Page 39 of It’s All in How You Fall
“Well, yeah, he wants more, orwell, yeah,it takes time? Or both? Please tell me you’re not trading him,you know, to learn how to hit a softball or something.”
You know—sex. I swear my ears are bleeding. “God, no, what?”
Sunny is unmoved. “As gym mom, I have to ask.”
“No!” I shake my head so hard my balance falters, which is saying something given my bouquet of beam titles. “Nothing untoward is going on.”
“Then why are you blushing?” She shoots a raised brow at Peregrine. “Why is she blushing? And using words like ‘untoward’?” Sunny nearly stands up courtroom-style and points an accusatory finger. “Something is going on! And both of you are in on it!”
We’ve entered the mouth of the cove, and now we’re basically cornered.
Sunny fixes her stance on her board and glares us down, grinning at our silence. “Spill.”
This is on me. Gripping my paddle for support, I force myself to look deep into Sunny’s dark eyes. Wishing we were close enough that I could grab her hand, I take a steadying breath and complete my betrayal of my brother’s best friend.
“Alex Zavala has a crush on you, Sunny.”
16
Once the truth of Alex’s heart is out in the July air, I swear Ican’t breathe. Not daring to inhale, exhale, or even blink, I just stare at Sunny as she processes a secret I can’t take back.
And I really, really hope it’s worth it.
As we float into the body of the cove, Sunny’s face goes almost entirely blank like one of those gifs where a character is thinking so hard numbers and equations swirl in the ether around their head. “A crush? On me?”
I nod. “Since freshman year. I mean, your sophomore year.” Then I clarify. “Mathletics.”
The invisible mental equations fall into the green-blue lake water beneath our boards. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
In the pause that follows, I’m fairly certain Sunny and I are in a race to see who can blush the most. Her tan skin flushes a perfect sweeping rose, while I’m likely imitating a lobster mid-boil.
Sunny sinks to her board and dangles her feet in the water. Peregrine and I silently follow suit, our paddles slung across our laps. Sunny’s attention swings to Peregrine, eyes narrowing. “You knew this too?”
Peregrine tips her head at a mischievous angle. “You think I got the ideaon my ownto steer you toward the farmers’ market when I’ve never done that before?”
Sunny’s lips drop open. At first I think it’s a surprise to her that the two of us could conspire in such a way, but then I realize she’s actually horrified. “Don’t tell me Alex knew I’d be there.”
“He didn’t,” I rush in to say, a little too loud and hard. “And, for what it’s worth, he called me out on it on the run home. He knew it was a total setup.”
A light springs on over Sunny’s head. “You’re setting me up?”
“Yes. Poorly.”
“Why?” Sunny almost looks offended. She actually manages to get her hands on both hips and not tip her paddle straight into the water.
“Because… you’re a catch and deserve a boyfriend?” Peregrine answers,Jeopardy!style.
“You’ve always taken good care of us,” I add. Gah, why didn’t I practice this yesterday? “You haven’t dated since, what, last summer? And you’ve got to admit, Alex fits your type based on your last guy—tall, dark, handsome, athletic, all that.”
Peregrine nods. We both remember football dude Timmy Chow picking Sunny up at practice on Fridays before she had a car of her own.
“Youmotherus,” Peregrine says more gently than I expect, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t take care of you.”
Sunny presses her face to her hands.
My stomach is dangling somewhere near my ankles. I’m never going to set up anyone ever again. I’ve learned my lesson. “Sun, I’m sorry. I thought it would be good for you and had it all worked out in my head, and that’s not fair to you or Alex and—”
