Page 126 of The Friend Scheme
I pull my pillow out from under me and quietly scream into it.
My phone chimes. I freak out. Every time in the past week that I’ve gotten a notification, I’ve had this feeling that something world-changing is about to happen. That it’s going to be Jason on the other end.
But so far, the messages have been from other people. Luke, Cassidy. I stare up at the ceiling. It’s not going to be him who messaged me.
The anticipation becomes too much, so I lift my phone.
And holy shit.
It’s from Jason. Finally.
Hey, want to see a movie later?
I swear I can hear harps playing. Or something.
I don’t even care what the movie is. I’d go seeTransformersor some shit. I’d see anything with him.
I’m beaming as I type out my response:
Obviously, yes.
When we get to the movie theater, he opens the door for me. It’s nearly empty inside, and we join the small line in front of the ticket booth. This cinema is decorated in this cool art deco style. I glance around, making sure I don’t recognize anyone. Jason doesn’t seem to care, which strikes me as odd.
He walks up to the ticket booth and buys two tickets before I can protest. He makes his way back and hands one to me.
“Do you want snacks?” he asks.
“I mean, always.”
“Good answer.”
He reaches into his pocket to pull out his wallet, but I stop him. “I can get them, you’ve paid for a bunch. What do you want?”
“You should be able to guess.”
He grins.
“Come on, you know this, Mr. Movie Buff,” he says. “They’re the only acceptable movie snacks.”
“Popcorn and a Coke?”
“Bingo.”
“Um, you’re forgetting about Junior Mints,” I say.
“Wait, you actually like them? I thought they were just for grandpas?”
“That’s Werther’s. Junior Mints are the best. When was the last time you tried them?”
“I can’t even remember.”
“Want to?”
“Hell yeah.”
He grins.
I buy two medium combos, and a pack of Junior Mints, and we walk upstairs. A girl takes our tickets and rips them in half. As we walk down the hall, I see a poster for the movie we’re seeing:The Tower.
