Page 54 of Theoretically Straight

“I mean, it was barely even two days ago,” I say defensively. “I’ve had a busy weekend.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you had plans on Saturday that you forgot to invite us to,” Oliver says with a smirk. “Rude, by the way. I would have loved to come watch a shitty horror movie with Wren and Caleb.”

“Next time I’ll invite everyone,” I promise. I glance at Caleb and smile apologetically, and he returns it. I casually paddle a little closer to his inner tube, trying not to make it obvious that I’m doing so.

“You better,” Oliver mumbles as he leans his head back against the tube again. “Man, you know what your parents need to do next? They need to install a giant screen out here and project movies on it. Can you imagine how cool that would be?”

“Mm-hmm,” I answer half-heartedly. I stare up at the yard, imagining the set-up. Much like today, all my friends would be there, including Caleb. We’d both be in separate inner tubes beside each other, but we’d have to attach the tubes so they wouldn’t float away from each other. Or hold hands, maybe. Hmm.

“Theo, are you still with us?” Harrison asks, waving at me.

“Yeah, I never left,” I answer quickly. “I was just thinking about the logistics of the movie screen out here.”

“Shouldn’t we focus on the Saint Catherine’s video? We need a game plan, dude. What should you say?”

“I’ll figure something out tonight and text you,” I say. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ve just been distracted.”

As I say “distracted,” I unconsciously glance at Caleb again, and our eyes meet. I quickly look away, realizing that I literally couldn’t be more obvious if I tried, and I just hope that no one else saw it.

But alas, I glance around the pool to see both Harrison and Elise watching me, Harrison’s brow furrowed in confusion and Elise’s eyes twinkling with revelation. Shit.

There will be an unfortunate number of conversations later tonight. I already feel it.

An hour or so later, the sun has set over the horizon, and the mosquitoes are beginning to swarm around us. Oliver heads out first, having procrastinated a book report to as close to the last minute as possible (apparently twelve hours before it’s due is the sweet spot, he claims). Elise’s curfew is 9:00 PM, so Harrison leaves promptly at 8:35 PM in case they run into any traffic on the way. Elise rolls her eyes because it never takes more than fifteen minutes to get from my house to Elise’s house, but Harrison is terrified of upsetting Elise’s father.

This leaves me alone with Caleb at 8:36 PM, and suddenly, I’m buzzing with nervous energy.

“Did you drive here?” I ask, glancing at the emptied driveway.

“No, my sister dropped me off. I’m about to text her to come pick me up.”

“I could drive you home if you want,” I offer without really even thinking about it. I just don’t want him to leave quite yet. Or at least if he’s going to go, I want to go with him, even if it’s just for a few more minutes.

Caleb pauses, his fingers hesitating on the screen of his phone for a second or two, then looks back up at me. “Are you sure?”

I nod with a grin. “Yeah, I don’t mind! I’ll just change clothes real quick. Do you need to be home by a certain time?”

“Yeah, usually 10:00 p.m. is my curfew for a school night.”

I consider it for a moment, then take the leap. “Do you want to hang out a little later and then leave? I can still get you home before ten. If not, it’s totally fine. I can just take you home now. I won’t be offended either way. Today’s been a blast.”

Caleb is quiet for a few painstaking seconds, making me regret even asking, and I’m about to open my mouth to say, “forget it, it’s fine,” when he finally gives me an answer. “Okay, yeah. I’d like that. If you don’t mind driving me home, I mean. Will your parents mind?”

I try not to make it obvious how elated I feel at his answer. “Nah, they’re fine! I drive my friends around all the time. As long as I let them know where I’m going and when I’ll be back, they don’t care.”

Caleb smiles again. “Okay, I’ll text my sister and let her know.”

“Cool,” I say as casually as possible and lead the way back to the porch.

Theo’s friends are far weirder than I expected. But, like, only in the best ways. Mom always tells me how I’ve never met a stranger, that I can always find something in common with anyone I meet, but it’s effortless to connect with Theo’s friends. The afternoon shoots by in a blur of sunshine, pizza, and chlorine.

But even the best days have to come to an end, and one by one, his friends leave the pool until it’s just me and Theo. This could be it. My chance to bring up this thing between us that neither wants to speak out loud. The advice from Lola and Dad circles around my head, and I try to figure out a game plan on how to approach the topic. I grab my phone, pretending to text Lola when really I’m asking for her input, but then he offers to drive me home, and all my plans sort of evaporate with the building heat behind my face.

Back inside, I change in the downstairs bathroom, stuffing my swimsuit and towel into a plastic bag in my backpack. When I finish, Theo is waiting for me by the stairs, his hair still damp but in dry clothes. I can’t help but notice how the sun has left its mark on him, warming the tips of his cheeks till he’s practically glowing.

“Want to smash?” he asks, but then his eyes go wide for a second, and he lets out a nervous laugh. “I mean, play smash. On the Switch. Sorry, when Harrison and me play, we just call it smashing.”

I laugh, too, mostly at his reaction and how much he’s blushing. “Sure. You’ll definitely wipe the floor with me, but I’ll be a gracious loser, I promise.”

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