Drumbeats into My Heart

23. Seth Can Hardly Believe It

I can't believe it. Is this really happening? Not more than an hour ago, the bottom had dropped out of my world. I'd arrived at this car wash event and found the girl I've been thinking about nonstop was the girlfriend of a hunky football player. I wanted nothing more than to be abducted by hostile aliens right then.

All was lost.

Then—marvel of marvels—it turns out she doesn't want to be with him! Now here I am, walking next to the coolest girl I've ever met. I've actually got a chance, however slim.

We walk in a random direction, arms occasionally brushing, until we reach a small park. As if by silent consensus, we head to the swings and sit side by side.

It's strange, hanging out with her outside of a farmer's market setting. Now that I can actually talk to her for more than five minutes at a time, I have no idea what to say.

"It's kind of weird, isn't it?" she says, breaking the silence.

"What is?"

"Us, here. Not being interrupted by the need to make a buck or get home."

I smile because our thoughts are so similar. "It's nice."

She nods and sways on the swing.

I finally have her to myself. I can't fizzle out now. Think of something! "Sometimes I go to the library, ostensibly to work on a research paper, but it's actually a ploy to escape my house. Do you ever do that?" I push a sneaker into the sand so now I'm swaying too.

She gives me a tight smile. "Not really."

Judging from her tone, I'd say she tends to avoid the place. I decide to venture into possibly forbidden territory. "Not your favorite place?"

She keeps her eyes firmly fixed on the sand. "Nope."

I think about her poor grades, and that intense curiosity wells to the surface again. "Why not?"

Her eyebrows twitch, a quick jerk toward each other before smoothing. "You wouldn't understand."

"You might be surprised to know I understand a lot of things. I'm fluent in Klingon, you know."

She raises her eyebrows at me. "You are?"

"Not really." I grin cheekily. "I'm not that big a geek."

She laughs, easing the tension around her eyes.

"So try me," I prompt, hoping she'll trust me. If I can just find out what's holding her back, maybe I can help. I'm a peer tutor after all.

She searches my face, indecision crossing her features.

I wait.

"They smell funny," she finally says. "I don't know if it's the people or the books."

I chuckle halfheartedly. She'd chosen to deflect. Maybe a different tactic would work better. "What classes are you taking in the fall?"

She gives me a peculiar look, one corner of her mouth turning down. "You sure like to talk about school a lot."

Damn, I'm totally not as slick as I thought. Heat rushes up my face and I try not to stammer. "S-sorry. Force of habit. It's one of the few things I'm good at."

"School?"

"Yeah. I'm way better at that stuff than talking to girls." The heat on my face intensifies. I keep my eyes on my feet.

"You know what your problem is?"

I glance at her briefly. What a question. "I'm pretty sure I have more than one problem."

"You don't give yourself enough credit."

My brow furrows and I meet her gaze. "What do you mean?"

She stops swaying and leans against the chain toward me. "Seth, you're a great guy. You're funny, you're nice—"

I can't stop the snort that bubbles out of me.

She arches an eyebrow. "What? You object to 'nice'?"

"Nice guys finish last." And nice guys don't get the girl. Popular football players named Dustin do.

"And you believe that?"

I shrug and look away, feeling every bit the loser. I'm with an awesome girl and I keep talking about school. What else could I possibly be?

A warm hand wraps around mine where it grips the chain. "Nice is more attractive than you think it is. Trust me, Seth. You've got a shot."

My brain launches into overdrive, eyes darting around. I've got a shot. She says I've got a shot! Wait, with her? She means I've got a shot at dating her? She's being serious, right? She wouldn't—

"Seth?"

"Yeah?"

"You look like Data when he's accessing archives in his positronic brain."

Oh my god, a Star Trek reference. I might be in love now.

"Would you like to go out with me?" I blurt.

A slow smile spreads across her face. "I'd love to."

Progress! Wooo! I'm throwing votes at them like confetti.