Page 14 of Attractive Forces

Seeing him so contained, so in control on the field, calling the plays and executing them perfectly, it’s hard to believe that this is the same guy who gives me that happy but almost-shy grin of his when he gets a chemistry problem correct on the first attempt. The same guy who snorted his soda through his nose the other day after I did my Jimmy Kimmel impression.

“Hey, have you thought about what you’re doing for the senior ball?” Chloe asks when it’s halftime in the rugby match.

“The ball?” I say the words like I’ve never heard the concept before. “Is that happening soon?”

Chloe’s busy unwrapping a stick of gum, so she’s not looking at me. “Sometimes I seriously wonder what galaxy your head inhabits.”

“I’ve always thought the Black Eye Galaxy sounds like a pretty cool place to hang out.”

Chloe rolls her eyes so hard you’d swear she was doing an inventory of her head. “Only you would know the name of another galaxy off the top of your head.”

“I’m sure any guy or girl who spent the years between eight and twelve devouring every book and blog about astronomy would know the names of obscure galaxies too,” I say.

“Yeah right. Anyway…about the ball…”

Something about the expectant look in her eyes makes my pulse race. And not in a good way. “I didn’t think the ball would be on your radar,” I say, stalling.

Chloe shrugs as she pops the gum into her mouth. “I didn’t go last year. But it’s one thing to mock something from the sidelines. It’s another thing to get to actually experience the true ridiculousness from the middle of it. I was thinking of writing some sort of expose on it for the paper. A cynic’s guide to surviving the ball, or something like that.” She’s talking faster than usual, which is saying something.

“I can totally imagine you doing that.”

“So, you want to team up? Go through the ritualistic traditions together?”

My mouth goes drier than a desert in Antarctica. I clear my throat before I speak. “I think it’s an awesome idea to go as a group. I’m sure Benji, Mason, and Ellie would be really keen to come as well. We can mock en masse.”

I’m an asshole. I’ve deliberately misunderstood her. Seeing the disappointment flitting across her face makes me feel like even more of an asshole.

“Yeah, that could work,” Chloe says, looking away, pretending she’s finding the players running back onto the field worthy of her full attention.

My eyes find Logan immediately. He’s like one of those Greek gods, a golden-headed hero who leads the troops to victory.

Chloe’s silent beside me during the next ten minutes while the Cougars score an unanswered try worth five points to extend their lead.

I try to work out what to say to get past this awkwardness. Part of it is that I don’t actually know why my body immediately rebelled against the idea of going to the ball with Chloe. Chloe’s cute and fun. I could do a whole lot worse.

“Oh my god, I think I just saw Jennifer Hayward pick her nose,” Chloe finally says as she leans forward, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. She grabs her phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting it on record.”

“What, breaking news, Jennifer actually produces snot?”

“You’re a snot,” she retorts.

We watch the rest of the game, with Chloe on high alert for any mockable behavior from our classmates in the crowd and me just relieved that Chloe’s back to being her usual self. The idea of going to the ball together dies a quiet death in the background, and I bury it in a shallow, unmarked grave.

The Cougars win: twenty-two to eighteen.

At the end of the game, Chloe’s engrossed in her phone, messaging someone.

I want to see Logan. But I don’t want to hang around the locker room waiting for him to emerge. That would be weird, right? As the stand empties around us, I send him a message.

Great game. Can almost see what all the fuss is about.

He messages back almost instantly.

thanks I think?