Page 77 of How (Not) to Conjure a Boyfriend
“We’re watching it! I’m not turning it off.”
She should be glad. She can’t keep her mouth shut during movies, and usually that drives me up a wall. Lucky for her, since I’ve watched it so many times, I don’t mind for this one.
“Fine,” Kaitlynn huffs while an early American scene unveils on the screen. It’s time for a witch hanging, or at least that’s what they think.
Sort of like I thought I’d get through this night without thinking of the Marcus boys. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Why is it so hard not to think of them? I just need this movie to start so I can let the dopamine from one of my favorite stories fill my brain and crowd out the junk I don’t want to think about, especially Zach.
He sent a text after school today. So that didn’t help. It’s the first from him since Wednesday, but it’s like it came at just the wrong time. It isn’t anything problematic, or sappy, or about us, or even Hayden. I don’t know, maybe that’s worse though.
I unlock my phone and let his last text sit on the screen.
ZACHARY: How r u?
I haven’t opened it yet. It’s just the preview, so he can’t see I’ve read it. That’s all it is though.How r u?
Well, I’m sort of losing my mind, Zach. I’ve managed to unintentionally convince your whole family, and now both our high schools, that your older brother and I are dating when we’re definitely not. Now even Hayden thinks we are. How does this shit even happen? Oh, and to make things even worse, I think I like you!
I’m one hundred percent not replying. Oh gods, I did it again! Stop thinking about them!
“You remember the forts we used to make at my house?” Kaitlynn interrupts the movie, and thankfully my thoughts.
“The blanket forts? In your playroom?” I ask.
“Yep.” She grins big.
Her parents converted their finished basement into this massive playroom when we were around five. It’s the whole length of their house and filled with toys, and a lot of spare chairs. It was always cold down there in the winter, so Kaity’s mom always left us a big stack of blankets. We’d suspend them between the walls and chairs, or chairs and tables, or with whatever we could find that was heavy enough to keep them in place. They were elaborate for blanket forts. Whole rooms, halls, and entrance. We’d play in them for hours.
“Those were so much fun!” I tell her. “Except that one time it collapsed on me, and I thought I was going to die.”
“Yeah, that one wasn’t so good. It had been up a couple days though,” Kaitlynn reasons.
Try being the one suffocating under four comforters at like seven years old with a big chair tipped over on top. I can’t say safety had been one of our biggest concerns in our building codes. It never was. They were fun, that’s what we were worried about.
“It’s been forever. This might sound sort of silly, but why don’t we do that anymore?” she asks.
We grew out of it? I don’t know. It’s weird now that she brings it up. It’s like one day we were spreading blankets between chairs and navigating tiny phone-lit multicolored halls, and then boom, we’re doing makeup and talking about boys and college.
“Guess we just grew up.” I shrug. I was about to suggest we try it again soon, but we’re sixteen. Isn’t that too old for that type of thing? A part of me recoils in embarrassment even thinking about blanket forts. “We’re older now.”
“Sounds lame if you ask me,” Kaitlynn says.
“Well, I didn’t say…” I shoot her a grin.
“So rude,” she says.
“The worst.” I roll my eyes and smile back.
“You so are,” she laughs.
“That’s not what I meant, bitch!” I laugh.
“Yeah, yeah,” she giggles, and we settle down into a quiet contemplation.
“And we didn’t have boy problems then. I still can’t get Za—”
“No! Don’t say his name! It’s not allowed tonight!” Kaity jumps across the couch and shoves her pointer finger against my lips to shush me. WOW! Aggressive much? I wasn’t going to start spilling my guts about him. “Tonight is a boy drama-free night, except for what’s her name’s drama.”
She’s pointing at the television, and honestly I’m surprised she doesn’t know Sandra Bullock’s character’s name by now. Sandra’s an icon. A literal treasure! There is no way she doesn’t know Sandra’s name, or her character’s name, not after watching this one with me at least five or six times before. Hell, I know I’ve made her watchThe Lake HouseandTwo Weeks Noticetoo!
