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scoring. They passed the ball easily back and forth until the shooting guard, suddenly
surrounded, tried, and failed to get around the guys who were guarding him. I held my breath
while he dribbled in place, looking for an opening, then passed to the center, who, in a nearly
impossible shot from just outside the three-point circle, sank the ball. I pumped my fist in the air
and screamed, "YES!"
"What?" asked Jessica, who'd been talking to Madison.
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"You missed that?" I asked. Our whole side was cheering. Even though we were sitting right next to each other, I had to shout to be heard.
"What?" she asked, "What did I miss?" and suddenly Madison was staring at me, too.
"Number seventeen just scored," I explained. "We're up by two." I wondered if the reason they weren't exactly watching the game had something to do with the fact that Matt and Dave had yet
to get off the bench.
"Oh my god, that's Matt's brother," said Madison, slapping her cheeks with her hands so that she looked like The Scream. "I can't believe I missed it."
"Nice you," said Jessica. "Better hope Matt doesn't ask about it."
Madison flipped her hair out of her face. "Puh-leeze," she said. "What's he going to do, grill me about the game?" Then she laughed. "And if he does, Lucy can help me. Right Lucy?" She
dropped her arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze, pressing her cheek into my back
for a second before letting go.
"Right," I said.
When Co
wave of pleasure that washed over me was something way more intense than any kind of school
spirit. All over the bleachers people were calling Co
even gave a little wave, which just
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made people yell louder. I knew he hadn't been waving at me, but still. Co
who I am, I found myself thinking. He knows my name. Of course, my name was just about the only thing he did know about me, but it was something.
After all, what did Prince Charming know about Cinderella besides her shoe size?
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Chapter Seven
Piazzolla's is in the village of Glen Lake in an old wooden structure that used to be a working
mill and sits right on the river that runs through the center of town. It's actually a cool-looking
building, unlike the rest of Glen Lake, which has this whole faux "ye olde towne of Gle
Loch" thing going. If you saw Piazzolla's from the outside you might think it's a fancy Italian
restaurant because it's all dark wood and dim lighting, but basically it's just a pizza place. When
we got inside, there was a long line made up almost entirely of people who had been at the game.
Jessica, Madison, and I had taken a cab over from school, and by the time Dave, Matt, and
Co
table. Personally, I wouldn't have minded if there were fifty groups ahead of us, since
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I was a nervous wreck. How was I possibly going to swallow even a single bite of pizza? I was
on a date. I was on a date with the most popular guy in school. I was on a date with the most
popular guy in school and I had never been on a date in my life.
My anxiety wasn't exactly assuaged by the fact that as soon as the guys walked in, the two
couples started making out while Co
cheeks were flushed.
"Hey," he said, smiling. "You made it."
"I made it," I said. His eyes were impossibly blue, and as we looked at each other, he put his
hand on my shoulder, leaned in, and just barely grazed my cheek with his lips. I got the faintest
whiff of something musky and delicious--cologne or soap or shampoo, I wasn't sure. My heart
leaped into my throat and I couldn't catch my breath. I was positive I was going to pass out.
Luckily right then the couples stopped kissing and Co
"Dave, Matt, you know Lucy," said Jessica.
"Hey," said Dave.
"Hey," said Matt.
"Hey," I said. "Great game."
Matt and Dave both grunted their thanks; I wondered if they felt weird taking credit for a victory
they'd had nothing to do with. Then again, maybe they were just bitter about Chicago losing to
the Lakers last week. As I was trying to decide how I could broach the subject
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of the Bulls without sounding like I was gloating, the hostess came over to where we were
standing and called Jessica's name.
"That's us," said Jessica. "Table for six."
As we snaked through the restaurant behind the hostess, Co
shoulder, like it was something he'd done a million times before. We passed at least four or five
tables of Glen Lake students, and at each one someone waved and said, "Hey, Co
Everyone who called out to Co
smiles felt like little question marks.
As soon as the waiter took our orders, Madison turned to Co
she said. I wondered if she had actually seen him sink the wi
repeating what she'd heard other people say.
"Yeah," said Dave. "Nice going." He and Co
"Thanks, man," said Co
snug gray T-shirt that showed how well defined his shoulders were. My stomach flipped over,
and I had to look away.
"So, Red," he said. It took a minute before I realized
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he was talking to me. "How'd you like the game?" He put his hand on the back of my chair.
"It was a great game," I told him. "I was biting my nails the whole time."
"Lucy knows everything about basketball," Jessica informed Co
"Well, after that Lakers' victory, I'm pla
"What?" asked Madison, and when Co
predictions?" she asked.
I smiled back at Co
tonight?" I asked, tilting my head. "To get my picks for the finals?"
He arched an eyebrow at me. "Maybe it is," he said. "Maybe it is."
When there was nothing left of the two large pies we'd ordered except a few pieces of crust,
Jessica, Madison, and I excused ourselves and went to the bathroom. While Jessica and I peed,
Madison stood in front of the mirror telling us how many calories are in a slice. As soon as I
came out of the stall, Madison turned to me and asked if I thought she looked fat. When I said
no, she waited for Jessica to emerge and then asked if she thought she looked fat. Jessica said no.
Madison said we
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were both lying and pinched the flesh just above her hip to prove it.