“It’s just a seat belt.”
“No, I mean the car. There are so many lights and buttons.”
“I know, I feel like it’s spying on me sometimes and is going to take over my life.”
Blaire was quiet for three counts, then she let out a burst of laughter. “You are still the biggest nerd.”
“I know!” I picked up her Stanford pack and fanned her with it. “So where are we doing this?”
“Starbucks?”
I tried to mentally calculate how many classmates would be at Starbucks.
“Oh, right,” Blaire said, reading my mind like she always seemed to do. “My friend has become famous.”
“Have not.”
“If not now, surely after your big yacht party tomorrow.”
“Our big yacht party,” I said.
“I’ve done all of nothing.”
“You gave me almost all the ideas for food to serve.”
“True. Those are pretty awesome ideas, too.” She watched street signs as we passed by. “Go to the one on Seventeeth. You’re right, we won’t get anything done at ours.”
The one she was referring to was only a few miles farther, but it would make a difference.
I pulled into the parking lot and we got out of the car.
After ordering, we sat at a small table in the corner while we waited for our drinks to be called.
“So,” I said, placing both palms flat on the table. “Do you have talking points?”
She smiled. “You know I do. Open to page one, please.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’m serious.”
“I know you’re serious, and that’s why I love you.”
“Then that’s the first point. You love me so much that you can’t bear the thought of us going to two separate colleges next year.”
“You’re right.”
“I am?”
“Yes.” I groaned. “Blaire, I want to go to college with you. It’s just hard, you know?”
“I don’t know.”
“My parents are finally doing better and I hate to disrupt that with a major life change.”
“Seriously? You need to stay if they’re not doing well and stay if they are?”
“I’ve just always had this image of me in a dorm room an hour away so that I can visit them whenever they need me.”
“Even if it’s not the best option for you?” She pointed at me. “For you, Maddie. Not for your parents or your brother or anyone else. For you.”
“But I’m connected to those people you want me to view as separate entities. We are all intertwined.”
“You can’t be forever.”
“Isn’t that what family is?”
“But you have to live your own life at some point.”
“I know.” I patted the papers. “This was very persuasive.”
“I hope so. That thing took me a week to put together. Stanford should hire me to do their pamphlets.”
I giggled.
“Another point,” she said, tapping the page in front of me. “Money. You always said an academic scholarship for Stanford was going to be so much harder to get than one for UCLA. But you don’t need to worry about that anymore. You have money now. You don’t need a scholarship.”
“That’s true.”
“It’s basically Ivy League,” Blaire said. “You worked your tail off for the last four years. You deserve to go to the school you earned.”
My heart gave a jump. It would be pretty amazing to go to Stanford. I had worked hard. I’d always known the possibility of earning a scholarship there was next to none because the competition would be so high. That was one of the many reasons I’d never truly let myself consider it. But now …
“Maddie!” The barista called my name from behind the counter.
“I’ll go get our drinks.” I stood up and went to the counter, leaving Blaire plotting behind me. I was sure she’d have some new angle by the time I sat down. I picked up our drinks and turned, nearly running cups-first into someone. I saved our drinks and his shirt just in time.
“Sorry,” I said.
“Maddie?”
I met his eyes. “Seth? Hi!” In my excitement I hugged him with my hands full of drinks.
“I thought I heard them say your name, but I didn’t recognize you at first. You’re not wearing your glasses. And you’re blond!”
“I’m not. And … yeah, I am.”
“It looks good.”
“Thanks. What are you doing here?”
“I told you I study at Starbucks.” He smirked at me like I had wound up here at his Starbucks on purpose.
“Oh, right. I’d forgotten.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw Blaire, her eyebrows raised. “Come meet my friend.”
He followed me back to our table where I set the drinks down.
“Blaire, this is Zoo Seth. Seth, this is my best friend, Blaire.”
Seth smiled. “We’re still going with Zoo Seth?”
“I needed to give her context.”
“Because I’ve heard stories about you. Now I have a face,” Blaire said.
“I’m scared to hear what stories,” Seth replied.
I waved my hand through the air. “Oh, you know, the classics, dentures and vomit and that time you let the macaw out of the cage.”
He cringed. “You’re going way back now. And for the record, the cage opened itself.”
I spun a chair from another table across the floor until it was between us, then patted it. “Have a seat.”
Seth pointed back to the other side of the store. “I should go grab my stuff. I’ve taken over a booth with my books. I’ll be right back.”
When he left I quickly sat down and leaned forward to whisper to Blaire. “Don’t say anything about the lottery thing. I haven’t told him.”
“Oh, that small thing?” she said, giving me a look of incredulity.
“It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in later.” It really wasn’t a long story. I hadn’t told Seth, then I hadn’t told him some more. Now it was way past appropriate timing. That was the story.
“I won’t say anything.”
“Thank you.”
Seth came back and set a book on the table and his bag on the floor, then lowered himself into the chair between Blaire and me. “Did Maddie also tell you that I’m really bad at Algebra II?” He pointed at the book.
“No, she didn’t.”
“You never told me you were really bad at Algebra II,” I said, sliding the book to face me.
“I didn’t? Huh. I probably didn’t want you to judge me.”
My mouth fell open and I started to object when he winked at me. I gave a breathy huff instead.
I pushed his book back toward him and the Stanford packet that was underneath it came into view. Seth picked up the packet and looked at the heading of the first page, which said in bold print, all caps: MADDIE IS GOING TO STANFORD AND THIS IS WHY.
He handed me the packet. “You’re going to Stanford?”
“And this is why,” I said with a smile.
“Yes, Seth,” Blaire said. “Help me convince Maddie to go to Stanford.”
“The one six hours north of here?”
“Is there another one?” I asked.
“Why do you need convincing?” He met my eyes, his expression so intense it made me blush a little.
“I … I’m just … I have a lot of choices.” I had four choices in my drawer so far. All in Southern California. None of them Stanford. None of them UCLA either, though.
“I’m sure every school wants you,” he said.
Blaire mouthed something at me across the table but I had no idea what.
“No. I mean, I don’t. I have. I didn’t apply to all of them. It costs money to apply so at the time I had to narrow it down.” Oh my gosh, why was I so flustered?
Blaire started leafing through Seth’s Algebra book.
“She’s more addicted to schoolwork than I am,” I whispered, happy for
the distraction.
“I am not,” Blaire said, but kept turning pages.
Seth smiled. He really did have the best smile. And cheekbones. They were high and he had a great jaw line actually. He had really full lips, too. I shook my head and forced myself to look away.
“Is this what you’re working on?” Blaire asked, holding up a folded piece of binder paper she had found stuck between two pages.
“And she’s super nosy, too,” I said.
“Yes,” Seth answered her. “Probability.”
“Probability?” I piped up.
Blaire laughed. “Now who’s interested? That’s Maddie’s favorite unit.”
“You have a favorite Algebra unit?” Seth asked.
“Doesn’t everybody?”
“No, I can very firmly say no to that question. Maybe I can say that it’s my least favorite section. I don’t understand how Pascal’s triangle works with it.”
I took a sip of my latte, then flipped Seth’s book and paper toward me.
Blaire chuckled. “You’re in for it now, Seth.”
Thirty minutes later, I worried that Blaire and I had overwhelmed Seth. We were all three hovered over his book, shoulder to shoulder. Blaire and I had both explained the concept in different ways and he seemed to be getting the hang of it, but I wasn’t sure.
“I’m going to get a refill,” Blaire said, standing. “Anyone else want anything?”
I asked for another latte and Seth shook his head. When Blaire was gone, I pointed to the numbered question on the textbook. “Do you understand this one yet?”
“I think so. I didn’t realize how much it would help to have the smartest girl in the world explaining things to me.”
I knew he was being sarcastic but my cheeks went hot, anyway. Why did they keep doing that? “Second-smartest. Blaire’s the first.” I held out my hand. “Let me see your notebook, I’ll write out another way for you to solve this problem.”
He handed it over and I turned the page to get to a clean sheet, but it wasn’t clean. It had writing on it. I didn’t mean to read it, but my eyes immediately took in the words.
Seth noticed what was there just as I was about to turn another page. “Oh.” He turned the page quickly. “That’s nothing.”
“Is it a screenplay or story that you’re working on?”
“Just some random ideas.”
“It was good. Interesting.”
He shrugged. I could tell he didn’t want to talk about it so I dropped the subject and used the clean sheet of paper to explain the math concept.
He glanced over at me and I realized how close we were on this tiny two-seater table. The right side of my body was pressed against his left side, from our shoulders to our knees.
“Thank you,” he said.
“I’m happy to help.”
“That’s the line you use on all the zookeepers. I now feel like part of your service hours.”
“I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.”
There was a sparkle in his eyes. “I’m just teasing you.”
“Oh. Yeah.” I needed to move away, my skin was on fire.
His eyes went down to his book. “I’m not a total screw-up,” he whispered.
“What? I never thought you were.”
“You’re just so smart and focused.”
“I think you mean boring.”
His eyes snapped to mine. “No. Not boring at all. Pretty amazing, actually.”
His words floated around my head, causing a buzzing sensation.
Blaire saved me by plopping my drink down next to me. “I got you decaf this time so you’re not up all night.”
“Thanks.” I used her interruption to push back from the table.
Seth looked at the Stanford packet that was still sitting in my lap. “I better go,” he said. “I told my mom an hour. It’s been two.” He held his hand out to Blaire. “Nice to meet you.”
Blaire shook his hand. “You too.”
“See you Saturday, Maddie.” He leaned down and gave me a hug that seemed to linger longer than normal (or was I just enjoying it more than normal?). Then he slung his backpack over his shoulder and was gone.
Blaire crossed her arms and tilted her head at me.
“What?”
“He’s what’s holding you back from Stanford.”
“What?”
“He’s keeping you here. You’d be all in if it wasn’t for that boy.”
“That is so not true.”
“This is why we had a pact, Maddie. A pact.”
“I know. I haven’t broken it. My hesitation has nothing to do with him and everything to do with my family.” My burning face wasn’t backing up my argument at all.
“Good. Because your family I can work with. I’m not sure I can compete with Mr. Smooth Talker.” She stared at the door he’d left through like he might come back and tell her she was right. But I knew he wouldn’t. Seth was just nice to everyone. I wasn’t anything special to him.
“Now,” Blaire said. “Let’s go over this packet point by point, okay?”
I nodded, but my eyes found their way back to the door.
At 7:00 p.m. on Friday, I stood on the pier with Blaire and Elise. They had both ended up borrowing clothes from me, and I had to admit we all looked pretty incredible. I wore a miniskirt with a blousy top and wedge booties. Blaire was in ankle boots, jeans, and a sleeveless halter. And Elise wore an emerald-green silky shirtdress and strappy sandals. I felt like we were at some yacht club photo shoot, minus the cameras.
Nobody else had shown up yet, aside from the caterer, and the captain of the yacht, of course. Visions of my birthday party were floating through my mind. All that candy on the coffee table, uneaten. This party was going to be that all over again.
The big white yacht, its rows of windows reflecting the setting sun, was anchored to the dock beside us. A metal walkway bridged the gap between the pier and the boat, and there was nobody here to cross it. Shouldn’t at least one person have arrived by now? I looked at my phone.
“We’re an hour early,” Blaire said.
“But in an hour this boat will sail out to sea for the night with or without people on it,” I said.
“They’ll come,” Blaire assured me.
Elise rubbed her arms as the wind kicked up. The water lapped at the pier and she looked at the boat. “Could we wait on the yacht?”
“Yes, we can. Let’s go make sure all the food and stuff is getting set up.” Maybe this was like the metaphorical boiling pot of water. If I watched it, nothing would happen.
The caterers were busy at work putting out all the things I’d ordered. Things I thought my peers would like: mini hot dogs, sliders, pizza bites, chips. Were there normally snacks at big parties? Why hadn’t I gone to any parties before?
Eventually the water boiled. Metaphorically, of course. People started trickling in by twos and threes. By fives and sevens. I recognized a lot of the people—Bryce from Math, Laura from Chemistry—but a lot I didn’t.
“Oh, look, there’s Colton,” Elise said, pointing at her ex-boyfriend who’d just walked down the steps into the main room. “Who invited him?”
“Who’s Colton?” Blaire asked, and Elise smiled.
The noise on the yacht rose to a happy buzz and my nerves settled.
When Trina walked in, she hugged me. She wore one of the outfits she’d bought on our shopping trip—a rose-colored, one-sleeved minidress, and a silver band that twisted around her bicep. I was surprised how dressed up everyone was. Was this normal for a party or did the word yacht up the fashion game?
“You look awesome,” Trina said.
“You too,” I said.
Trina’s friend Beth, who was standing next to her, widened her eyes. “I didn’t even recognize you.”
“Thanks?” I wondered if half the people on this boat hadn’t recognized me when they arrived. I did look different.
Trina threw her hands out to either side. “You’re kind of
a genius. Your party cannot fail because nobody can leave.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, when people come, think your party sucks, and take off? That’s the worst, ending the night at ten because you only have a handful of people left.”
“I hadn’t even thought of that.” What if my party sucked and people wanted to leave? I would have trapped them. They’d have to jump overboard if desperate.
Trina said, “Don’t worry about it. This will be awesome. I’m getting some food. You have like actual food. Not just candy.”
“Is that bad?”
She petted my arm. “Calm down. It’s good.”
When she left, Elise sighed. “How come you never introduce us to Trina?”
“What? I haven’t? I’m so sorry. I guess I … ” Thought you knew her, was how I was going to finish that sentence but that wasn’t true. I knew they didn’t know her, just like I hadn’t known her before recently. “When she comes back, I’ll introduce you.”
The owner of the yacht, a woman named Patrice, came up to me. “We’re going to be pushing off in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” I said, then gasped.
“What?” Blaire asked.
“The band. The band isn’t here yet.” At least I didn’t think they were. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see over the heads of the people around me. I hadn’t thought to bring any backup music in case they didn’t show. “I’ll be right back. Don’t leave without me,” I told Patrice.
“We won’t leave without you.”
I pushed through the crowd and to the upper deck, then out onto the pier. I couldn’t see Leo anywhere. Had I really not gotten his number to call him? That was booking-a-band 101. Well, at least it should’ve been, if I wrote a manual about booking a band.
At two minutes to the hour, with me pacing the dock, Leo came strolling up, holding his guitar. A group of grungy guys trailed after him.
“Nice of you to show up,” I said.
“You said eight. I’m two minutes early.”
“I said seven thirty but whatever. I’m glad you’re here. Come on.”
Leo raised his guitar in the air like I’d just praised him somehow and climbed aboard. Just in time because Patrice was walking up the stairs.
“You ready?” she asked me.
“We’re ready.”