Page 126 of What I Like About You

Because you never skip track stuff

4:41 PM

Track season is well under way, and it takes up a lot of Nash’s time after school. I hate how time-consuming it is as much as I hate running as a concept.

Ugh. We should be celebrating!

4:42 PM

Totally!

4:45 PM

Maybe we can Saturday?

4:46 PM

Clearly, I am the queen of subtle segues.

Saturday is Ariel Goldberg. Saturday is Boston and cupcakes and the day I’m going to tell Nash the truth. We will have a cute day in the city and we will stumble upon Central Square Books. He’ll recognize the cupcakes and look at me and a light bulb will go on and I won’t even have to tell him because he’ll justknow. It’ll be hard and confusing and, okay, maybe it will be terrible at first. He’ll probably be mad. But I know what I’m going to say. I wrote it and rewrote it in my bullet journal.

I’ve even practiced on Scout.

No more going into this situation and hoping the right words will come out.

Finally, Iknowthey will. He’ll understand, because he’s Nash.

We’ll be okay, because we’re Halle and Nash. And Kels and Nash.

I can’t Saturday. I have a family thing. I’ll probably miss bowling too, tbh

4:51 PM

Oh. I … did not anticipate Nash saying no.

Since we’ve been official, Nash and I have spent every single Saturday together. If I’m working, he hangs around Maple Street Sweets until I’m out. We’ll grab food or catch a movie or even just walk around downtown until bowling. After bowling, we eitherhang at his house or mine. Usually his, because his house has a finished basement and mine has a living room and a dog who always seems to wedge herself in the space between us. Wouldn’t he have told me sooner?

Is everything okay?

4:52 PM

Yeah. It’s a Nick thing, so like, I can’t really get out of it.

4:53 PM

But Sunday is wide open!

4:53 PM

Sunday works!

4:54 PM

I’ve had thisvery specific revealplanned for weeks, and not once did it cross my mind that he might not be able to go. I’m running out of time and ways to tell him the truth and I’m afraid that it’s already too late, but I thought the Ariel Goldberg event would work if anything would.

Nothing can be too terrible when surrounded by books and cupcakes, I’m sure.

But now that won’t happen.

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