Eighteen Below Him

ra's

r me. The air was thick with the scent of vanilla candles and the kind

living room by my elbow. "I thought you would never get here.

e door with a satisfying thud. "Hallways should come

he crossed her legs on the couch. "You are being dramatic, Sa

nto the velvet armchair. "She is like a human paper

ight. "That is why we are here. To help you survive the

sudden change in tone. "Wait,

ng her words like she was handling a fragile artifact. "B

ack against the chair. "I kn

rl falling over her eye. "No, it

w, my skepticism m

e been saying all year that you want someone, but no attachment. Someone f

ying." I muttered. "And it is not yo

g smile. "Oh, but it is our business beca

ugh a list of acceptable class

she was about to reveal a master

he water I had just

rt, and famously unattached. Commitment free. Best of all, he is

nothing to do with the burrito from

d. "Call it co

. My two best friends had o

y, trying to ground the conversatio

is perfect. He will not try to trap you, you will not get emotionally i

head right before my eyes. "You really thin

m from afar. He does not do commitment, he does not get emotionally attached,

sharp in the quiet room. "You

re brilliant. You are just stubborn, but you are s

the heat of a blush starting t

have already spent years hating him. You know

them. "You do realize this is

are talking about surviving senior year with style, grace,

usually involve glares, insul

d, smiling widely. "T

his boundaries, and refusing to let my guard down for even a second. They even made me rehearse a few lines to use

the floor. "Smile, roll your eyes, tease him, but stay in t

y of the situation sank in. "I canno

prepared for college, for the next step in your life, and you want

ing in my throat. "You ma

High school is a battlefield, and yo

buried my face in

ing to find my resolve. "Even if I wanted

her expression serene. "

mean stressful, humiliating,

Exactly. That is the point. You get all

ay his eyes lingered on the back of my head in Engli

ly. Do not think about i

lp thinking about him. That is why it will wo

ps. Two weeks until I turned eighteen. Two weeks until I could technically do this

ld be harder than

ware of my own heartbeat whenever he was within a five foot radius. The thought of being near him made me curiou

nce. "Earth to Sam. You are think

ered, hiding my f

"Exactly why this is perfect. You get to te

face back into the pillow.

itted. "But you ar

one. Keep Calvin guessing, do not let him see me flinch, and have fun, whate

the nagging feeling that this plan might backfire spectacularly. Calvin Simms w

him looking at me, even for a fleeting secon

was ticking, and the