“You’re a Howell. You’re kin to the QB?”
“Yes, sir,” I say, putting on the best smile I can. “He’s my brother.”
“Oh dang. Jimmy, he’s got a sister.”
“Your brother has quite an arm,” Jimmy starts.
“Yes, sir. He does.”
“Tell him his pocket was a little off in the last game.”
I look at this man, Jimmy, and raise an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“I’m sure that Coach has a plan to get him on point, but we nearly lost that last one.”
I smile. “I’m sure they’ve got it all under control.”
“They better fix it before the Vikings game next month or they’ll take it. You best believe they’re watching our game tapes, too,” Jimmy says.
“I’ll do what I can.” I take my bags from the cashier and start to walk out. Old Jimmy follows me, still talking about football.
“He oughta keep an eye on the Lexington boy, too. He’s gonna let them down.”
I want to spin around and tell him off. It’s what Jake would do, and I’m trying to be more like him in ways. But sometimes, it’s better to be more like my brother. I take a page from his book and spin around with a smile. “I’m sure you can email Coach Tucker your concerns and he’ll take them into consideration.”
Before I walk away, though, I think of Jake. He doesn’t deserve that. He leaves his heart and soul on the field, and WWJD: he’d tell him to get lost, only with less niceness.
“And for the record, you’re totally wrong about Jake Lexington. If anyone is letting the team down, it’s you, by doubting the people on it and what they’re doing instead of supporting them on the field.”
He locks his jaw and looks a little shocked that a girl spoke to him in such a way.
I smile. “Have a great day.”
Jake and I are sitting outside on the front patio, and the sun has already set so the cicadas are singing their last tunes of summer. Books and papers are spread out around us. He looks up from the practice test we’re both working on.
“Thank you for studying with me.”
“No problem,” I say.
“This is not the way I usually spend a night with a girl,” he says, bumping my shoulder with a laugh. I know he’s kidding. Sort of. Maybe.
I laugh. “Well, you’ve got to get at least a B on your test, so I think you will do that easily.”
He stops and leans in closer to whisper in my ear. “Thanks to you.”
“No problem,” I say, ignoring the chill bumps running over my body. I would never tell him that there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. My phone vibrates. Jake hands me the paper, and our fingers touch briefly in the exchange. I want to really hold his hand again like that day on the bridge, and I feel the blush rush to my cheeks at the thought. Instead, I refocus myself on his paper, and Jake fiddles with his phone while I check his answers.
“Hey, you never told me? Why the unicorn emoji?”
I smile. That was weeks ago, and I’ve been wondering when he’d ask again. “Because it’s magical.”
“What?”
“It works in any scenario. Texting about something sad, it’s like, ‘aw it’s okay, here’s a unicorn.’ Something adorable? Unicorn. Something funny, unicorn. If you’re happy, unicorn. It’s versatile.”
I probably sound like a dork right now, but he’s smiling. “Who knew a unicorn emoji could say so many things?”
“Magic,” I whisper with a smile. Much like this test he just took. “Wow,” I add.
“I did that bad?”
I shake my head and pass the page back. “You missed three. You got an A, sir.”
“You’re shitting me!”
“No, I’m not.”
“What?” He stands up and pulls me into a hug. “I can’t believe it.”
Jake is hugging me, and it’s pure bliss. I can barely think. “You know this stuff,” I manage.
He pulls away so he can look into my eyes, but he’s still holding on to me. “I had a good tutor.”
He inhales a bit. It makes his chest tighten and contract next to me.
“You really are amazing,” he says.
“I know,” I say.
He laughs. “You know.” I shrug, and he laughs again. I really like making Jake laugh. “And you’re so humble.”
“WWJD.”
That makes him chuckle, and he lets me go. I wish I hadn’t said anything so I could stay in his arms like that. “Other Howell, you are something.” His eyes light up when he looks at me. “I heard this rumor that today you told off old man Jimmy Bones in the General Store.”
“Me? I would never do that.”
He steps closer. “That’s not what the rumor said.”
“You know what they say about believing rumors.”
He’s standing next to me again, a breath away. I feel the energy coursing through the air, the same way it was on the bridge. The same thing I’ve dreamt about too many times.
“Thank you,” he whispers. “It means a lot that you would say that.”
“It was the truth,” I say.
He shakes his head. “I don’t really deserve it.”
Something compels me that’s not my own brain, and I reach over and touch his cheek. I can’t stop my body from wanting to touch him. “You do, Jake.”
I think he’s going to kiss me, right here on my patio. I want it. I want it more than I wanted it in my daydreams because now I know him in my own way. I’m not just his best friend’s sister, I’m his friend. And he’s mine. He’s not this far-off fantasy that I have a crush on, he’s a real person who I know, flaws and all, and it makes me like him more. I like who I am with him. He makes me feel more confident and bold. It’s always been part of me, but I’m not afraid to bring it out around him. He touches me back, moving a strand of hair behind my ear and brushing my cheek with the back of his knuckle.
I lean in, or he does, or we both do. This is happening.
“Yo! I see Jake’s truck here!” Chris yells from inside the house.
Jake jumps away from me like I’m fire burning him alive, and my heart gets trapped in my throat. We’re apart when Chris steps onto the patio, standing in the doorway and looking between us.
“What’s up?”
“Hey man,” Jake says, nodding toward my brother. “We were studying.”
Chris nods slowly. “Gotcha.”
“He got an A,” I manage. Jake starts gathering up his papers and shoving them into his book, not looking at me at all.
“Cool. You staying for dinner?” my brother asks Jake.
Jake steals a glance up at me, one I can’t quite decipher. “Nah man, I told Jamie I’d pick up some food.” He packs up his bag and nods toward me. “Thanks, Hals. I’ll see you later.”
“Sure,” I say. Chris is staring at me, and I’m trying really hard not to show any emotion.
“See you tomorrow, man,” Jake says, and before Chris can even respond, Jake is already almost out the door.
We stand there, him in the doorway and me in the middle of the patio, for a few minutes. I busy myself cleaning from our study session, gathering up cups and books. Chris moves when I make it to the door, but even with my back to him I can still feel his eyes on me.
“You two seem to be getting friendly.”
I shrug. Act like it’s nothing. It is nothing.
He almost kissed you.
It’s nothing.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m helping him with work. We have a couple of classes together.”
My brother crosses his arms. “It kinda felt like more than that.”
“You’re imagining things,” I say, putting the dishes into the dishwasher.
But I can still feel Jake next to me, my skin on alert, ready for his kiss.
“All right, but it felt like I interrupted something.”
I finally turn and look at my brother. “Between me and Jake Lexington?”
He shrugs.
“No,�
� I say, and Chris crosses his arms. “Why would you even think that?”
He shrugs. “I just know you both.”
“You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
“I don’t see how he’d be interested.”
“In me?” I scoff. “Wow. Thanks.”
“I just don’t see it. You’re not really his type. It’s not a good fit, Hals.”
“You know, besides him being a football player, I don’t really know what the issue would be.”
“He’s my best friend, but he’s not good for you. He’s not really good for anyone, especially not right now. And especially not you.” Chris raises an eyebrow. “You sound a little defensive.”
“I don’t like you thinking that no guy could ever be interested in me.”
“That’s not what I said.”
I wave him off, annoyed and embarrassed both. “There’s nothing going on, so you don’t have to worry about it. It’s impossible anyway, right?”
“Ooookayy,” Chris says. “Whatever you say.”
I nod and pick up my phone. There’s a text from Jake: a single unicorn emoji.
Chapter Fifteen
Jake
Last year at Falling for Fall, Jamie and I offered a double date. “Date the Lexington brothers!” was our slogan. We wore matching suits, plus suspenders and jackets, minus shirts. We were the most bid-upon pair, and we ended up taking out the Marin sisters—two of Culler’s most adorable 80-year-old women, who we took bowling. It was pretty fun.
This year is way less exciting, being up here alone.
“Who doesn’t want to date a star player on the football team?” Mayor Hobbs says in an awkward announcer voice. He shoves the mic in my face. “Anything you want to add, Jake?”
I stare out into the crowd and find Haley immediately. She’s at the Belles table, exchanging something for something else. I don’t really care enough to do much but look at her. The prospect of her winning a date with me, under the guise of charity, has me hopeful.
I strap on my best smile and make my accent a little thick on purpose. “I want to assure whichever lovely lady gets a date with me that I will treat her like a perfect Southern gentleman. WWJD.” Haley’s eyes pierce into mine. “That’s my motto.” I smile extra big.
Some of the people in the crowd clap, and the guys on the team all hoot and catcall. But it’s Haley I’m watching. Her smile grows, her cheeks redden, and I can imagine the way her nose crinkles up right on the bridge even from here. She knows that’s all for her.
I hope she bids on me.
Mayor Hobbs claps. “Thank you. Again, that’s Jake Lexington, number 21! Get your silent auction bids in.”
I exit the stage and stand with Howell.
“Wish me luck!” Shane Griggs says as he runs past us on to the stage and Mrs. Monroe calls his name.
“I think I’m going to stop by the kissing booth until they announce the winners,” Howell says. “And maybe get some caramel apples.”
“Who’s at the kissing booth that you’d want to kiss?” I ask.
“Lenora Snider.” He smiles.
Lenora Snider was Howell’s first crush. She’s three years older than us, so we were always right on the cusp of being invisible to her. It didn’t stop Howell. “Go get it, bro.”
“Hey, it may not be true love, but at least I can fulfill my middle school fantasy.”
I snort. “And then get a caramel apple.”
“Hell yes,” he says. “I’ll get you one.”
I shrug. “I’ll come just to watch you try to talk to Lenora Snider.” He never could. He was always a babbling idiot.
He slaps me on the shoulder. “That’s the great thing about it, I don’t have to talk!”
I follow Howell toward the town square, past the silent auction. Georgia Ann rushes toward us, Beau not far behind her. That’s kind of how they come now since the summer. “Hey y’all,” she says.
“Have you been by the kissing booth yet?” he asks Beau. Georgia Ann raises an eyebrow.
“Why would he go by the kissing booth?”
Howell stumbles, and Beau tries not to laugh. “I was wondering how long the line was.”
“Lenora Snider is there,” I say to embarrass him a little. He punches my arm.
“Shit, man,” he says. Beau is laughing.
“I think the line was pretty long,” Beau says.
“Seriously?” she asks, her voice a squeal.
Beau reaches over and pulls her closer. “Georgie, I wasn’t waiting in the line. I don’t want to kiss anyone but you.”
“You best not,” she says, and he kisses the side of her neck.
They used to make me want to vomit. Now it feels like something I wish I could do.
Haley’s face flashes in my mind. I gotta get this under control.
“Y’all gonna go to Hoops’s party after this?” Beau asks us.
Howell shrugs. “Probably. I haven’t gotten that far. One mission at a time,” he says, looking over everyone toward the line at the kissing booth.
I’ve been trying to cut back, but I don’t want to tell anyone that. They’ll make a big deal about it and ask questions. I really am doing it because hanging out with Haley has made me want it less. That’s it. I don’t find myself thinking about it all the time. Before it was like I had nothing else to look forward to, and now, somehow, I do.
Georgia Ann’s watch beeps, and she tugs on Beau’s arm with a sigh. “I better get back to it before Momma sees me standing around.”
“I better go get in line. You good?” Howell asks me.
“Yeah, I’ll probably head out.”
With a nod, he leaves, and if dudes could skip without looking stupid, that’s how I’d say he got over to the kissing booth line. Alone in the crowd, I walk toward the gazebo. I might as well see if there’s anything not stupid going down here. This town does a lot of stupid shit, so probably not.
That’s when I see her again.
She’s passing out tickets for one of the fall carnival games. The one with the milk bottles that you have to knock over with a ball. A kid is up there right now, tossing and missing. My feet move forward without my permission, because the next thing I know I’m standing right there. Haley smiles at me. The kid knocks down one.
“Nice job,” she says, handing him a basket full of suckers. “Have one.”
The kid takes a green one, smart choice, and scurries away.
“Hey,” I say.
Wow. What am I turning into?
“Jake Lexington. Quite a show you put on up there.”
I can’t help but smile at her. God, she’s so pretty. “Maybe I can score a good date out of it.”
She smirks but doesn’t say anything about it. “You want to give it a go? Only one dollar for five tries.”
I point to this stuffed unicorn on the wall. “How many do I need to knock down to get that?”
Her face lights up, but then gets serious. “Oh, that’s a big order. You have to knock down all five.”
I rub my hands together. “Let me at it.”
Haley hands me the balls, and I toss. I get one. So much for being impressive.
“Let’s try again.”
I hand her another dollar.
“Maybe you ought to aim for two,” she says. She points at this smaller pink bear. Or is it a dog? I can’t really tell. “You can get this for two pins.”
“Nah, I’m going to win that unicorn,” I say, and I give her five dollars.
I hand Haley the small teddy bear/dog. “It’s really not very cute, is it?”
She gasps and covers the stuffed animal’s ears. “Don’t let Lexy hear you say that. He didn’t mean it, Lexy.”
“Lexy?”
She shrugs. “After its liberator.”
I don’t know what to say to that. We walk in silence toward the gazebo, where winners of the silent auction dates are about to be announced. There’s a crowd gathered for the raffle. “So, did you bid on me?”
Haley hmms. “A girl can’t bid and tell.”
We all gather around the front, guys on the stage and bidders around, as Mrs. Monroe and Mayor Hobbs start naming off and pairing up dates with winners. Everyone seems happy so far. Howell is called, and to my surprise and shock, he was won by Lenora Snider.
Haley is staring at me, and it makes me smile. Which makes her smile. I love her smile.
Will Montgomery gets paired up with Old Mrs. Baker. She made last year’s winner clean out her gutters. I get a little nervous.
I want to take Haley out, for real, but this is as close as I can get. What is she thinking right now?
Mayor Hobbs calls my number and my name next.
“For 21, Jake Lexington, the winning bid goes to…”
My heart is racing as she stares at me. What is wrong with me? This is not something I do.
“Abby Fletcher!”
Haley’s eyes drift left as Abby starts cheering. What? Abby is jumping up and down and she even hugs Haley, who meets my gaze. I have to smile while everyone looks at me, but why? Why wouldn’t she bid on me? Have I been wrong about how much I thought she liked me? Abby comes over and hugs me, and I half hug her back. Haley moves out of my eyeshot. What happened? It’s so frustrating.
Then I hear Mrs. Monroe announce Haley’s name. I missed all of it, but she’s walking toward Shane Griggs. She bid on her ex? What the hell is happening? Then Abby is in front of me, talking excitedly in my face. I can’t see Haley anymore.
“Do you mind waiting for me until the Belles are done?” Abby says. “I know it’s tradition to go on the date immediately after.”
“Whatever you want,” I say. My eyes are over her shoulder at Griggs and Haley. He’s towering over her, smiling, and she’s tucking her hair behind her ear. She only does that when she’s nervous. Everyone knows what happened between them, so why is she his date and not mine?
“Great! I’ll see you later, then,” Abby says.
Haley walks away from Griggs, back toward the Belles. “Sure,” I say. “Text me when you’re ready.” And I half wave at Abby. It all comes out quickly in a single sentence, but I don’t care. I’ve got a mission.
The Crush Collision Page 10
