Through the Break in Her Hair

Chapter 28

Speed dating was AWESOME! It wasn't like what you'd see on a cheesy TV show, where people get shuffled around the room, meeting a dozen others but not getting to know any of them personally. No, these were different. Obviously because I wasn't dating anyone else but Lindsey, but also because the rapid intervals made us ask more specific questions about one another. And not waste time with stupid stuff like the weather—that's mainly what we talked about at the mall. How quickly our summer ended, how cold it was getting at night, etc, etc. I know...lame. But I was making up for it now, and so was Lindsey.

"Your mom's name is Rhonda and she works at the Laundry mat, right?" It sucked that my gift still didn't give me crystal clear answers all the time, but at least it told me by general feeling whether or not I got something right.

"Yep, that's it," Lindsey smiled. She had been reluctant to tell me where her mom worked at first, nervous of what I would think or say—coming from a stable, wealthier home. But by our third date, Lindsey really started to open up.

That was partially because I admitted that even though we were in the upper middle class, we were still middle class. Mom hadn't worked a full-time job for years! She devoted herself to volunteer work instead. Soup kitchens, reading to senior citizens, cleaning up the neighborhood, you know, general civil service stuff. And my dad was the assistant manager of an electrical company, which meant he had a lot more responsibility with almost the same amount of pay as the journeymen. Basically, we had enough to live on but it's not like we were swimming around in a vat of money. God, that'd be nice.

"And your dad..." I picked back up, concentrating. His name was different, harder to remember. I always relied on Lindsey for it. She'd repeat his name internally until I spit it out. Without her, I'd never get it right. "Rudy!" I burst out. My volume scared the snot out of some kid reading at the next table. He jumped, taking in a sharp breath of air, and then turned to glare at me.

"Sorry," I shrugged sheepishly. Lindsey giggled into her hands, her cheeks warming to that soft pink shade. My God, she was so cute! "Did I get it right?" I asked. I didn't need an answer this time, I already knew, but I had to play the part.

With her hands still clasped over her mouth, her green eyes sparkling like emeralds, she nodded yes.

"Good! That's a relief," I pretended to wipe some sweat from my forehead and she giggled again. This girl was stunning, adorable, and more importantly, becoming more and more irresistible.

Van was still pressing me to take it slow, but gah! How much longer did I have to wait before I could touch her, before I could hold her hand?! I knew that she wanted me to, her thoughts blared her desire as loudly as mine did, possibly even louder. But Van was clear that if I made the first move, Lindsey would dump me.

"No way, man!" I argued with him one afternoon. "She thinks about it too!"

"You just don't get it, John. Girls' brains are complex, and diverse, and finicky," he spat the last word out of his mouth distastefully.

It was no secret that Van didn't care for girls in the slightest, which would have worried me more about our close interaction...if I hadn't already experienced his utter dislike of me. Seriously, I had no idea why he hung around so much. His thoughts constantly showered me with a torrent of insults. My intelligence, wit, humor, even my appearance was under attack. I just learned to tune it out.

"She may have thought about holding hands or even kissing you, but only with one part of her brain. She has at least eight emotional segments that all break down individually from there. They overlap at times, intersecting with one another, and shout their own opinions. You happened to hear the loudest one—love."