’s still going nuts in my back pocket. Texts from Bianca. Lots of them. While Mr. Williams is watching the players tee off and trying to write on that clipboard, I open the messages. I mean, what if it’s something important I need to tell Charlie about?

Except they aren’t messages. They are pictures of her in her costume for today’s western party. And she looks adorable.

BIANCA:Too much??? I may be the only one there in Daisy Dukes!

BIANCA:Would that be bad??

I can’t leave her hanging like that. And I can’t call Charlie with Mr. Williams right in front of me. I make an executive decision to answer like I know Charlie would.

CHARLIE:

Charlie is a man of few words. She sends back the blowing-kisses emoji and I know I made the right choice.

Finally, Mr. Williams returns and gets into the cart. “Okay, let’s move to the next tee box.”

It takes everything in me not to glance at Leo before driving away.

Phone Duty:Charlie

I eye Olivia’s phone like it’s possessed. That stupid alarm has gone off three times even though I pushed END and not SNOOZE. But I’m ready for Aunt Lisa this time. At the first text that comes through, I reply, Jumping in the shower. I know how long it takes Olivia and Sophie to get dressed, so that should buy me an hour at least. It sucks I’m awake now, though.

I open every cabinet checking for food. Nothing looks good. Next is the pantry. Score! Cocoa Puffs for the win. Then I move to the fridge, but all hope for a bowl of chocolaty goodness is ruined when I spy the organic almond milk.

Aunt Lisa really is a monster.

I put the cereal back, then check out what else is in the fridge. Turkey bacon. Nope. Fruit. Nope. Yogurt—some with fruit, some without. Nope, nope. There is no food here. Now I’m awake and hungry. I consider walking down to Nonna’s for breakfast until I remember that fiasco yesterday when Aunt Lisa thought Olivia was there. Maybe I’ll go to Wes’s. They usually have food. I go to pick up Olivia’s phone but remember I just told Aunt Lisa that Olivia was in the shower.

“Is there coffee?”

I scream, then Sophie screams because I screamed.

“Damn! I forgot you were here,” I say.

“You have slammed every cabinet in this room. I could hear you upstairs.” She moves to the counter and pulls out the stuff to make coffee.

I open the fridge once more. “There’s no good food here.”

“Nonna probably has breakfast,” Sophie mumbles.

“Yeah, I know, but…” I jump up and grab Olivia’s phone from the table, then slide it across the counter to Sophie. “Man the phone. I’ll be right back!”

But she is so much faster than me. “Not my day! I have to head home to meet Mom!” She abandons the coffee and flies out of the back door. I swear I can hear her cackling.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m leaving the phone. Olivia is supposed to be in the shower anyway, so it’s not like she would text back right now. Sliding into my flip-flops, I’m out the door quick enough to see Sophie’s car hasn’t even left the street yet.

I can smell the cinnamon rolls before I even open Nonna’s back door. There are only a few family members here this morning. Uncle Sal and my cousin Banks. Aunt Kelsey, but she only has two of her four daughters with her, Mary and Frannie. And of course, Nonna and Papa.

“Man, that smells good,” I say. Nonna hugs me tight because I’m her favorite.

“Wes didn’t want breakfast? Or the girls?” she asks, looking around the kitchen to make sure they didn’t sneak in without her seeing them.

“Nope. Just me!”

“I haven’t seen Olivia in days,” she says.

I shrug, then shove a whole cinnamon roll in my mouth so I can’t answer any questions. She’s looking at me funny. And I don’t like it.

“This is a busy week for them, Mom,” Aunt Kelsey says.

I wish I could high-five her!

“Well, Michael will get to town this afternoon, so family dinner here tonight. I’ll send out a text.” Nonna picks up her phone and within a few minutes, everyone’s phone dings with a notification.

I finish eating and clean my dishes. “Thanks, Nonna!” I say, then haul it back to Olivia’s. Once I’m back in her kitchen, I approach her phone cautiously.

And sure enough, there it is below Nonna’s message.

MOM:What top are you wearing with the denim skirt? Something red would be cute! Maybe that tank we got in Dallas? You’ll need a strapless bra with it though.

I stand next to the table, my hands on my hips. What the hell. Here we go again. Knowing I can’t call Olivia unless it’s an emergency—although this is like an emergency!—I call Sophie instead.

“Hey,” Sophie says when she answers. “Trouble already? I just left like twenty minutes ago.”

“On your day, did Aunt Lisa talk about what bra Olivia should wear, or is it just me? Because I think it’s just me. Like a curse.”

“Haha, I wish I could see your face!”

She’s amused by this. Typical.

I read Aunt Lisa’s text to her.

“You can just answer Okay to that.”

“Is it weird she takes this much interest in Olivia?” I ask.

“A little. I think she’s freaking out that Olivia is leaving soon.”

“But your mom isn’t acting like this. Or is she? Don’t tell me Aunt Eileen is a weirdo, too. I don’t think I can take it.” I type in the response Sophie suggested and pray there’s no follow-up.

“Mom has Margot and Anna. I mean, I think she’s sad I’m leaving, but honestly, I’ll be in south Louisiana, close to Margot, she’s probably thinking it works out better, since she’ll get to visit Anna more.”

Those three dots are jumping around. “Stay on with me. Another text incoming.”

MOM:That denim skirt is a little short. You may want to wear some boy shorts just to be on the safe side.

“And now we’re talking about underwear.” I read Sophie the latest text.

Sophie loses it. She’s actually snorting, she’s laughing so hard. If I didn’t need her right now, I’d hang up on her.

“Again, a simple Okay should be enough,” she finally manages to say.

“It’s only nine thirty in the morning. How am I supposed to do this all day?”

“You’ll survive! Gotta go, Wes is calling.” Then she ends the call.

Oh, great. Another text. What else could Aunt Lisa want? I’m about to get Sophie back on the phone, but I see it’s not from Aunt Lisa. The contact name is L.

L? I open the message.

L:Looks like you got a pretty cush job today

I scroll up and read the couple of texts from last night. Well, well, well, seems like Olivia and Locke have hit it off. I guess she doesn’t know Sophie told me who was sending these texts yesterday if she’s trying to hide him behind the first letter of his name. That’s cute.

I’m totally going to respond.

ME:Yeah it’s pretty sweet

It doesn’t take long before he’s typing back. I let out an evil laugh. This is pretty fun.

L:Are you stuck with that guy all day?

Oh. Wait. This may be trickier than I thought it would be. It takes me a second, but I reply:

ME:Not sure yet

L:Maybe I’ll see you when he’s not around

She’s probably going to kill me for this.

ME:Come find me later

Today may not be as bad as I thought it would be.

Olivia

I get thirty glorious minutes for lunch. But mostly thirty glorious minutes away from Mr. Williams. If there was a machine that could suck the fun out of every little thing around you, it would be modeled after him. I tried to say hi to Tanika when she was waiting to tee off and was only three feet away and literally doing nothing, but Mr. Williams popped my arm with his clipboard and said, “No talking to the players.”

If I didn’t need this to graduate, I would have popped him right back in his bad arm.

But for now, I’m eating a box lunch while hiding behind a tree near the back patio of the clubhouse. Mr. Williams is in the dining room and all the players are on the course, so this area is pretty deserted.

I call Charlie, since by now he should be sitting outside the party in his car.

He answers on the third ring. “Hey!”

The background noise on the call is loud. “What’s going on? I hope you’re parked in front of Danlee’s house!”

“Yeah! That’s it! That’s where I am!”

“Why is it so loud?” I ask. I put my box lunch down on the grass and start to pace. He’d better not be screwing this up.

“It’s the radio,” he says.

He’s lying.

“Charlie—” I start, but he interrupts me.

“I’ll call you back.” And then he ends the call.

Crap! I’m going to kill him.

“You made it tough to find you,” I hear a voice behind me say. I spin around and there’s Leo.

A flare of giddiness rushes through me at the thought that he was looking for me. I keep my smile in check. Small, to show I’m happy to see him, but not so big I give away more than I want.

He’s still somehow fresh and clean, while I’m sure I look a hot mess. My hair has been blown in every direction from being in that golf cart with no windshield. And it’s hot. Really hot. There’s a good chance I stink.

He nods to where my box is sitting on the ground. “Lunch break?”

“Oh yeah. Thirty whole minutes!”

He moves closer to me and I resist doing a quick smell check under my arms.

“Are you on a lunch break, too?”

“No, just finished the first nine holes. We’re moving faster than the group in front of us, so I have a few minutes to get something to drink,” he says, shaking the white Styrofoam cup in his hand with the club’s logo on it.

“So how is it going today?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “Hanging in there. This is a tough course and so we’re all struggling a little. It’s fine, though, if we’re all off our game. How’s your day going?”

I roll my eyes. “I’m driving the hall monitor around. Not only is he making sure no one is doing anything wrong, he’s hoping they have the most miserable time in the process.”

“Yeah, that guy sucks. I’ve done tournaments with him before and there is no gray area with him. At all.”

“I hope this isn’t what I’m doing every day. Although it’s better than stacking those balls into pyramids. Whoever came up with that idea is dead to me.”

He laughs and I really like the sound of it. He’s even cuter when that big grin breaks across his face.

“A lot of courses I’ve played at just hand you a bucket of balls. I thought you were here working with the tournament people, but I guess you’re with the club if they’ve got you putting out range balls.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Is this your less-than-subtle way of asking me why I’m here? Our first conversation and you’re already breaking the rules.”

He can tell I’m not too serious. Leo holds both hands out in front of him, cup and all. “No, not our first. I actually waited until the second conversation today. And no, I’m not breaking any rules. I’m not asking why. It’s more of a what. I thought since you were driving Williams around, you were here with the tournament.”

The first part of his sentence catches me off guard. And clues me in to the chance that he texted me and Charlie responded. I’m thankful I didn’t put his real name in my phone but terrified about what that conversation entailed.

Although he came looking for me, so it can’t be too bad.

“I’m sure you saw Mr. Williams has his arm in a sling. I’m his chauffeur.” I do a bow/curtsy thing that really doesn’t make sense.

The heat is definitely getting to me, but thankfully he’s still grinning.

Leo glances toward the course and then back to me. “I’ve gotta get back out there.” But something about his tone and posture makes me think he’s not ready to leave, and that makes me happy.

“I’m sure I’ll see you when we make our rounds. But I’m not allowed to talk to you, so just know I’m not ignoring you on purpose.”

That smile. Was it always this cute? Or maybe I’m just noticing it now because back then it would have never been directed at me.

“I know. Lots of rules at these things.” And then he’s gone. I drop back down on the ground so I can finish my lunch. I think about asking Charlie if he’s texting “L,” but all that would do is make sure he does. With my social life in his hands, I just have to hope it’s not as bad as it could be.

Phone Duty:Charlie

“I should have made Wes come with me,” I say out loud. To no one. Since I’m in the car by myself.

A couple of girls I know walk up the long driveway toward Danlee’s house and I sink a little farther in my seat. I feel like such a creeper. Danlee lives right outside of town on a big chunk of land and there’s nowhere to hide.

When I first looked at the invitation, I knew the party was at Danlee’s house but didn’t think much about it until Aunt Lisa texted, Don’t be late, you know how far out she lives. I left early so “Olivia” would arrive on time, because no, I had no idea how far out she lived. But apparently no one arrives on time, since I was the first one here?

I’ve watched each girl arrive…in costume…and that’s been interesting. There’s no way that belt buckle Steph is wearing isn’t dragging her down. No way.

But I’m also freaking out that someone is going to see me, because I look like a perv creeper sitting on the side of the driveway like this.

Tap, tap, tap.

“Shit!” I yell, and jump in my seat.

Bianca is laughing at me while I roll my window down.

“Charlie, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She can barely contain herself.

“What are you doing here?” I’m sure she’s wondering why I’m sitting in the car in front of Danlee’s house by myself.

I don’t want to out Olivia, so I’m left with looking like an idiot.

“I was waiting for Olivia. She left her bag in my truck and I knew she’d be here.” Dumbest lie ever.

“Oh,” she says.

And then I get a better look at her. She looks good. Really, really good. Opening the truck door, I hop out. “I’m liking this outfit.”

“Better in person, huh,” she says, then twirls around and does this cute little heel kick thing in those cowboy boots.

“Uh, yeah,” I say, not really following.

Bianca and I have been flirting all week. I like her. A lot. But I’m nervous about starting something with her, since we’ll be going our separate ways come fall. So as long as we’re both cool with keeping things easy, I’m all game.

Another few cars pull up and she glances at the road, probably looking for Olivia’s car. “We haven’t seen much of Olivia this week. Kind of weird, actually. Want me to take her bag in with me?”

“No, I’ll give her a few more minutes. I think she needed something in it before going into the party.”

And now that’s the dumbest lie ever. I’m digging a hole and I’ll be buried alive under all these lies.

“Okay, I’ll see you later, then,” she says, taking a few steps away from me. “Won’t I?”

I close the gap she just made between us. “That can be arranged. I have family dinner tonight, but Judd’s band is playing at Superior after. Want to meet up there?”

“Judd’s in a band?” I haven’t found a person who wasn’t shocked by this development.

“Yeah, come watch them with me.”

She smiles, then tucks a piece of hair behind her ear while biting her bottom lip. I don’t care if she’s practiced that a thousand times in the mirror, because it’s worth it.

“I’ll meet you there.”

She walks up the driveway and gives me a wave before disappearing inside. Yee. Haw.

A few more cars arrive and park down the street. I recognize the Evil Joes’ car and let out a moan. This is the last thing I need.

I slide down low in my seat again. I know they’ll recognize my truck, but maybe they won’t see me. Of course they’re dressed identically in matching dresses and cowboy boots. And they did something weird with their hair. It’s in some complicated braid thing that sort of makes them look like they have horns.

Or maybe their real horns are starting to show and they’re just trying to cover them up.

They stroll past my truck and start whispering. Then they stop.

Great. This is friggin’ great.

They stand in front of my truck and Mary Jo beats her hands on my hood.

I shoot up in my seat, giving myself away before I can even think twice about it.

“Hey!” I yell through my closed window.

“Weirdo,” Jo Lynn says.

Mary Jo adds, “Why are you here?”

I roll down my window. There are so many things I want to say, but I stop myself. I will not let them screw with me.

I wave them off and they finally walk away. The phone buzzes; it’s Aunt Lisa again. This day cannot end soon enough.

Surely she sees Olivia is here.

MOM:Take pics of the flowers and food. Dad and I are throwing a party for the Fletchers next month and I’m thinking about using the same florist but want to see how everything looks. Same with the caterer.

MOM:And I heard there will be a line dance! Would love a video of that!!

MOM:Have fun! You know I’d love a picture of you and your friends but I’m not holding my breath!

What the…Are you freaking kidding me? Pictures of the flowers? And food? Sure, no problem, I’ll just multiply my creeper level by ten.

I know Bailey is inside the party already, so I pull up a text to her. God, I hope this works.

ME:Hey! I’m not going to make it. Please tell Danlee I’m so sorry I got caught up at work again. But mom is driving me nuts about getting pics of the food and flowers. Will you take some and send them to me please??

I read it a few times before I hit SEND. If she calls me back instead of texting, I’m screwed. Thankfully, her response comes pretty quick.

BAILEY:No prob I’ll send them

Then there’s another one.

BAILEY:I didn’t think you were working today

I lean back and rub a hand across my face, giving myself a second to think.

ME:Nonna was shorthanded. I couldn’t tell her no

After a couple minutes, Olivia’s phone starts vibrating and yes, Bailey is coming through with the pics. I save them to Olivia’s camera roll, then turn right around and send them to Aunt Lisa.

I’m debating how long I need to stay here to satisfy Aunt Lisa. Or maybe I can dump Olivia’s phone in the mailbox and come back for it. But what if the mail hasn’t been delivered yet today and the carrier accidentally takes it? Yeah, that would be bad.

Bianca catches my attention as I’m thinking about all my options. She’s walking back down the driveway toward my truck, her legs looking particularly long in those short shorts. Man, I love a themed party.

I roll down the window again and try to think about what I’ll say when she asks why I’m still here.

Bianca leans against my door, half hanging in the window.

“Bailey just sent Olivia a bunch of pics of the flowers and food because she’s not coming. Stuck at work. Did she not tell you?”

I let out a nervous laugh and pick up Olivia’s phone, trying to hide the floral case. “She just called.”

Bianca gives me a grin. “Okay, well, I wanted to make sure you weren’t still waiting for her. I tried to text, but you didn’t respond.”

Uh-oh. I hold the phone up in the air again and move it around. “Reception sucks out here.”

She steps away from my truck and slowly walks back to the house. But of course I’m not leaving and she’s curious why. Just before she gets to the door, she comes back and I roll the window back down. Again.

“Are you creeping around here for anyone in particular?”

If I could bang my head against the steering wheel I would. “No. I…it’s complicated.” The last thing Olivia would want anyone to know is that she’s on the verge of not graduating. School has been her thing since we were little, and I know how hard she worked to get to the top of our class. I want so badly to be mad at Olivia about this, but no matter what I wanted to do and no matter how stupid the idea was, she was always right there with me. I mean, she was usually outlining why it was a dumb idea and how quickly we would get caught, but she was still there. I guess I’m going to look like a dumbass for sitting out here.

Bianca tilts her head toward the house. “Danlee’s mom got this old guy who plays a fiddle. He’s just about to start. Come see?”

“No. I’m good.”

But she’s opening my door and pulling me out. “Seriously, come on. I heard he’s amazing.”

This is a bad idea. It’s clearly a girl party, and the Evil Joes are in there, but Bianca isn’t taking no for an answer.

“I’ll go in, but we’re staying in the back,” I say.

We weave our way through Danlee’s house to the doors leading to the backyard. A stone path goes down a small hill to a barn and corral area with several horses in the pasture, but it’s the inside of the barn that blows me away. There are lights strung across the ceiling in a crisscross pattern and hay bales topped with a piece of burlap for people to sit on. Big metal troughs are filled with ice and drinks and there’s a long table full of barbecue.

Bianca keeps going, but I dig my heels in. “I’m staying back here or I’m going back to my truck.”

She lets out a huff but gives in. We find two hay bales away from the crowd. Luckily, everyone’s attention is on the old guy on the other side of the barn.

He picks up his fiddle and plucks a couple strings. Then he just goes to town on it. I mean, I’m surprised there’s no smoke rising from his bow. Once he finishes the first song, he invites the girls up for some line dancing. I take this opportunity to film a few seconds of it so I can get Aunt Lisa off my back. Then I snag some ribs because holy cow they smell delicious. After a couple of songs—and a full plate of food—I feel like I’ve stayed long enough, but the old guy starts talking.

“Okay, now it’s time for the real fun! Y’all ready to turn this hoedown into a rodeo?”

He pulls on a rope and what I thought was just the backdrop to his show was really a curtain hiding a massive mechanical bull.

“Who’s ready for their eight seconds?” he yells.

A few groups of girls start giggling and threaten to push each other over there, but no one takes him up on his offer.

And then I feel my arm lifting.

Bianca is holding it up high while waving hers around. “Charlie wants to try!”

What! Charlie does not!

The old dude gestures for me to come forward.

“What’d you do?” I ask her.

Her shoulders draw up to her ears and she gives me a funny look. “No one was volunteering! It felt awkward!”

She pushes me over to where the man is waiting for me while the rest of the girls are clapping and cheering my name.

“I’m going to die,” I say.

“Don’t be so dramatic!” she replies.

Once I’m close enough, he pulls me next to him. “From the chants, I’m guessing you’re Charlie!” he says.

“Yep.” Maybe I shouldn’t have had that second scoop of potato salad. The Evil Joes look positively giddy that I’m up here; their phones are ready to record the carnage.

He hands me a glove and asks, “Need a boost?”

This is already going to be humiliating. I don’t need to add to it, so that’s a firm no. I heave one leg over and try to hop up on the giant thing.

As much as I was hoping I could make it on my first try, I do not. Not my second either.

Third time is a charm!

The old man signals to a guy sitting off to the side behind a control board and the bull pitches forward. I clutch the reins with my gloved hand and hold on for dear life. It starts out slow, moving back and forth in a circle just long enough to relax. Then it really gets going.

My knees are locked in tight and I’ve got my free hand up in the air.

And I’m still on!

I am amazing at this!

The girls are on their feet, cheering for me, but they’re all a blur as I spin by them.

This is awesome!

The bull starts slowing down, and instead of jumping off, I stand up on it, raising both fists in the air Rocky-style, and scream, “Wooooo-hoooooo!”

And the crowd goes wild.

When the bull finally stops, I leap off. More cheers.

“Very good, Charlie!” the old man says.

“That was the coolest thing ever!”

I’m walking back to Bianca, high-fiving everyone I pass, when I feel Olivia’s phone start vibrating in my back pocket. I pull it out and see my name on the screen.

“Hey!” I say.

“What is that noise? I hope you’re parked in front of Danlee’s house!”

I have to hold one hand against my opposite ear just to hear her. The cheers are so loud. “Yeah! That’s it! That’s where I am!”

“Why is it so loud?” she asks.

I step a few feet away. “It’s the radio.” She’s going to know I’m lying.

“Charlie—” she starts, but I interrupt her.

“I’ll call you back,” I scream into the phone, and then end the call, finally making my way to Bianca.

She throws her arms around me. “You were incredible!”

I lift her off the ground, giving her a little twirl. “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done.” I set her down, one hand on her waist and the other linked with hers. “I’m going to slip out now. Thanks for dragging me in. That was really fun.”

She leans forward. We’re close. And I like it. “See you later, Charlie Messina.”

And I like how she uses my whole name, and she knows it. She starts to move away and I hang on to her hand until the last possible second.

Once I’m back in the truck, the phone vibrates again.

MOM:Don’t forget to send me a video of the line dancing!

I send her the video I took. And then I get another text. I cackle when I see who it’s from. Good ole letter L.

L:Done for today. Is there a party tonight? Wouldn’t mind running into you again

Oh, this guy is smooth. I prop Olivia’s phone against the steering wheel and rub my hands together, thinking of the perfect response. There isn’t a party tonight, and I know we have to eat family dinner at Nonna’s, but then there’s Judd’s thing at Superior. Perfect.

ME:No parties tonight And I have to eat family dinner at my grandmother’s house but then I’ll be at Superior watching a friend’s band play. It would be easy to run into me there

It doesn’t take him long to text back.

L:I’m sure I’ll have dinner plans too but will also feel like going to watch a band after. It will be purely a coincidence

Ha! I like this guy! And then I delete the last three messages but leave the one from earlier. Olivia would kill me if she knew I was setting up a meeting between her and Locke. And then she’d back out of going to watch Judd play. Can’t have that.

It’s been all about school and grades and graduation and nothing else with Olivia lately. She’d be happy to flirt with Locke for weeks without ever pulling the trigger on meeting up with him. She just needs a little push.

After dinner at Nonna’s, we’ll go to Superior. And what? Surprise, look who’s here.

She’ll thank me later.