Drumbeats into My Heart

31. Seth Gets Ice Cream

I watch the two girls as we wait in line for ice cream. Winnie stares up at the colorful menu, elbowing Jordi every time she sees an item that sounds tasty.

"Ooh, Death by Chocolate!" Winnie grips Jordi's arm with excitement. "That sounds so good. It's got chocolate brownies, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup—"

"Sounds deadly all right." Jordi smiles blandly at her exuberant friend.

Winnie tears her eyes away from the board long enough to glance at her friend. "Aren't you going to look at the menu?"

"I already know what I want."

"Let me guess. A scoop of vanilla. Yawn. Live a little, Jordi. Order something with color!"

"I'll not subject myself to food coloring, thank you very much. Besides, I know what I like."

"At least look at the menu. There are tons of choices that aren't bright blue."

I start wondering if maybe money is the problem, so I speak up. "Get anything you like, it's my treat."

"Aw, such a gentleman." Winnie playfully nudges my arm with a fist.

I try to read her expression. What's the etiquette here anyway? "Uh, I can pay for yours too."

"I can pay for myself." Jordi's expression seems neutral, but her voice holds the slightest bit of iciness.

"Just pick something different off the menu," Winnie says, pointing at the wall. "Look, how about that one? Let Seth be a gentleman."

Jordi follows Winnie's finger and stares, squinting a little.

"Isn't that a cool name for a sundae?" Winnie glances at her friend. "Oh come on. Tell me that's not cool."

Jordi looks away and fiddles with her purse. "Yeah, it's cool. But I prefer vanilla."

"Bo-ring."

I read the item Winnie was pointing at. Cherry Potter and the Goblet of Chocolate. That is a cool name. "I'll order that and the three of us can share. It looks big enough."

Winnie studies me from head to toe. "I don't know. Are we at that point where we can share cooties?" She narrows her eyes at Jordi. "Wait a minute, you two have already swapped cooties, haven't you?"

I stare down at my shoes while Jordi blushes.

"I knew it! Oh my god, I am totally the third wheel! Jordi, why didn't you tell me?"

"This isn't a date," Jordi snaps, "so you're not a third wheel."

Winnie backs away. "Geesh, fine." She turns to me and whispers, "I didn't know Captain Vanilla was so touchy about ice cream."

I chuckle half-heartedly, but immediately stop when Jordi throws me a stormy look. What's going on here? Is she mad this isn't a date? That I waited until Winnie showed up to ask her to go anywhere?

Maybe I waited too long. I still do victory laps in my head whenever I think about the day I asked Jordi out and she'd said yes. But maybe it was a mistake to not follow it up with actual plans.

I glance at Jordi again. The corners of her mouth are turned down. I want to kiss them away, soothe the crease between her brows, but I'm too self-conscious with Winnie watching.

Instead, I order a scoop of vanilla too and we all pay individually. I catch Jordi's little smile when I place my order, and it lifts my spirits. I'm glad I'm not screwing everything up.

"So, Seth," Winnie says as we amble through the mall. "When you're not scoring points with vanilla ice cream, what do you do for fun?"

Jordi chuckles, her previous ire having evaporated.

I'm so relieved that Jordi's mood has improved that I'm a bit nonplussed by Winnie's question. "For fun?"

Winnie lifts an eyebrow at me. "Yeah, you may have heard of it. Entertaining things you do outside of school? And don't tell me you read textbooks for fun. No one's that nerdy."

I laugh. I'm almost that nerdy. "Um, I watch Star Trek reruns and"—I steal a glance at Jordi—"frequent farmer's markets."

"Oh my god, Jordi. This guy... if you don't snap him up, I will."

She pins Winnie with a look that says, seriously?

"I'm kidding! Geez. What kind of girl do you think I am?" Winnie gives her friend a long look. "Wait, you know I'd never do that, right? He's not even my type! No offense." She tosses an apologetic glance at me before turning her attention back to Jordi. "You know Jason Momoa and I are soulmates. He just doesn't know it yet."

Jordi gives her friend a wan smile.

"There it is! You had me worried for a second there, girl." Winnie starts talking animatedly about some cute guy in her class.

She's so outgoing and at ease with herself. I've seen Winnie around school here and there, usually in passing. I always thought she was one of those gregarious cool girls that horses around with her friends but ignores uncool guys like me. But she's actually nice. A bit too outspoken maybe, but I kind of admire that quality. She doesn't worry about what people think. She just speaks her mind. It's an ability that has always mystified me.

I sneak a glimpse at Jordi. Beautiful Jordi. As much as I might admire one's knack for speaking one's mind, there's just something so compelling about this drummer girl who tends to keep her cards close to her chest.

She's listening to her friend recount a harrowing tale of tripping in front of the aforementioned cute guy and nodding in all the right places, but I can see the tension she carries in her shoulders. I've got lots of practice at spotting tension.

I just wish I knew what was bothering her.

Hmm, what could it be? It can't be lack of votes, because I have such awesome followers!