Page 56 of Notice Me, Jameson Hart

“The one who gets drunk Sonny to do the mooning prank?” I turn to stare at him. “That’s so random.”

“What? He’s funny! And clearly the most creative of the group.” He defends his choice with mock seriousness. “Plus, I love a good mooning prank in a movie. You know,” he dropshis voice to such an extremely low octave that I have to lean in to hear what he has to say. “I’ve been known to give a good mooning now and then.”

“What?!” My eyes grow wide, my mouth dropping open as every cell in my brain explodes picturing Jameson mooning.

And then his face breaks out into a grin, and he belly laughs again. “I’m kidding! You should have seen your face, man.”

I exhale and lean back. “Right. Very funny; you nearly got me there.”

He brushes a tear from the corner of his eye. “I mean, I’d moon if the opportunity arose, but it’s not something I’ve ever done.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever done such a thing either,” I tell him, still unable to picture anything other than Jameson’s full moon. “But it makes sense that you’d be game to do something no one would expect of you.”

“What do you mean?” he asks, cocking his head.

I smirk. “I heard you love to watch British baking shows.”

Jameson’s eyes bug out of his head. “How did you—Ethan. Of course.”

“He was very informative,” I snicker.

“I’m going to kill him,” Jameson mutters, but he’s smiling. “What else did my two-timing brother tell you?”

I think back to that day on the bleachers. The day I began to see Jameson as more than an athlete. “That you cry at dog movies.”

He scoffs playfully. “Everyone cries at dog movies. That’s called being human.”

“And that you’re terrible at video games.”

“Okay, that one’s fair.” He holds up his hands in surrender. “My hand-eye coordination is apparently only good for catching footballs and baking cookies. Put a controller in my hands and I’m useless.”

“And the dancing,” I add because I can’t help myself.

He groans, covering his face with just one hand because it’s that big. “He told you about the wedding?”

“In great detail.”

“I’m never living that down.” He peeks at me through his long fingers. “Would you believe me if I told you that I’ve improved. I can do the Electric Slide without causing injury now.”

“High bar you’ve set there.”

“Hey, we can’t all be born with jazz hands like some people.”

It isn’t until the movie is close to ending that I realize how comfortable this night has been. Sitting here with Jameson, trading jokes and gentle teasing as if we’ve done this a thousand times before.

“This is nice,” I say without thinking, then immediately want to take it back.

But Jameson nods in return, his expression serene in the flickering light from the screen.

After the movie,Robbie’s voice cuts through the parking lot chaos, loud enough to be heard from three states over. “Ice cream! We need ice cream immediately!”

“It’s nine-thirty at night,” Adam points out.

“The perfect time for ice cream,” Rita chimes in. “The boardwalk place is open until midnight.”

Tyler, Matthew, and Ethan emerge from the Jeep, all stretching dramatically.

“Did someone say ice cream?” Matthew asks. “Because I could destroy a double fudge sundae right now.”