Crushes

Chapter 18

I had suffered through the week of school and band practices that are slowly dyeing down since it's getting darker earlier. Kate and I have been texting a lot more lately and today marks next Saturday, when we agreed to walk the trail at the local park. "So," Tessa says to me as she enters my room, "are you going to dress up?"

I laugh, "absolutely not, it's not a date, we're just walking and hanging out," I tell her as she opens my dresser drawers, "what are you doing?"

"You have nothing to wear on your first date with Kate," she says to me.

"It's not a date," I insist.

"Sure it's not," she says with a smirk before throwing some clothes at me.

I throw the shirt on and usher her out of my room before I change my pants, "you can come back in," I yell as I grab a pair of shoes.

"Do mom and dad know where you're going?"

"I told them where I was going, they just don't know who I'm going with."

"It stinks," she says as she plops on my bed, "how our parents don't trust us to date or even hang out with the opposite gender."

"Yeah," I pause, "has Ezra done anything to you?"

She looked kind of shocked when I asked, "surprisingly, no, but."

"Oh dear God," I cut her off, "another crush?"

A smile spreads across her face, "his name is Asher."

"Tess, don't make the same mistake," I warn her.

"Hey," she says, "he's completely different from Ezra. He's quiet and shy and smart and doesn't like to be noticed," after a while I stop listening to her blab.

I hear my phone go off and pick it up to read the text from Kate, "hey, is the park near your house?"

"Not too far," I text back.

"He sounds like Kate," I say to Tessa.

"Did she ever tell you how she knows Ezra?"

I stop my thoughts and look at Tessa, "now that you mention it, no, she hasn't."

"Strange."

"Kids, breakfast is ready," our parents holler up at us.

We land in our usual seats, "can my dad drop me off at your house and we can walk there together," Kate texts back as I grab a banana from the center of the table.

"Hey," my mom says, "phone away"

I sit my phone on the edge of the table, "when did this become a thing," I ask, feeling guilty for not replying to Kate.

"Since we decided that breakfast is when we talk," my dad says to me, "you two have been completely to yourselves lately."

I shoot Tessa a glance, she doesn't say anything, she just stares at her plate of bacon, "well," I say, "what do you want us to talk about?"

"How's school," my mom asks as she sits down with a glass of water.

"Fine," Tessa and I say in unison.

My phone buzzes on the table, making a loud, noticable​ sound, "who's that," my dad asks me.

I stop my movements for a moment to come up with a lie, "just someone in band, wanting to know when our next practice is."

"Freshman?"

"Uh, no," I stop for a moment to examine my parents faces, "new to the school this year though," I add quickly.