Page 92 of Banter & Blushes

Ethan: Hmmm, let’s see. Some tourists, shut-ins, people who hate seafood.

Mia: We should create a help group for those unfortunate souls.

Ethan: I agree. So, Friday @ 6pm?

I avoid saying more so she can let me know if she wants me to pick her up or prefers to meet me there.

Mia: I’ll be there.

Like a celly on the ice after scoring a goal, I go down on one knee and do a fist pump. “Yes!”

Once that’s out of my system, I open the group chat with the guys.

Ethan: Got a date with my dream girl on Friday!

Elias: Finally! Now maybe you’ll be able to concentrate.

Mathéo: With the puck bunny at the rink?

Payton: Blimey, bit brutal, Barbie-man.

Wade: No, he’s just Swiss.

Ethan: She’s NOT a puck bunny.

Mathéo: How do you know?

Ethan: She was helping that reporter interviewing the new owner.

Mathéo: So?

Ethan: Puck bunnies hang around games for the players.

Mathéo: She had an arena of players to herself.

Ethan: Oh, I see. You’re jealous.

Mathéo: Ridiculous!

Wade: Give the man a break, fellas. He’s still wearing his rose-colored glasses. Time will tell soon enough.

Ethan: No glasses here. Never been more sure of anything in my life.

Elias: I’m glad the seasonis over.

Ethan: Why?

Elias: Because you’d be collecting dust on the bench if it weren’t.

CHAPTER 8

MIA

“Mrs. Popopop, can I have another cookie?”

I bite the side of my lip to keep from laughing at Iris’ attempt to pronounce my last name. She’s given it her best shot since she transferred to my school last month. Poor kid just had bad luck to wind up with a teacher with a challenging surname, I guess.

Today’s our end-of-the-year field trip at the aquarium, and it’s lunchtime. That means the students had to bring their own and are now spread out on the lawn behind the building, consuming whatever their parents decided to throw in. Thanks to the powers that be—that would be our school principal—the teachers had to bring the cookies.

---