25
Norah
“He did what?” Ben asks, watching his marshmallow catch on fire. We’re on the patio behind my house, sitting around the fire pit. The parents are in the house playing a board game. Olivia, Sidney, Ben, Gabe, Delaney, and I are out back making s'mores.
“He took me to see Goonies,” I reply, focused on getting my marshmallow a nice, perfect, golden brown. “At the drive-in.”
Ben blows out the fire, revealing a charred, smoking marshmallow. “That sounds like a pretty lame date to me.”
“It wasn’t lame. It’s one of my favorite movies and I love the drive-in.”
Gabe studies his own roasting marshmallow. With everything going on, it’s reasonable to think that he’s faking his interest in his task because he doesn’t want to hear about my date with Trevor. But I know Gabe. He’s the king of perfect timing in the world of s'mores.
“How was the end of the date?” Delaney asks. “You know…”
My cheeks heat and again I glance at Gabe, wondering what he’s thinking, because his expression is giving me nothing.
“Please do not tell us you kissed him,” Ben blurts, saving me from actually replying. “I don’t want to gag up the six s'mores I just ate.”
“They didn’t kiss,” Olivia announces. “But they did sit on the front steps for like, an hour, after they got back.”
I snatch a marshmallow from the bag and throw it at Olivia’s head. Hard.
“Ouch!”
“Stop spying on me!”
“I wasn’t spying! You were being really loud right outside my window!”
The interaction makes me forget my stick and I look down to see my marshmallow engulfed in flames.
“No!” I cry, pulling it out, but it’s too late. It’s completely black.
“That’s what you get for throwing things at me,” Olivia declares.
“I’ll eat it,” Ben says, walking over and taking the stick from me.
I sigh, leaning back in my seat, annoyed, embarrassed, and frustrated.
“Hey,” Gabe says, pulling his stick, along with his perfectly toasted marshmallow, out of the fire. “Grab that graham cracker.” I pick up the one I had prepared with the chocolate square and hold it up. He places the marshmallow on the square and I clamp the other cracker on top and he pulls loose the stick.
I hold it out to him and he shakes his head. “Take it.”
“What? No. It’s yours.”
He looks at me for the first time all night. “I made it for you.”
I start to push it toward him but he’s already pushing another marshmallow on the end of his stick.
“Thank you.”
He smiles and it’s enough to make my heart tumble in my chest.
We do this for a while longer but Ben and Sidney grow bored. They, along with Olivia and Gabe, head into the house to play video games. Delaney and I clean up some of the mess.
“So really, how was the date with Trevor?” she asks.
I grab all the roasting sticks and carry them over to the storage closet next to the house. “Strange. Fun. Confusing.”
“You really didn’t kiss him?”
I shake my head. “He didn’t try.”
She absorbs that. “Interesting.”
“I told you, it was strange and confusing.”
“But also fun?”
“He took me to my favorite place to see a favorite movie with all my favorite candy. It was hard not to have fun.” I hold out the trash bag to her and she drops in a bunch of wrappers.
“Then how come you don’t sound like you had a great time?”
I glance toward the house. Through the window I see the others piled on the couch playing video games. Gabe’s sitting next to Ben, obviously trash-talking.
I can’t tell Delaney that the reason I didn’t have a great time is because I felt guilty for thinking about Gabe all night.
She looks at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. I give her what I can.
“I was probably just nervous. Trevor’s a lot, you know.”
She holds my eye for a moment and I get the strangest feeling she knows. A moment later it passes and she says, “A lot of handsome muscles and charm, that’s for sure.”
“Speaking of charm, or lack thereof, have you given any more thought to going to the festival with Ben?”
“If he makes the effort and sends me an invitation, I’ll definitely consider it,” she says. “But no slacking off. I’m worth more than that.” She pauses. “Wait, are you still going with Gabe or have things changed now with Trevor?”
I hadn’t even thought about that.
Maybe this is why I shouldn’t date.
Things always seem to get complicated.
Midway through the next week one thing becomes obvious; I’m going to have to quit my job.
Not the one with Gabe, that one is great, but takes up way more time than I’d imagined. I tried to manage both for the first three days but the Photobooth Society project is advancing quickly, which means we both have a lot of work to do each day. And I still have my school work which, for my parents to sign off on the contract, I’d agreed to keep up with.
I didn’t plan on leaving Wade high and dry, though. The idea for the perfect employee pops into my head. My friend Bea.
“Do you feel confident up here by yourself?” I ask, after I trained her briefly. It’s not really that complicated.
“I think so,” she says, tucking her red hair behind her ear. “Credit cards go here. Cash in there.” She holds up an index card. “I’ve got my cheat sheet and pretty much already know where everything is located.”
“I’ll just be in the back if you need me—today’s a big day. We’re going over some casting decisions.”
“Like, picking the actors?” she asks.
I nod. “Yep. Which I didn’t realize would be part of my job, but apparently it is. I had to go look up the social media footprint of all these people, do they have any scandals or triggering drama that could be a problem. We either have to make the decision that their star power or acting abilities are bigger than their stupid ChattySnap comments from three years ago, or deem them a liability.”
“Wow.” She nods. “I don’t know if I’d want that job.”
“I should have read the fine print.” I laugh. “Okay, just text me if you need something.”
“Got it.”
I’m walking toward the back office when I hear the bell chime at the door. I glance over my shoulder and see two people walking in. Reese and a man I don’t know. Reese smiles at Bea, eliciting a kind of dumbstruck expression from my friend. A pang of irrational jealousy twists in my stomach. I have zero confirmation anything is going on between Reese and Gabe, but my emotions don’t seem to understand that.
“Hi,” I say, pulling it together. “Gabe’s in the back. I was just headed there.”
“Great,” she says, walking past the desk. The man with her is also exceedingly handsome. He’s dressed nice, nicer than most people that come in a comic book shop, and I have a moment of second-guessing our office location. Reese, as always, seems unfazed. How can someone always look so comfortable?
“Oh gosh, where are my manners. Norah, this is Paul. He’s the script director. Paul, Norah is the one doing all the social media content.”
He smiles broadly, showing me his white, straight teeth. “Nice to meet you, Norah. I’ve seen your work. You’ve done a great job handling the accounts so far.”
I won’t deny that praise makes me feel good.
We cut through the displays and shelves of books and I lead us to the office door. I open it and find Gabe lounging on the couch, focused on his sketch pad. He’s still deep in the next issue, something he’s trying to keep up with despite all the stuff going on. Blue Star has been forgiving of a few deadlines but I know he wants to keep them. The result is that he’s exhausted, muddling through both classes and work. He’s carrying a tension in his shoulders that makes him sag.
>
He looks up when I walk in and a line creases his forehead. Things have been weird between us for the last few days. Okay, maybe I’ve been weird. My life is weird now. Trevor and I…we’re not exactly dating but we’re not not dating, either. We’ve been talking some at school, walking to classes together, and every day he reveals a little bit more of his true self and it’s hard not to like him.
I start to stay something, but I hear Reese squeal in my ear and she pretty much pushes me out of the way to get to Gabe. He hops off the couch and right there in the middle of the room they embrace. Embrace.
Paul and I watch as they hug in the middle of the room like two people that haven’t seen one another in months, not days.
Reese lets him go and says, “You look tired.”
I cock my head, not sure how I feel about her noticing what I’d already noticed.
He rubs his chin. “Just pulling some all-nighters.”
She rests her hand on his shoulder. “Then let’s get started.”
Then he does the craziest thing.
He reaches up, grazes her fingers on his shoulder with his and smiles at her gratefully. It’s a tiny thing. Miniscule, but ouch. Ouch.
The center of the office is filled with a table and six chairs. Paul and I end up on one side and Reese and Gabe on the other. Paul gets right to business, pulling out a list of potential cast members. There are five main characters plus a few villains and side characters in the first issue. It’s being broken down into eight episodes.
I open my laptop and start entering data, pulling up everything I can find on each actor they’re discussing. There’s the first glance information, how many followers. How active are they? Do they have engaged fans…
I do all of this while the others discuss other factors, like budget, scheduling, what Gabe thinks about them for the role. I try to keep down my inner fangirl when certain names are mentioned (Andrew Xavier) but mostly I have one eye on the couple across the table from me. Reese and Gabe look…comfortable with one another. Close. Something he’s never been with another girl before--well, a girl that’s not me.
It’s after six when Paul says, “That’s enough for today. We can go over the female leads tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” Reese says. “Norah, you’ll have that background information together on the top five?”
“Yeah, I can have that ready.” I close my laptop, not looking forward to the amount of homework I have.
Bea has already closed up when we head out the front door. Paul gets in his car, headed back to town, and Reese lingers by her SUV. Fall has officially arrived and a cool breeze blows off the water a few blocks away, whipping down the street.
Signs are up for the fall festival, something that takes place in Ocean Grove every year. There are carnival rides and games and all kinds of unhealthy food. It’s one of the things I agreed to go to with Gabe. Part of that whole senior year plan.
I walk toward my car but realize Gabe isn’t coming. We always ride home together, but tonight he’s still by the sidewalk.
“You coming?” I ask, a strange feeling in my chest.
He glances at Reese. “Uh, I think I’ll be a minute. Talk later?”
I swallow. “Yeah, sure.”
I get in my old, beat-up car, feeling awkward and out of place. It’s one thing to hold back on my feelings with Gabe for the sake of our friendship. It’s another to see him with another girl. An amazingly beautiful, talented girl.
I don’t like how that feels at all.
26
Gabe
I’m used to seeing Trevor talk to Norah at their lockers. Used to him annoying her and then her brushing him off.
That’s not how it goes these days. Now they talk easily, casually, happily, and more than once I see the way his hand rests on her shoulder or him offer to carry her bag.
It’s killing me and it’s harder and harder for me to hold back every day.
“Hey,” Delaney says, blocking my view.
“Hi,” I clench the strap of my backpack and crane my neck, trying to see Norah. Delaney’s kind of on my bad list since she and Olivia talked me into this stupid game.
“How’s it going?” she pulls out a pack of gum and pops a piece in her mouth, then offers me one. I shake my head.
“If you’re talking about Norah and Trevor, it looks like things are going really well.” I glare at the couple as they laugh at something and head down the hall. “If you’re talking about me manning up and doing something about it…that is a giant failure.”
“There’s still time,” Delaney says. “Aren’t you guys going to the festival together?”
“I don’t know.”
Truthfully, I’m scared to find out.
“You said you two agreed to do all the senior things together. Did you send her an invite?”
I glance over her shoulder at the poster announcing the festival invites, a tradition and fundraiser for the theater program. Something I’ve never taken part of and something Norah mocked relentlessly in the past.
“I don’t know, Delaney,” I say, reading the sign. Basically, you buy an invitation and fill it out, asking someone to be your date. They get delivered in class and usually it’s not a surprise, the kids know they are coming. Occasionally there’s an awkward moment where someone gets two or it’s clear they do not want to go. It’s always seemed high-risk to me. “Norah has always made fun of those.”
The bell rings and Delaney shakes her head in disappointment. She starts down the hall but looks back and says, “You think Trevor isn’t going to send her one?”
I turn the other way, headed down to the art hall, thinking about how that’s the problem. I know he will.
27
Norah
Who knew murders and intrigue and betrayal could be so boring? At least, that’s my view of Shakespeare in my senior Lit class. My teacher, Mr. Brown, doesn’t make it any easier.
He drones up at the front of the classroom, painfully describing the politics woven in the text. He’s a small man, bald, tan. He coaches the cross-country team, which is his other passion.
Needless to say, we don’t share many of the same interests.
Required classes are a curse when you’re an art student—especially during senior year. I’m restless, focused on the future, and with my phone buzzing every three seconds during the day about Photobooth Society, it’s hard for me to care.
My classmates seem the same, yet their interests seem to lie with gossip and drama. Gabe’s deal is old news by now but there’s enough new information coming out that it keeps him on the top of the list. The other favorite subject? Me and Trevor.
I wonder what Mr. Brown would make of our story—two opposites attract—defying the odds of our school hierarchy? And what about the fact that no matter how hard I try, my real love is unrequited?
“You’ll need to read pages thirty-six through sixty-eight tonight to prepare for a quiz tomorrow. You can take the remainder of the class time to get started,” he says in a flat monotone voice, hammering home the fact that no, he probably doesn’t care about my personal-life dramas at all.
I pull out my book and flip through the pages. I can’t focus though. Every day that passes I become restless, more eager to get out of school and start living life. At the same time, I know these days are precious, the last I’ll have. We’re already halfway through the fall, I’m still completely confused about both Trevor and Gabe, and as though the fates are testing me with this concept, the door to the room opens and Delaney and Tyler appear, holding a big box.
“Can I help you?” Mr. Brown asks, looking up from his paperback.
“We’re here from the drama department to deliver the invitations for the fall festival.”
He stares blankly but waves them in.
The whole class tenses as they walk down the aisles, sorting through the envelopes. Since we’re seniors, not much of it is a surprise. Jackson Price gets one—presumably from his girlfriend Amanda Morgan
. Ellie Hong from her boyfriend Peter Trent. Sally Washington from her girlfriend Miranda Kennedy. A few squirm awkwardly when the bright yellow envelope is delivered, faces turning red because it’s unexpected. Delaney starts down my row, giving me a silly wink. I try not to shift uncomfortably. Trevor is definitely the type to send me one of these, probably filled with mushy, ridiculous affection. It’s hard for me to admit that he’s not a bad guy. Not at all. I really actually like him.
As a friend.
That part is more and more clear.
I think.
Sure enough, Delaney stops before my desk and Tyler pulls out a yellow envelope for me and lays it on my desk. I give them both a tight smile, knowing they’re loving this moment and my total humiliation at being part of such a stupid event.
“Thanks,” I say through gritted teeth.
“You’re welcome,” Tyler says.
I stare at the invitation, my name scrawled on the front. There’s no way I’m opening this in here. Delaney moves along but then stops, stepping back in front of my desk.
“Oh wait,” she says, “there’s one more.”
She slides another envelope on my desk.
A few whispers start around me and Jackson Price says, “Dang Saddler…looks like you’re breaking at least one heart today.”
My cheeks burn and my heart pounds, looking at the two invitations. The two options. One, I know who it’s from.
The other? I have a pretty good feeling and I’m not exactly sure what I think about it.
“What the heck is this?” I ask, tossing the unopened envelope across the roof of the car. It skitters against the metal surface, landing right at Gabe’s face.
“You didn’t open it?”
I ignore the hurt in his eyes.
“I recognized your handwriting,” I roll my eyes, “obviously. Do you think it’s fun to humiliate me in front of everyone?”
“Humiliate you?” he asks. He presses his chest against the car.
I wrench open my car door and the old springs whine. Once inside, I slam it behind me and crank the car, wishing it wasn’t ancient and I could have been out of here before he got inside. No such luck.
Norah and The Nerd: Best Friends Romance (Love in Ocean Grove Book 4) Page 12
