Losing Charley

Chapter 8 Part 2

I take the envelope and open what I think is a card. That's when two tickets fall out, and I realize it's not just a card. It's a piece of construction paper with cutout letters that read:

Happy Birthday Squirrel! We're going to the zoo!

I grin from ear to ear. I freakin' love the zoo! All those animals! I just want to take them all home to the farm!

"I take it that you like it?" Joe says quietly.

"I love it! Thank you so much, Joe, but you didn't have to do this."

"See, this is where you are wrong. I know you love animals, even though you eat strange ones for dinner. I also know that you love the farm and taking care of the animals. I thought it would be a great way to surprise you for your birthday and fill one of the requirements for Freshman Seminar."

"Oh, I get it. Kill two birds with one stone, huh?"

"No, it's not like that, but the more I thought about it, I figured it would work both ways. So, I guess I kind...uh...yeah...it was kinda like that."

He is too cute when he gets caught off guard.

"When is this trip?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe we could go tomorrow?"

"Awesome! Thanks, Joe!"

"No prob. Hey, we gotta game this afternoon. You should come check it out."

"We'll see. Honestly, I don't even know what the hell lacrosse is?"

"Seriously?"

"Never even heard of it till I got here. I know the basic sports—football, baseball, soccer, golf, swimming, but never heard of lacrosse."

"You've gotta come. The game starts at three and bring the Kluft girls," he says with a wink.

I'm not going anywhere without them, and he knows it.

We finish what we can of the project before going our separate ways.

As I walk down the hall, I see the entire hallway is now decorated. There are streamers and balloons everywhere. I spy Tori and Georgia at the end of the hall finishing up.

"What are y'all up to?" I holler at them.

"Ya know, getting ready for an awesome Kluft second floor par-tay!" Tori says.

"Well, I can't wait. Hey, y'all wanna go to the lacrosse game this afternoon?"

"Sure, I haven't ever seen one of those before," Georgia states.

"Girl, I'm with ya. Joe asked if I would go to the game. I don't even know what to expect."

"Okay, let me give ya a little quick lesson. There are two teams." Georgia and I look at Tori like we aren't complete idiots. "Each team uses sticks to pass a ball down the field. The goal is to get the ball into a goal. It's kinda like soccer in a way, but not really."

"You made that about as clear as mud, Tori," I say before walking into my room.

Mama, Dad, and Tessa call to wish me a happy birthday. Mama said to make sure I check my mail today. I don't know why I hadn't even thought about that. I'm also starting to wonder why I haven't heard from Piper today. It's not like her to forget my birthday. Wonder what's up with her? I'm not sure if I have enough time between now and the lacrosse game to check my mailbox, so I decide to wait until after the game.

I take a few minutes to freshen up before going to the lacrosse field with the Kluft girls. We find a seat on the bleachers, and that is when I notice the goalie. There isn't but one person that looks that good on campus. His name is none other than Jackalope Joe. He looks my direction and waves his stick.