Page 16 of The Surprise

Beth’s blinking repeatedly. Then her mouth opens, but she doesn’t speak.

“How about this?” I ask. “How about if, instead of being my friend, you let me take you out?” I can’t help glancing at the can of refried beans. “I’m sure those are great, but I could drive you into Green River and we could get some real tacos.” I smile my widest smile. “I know that the food options here aren’t really that amazing, but I’m pretty sure I can beat a dented can of refried beans.”

Beth inhales sharply, her nostrils widening.

Even so, she looks awfully cute. She’s wearing baggy jeans and a really cute little fitted top with bunchy floral fabric. Her hair’s pulled into a messy knot on the top of her head with a weird gold headband tightly in place, keeping the unruly bits away from her face. She’s also wearing clunky Doc Martins that are electric blue. Somehow, it all works.

“So, is that a no?” I twist my lips and scrunch my nose, expressing my disappointment in her poor decision-making. “Because if you haven’t tried Taco Time, you may not know that they have both soft burritosandcrispy burritos, and they have these little fried rolls with cherry filling.” I nod. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Beth laughs.

“Say you’ll go.”

There’s that inhale again. And the nostril flare. “I can’t, Ethan.”

“You’re secretly married?” I shake my head slowly. “I knew it.”

“I’m not married.” Her lip is twitching.

“You’ve been engaged since birth to a man your dad owed a favor to.” I whistle. “That must be tough.”

She rolls her eyes.

“You have gonorrhea from sitting on a public toilet, and you’ve decided to stay away from boys from now on as a community service? Because I know a doctor who could write you a prescription for that.” I drop my voice to a hissing whisper. “If left untreated, I hear it can make you blind.”

She shakes her head. “You’re an idiot.”

“Wait, is that the reason you’re blowing me off?” I ask. “Because I’ve been holding back my magnificence, so as not to scare you. In fact, I’m smarter than Steve Jobs. Smarter even than that weird Tesla guy. What’s his name? Musk.” I lean against the handle of the cart. “Now that I know you value my intelligence, I’ll tell you that I can perform complex equations in my head.”

“You can?” Beth frowns. “Then why did you want to work a ranch instead of going to college?”

“Would Picasso attend art school?” I shrug. “It would be a waste of time. That’s just my level. I’m trying to give those other kids who need to learn things a chance, is all.”

“How generous of you,” Beth says. “But even knowing you’re smart, I can’t go with you to Taco Time.”

“Are you playing hard to get? Because that only works if at some point, you let me get you.” I lean closer and widen my eyes as if in alarm. “Or, if that’s not it. . .” I drop my voice to a whisper. “I could bring some Imodium, if that would help. I know it’s kind of a long drive home.”

Beth’s face crumples. “Ew, what’s wrong with you?”

“I’m hilarious. I think you must have misspoken.”

“Ethan.”

“I’m doing in person what I did with the texts? Pushing too hard?” Maybe I did go too far, but she’s laughing. She seems to really like me. After living in the middle of a social desert for a few months, my social meter must be way off. “Alright, I get it. I’ll just leave you and go pay for my tampons.”

She snorts that time.

I swear, it reallyfeels likeshe likes me. She said shecan’tdate me. “Do you have a boyfriend? Is that it?”

Beth freezes.

“You could’ve just said that. It’s not like I’d rat you out to your aunt or something, if he’s someone you’re not supposed to be dating.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” she says. “What I have is a miserable family.”

Now I can’t help frowning. “What does that have to—”

“Ethan, trust me. We should not go out, okay?” She snatches her trash bags and her cans, and then she pushes past me, beating me to the register. But when she gets there, she shoves a twenty on the counter and darts out the door.

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