Page 23 of Notice Me, Jameson Hart
“You’re not my favorite brother.”
“We both know that’s a lie.” He studies me in the mirror. I can practically see the gears turning in his head. “Wait, wait, wait. Is it Matthew?”
I choke on the air. “What?”
“ItisMatthew! The leg comment makes so much more sense now!”
“It’s not Matthew!”
“Please. You were drooling over his thighs last month.”
“I made one observation about his muscle definition!”
“While turning the color of a tomato!”
Connor has to pause his cutting because I’m squirming too much. “Dude, you’ve gotta hold still or this is gonna end up uneven.”
“Sorry,” I mutter, trying to calm down. “And for the record, I don’t have a crush on Matthew. His legs are just…notable.”
“Notable,” Robbie repeats, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “That’s what we’re calling it now?”
“Can we please talk about something else?”
“Absolutely not. This is the most interesting thing that’s happened all summer.” He tilts his head as Jake works on his sideburns. “Now, ‘theoretically,’ if it’s not Matthew, then who? Tyler?”
“It’s not Tyler.”
“Someone from the drama club?”
“No.”
“Someone from school?”
I stay silent, which is apparently answer enough.
“Itissomeone from school!” Robbie crows. “Do I know them?”
“Everyone knows everyone at our school,” I point out.
“True. But do Iknow themknow them? Like, are they in our circle?”
I almost laugh at Robbie thinking that I’m a part of his circle. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Sure, the people he’s friends with are cordial with me, but I’m pretty certain that’s because he and Adam have threatened their friends with bodily harm if they aren’t.
I focus on watching Connor work, evening out my buzz cut with practiced precision. The clippers tickle against my neck, sending goosebumps up my arms.
“Your silence is telling,” Robbie says. “Come on, Kev. It’s just me, Jake, and Connor here. They won’t tell. Who’s got you writing Broadway love ballads in your head?”
“Nobody has me writing anything.”
“Please. You probably already have a whole musical planned out.Kevin Pryor: The Yearning.Opening number: ‘I Want to Hold His Hand but I’m Too Scared.’ A mashup of that Beatles song and an original number penned by you.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.” His expression softens slightly. “For real though, crushes are normal. Remember when I had one on Jessica Mannion sophomore year? I wrote her name on my binder over fifty times.”
“And she thought you were stalking her.”
“Okay, bad example.” He thinks for a moment. “Oh! What about when Adam had that thing for Kiara? He learned how to play guitar to impress her.”
