After making progress with Andy, I decide the time has come to confront my mother. To soften her up, I whip up her favorite dinner–egg white omelets. I spend a full hour chopping vegetables and shredding a block of yellow cheddar cheese, after slicing off the moldy corners.
“What smells so good?” Mom asks when she pushes in the door after work.
“My culinary masterpiece,” I reply, mimicking Mrs. Rodriguez’s French accent.
“Did you get detention again?” Mom drops her suitcase-sized purse on the sofa and stands, hands on hips, eyes narrowed.
“No, nothing like that.”
“Do you need money?”
“No, Mom. I wanted to have a nice dinner. Just the two of us, like it’s always been. As a family.” Emphasis on family. And potential ex-Army Rangers who may join our family dynamic at some point in the future. In particular, ex-Army Rangers who also teach at Harmony High School.
Mom kicks off her platforms with a sigh and pads her way into the dining area. I set a plate of eggs and veggies in front of her and then detour into the coat closet. When I return, the leather jacket is draped over my shoulders.
“Does this belong to you?”
A sliver of egg white slides from her fork. “Where did you find that?”
“In the coat closet.”
Mom takes a long sip of orange juice.
“Grandpop’s not the bomber jacket type,” I continue.
“Not unless it matches his polyester pants,” she says, with a snort. “Put it away.”
The toaster dings and two slices of bread launch skyward before falling onto the counter. Mom shoves her chair back and disappears into the kitchen to retrieve them.
“It’s Mr. Drum’s jacket, isn’t it?” I follow her, relentless now.
She takes a bite of toast and chokes on the dry bread. After a round of coughing, she says, “That’s pulling a name out of thin air. Mr. Drum, your Driver’s Ed teacher?”
“Yeah. The one who’s ripped and has awesome thick, dark hair. Why didn’t you tell me?”
She heaves a sigh and finally, finally turns to face me. “What was I supposed to say? Oh, by the way, Sadie, I’ve been dating your Driver’s Ed instructor for the last five months.”
“Five months!” I scream.
She laughs nervously. “About that.”
“Did you even think he might say something to me?”
“He didn’t know—not at first, anyway.”
“Didn’t know what? That you stole his jacket?”
“I didn’t steal his jacket. He left it here the night you slept over Jana’s.”
“The night before my DRIVER’S ED EXAM?” I shriek. “The night before I made a complete ass of myself in front of him?”
“What did you do now?” Fear flickers in Mom’s eyes.
“Uh, nothing. Never mind. What didn’t he know?”
She casts her eyes away from me, and takes another, smaller bite of toast. “When we first met, he didn’t know I had a kid. Then he got his class roster and saw your last name.”
“Aha. He caught you in a lie.”
She uses a knife to cut off a burnt crust, then sinks back into her seat at the table, as if a calm, quiet dinner is still possible. Meanwhile, I’m catching flies with my gaping mouth. “So, what, you’re not serious? This is just a casual … thing?”
Mom snickers. “I might be serious. But I don’t know what Scott is.”
“And Scott,” I struggle to release the name from my mouth, “doesn’t want to get to know your daughter?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know. At first there was just this burning physical attraction …”
“MOM!” I cover my ears with my hands. “Stop. Skip ahead.”
“Okay, you’re right. Inappropriate. But he has such nice hair. And good teeth. And his biceps … and the cleft chin.”
“All fabulous. Go on.”
“At first I didn’t know how to tell him. But one day he asked me, point blank. I couldn’t really deny you.”
“Did you want to?”
“No. Of course not. Never.”
“So now he knows.”
“Yes, but I made him swear not to tell anyone that we were together. I didn’t want people to think you took advantage of my personal relationship to pass his class.”
“Oh, really? You’ve been sneaking around to protect me?”
“He only comes over when you’re at Jana’s.” She catches my look of horror and her face crumples. “I wanted to tell you. But, he’s so …”
“Good looking?”
“Okay, yes. And …”
“Totally out of your league?”
“Enough, Sadie.” But she lifts her shoulder as if she agrees with my statement. “I didn’t want to just drop this on you. Not until you had the opportunity to get to know him better.”
“So that’s the reason you subjected me to his class?”
“Well, I also hoped you would develop some level of confidence in your driving ability. Scott discovering how wonderful you are was a side benefit.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Total backfire, Mom. He thinks I’m an idiot.”
“Why would he think that? Didn’t he give you an A?”
“The A was for a written exam. But I tend to give off a strange vibe whenever I’m near mechanical objects. He might have witnessed an incident or two during the practical training portion of Driver’s Ed.”
Mom smiles and reaches out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Like mother, like daughter. Why do you think I walk to work?”
“You’re not going to tell him that I know the truth, are you?”
“Do you want me to?”
“I really, really, really don’t want you to tell him. At least not until some day, far in the future. When I can look him in the eye without remembering all the bizarre things I said because I thought in-class Driver’s Ed was worthless.”
Mom gasps. “You told Scott his class was worthless?”
“I never actually said worthless, but my attitude may have indicated something to that effect.”
Mom sinks her head into her open hand. I can’t tell if she’s ready to laugh or cry.
“Hey, Mom,” I whisper, and she lifts her eyes to mine, “He’s not out of your league. Mr. Drum was lucky to find someone as great as you.”
“Thank you, Sadie,” she whispers back. I hug her tight, laying my head against her chest. When she pulls away, I see her wipe away a tear. And I know it’s not going to be just the two of us for much longer.
***
After Mom and I spend the night talking about “Scott”, I oversleep the next morning. I rush into homeroom just as the bell rings. With a stern look, Mrs. Warren hands me a folded sheet of paper.
Senior Superlative Digital Yearbook Photos Today. Bring Your Best Smile.
Geezus. I just started talking to Andy again, and now we’re sitting for engagement pictures.
“Mrs. Downey is waiting for you, Sadie,” Mrs. Warren says. “She’s called twice.”
I muss my hair with my hands as I run to the photo shoot, wishing I’d carried a tube of lipstick in my purse. By the time I arrive, Andy’s already waiting for me. He looks so nervous, you’d think we were actually about to get married. For some reason, seeing his absolute terror makes me feel calmer. I smile brightly at him and touch his arm.
“Hey, Andy.”
“S-S-Sadie,” he stammers.
I rise onto my tiptoes and whisper in his ear. “Let’s just have fun with this, okay?”
He nods stiffly and wraps his arm around my shoulder, drawing me closer, like I’m his security blanket. At Mrs. Downey’s command, we pose in front of a big mural of pink hearts she keeps in her room for the Homecoming and Valentine’s Day dances.
“Andy, lift her up, like you’re carrying her over the threshold,” Mrs. Downey suggests while half the A.V. club surrounds us, shooting video and snapping about a million photos. Could this experience be more painful? I’m about ready to puke up my breakfast. The rapid fire of camera flashes blinds me and now I’m freaking out as much as Andy. But he sweeps me into his arms, and suddenly his smile offers the encouragement I need. Like we both know this is all too ridiculous for words. I wrap my arms around his neck and gaze into his blue eyes, which are doing that happy twinkling thing I love, even as his sweaty palms drench the back of my shirt.
“You guys look so cute,” says a squeaky voice. I startle and Andy grips me tighter.
“One more pose,” Mrs. Downey says as Colette pops out from behind the cameraman. After Andy sets me down, she runs over to give us both hugs.
“You never mentioned anything about working on the yearbook committee, Colette,” I say, as my eyes narrow.
“Oh, um, well, it was just something to do. In my free time.” Now she’s the one stammering nervously.
“See you in class, Sadie?” Andy asks, pausing at the door.
I wave to him. “See you later.” As soon as he’s gone, I turn back to Colette. “You fixed the vote, didn’t you?” I hiss. “I just don’t know why. Jealousy, maybe? Why would you want to humiliate me in front of the whole school?”
Tears spring to the corners of Colette’s eyes. “I didn’t do it to embarrass you, Sadie. It’s just that,” she says, wringing her hands, “Andy likes you a lot. He always has.”
I take a step back, hoping her impending meltdown isn’t contagious. “What? How do you know that?”
“I worked with him for a month last semester. We helped the middle school kids research a STEM career project. Anyway, I was totally in love with Andy. But, you’re the only girl he ever talked about.”
I shake my head. “You must have misread him. We barely even looked at each other last semester.” Or the eleven years prior.
“No, you barely acknowledged him. But he tried to talk to you all the time. When he wasn’t watching you. I know. Because I was watching him.”
I want to argue my point, but I need to stop and think. Did I miss Andy’s attention? Did all his annoying jokes and good-natured teasing serve a greater purpose?
“It can’t be true,” I say, more to myself.
“Oh, it’s true,” Colette says. “I fixed the Senior Superlative vote. Because you never saw him, not the way he wanted you to, and you’re graduating soon, and I just think you guys would be so perfect together.” Colette lets out a shaky breath and crosses her arms over her chest, as if prepared to shield herself should I decide to take a swing at her.
“Colette,” I say. “When I saw my name on the bulletin board with Andy, I wanted to die. I mean, who does that? Who votes for a person to marry another person when they’ve never been on one date together? I thought someone was playing a joke on me. And because of that, I was extra mean to Andy, just to prove I didn’t like him.”
Colette blushes. “I know. My plan sorta backfired. But, it seems like you made up. Are you friends, at least?”
I nod. “Yes, we’re friends. But it took us a long time to get there.” The first bell rings and I gather my morning binders. “Tell me something, though. I know each person is only allowed one Senior Superlative Award. Was Andy supposed to be Most Likely to Succeed?”
Colette looks at her black boots. She doesn’t need to tell me the answer. “He really likes you, Sadie. Plus, he got into MIT early admission, so he didn’t need the other award.”
“You need to tell him the truth.”
Her eyes widen in fear. “But he may not take me to the freshman dance.”
“You’ll find another date. He deserves to know. And he should hear it from the person who fixed the vote.”
As I turn to go, Colette calls out one final request. “Sadie? If you two get married, can I be your maid of honor?”
***
“Are you ready for this?” Jana asks. Together, we peek around the curtain on the opening night of Little Shop of Horrors. In the packed auditorium, the buzz of the crowd mixes with the jittery tension backstage, electrifying the atmosphere and setting off a high inside me unlike any I’ve ever experienced. Now I understand why people become addicted to performing.
I smooth my hands over my costume, a skin-tight green bodysuit dyed to blend in with the eight-foot tall plant designed by the robotics club. Thank goodness I’m an above average student, because all the buttons and levers on Audrey II have my head ready to explode.
“Do you know your lines?” I ask Jana. She’d been practicing while I’d changed into my plant outfit. Everyone, even Derek, pretty much knows their stuff at this point, thanks to the last week of nonstop rehearsals. Jana and I secretly believe Mrs. Bitty snuck some of her memory boosting vitamins into the water cooler in the choir room, because all of a sudden our mess of a show just clicked in everyone’s heads. The entire cast bonded in a way I’d never expected, as if we’d survived a long, drawn out war together. Tonight is our victory party.
To encourage audience stragglers to take their seats, Mrs. Bitty launches the fanfare, her fingers plucking away at the piano as if a puppet master is pulling strings tied to her hands from above. The rest of her body remains eerily still, and after weeks of watching her perform, I would swear on my life that she’s capable of simultaneously napping and playing show tunes. After a few discordant bars of the Little Shop theme song, the school orchestra joins in, the curtains swing open, and the first act begins.
Audrey II is hidden offstage for the first number, but I climb inside the shiny green metallic stem to hide from the rest of the cast when a sudden attack of stage fright hits me. My hands start to shake and my breathing turns shallow. Through a peep hole in the middle of the huge plant contraption, I glimpse my mother sitting in the front row and instantly feel calmer.
Next to Mom sits Aunt Tina, who left work early, rode the Acela train into Philly from New York, and then hopped on the regional rail line to Harmony. She threw open the door and strolled into our apartment, as if she’d only traveled a few blocks from her office. Aunt Tina was a member of the Harmony High drama club before succumbing to art of leveraged buyouts, so she’s beyond thrilled to watch me star in a musical at her former high school.
Before I’m completely ready, the crew rolls Audrey II on stage for our first scene, halfway through Act I. When the curtains rise, I twist my neck and raise my arm to adjust a branch. Audrey II’s giant stem shifts a bit and through my peep hole I spot the person sitting on the opposite side of my mother.
Mr. Drum.
His tattooed arm rests on top of Mom’s shoulders. At the sight, my knees cave in, and the plant sways precariously, forcing me to redirect my attention before the structure capsizes.
“Shoot!” I hiss, tightening my hold on the interior handles, straining to keep the thing upright.
“Sadie! Control Audrey II!” Mrs. Cutler stage-whispers from behind the curtain. I suck in a huge breath, lock my knees, ignore the ache in my hamstring, and attempt to get back into character.
As they say in the acting business, the show must go on, despite the shocking appearance of my mother’s new love interest, who also happens to be my ex-Driver’s Ed instructor. I manipulate Audrey II like a pro, and my timing even draws several big laughs from the audience. Jana’s growling Audrey II voice wavers a bit for the first scene. After we receive our first round of applause, she suddenly snaps into character. By the end of Act II, I don’t even mind my striking resemblance to a sequined, glittery pea pod.
As we take our formal bows, I step out from behind an immense leaf and wave to the roaring crowd. Ten rows back, Andy’s head pokes up above the masses. When our eyes meet, he brings two fingers to his mouth and whistles long and loud, inciting further applause. Mr. Drum follows suit and a huge grin spreads over my face. I soak up the audience’s thundering appreciation until the curtain drops like a ton of bricks, abruptly ending my big moment.
“Was that who I think it was clapping for you?” Jana asks as she helps unravel me from a gauzy outer layer of glittery leaves.
“Who, Mr. Drum?”
“Mr. Drum was in the audience? I meant Andy. Chica, I think you need to set some relationship parameters before you invite everyone to see you in action.”
“I didn’t invite either of them. They just showed up!” I dig my green-painted fingernails into her arm. “Don’t let me go out there alone.”
“Ha! I wouldn’t miss this for all the sequins on your sparkly, green leotard.”
Together, we walk into the darkened, mostly empty auditorium.
“No Andy in sight,” Jana whispers. “Conflict avoided. Good luck with Mr. D.” Like a coward, she slips out the side door to find Ben, leaving me alone to deal with my family drama.
“You were wonderful,” Mom says, grinning broadly when I join their little group.
“Stunning. I truly believed you were a plant,” Aunt Tina agrees. “Right, Scott?”
“Nice job, kid,” Mr. Drum says, shifting his hulking weight back and forth. Do teachers get nervous in front of students, ever? I guess when they’ve been kissing your mother, they do.
“What a fun night this has been,” Aunt Tina says, with a sly smile. “Scott, I hear you taught our little Sadie here how to drive.”
“Just the classroom portion, Aunt Tina,” I say. “I’m not driving yet.”
“After I finish helping Kathleen brush up on her driving skills, Sadie, maybe we can go out together.” Mr. Drum turns to Mom. “You’re the most beautiful driving student I’ve ever had. But also, the least mechanically inclined.”
“Really? As bad as me?” I ask.
“Worse,” he says. He’s dead serious.
“Maybe your teaching skills are the problem. Right, Sadie?” Mom asks, but she’s looking at Mr. Drum. Her hand rests on his forearm, covering one of his scarier tattoos.
“I refuse to answer any teacher-related questions until after graduation,” I say. Meanwhile, Mr. Drum leans in and kisses Mom right on the lips. Oh, yuck! Aunt Tina and I engage in mutual eye rolling.
“Can I talk the three of you into a late dinner at The Green Lagoon?” Mr. Drum asks after he and Mom break it off.
I’d prefer the floor to open up and swallow me whole rather than sit through an entire meal with my Driver’s Ed teacher. But, given my mom’s current state of rapture, I’m okay with risking total embarrassment for the sake of her happiness.
Plus, The Green Lagoon has excellent burgers.
***
Mom and Aunt Tina sit through the entire Little Shop show again on Saturday night, along with my mother’s now official significant other. Meaning that we are all now aware they are a couple, but we still need to work out a few kinks in our family dynamic. Treating me to a burger at The Green Lagoon was a smart way to begin a long, mutually appreciative relationship, though. Everyone loosens up after a few green beers (or in my case, diet Cokes) and the four of us really bond. Mr. Drum didn’t reveal my driving distractions list, for which I will owe him for all of eternity. Aunt Tina and my mother bickered about their clothes and hair like sisters do, and we all laughed about my Audrey II costume.
After dinner, Mr. Drum dropped Aunt Tina off at the train station before driving Mom and me home in his truck. He told us how he rebuilt the engine, which he claimed purred like a kitten. Mom pretended to be interested, and I closed my eyes in the back seat as the exhausting schedule I’d kept the last few months finally caught up with me.
At the end of the night, Mom invited Mr. Drum into our apartment. I can’t say this for sure, but when I entered my room, ready to collapse into twelve hours of deep sleep, he didn’t appear to be in a hurry to leave.
I’m just glad he didn’t stick around for breakfast. I doubt Mr. Drum would even recognize me sans makeup. Morning-after Sadie is not a pretty sight.
Anyway, I miss a few cues during the second Little Shop show because I’m so happy and excited for Mom. I know Mr. Drum, and deep down, he is a good person. For years, I feared my mother would end up with a total rat. No one, and I mean no one, wants rat relatives, even if they are step-relatives.
When the last notes of the finale echo in the air, the curtain drops and the audience roars. The stage crew yanks the curtain back up, and I notice Andy, much closer to the stage tonight, clapping with his hands held above his head. Our eyes meet, and then he jogs up to the stage with a huge bouquet of flowers. Jana is squealing next to me, because Ben gave her flowers too.
But mine are bigger. Just saying.
I stare at Andy, completely speechless, but he just shrugs as if to say, it’s all cool and walks back to his family. All of the Super Ks are in attendance for my last-ever performance as a plant.
Should I have kissed Andy, like Jana kissed Ben? In front of everyone? I flash back to my last kiss with Andy and remember how much trouble I had stopping the process once we got started. No way is that happening with both of our mothers less than ten feet away.
Next up is the cast party at Leslie’s house. I hurry backstage; tearing off pieces of my costume, ready to kiss the green monstrosity good-bye. The stage crew lumps together near the exit, wearing black T-shirts, acting too cool to mingle with the cast, but Leslie told me they always show up for free food. Jana holds both of our flowers while I shed my final layer of glittery gauze.
“Ben’s waiting for me,” she says.
“Will he go to the cast party?”
“I’m not sure. We may have other plans. Why don’t you walk out with us?” Jana says, acting oddly evasive.
In the parking lot, we run into Andy and Sidh, talking with a group of younger girls, including Colette. And Melinda Banner. I stare hard at Jana’s little sister, and she nods her head, sending me an affirmation, before looking away with sad eyes.
“Ben’s over there. Be right back.” Jana takes off toward her boyfriend’s minivan, deserting me among the sea of girls circling Andy and Sidh.
“Nice flowers. Apparently there was some truth to the Senior Superlative.” Melinda sashays over to me.
Rather than disagree, I clench my jaw shut. Though I’ll never admit it, Melinda’s probably right. Colette uncovered the truth I hadn’t been able to find on my own. I place my hand on my hip and lift my chin in defiance. “Who knows the truth? You might have missed the story of the year at Harmony High.”
Melinda’s nose wrinkles. “Andy and Sadie the story of the year? I think not.” She spins around and huffs off.
“Sore loser,” I mutter.
“Great job, Sadie,” Sidh says, reaching out to punch my arm affectionately.
“Thanks. Did Andy pay you to come with him tonight?”
“Nah. He mentioned something about you manipulating mechanical devices while dressed in skimpy clothes.” Sidh’s thick eyebrows wiggle up and down suggestively. Andy leans back against his car; a guilty grin plastered on his face. Slowly, the group of girls begins to drift away.
“Thanks for the flowers,” I say, turning to Andy.
“No problem. It’s a closing night tradition. That’s what I heard, anyway.”
I wonder who gives him his information.
“So, no tutoring tonight?” I ask.
He smiles. “Nope. Some of us are going to Bella Pizza. If you want to come, I’ll drop you off at Leslie’s later. I hear the cast party is an all-night event.”
Again with the inside info.
“Um, let me check with Jana. I’m not sure …” I say, and dash over to my best friend, standing with Ben next to Dominic’s car.
“What’s up, sis?” Dom asks. We share a smile. Dom would make a great brother. As far as his boyfriend potential, well, he needs to work on that.
“Are we doing the party thing, Jana?” I ask.
“Dom and Ben want to grab pizza first. The van’s low on gas, so Dom’s driving. I don’t think you can fit.” Jana grins triumphantly and then slides her gaze across the parking lot to Andy.
“Plant-girl can sit on my lap.” Dominic smirks.
“You know what, I think Sidh and Andy are going to Bella Pizza too. I can just catch a ride with them and meet you there, okay?”
“Great idea, Sadie,” Jana says with a sweetly innocent smile.
My best friend is on the brink of achieving her dream ride in the Altomeri hot rod.
“Are you jealous?” she asks, lowering herself onto Ben’s lap. His arms wrap around her like a safety belt.
“Not at all. Add it to our list,” I say. “See you when I see you.”
“Have fun riding with Andy,” she calls, as they zoom away.
By the time I return to Andy, he’s all alone. “Where’s Sidh?”
“Previous engagement. Ready to go?”
I sweep my eyes around the empty parking lot. “With you?”
Andy’s light eyebrows raise. “Do you have another ride?”
“No, but … just the two of us?”
“Something wrong with that?”
“No, I, uh …”
“Sadie, I trusted you enough to let you drive my car. Don’t you trust me?” Andy’s blue eyes gleam in the moonlight, daring me to say no.
This is what I wanted, right? I think so. I climb into the passenger’s side.
“Did you talk to Colette?” I ask him once I’m settled.
He nods. “You were right. The vote was fixed.”
“Andy, I’m sorry you didn’t get the Most Likely to Succeed award. It’s the one Senior Superlative that actually matters.” I fold my hands in my lap and twist my fingers together tightly.
But, Andy, being Andy, doesn’t appear upset. “Cindy Min deserves it, too. She’s already written like three novels or something. Besides, Colette’s right, I’d already gotten into my first choice for college.”
“Well, not that it means anything, but I voted for you as Most Likely to Succeed.”
Andy presses the power button on the dash to start his car. “It means a lot. Thanks. So, you and Mr. Drum, huh?” he asks, trying to be causal, but I hear a hitch in his voice.
I burst out laughing. “Ugh. No way.”
“Really? He looked a little overly affectionate when he hugged you after the show last night. For a Driver’s Ed teacher, that is.” After checking the rear view mirror, Andy backs out of the parking spot. “You and Jana always talk about how Mr. Drum’s so good-looking. But he’s, like old enough to be your dad …” Andy clears his throat and pauses, at a loss. I decide to help him out.
“That’s a good thing, because he’s dating my mom.”
Andy screeches to a stop in the middle of a three point turn, narrowly missing the dumpster sitting beside the cafeteria.
“Watch it! Do you want to get us killed?” I scream.
“No. Sorry. Can you say that again?”
“Mr. Drum has been secretly dating my mom. For five months. Some kind of forbidden love, I guess.”
“And no one told you?”
“No! I just found out. My mom made me take Driver’s Ed because she was hoping I would realize he’s a great guy before she fessed up. But I was kind of clueless.”
“Well, who expects that to be the underlying reason for mandated driving instruction?” Andy shakes his head in wonder. “Are you okay with their, uh, relationship?”
“Yeah, sure. I mean, it was sort of a shock, but now … I’m okay.”
“Good. I guess. Sorry, but I don’t even know what to say, Sadie.”
“It’s fine, Andy. I’m still adjusting to it myself.”
We drive on in silence.
“So, do you get to keep the costume?” he asks.
“The bejeweled green leotard? Yes. You can borrow it, but I don’t think it will fit you.”
“Heh heh heh.”
At the sound of Andy’s laugh, the tension between us dissolves. I crack up. Seriously. I cannot stop laughing.
“Hey. What?” he asks, reaching for my hand to stop it from repeatedly banging his dashboard. His fingers curl around mine and I freeze mid-slap. “Did you spend too much time squeezed into the plant?”
“No. I’m fine. Good.” I take a minute to steady myself, pretending to be interested in the view of the Harmony passing by, so familiar that I’m sure in the past seventeen plus years I’d memorized every house on every street. If someone repaints their shutters, I trust myself to pick up on the difference.
High above, the night sky seems to float down to earth, wrapping around me like a blanket. A bright yellow moon hangs low, grazing the roof of the courthouse. Andy makes me happy, I realize. I just like being with him. And, I feel like I can tell him anything, and he would at least try to understand. Which is more than most other guys my age would do.
“You know, we’ve been friends for a long time,” I say.
“I wouldn’t categorize our relationship as friendship, exactly,” he responds, thoughtfully.
“Okay, we’ve known each other for years.”
“But not really well.”
“Andy, am I missing something I should know about my alleged future husband? Are you a closet cross-dresser? Is that why you want my costume?” I squeeze my fingers tighter to let him know I’m joking, and he squeezes back.
“Nothing like that,” he says. “I just think it would be nice if we learned more about each other. Especially if the Senior Superlative turns out to be a reliable predictor of the future and we do wind up getting married. For example, you know my family and you know about my goal of learning to fly. I know you have a ridiculous list of achievements you feel the need to complete before graduation.”
“So, we’re about even, then.”
Andy heh-hehs. “Not quite.”
“What do you want to me to tell you?”
“Anything. You’re great at avoiding serious conversation, you know.”
I do know. It’s not by accident that I refrain from telling people about my boring life.
“My name is Sadie Elizabeth Matthews,” I begin. Andy nods, a sign of encouragement. “I live with my mom in the Cambridge House apartments. And I was recently introduced to her new boyfriend, who happens to be my ex-Driver’s Ed instructor.”
“Sounds like you have some future sitcom potential. I talked to your mother after the show, by the way. She’s really proud of you.”
“You talked to my mom?”
“And your aunt. She’s nice too. Kind of like an older version of you.”
My mouth drops open, and my chin just about hits the dashboard. “Why? Why did you talk to them?”
Andy sighs, as if he’s being forced to communicate with a very naïve young child.
“Because I’m a nice guy, Sadie. And because I want you to like me as much as I like you.”
I hinge my jaw closed and open again. A million different words run through my mind, but I can’t say any of them. So, I blurt out the one question I’ve wanted to ask for weeks now.
“Will you go to the prom with me, Andrew?”