Teen Ink

Ice Cream and Party Plans

Thursday couldn’t have come quick enough. For once I was so excited to see a girl. Genuinely excited, I should put it. I know this because goose bumps are covering my arms, and it’s probably a hundred degrees outside. That makes them ‘nervous goose bumps’ as my mom would put it. She always told me stories about how she got them when she saw my dad for the first time, “His presence made me anxiously nervous, and he was all the way across the room from me!” She said while tucking me in when I was little. That was when my dad was still around, and when they were happily married to one another.
That makes me think about marrying Amanda, which is a little awkward but brings a smile to my face anyhow.

“Why so quiet?” she nudges me with her elbow. Her binder and a few books seem to over flow in her arms, and a less filled backpack persuades her shoulders to come upright.
I look her over. She’s wearing blue daisy dukes and a white tank top that has a heart design on it, gorgeous as always.
“Just thinking.” I say quietly. Her eyes sparkle when they land on me and her smile widens.
“About what?” she asks, nudging me again.
“Nothing…” I tell her and she giggles a little bit.
“Uh huh, I bet you’re thinking about how you want to dance with Kylie at your next party.” She winks at me and I laugh.
“Why do you keep bringing that up?” I ask her with a smile covering more and more of my face as the conversation continues. “Are you jealous Ms. Kolbe?”

***

Jealous? Yeah right! I feel bad for Kylie!!! I feel like she got taken advantage of by Drew, in a way. The fact that she ruined her own chance with Celeb is her fault completely, I will admit that. But when she was twisting and falling and getting laughed at, Drew should’ve told her to go sit back down.
“No, I actually feel bad for her.” I say and he laughs.
“So does that mean I won’t have to save you a dance for the party tomorrow?” Drew asks and I laugh.
“What makes you think I’ll go?” I ask him, edging a little closer to him on our thin line of sidewalk. Natasha is surprised enough with me being here at all, what would she say if I told her that I wanted to go to the party? What would she say if I told her that I wanted to dance with Drew?!
“Oh, I just assumed buying ice cream for you would be a good enough invitation, but I guess not!” he yells, acting super offended.

His jeans are a dark blue, and match my shorts a little bit. You know, if they were all the way up to his thighs. His black, gray, and white plaid shirt lies over a black undershirt and his Nikes boy high tops match his outfit.
“It is! It is!” I say, jokingly.
“So does that mean you will be dancing with me?” he asks, nudging me like I had nudged him before.
“Possibly.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He says, then holds a door open for me to walk in. I do, and then I go sit down at a two person table.
“What do you want?” he asks before even thinking about sitting down.
“I was just going to get chocolate,” I say, setting my binder and books down so that I can reach back into my backpack for the money to pay, “Just let me get my five bucks and…”
I look up to see that Drew is shaking his head no, holding his hands out in refusal.
“I invited you, I’ll pay.” He smiles and when I try to refuse and give him the money he doesn’t take it. “Cut it out, I’m getting it. You can’t stop me; I already know what you want.”
Then he just walked away!

***

I get to the counter after about five minutes of waiting.
“Busy day?” I ask the guy who looks no much older than me on the other side of the counter.
“Yeah, that and I’m getting a bit distracted.” He winks at me. Gay?
“What?” I ask him, looking bugged eyed and taken aback.
“By that girl over there, I mean, damn look at her.” He says, looking over my shoulder. I know exactly who he means, Amanda. MY Amanda!
When I look back my thoughts are confirmed. He is talking about my Amanda.
“I know exactly what you mean.” I say, then hand him the money I took out of my wallet. “One three scoop bowl of chocolate and one three scoop bowl of strawberry mixed with mint chocolate chip.”
“Coming right up.” He says, and then he turned back to me. “You know her right?”
“Yeah?” I ask him.
“Feel like hooking a friend up?” he winks at me again. Is that what I look like when I wink at people, really? No wonder Amanda joked about me being an insane person.
“I do,” I say after I grab our two bowls of icecream, “but you’re not my friend and she’s mine to get.” I say, winking back at him. He laughs and nods in approval as if he would do the same thing.

When I get back to the table Amanda is sitting there, hot as always.
“Hey, thanks and next time it’s on me.” She says then takes her bowl.
“Are you asking me out Amanda?” I ask her and she laughs, covering her eyes in a tingle of embarrassment I’m sure is coming over her.
“No, I mean as friends.” She smiles and then takes a bite of her ice cream.
“Sounds like an amazing plan.” I tell her.
“So tomorrow you’re having a party?”

***

I want to go. It would be my first real party, and with Natasha already mad at me for being here it’s like, what the hell?! Might was well go to Drew’s party as well!
“Yup, as always.” He says with a huge smile that I’m becoming accustomed to.
“So you’re going to save me a dance?” I say, playing around with his emotions, ping ponging with his mind.
Does he remember doing the same thing with me? Setting me up for such a large fall?
“Of course,” he tells me, smiling some more, “one dance all for you.”
“There’s only one problem.” I say, taking another bite of my rich ice cream and then looking back up. “I don’t have a ride.”
“I’m sure I can drive you over there. My brother will probably let me use his car.”
“Really, that would be great!” I exclaim as he smiles some more.
“Yeah.”, he says in conformation of my plans that have recently formulated.
“So you’re going to drive me home tomorrow and we’ll just hang out at your house and get the party together?” I ask him, seeing how many questions he can answer at a time.
“Yes, that’s the idea.”

“Cross your heart?” I test. I want his mind to be reeling the next time I leave him. I want him to be so flustered it hurts to think. I want to win.

***

“Cross my heart.” I tell her, and when she smiles, I do too.

I’m totally winning this game.
***

This game isn’t yours to win this time Drew Jeered, it’s mine.