Major Crush

Chapter 6

Suddenly, when I was in midsentence answering Barry's question about the food at his party, Drew reached between Barry and Craig, grabbed my wrist like he had that Friday night in the bathroom, and pulled me off the bumper.

I would have stopped him and jerked away, but it happened so fast. He opened the back door of Luther's car, shoved me in, scooted in next to me, and closed the door behind him.

It was that familiar feeling. I was in the center of bustle, the traffic around Burger Bob's, but I was sealed off from the world. With Drew. I sat against the far door. He took up the rest of the seat, leaning so close to me that my skin tingled.

His low voice vibrated through me. "I'm sorry about that JonBenét comment. It wasn't me. It was Barry. He's still really interested in you."

I studied Drew, wondering what to make of this. Was Drew telling me Barry liked me because Drew didn't care? Or was Drew telling me because he did care, and he wanted to see my reaction? If this had been the eighth grade, I would have thrilled at playing mind games with a cute boy.

But I was tired of the mind games after last night with Walter. And this was not the eighth grade, and this was not just any cute boy. This was Drew.

He studied me right back. "You look like a different person. I didn't even recognize you. I saw Allison first."

He meant that I'd poofed my hair and applied full makeup this morning. "I was going to be around Allison and other pageant girls all day," I explained. "I didn't want to look like that purple-haired assistant next to Anna Nicole Smith."

"You couldn't look like that girl if you tried. And I think you've tried."

I grinned. "Remember this picture. You may never see it again. This is what eyeliner looks like when you put it on right."

He frowned.

I shouldn't have reminded him about the twin.

"You look beautiful," he said. "You always look beautiful. Are you dating Walter now?"

It took me a minute to catch up. I was still on "beautiful." You always look beautiful.

"What?" I said finally. "No, I'm not dating Walter. But we made out Friday night."

Drew's frown deepened. I thought he might be just a little bit jealous. Hooray!

But then he said, "I have a lot of respect for Walter. You've got to like a guy who takes living in a bus as well as he has. Don't play with him, okay? I can tell he really likes you."

I felt bad enough about Walter without Drew giving me a guilt trip. Who did he think he was, Match.com? "I wasn't playing with him," I said.

"I was in the process of telling him that we should just be friends."

"Is that what you always do? Tell guys you want to just be friends with them, then make out with them?"

Well, I wasn't going to tell him that Walter Lloyd and Bobby Thompson were my entire experience. "Yes," I said, trying to sound offhanded. I glanced at the cars crawling in the drive-through lane. "Like takeout."

"Like a to-go box," Drew suggested.

"Exactly!"

"You told Mr. Rush in his office on Friday that you and I are just friends. And you didn't make out with me."

"That would be because you're dating Miss Icktory's sister."

"No, I'm not. I broke up with her at Barry's party."