Page 65 of Summer Reading

He made a pained face as if I’d asked him to pull a tick off my butt. He was clearly wrestling with this one, and I was sure I was going to win.

“Okay,” he said. “I can use salad tongs or something.”

I barked out a laugh. “You are not using salad tongs on my undies.”

He stood in the doorway of his room, which was next to mine, and clasped his hands in a pleading gesture. “Please, Sam? I’ll be your best friend.”

“I already have a best friend.”

“Aw, come on, why not?” he asked.

“Because of a thousand reasons,” I said.

“Like what?”

“We can start with it’s dangerous, we might wreck the car, I have no idea how to teach someone to drive,Dad and Stephanie definitely did not have this on the approved list of activities for us to share, and because if something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself,” I said.

“That’s only five reasons,” he protested.

I blew out a breath. Were all teenagers this tenacious?

“Fivebigreasons,” I said.

“Just take me out for a practice run in a parking lot,” he negotiated. “If it doesn’t go well, I’ll never ask you again.”

“Why don’t you have Dad teach you? Or your mom?” I asked.

“Dad says you broke him,” he said. “Something about blowing through a red light and having his life flash before his eyes. And Mom is too nervous. She tried to take me once and she started to hyperventilate. You’re my only hope, Obi-Wan.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said.

He jumped up and down.

“Thinking about it is not a yes,” I said.

“But it’s also not a no. G’night, Sam.” He jumped into his room and slammed the door before I could say another word.

“Good night,” I called through the closed door.

I went into my room and kicked off my shoes and hung up the dress. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand and noticed it was almost midnight. Huh. Benand I must have been reading for hours. I felt a thrill zip through me.

Oh, I knew I had only been listening to him read and not actually reading myself, but it made me wonder if maybe I’d enjoy listening to other books being read aloud. My mother had tried to get me to listen to audiobooks before but my busy brain seemed to resist and my attention usually wandered, forcing me to backtrack and try to figure out where I’d tuned out. It was too much work to constantly catch myself, and I’d lost interest. But maybe it was worth another try.

I got ready for bed and was just slipping under the covers when my phone chimed with an incoming call. I grabbed my phone, wondering who would call this late and worried that it might be an emergency. Maybe Dad and Stephanie forgot about the time change. Ben’s name flashed on the screen and I answered.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey,” he replied. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t in too much trouble with your chaperone.”

“Well, he didn’t ground me, if that’s what you mean.”

“Good,” he said. “Actually, it was just an excuse so I could call you.”

Warmth bloomed inside of me.

“Oh?”

“I can’t sleep,” he said.

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