I CAN GO, CAN YOU? I had texted Justin Friday and he responded.
OF COURSE, SILLY. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU!
I didn't know what to say to that so I just said OK and tried to stop thinking about it. Now, it's time. My mom dropped me off at the designated meeting spot outside of SACG. Justin was already there.
"Hi," I said as I walked up.
"Hey," he responded, slipping his phone into his pocket.
"So, you got the list?" I asked. He reached for his back pocket and pulled out the folded paper. "Great! Looks like we're all set." I did my best to smile, to hide the butterflies unraveling in my stomach.
He nodded and we walked inside. The clerk on the desk gave us a map for the showcases and told us at 2 we could meet with an agent.
"Thanks," I called over my shoulder as Justin and I walked away.
"You know, you're the best." Justin said to me, his hand on my lower back, guiding me.
"What do you mean?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow, trying to settle my rapid heart beat.
He shrugged with a lopsided grin on his face. "You bring out the best in me. And you're smart, caring, cute. I don't know. You're just amazing. Your parents were lucky." I smile and open my mouth to say something, but he isn't done. "Your boyfriend, too." He finished with a smile framing his pearly whites. If I wasn't so confused by his last comment, I would have smiled back.
"I- I don't have a boyfriend." I managed to splurt out. He must already know that.
"Oh?" He turned to look at me. "How could a girl like you be single?"
I shrugged. "I'm not as good as you think."
"You don't give yourself enough credit."
I rolled my eyes. "As my mother once said, 'credit where credit is due,' and," I ran a hand in front of my body as if to showcase it, "this doesn't deserve credit."
He shook his head. "That's not what matters." He stepped towards me and put his hand over my heart. "This is what matters. And, from seeing who you are, you're beautiful and inspiring and amazing. And, Emily, you're pretty too. More than pretty. What you look like reflects who you are."
YOU ARE READING
Upside Down Tendrils
General FictionEm has been struggling with her father's death for a long time. Her father always stood up for her. For the town. And now, he is gone. Em has turned into a rebel, but on one cool, autumn day that all changes. She is just an ordinary girl at an...
