The Crushes (3 page)
Now that she had a boyfriend, Alexia was finding it difficult to have “friend” time. She had had good intentions to split her time between her friends and Ben, but it seemed that when she had a free afternoon, her friends were either working or out with their boyfriends.
Not to mention, spending time with Ben always seemed sweeter. She felt like such a terrible friend for thinking that, but it was true.
It felt like it’d been forever since they all got together, so they’d made plans to get together today. Alexia pulled into the Bershetti’s parking lot and parked next to Sydney’s SUV.
Inside, Alexia pulled her sunglasses off and stuffed them in her bag.
Bershetti’s was a nice-size Italian restaurant in the middle of Birch Falls. It was owned by the Bershetti family, who had opened it some fifty years ago. It’d been updated since then and was one of the nicer restaurants in town.
A deep Concord purple Venetian plaster covered the upper half of the walls while white wainscoting spanned
the bottom half. A thick chair railing met the two around the entire restaurant. Candle sconces hung on the walls every three feet or so. There were real plants everywhere. Some sat in the window partitions between the lower-level dining room and the upper dining room. They hung in planters from the ceilings.
Alexia’s mom told her that most of the plants were herbs and that Mrs. Bershetti used a lot of them in her food.
The host, a forty-something woman with silver and black hair, greeted Alexia with a wide smile. “How many?”
“I’m meeting my friends here,” Alexia said, scanning the restaurant over the host’s shoulder. “Oh, there they are.”
Kelly, Sydney, and Raven sat in the lower level of the restaurant in the very middle. Kelly waved.
Alexia made her way through the upper level of the restaurant and down the five stairs to the lower level. She sat down next to Kelly, across from Raven and Sydney.
“I’m so happy we’re all together!” Kelly said, clapping her hands. “I’ve been bored out of my mind. Being single isn’t so fun anymore.”
Unfortunate but true, Kelly had taken over Alexia’s previous role as the single girl of the group, though something told Alexia that Kelly was dealing with it better than Alexia had. There was nothing like feeling unwanted and uncool. Being boyfriendless until your junior year of high school was bordering on lame.
“I’m glad we’re getting together, too,” Raven said. “I sent Horace off to Detroit today. I feel like if I stayed home, I’d go stir-crazy.”
Despite the foul mood Raven seemed to be in, she looked stunning per usual. She had on a white flowing skirt
that grazed her knees. She’d gone with a plain purple tank top that seemed to match the Venetian plaster on the walls. She’d pulled her dark, wavy hair back in a ponytail and slipped on a white headband.
Sitting next to her, Sydney was Raven’s complete opposite. Sydney’s straight black hair hung loosely around her shoulders. She had on a white polo and had worn jeans despite the summer temps.
The girls all settled in around the table and started talking, but Alexia couldn’t help but watch her friends inconspicuously over the top of her menu. At the beginning of this year, they’d barely hung out. That is, until Kelly, Raven, and Sydney all lost their boyfriends on the same night.
It was because of Alexia’s Breakup Code that all three girls had gotten over their heartache. And in the long run, all four of them had gotten closer.
When they were together like this, Alexia couldn’t help appreciating her friends, appreciating the little time they seemed to have to hang out together.
Sometimes she wished they still had the Breakup Code or something similar to it to keep them together. The Code had bridged any gaps between them.
“Oh my god,” Kelly said, bringing Alexia out of her reverie.
“What?”
They all followed her wide-eyed expression to the front of the restaurant, where a group of guys had entered.
“That’s the guy I had my kickboxing lesson with today,” Kelly breathed.
Her cheeks had gone pink.
“You took kickboxing today?” Raven said.
“What guy?” Sydney asked. “Which one is he?”
“The one in the front,” Kelly answered, still staring. “The one with the biceps.”
“Holy crap,” Raven said as the group of guys made their way toward the lower-level dining area. “He’s hot!”
“I know.” Kelly raked her teeth over her bottom lip. “You should see him in one of those Under Armour shirts.”
Sydney rolled her eyes and picked her menu back up. “He’s probably a muscle moron.”
Kelly shook her head. “He wasn’t a moron. He knew every muscle in the human body. Muscles I had never heard of.”
Alexia appraised the guy Kelly couldn’t stop drooling over. The sleeves of his navy blue T-shirt hugged the dip between his deltoid and bicep. The rest of the T-shirt wasn’t formfitting enough to show definition so it was left to Alexia’s imagination.
Alexia wasn’t a huge fan of guys with muscles, but coupled with a smoldering scowl, strong cheekbone structure, and striking green eyes, Kelly’s mystery man had Alexia’s attention.
Seems he had the attention of every other girl in Bershetti’s, too. Well…except for Sydney’s.
When he and his friends passed the table, Kelly’s kickboxing instructor stopped and shot a white smile at Kelly.
“Hey! How are you feeling?”
Kelly’s mouth hung slightly agape. She stared at the guy for several long seconds before Raven kicked her beneath the table.
“Sore,” Kelly said. “A little bit sore.”
“That happens on the first day. It’ll take a day or so and you’ll feel fine.”
“Yeah.” Kelly nodded and kept nodding as if she was stuck in that gesture.
“Hi,” Raven said, offering her hand. “I’m Raven. A friend of Kelly’s.”
“I’m Adam.” He reached across the table to shake. “Kelly did kickboxing with me today.” He looked over at her, smiling quietly as if kickboxing was their little secret, as if Kelly had done him a huge favor by working out with him.
Kelly blushed and looked away.
Alexia didn’t blame her friend. She’d only witnessed that smile as a bystander and
she
wanted to melt.
“Well, I better go before my friends start harassing me. It was nice to meet you all. Nice to see you, Kelly. You should come back next week with your brother.”
“Yeah, okay.” She nodded as he walked away.
“Wow, he was hot,” Raven said. “How have I not seen him before?”
“He’s new,” Kelly said. “He’s a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania but came here for the summer to work at Family Center. His uncle owns the place.”
“UPenn?” Sydney arched an eyebrow, clearly impressed with his school yet unwilling to admit it.
“So that makes him…what, like nineteen?” Raven said.
Kelly nodded.
“You should ask him out,” Raven went on. She tugged on the necklace, hanging near her collarbone, that Horace had given her.
“What! No!” Kelly shook her head. “Did you see him, Ray? He’s like so out of my league!”
Raven sipped from a glass of water. “No one is out of your league, Kel. No one.”
Kelly’s mouth hitched up into a subtle smile. “Thanks.” The expression fell and she shook her head again, her strawberry blond hair sliding in front of her face, hiding her expression. “Even if he would go out with me, I don’t know how to ask him out. I’d be so lost. Will was the one who did the asking when we got together. No way could I be the pursuer.”
Alexia sat forward, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “A crush code,” she said just as suddenly as the idea had struck her.
Sydney set her menu down. “A what?”
“To help Kelly get that guy or whatever guy she wants. We could create a crush code for her to follow just like the Breakup Code.”
“No way,” Kelly said. “Come on, you guys. I don’t need another code to follow, and I would never in a million years get Adam!”
“We could all use it,” Alexia said, “as a way to keep our own relationships strong.”
“I’m in,” Raven said. “I could use it while Horace is gone to
not
fall for a crush.”
“Yeah,” Sydney said. “And I could use it to put the spark back in my relationship with Drew.”
“Let’s start now. Here.” Raven handed Alexia her napkin.
“No.” Kelly shook her head for emphasis. “No-no-no-no.”
Sydney pulled a pen out of her bag. “The Breakup Code worked for all of us. A crush code might work, too.”
Kelly sat back against her chair, grumbling to herself. This would be good for her, Alexia thought. She just had to give it a shot.
Alexia grabbed the pen and began to write.
The Girls’ Thirty-eight Crush Rules—How to Turn a Crush into a Boyfriend!
We hereby instate the following code to ensure that we will get any crush we want to notice us—for today we become Women of the Crush Code.
Rule 1:
Be playful, fun, and flirty! Boys like girls who know how to have a good time!Rule 2:
Be coy, not shy!Rule 3:
Wear raspberry body splash—it drives boys wild!Rule 4:
Find out what your crush likes—hobbies, sports, music! Then immerse yourself in it!Rule 5:
Seduce him with your eyes! Make eye contact throughout your conversations with him. Never break eye contact!Rule 6:
Make him feel special, like he is the only guy in the world!Rule 7:
Be adventurous and daring! See life as an adventure!Rule 8:
Let your inner beauty shine! Show him the wonderful treasure that lies within you!Rule 9:
Be yourself! He will like you for the real you!Rule 10:
Have a sense of humor! Guys like to laugh!Rule 11:
Act distant but interested! Guys love a challenge!Rule 12:
Be agreeable and easy to get along with!Rule 13:
Do not be bossy! Do not tell your crush what to do!Rule 14:
Make him notice you! Get his attention! Draw him into you!Rule 15:
Have an outside interest that you can talk to him about!Rule 16:
Be interested in things that interest him!Rule 17:
Always look your best in the company of your crush!Rule 18:
Respect yourself! Demand that your crush respects you as well!Rule 19:
Do not allow your crush to pressure you to do something you do not want to do! Do only things that
you
and
only
you want to do and are comfortable with!Rule 20:
Take chances and appear to live life on the edge! (Guys like danger.)Rule 21:
Be mysterious! Show him there is some mystery about you!Rule 22:
Don’t answer questions right away! Take a few moments before you answer!Rule 23:
Leave some things to his imagination!Rule 24:
Become his friend! Talk to him but do not become one of his boys!Rule 25:
Compliment your crush two times a week!Rule 26:
Do not feel you have to tell your friends who you are crushing on!Rule 27:
Do not keep crushing on a guy if it turns into an obsession! His loss if he can’t see the jewel that you are!Rule 28:
Do not spend more than two months trying to find out if your crush likes you!Rule 29:
Do not write your crush an anonymous Email or letter, because he might think someone else sent it!Rule 30:
Do not tell anyone that you have a crush on someone unless you know you can trust them not to tell your crush!Rule 31:
Do not send your friend to tell your crush you like him!Rule 32:
Do not act shy, speechless, or tongue-tied around your crush!Rule 33:
Do not stalk or stare at your crush!Rule 34:
Do not get depressed and listen to sad love songs if your crush does not notice you!Rule 35:
Get to know your crush slowly! (You may discover that you don’t like him!)Rule 36:
Do not pretend to be a different person when your crush is around!Rule 37:
Learn to listen! Do not just talk about yourself!Rule 38:
Carry yourself like you are the stuff! Any guy is lucky to have you!
As the waiter served the girls their dinner, Alexia capped her pen and handed it back to Sydney. “There you go,” she said to Kelly. “I’ll take this home tonight and type
it up. I’ll get you a copy tomorrow. You should probably start right away.”
“Or not!” Kelly said. “This is insane, you guys. No way am I pursuing Adam. He’d probably laugh at me.”
Raven took a big bite of her salad, crunching into the lettuce. After she swallowed, she said, “He doesn’t seem like that type of guy. Besides, did you see the way he smiled at you?”
Alexia nodded. “He thinks you’re cute at the very least.”
“It’s worth a try,” Sydney said, twirling spaghetti around her fork.
Kelly rolled her eyes.
“I’ll get you all copies tomorrow,” Alexia said. She smiled to herself as she ripped apart a garlic breadstick. She’d wanted to bring the Breakup Code back, but this was ten times better.
How could this fail?
Rule 2:
Be coy, not shy!
The elevator doors dinged and slid open on the second floor of Children’s Hospital. Sydney stepped out, holding fast to the strap of her American Eagle messenger bag. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous to start her volunteer shift.
She emerged beneath a lit sign hanging from the ceiling that said W
EST
W
ING
. Directly in front of her, taped on the wall, were posters advertising the twenty-sixth annual Birch Falls Carnival in July and another canned food drive through the end of the month. Next to those flyers was a poster announcing a photography contest on June 19.
That sounds like fun, she thought absently. Too bad she wasn’t good enough to enter.
She went to the right down the hallway and came upon a nurse’s station. All around it were hospital rooms with large sliding glass doors so that you could see clearly into each room.
There were balloons floating around the beds. Flowers topping the bedside tables. Crayon drawings hung on the wall behind the nurses’ station. Noisy cartoons filtered out from various rooms. Machines dinged and beeped.
Sydney went up to the nurses’ station and spoke to the petite woman there. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Sydney, a new volunteer.”
“Oh! We’ve been expecting you. I’m Pat, the head nurse on this wing.” Pat was a forty-something woman who wore bright pink scrubs and white Crocs. She extended a delicate hand across the counter and said. “It’s nice to have you, Sydney.”
“Thanks.”
“I think I’ll get you started with Quin. He’s been around here awhile so he knows all the important details. If you go down this hall right here and turn into the third room on the left, you’ll find Quin there. If you have any questions, just let us know.”
“All right. Thanks.”
Sydney followed Pat’s directions and went into the third room on the left. Quin sat in one of the green rocking chairs next to the bed. He was in another white Oxford shirt, this one unbuttoned and untucked to reveal a black T-shirt. He had on jeans and scuffed brown leather boots.
In his hands, he held a paperback book with a ghost and werewolf on the front cover. The title was printed in a shiny silver script that said
Dead Wolf
.
Quin read out loud while a little boy lay in bed, his tiny frame drowned in white sheets and blankets. Canary blond hair fanned over the pillow while the boy’s pale skin nearly matched the starched white pillowcase.
Quin finished reading and dog-eared the page. “Hey,” he said, nodding at Sydney. “I heard you were coming in today. Sydney, right?”
“Yeah.” She walked around the bed and offered her hand in a friendly shake. “And you’re Quin?”
“Yes, and this”—he pointed at the boy lying in bed—“is Micah.”
“Hi.” Sydney waved. Micah nodded, uninterested.
Quin put his hand on the little boy’s shoulder. “Read more later, dude?”
“Sure.” Micah reached over for his TV remote and hit the power button. Cartoons brightened the TV screen as Quin ushered Sydney into the hall.
“So I guess I’m supposed to show you the ropes.” A piece of hair fell loose from his ponytail and hung along his temple. He swiped it back absently, tucking it behind his ear.
“I guess.”
“It’s not as scary or boring as it sounds. You’ll have fun here. I promise.” The smile he flashed could have brightened any room, let alone a hospital room.
“Well, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Let’s start with the basics, then. This whole section is the West Wing, but there’s West One and West Two. We’re in West Two right now.” He led her out into the main hallway and pointed to the nurses’ station. “That’s Station Two. They’re in charge of rooms 409 through 418.”
They headed back the way Sydney had come and passed the elevators. They came upon another nurses’ station and more rooms with sliding glass doors. If Sydney didn’t know any better, she’d have thought this was the same
nurses’ station they’d just left. The counter and rooms were set up exactly like West Two. The only difference was the nurse behind the counter had long red hair and wore black scrubs.
“This is West One,” Quin said, “and Station One. They’re in charge of rooms 400 through 408. And if you come around this way”—they walked around the nurses’ station, where a few nurses nodded a hello—“you’ll find the media room.”
The media room was large, with two TV centers. There were bookcases spanning an entire wall. There were books, DVDs, and VHS movies.
“The kids can check out the movies and books while they stay here,” Quin explained. “We’re in charge of that. Getting the movies and books between here and the rooms.”
Sydney nodded.
“The kids can come here to hang out, too,” Quin went on, “if they’re well enough. There are video games hooked up to the TVs.”
“Okay,” she said.
He smiled. “Are you always this quiet?”
“Umm…”
“Just shy?”
Shy? Hardly. Drew said she was born without the shy gene. Being shy was one of the rules in the Crush Code, wasn’t it? She hadn’t had the opportunity to memorize the rules yet.
Maybe she should try holding back around Drew. Keep a little mystery in their relationship? It was certainly worth a try.
“I wouldn’t say I’m shy,” she answered. “I’m just trying to take it all in.” It was important to her to have all the details right. There was no point doing a job if you couldn’t do it well.
“I know it’s a lot, but you’ll do fine. And the kids are so happy to have company that they’re going to love you no matter what.”
“I hope so.”
“Tell you what…I think I have an idea. Something to help loosen you up. Come on.”
Sydney didn’t like the ominous sound to that.
“Are you serious?” Sydney said.
Quin nodded. “The kids love it.”
It
was a big dragon costume the color of pea soup.
“Umm…” Sydney did
not
want to put that stupid thing on. She would rather scrub toilets than put that thing on. Why couldn’t
she
be the one reading books to the kids?
“I’ve done it,” Quin added, as if that made it any better. “And trust me, when you’re done, you’ll feel great.” He paused, then, “Well, great and a bit sweaty.”
Sydney grimaced.
The dragon tail swished behind Sydney as she made her way from the changing room to the kids’ hospital rooms.
“Let’s go to West Two,” Quin said leading the way.
Sydney could barely see out of the dragon’s head. Her eyeholes were actually in the dragon’s open mouth and it was covered with a black netting to hide her eyes. She’d only been inside the costume for ten minutes and already sweat rolled down her spine.
“Here,” Quin said, opening the first sliding door he came to. “They’re going to love you.”
Yeah, right. She felt like the biggest moron. She probably
looked
like the biggest moron. She could barely walk in this thing. It felt like she had on one of those blow-up sumo wrestler costumes. And flippers on her feet.
When she managed to get inside the first room, the little boy in bed sat up and smiled wide. “Tony!”
“No,” Quin said, “this is Trina. Tony’s little sister.”
The boy’s eyes got wide. “Ohhhh,” he said.
Quin nudged Sydney in the back. She was surprised she even felt it.
“Um, hi,” she said. “What’s your name?”
“Lars.”
Sydney shuffled over to the hospital bed, hoping she wouldn’t catch her big dragon feet on any cords. The little boy’s IV stand was on the other side of the bed and all the monitor cords were behind him. Her path looked clear enough.
She shook the boy’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Lars.”
“You, too. Can you tell your brother I said hi?”
“Sure.” Sydney glanced at Quin. What else was she supposed to say? Hope you get out of here soon? Is the hospital food good?
“Hey, Lars, ask Trina what she has in her pocket.”
“What do you have in your pocket?” Lars asked, sitting up straighter.
Sydney glanced down at the kangaroo pocket in her dragon belly and pulled out a bag.
“Let him pick something,” Quin whispered.
Sydney held the bag out before her. “Pick something from my treasure,” she said, remembering that dragons supposedly collected treasure in the myths she’d read.
Lars dug his hand inside and pulled out a golden egg. He popped the egg open and a bracelet fell out. “Cool! Thanks, Trina!”
“You’re welcome.”
They said good-bye and headed on to the next room.
It took nearly two hours to visit all the children who were well enough to have visitors. They skipped a few rooms where Sydney saw children tucked in their beds, their eyes shut tight, their monitors beeping behind them. Sydney wondered if they were going to wake up eventually and wished there was something she could do to make them better.
When she took the costume off later that day, she realized Quin was right. Putting a smile on those kids’ faces was worth stuffing herself inside that costume. And it felt good to loosen up. Drew would have been proud of her.