Page 57 of All of You

He glances up. A small smile on his face. “I can give you a ride home.”

I cock my head left. “Is that what you wanted to say?”

He laughs. “Naw, I was just saying hi. I thought maybe you’d want to…I don’t know, hang out sometime? But um, I can totally give you a ride, now I mean.” He points to the late bus pulling away and I mutter a curse.

“That’d be nice. Thanks.”

He points toward the parking lot and we start walking. “Did you join a club or something?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No. Had to go to the library. How bout you?”

“Oh, auditions were today.”

I smile. He’s cute, and shy, and sweet and I am absolutely comparing him to Langdon as we walk which is completely unfair.

“For what?”

“The Fall play. There’s a Spring Musical every year too.”

“I didn’t know you act,” I say.

He shrugs and pulls out a key fob, unlocking the car doors as we approach.

“Yeah. I mean. It’s fun. I never get a lead but it’s still fun. This is me.” He nods to the car.

“Cool.” I let myself in the passenger side and buckle up.

Danny backs out of the space. As we pull out of the student lot, Langdon and some friends are walking. I watch him from the window. When he sees me his eyes crinkle for a second until he notices the car and Danny and then I swear I can see his brain working overtime.

I look away and keep my eyes on the road in front of us as Danny pulls out of the lot. I wonder what he thinks. Danny was sweet today and sat with me at lunch, which he does probably twice a week. We barely talk unless I keep the conversation going. And honestly, it prevents me from playing the staring game with Langdon which, weirdly, I like.

“So you’re at the Orchard right?”

I swing my head to Danny. “I find it slightly concerning that everyone knows where I live.”

He laughs. “Yeah. I can start over. Hey Delia, where’s your house?”

I grin at him and chuckle. “You’re going to want to bang a left about three miles down the road on Lands End.”

“Better?” He asks.

I nod. “Much.”

“So would you want to hang out sometime? My schedule is a little crazy with rehearsals but Sundays are usually free.”

He stares straight out the windshield as he turns ontoGramp’s road. It’s not lost on me that he sits with me when he doesn’t have to and actually speaks to me in school and doesn’t seem to have friends who find me annoying. Danny, at any other school, would have already won my heart. So why am I not interested?

“You know what?” I say as he pulls up to the house, “I’d love to. Sundays I have a standing family dinner but otherwise, I’m free before that.”

He throws the car in park and turns to me. His smile infectious. “Awesome. Um, lemme think of something fun to do and I’ll let you know.”

“Perfect,” I say.

I walk into the house and drop my bag at the door. Gramps is sitting on the couch. He acts as though it’s no big deal being an adult who is eating a slice of cake with his fingers in the middle of the afternoon like a kid at a birthday party. In his house, it is cake Monday in your sixties and there is nothing to even say about that but “of course”. A laugh escapes me as he tries to catch a glob of frosting that’s perilously dripping from his lip. I bet he’s the kinda guy who takes his shoes off on a full airplane.

“Want a plate?” I ask.

His face reddens at my voice. “Caught red-handed.”