Page 54 of The Surprise

NO KISSING.

I like that her mind went there first.

NO HOLDING HANDS.

I can work with that.

NO FLIRTING. NO PAYING FOR ME EVER. NO MEALS TOGETHER.

She’s coming up with a lot of rules, and some people might find that discouraging, but I can’t think about anything but the fact that after days and days of nothing, she’s finally responding to my texts. Maybe Amanda Saddler’s smarter than she looks.

But even if she starts talking to me again, will I be able to take this from the friend zone to the end zone when it matters?

I sure mean to try.

At least it means I’m still in the game.

12

Ethan

When you grow up with siblings, you’re accustomed to doing everything with a buddy. When I washed the car, Izzy came along. When I mowed the lawn, Izzy edged. When I learned to ride horses, Izzy was already better than me thanks to her posh lessons back home, and she made no effort to soften her advice to me or her criticisms of my failings.

But she’s been my buddy for almost my entire life.

The hardest thing about all this Beth drama has beennottalking to Izzy about it. Keeping our flirting and meet-ups a secret was kind of exciting, but it’s taking a toll. I’m hunched over my phone when Izzy gets home from school.

“Who are you always texting?” She drops her enormous backpack on the floor by the door.

“You’re going to make Mom’s head explode if you leave that there.”

Izzy rolls her eyes, but she reaches down and snags the tail that pokes out of the back right strap and starts dragging it like she’d drag a corpse behind her all the way to her room. “Fine.”

“I’m trying to help you.”

“Sure you are,” she says.

That sounds cryptic, so I follow her, stuffing my phone in my pocket. “I am trying to help. What else would I be doing? I don’t care if you leave your crap all over. Even when you can’t find it the next day and you run around like a chicken with no head. Actually, I find that kind of funny, as long as you don’t miss the bus.”

“Whatever.” Izzy practically slams the door in my face.

“Dude,” I say. “What’s going on with you?”

Before I have time to get a real fluster on, she whips the door open again. “What’s wrong with me?” She leans closer, so her eye’s only inches from mine. “You’re all mopey half the time and then full of manic energy the next. You’re clearly best friends with someone who’s shady, or you’re dating someone Mom wouldn’t approve of, or you’re selling drugs or something, because you won’t tell me what’s going on. That means it’s bad.” Izzy arches her eyebrowjustlike Mom. It’s eerie, really. “And if you think you can hide it when we move to Amanda Saddler’s, you’ve lost your mind, because there will be even more people in a smaller area.”

“I’m not selling drugs, and I don’t know any shady people.” In Manila? Really?

She jabs her finger into my chest. “I knew it. Then who are you dating?”

I roll my eyes. “Please.”

“You didn’t say it wasn’t that one, and now I’msureit is. Tell me who it is, or I’ll go to Mom with my theories.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

She arches that same eyebrow again.

Sometimes I wonder whether Mom could strain an eyebrow. Probably, as a professional at the glare, she can’t. But I bet a wannabe like Izzy could. Or maybe not. But shemighthave the guts to go tattle on me, even if it’s only because she’s butt hurt. “Fine,” I say.

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