The Flynn Effect

32 | boy problems

Jo

WHEN ELOISE'S HEAD pops in by the door, I don't expect it at all so I jump on my seat like someone's who has been caught stealing candy from a kid and she grins.

"I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"

"Kinda?" I say laughing even though I'm hurriedly backspacing the words I'd searched up on Wikipedia. How to get over a crush in 24 hours.

She gives me a mischievous smile. "I was just going to tell you that the pizza's here."

I sigh and run my hands down my hair. "Thanks."

She turns to leave but then I quickly call her name.

"Yeah?"

I try to look nonchalant as I speak. "Do you think Flynn is still going to show up tonight?"

She frowns like she's thinking about it and then she shakes her head. "Probably not. I'm not a hundred percent sure though but I don't think so."

"Okay." I nod. That's good enough for me. He's the last person I want to see after what went down at the field today. I smile. "I'll be out in a minute."

I grab my insulin and head into the bathroom and when I'm done with my business, I step into the bookstore just as Otis flips the sign outside the door.

I take a seat on the multicolored rug at the corner of the bookstore and heaven makes it way to my nose immediately Eloise flips the pizza box open.

"Oh, this should be good." Otis grins and maniacally rubs his hands together like a villain in a cartoon.

Pizza slices are passed round and trivial conversations begin but I zone out pretty quickly as I nibble on my second slice and stare at the life outside the window. Different thoughts race through my head as a result of the events that happened yesterday and today and I sigh before facing forward to meet the curious faces of my co-workers.

"What?"

Eloise is the first to speak. "You seem lost."

"I assure you, it's a boy problem." Otis says confidently as he snags another slice.

I drop my half pizza slice in the box and groan out of frustration. The need to talk to someone about the persistent thoughts in my head is ever growing. "I have a problem."

"Called it." Otis shrugs and Eloise nudges him in the ribs.

"We're listening," she says attentively, suddenly putting on a serious face.

"I'm not sure but I think I have a crush on two people at the same time."

Eloise cracks her Pepsi open. "Not unusual, hon. Carry on."

"What concerns me is if any of these people like you back," Otis says, raising a brow.

"I don't—I don't know."

"Oh you poor little thing."

"No, I mean, I'm not sure," I frown. "I can't say. It's not like you can tell what goes on boys minds or anything. Look, that's not even the problem."