Dad's not a bad guy, he's just … I don't know … even when he's there he's not really there.
I swear to god, I will never make fun of Kaia for killing the car again, because I did it like fifty times in the ten minutes that it took to drive from the high school to the mall.
I hadn't wanted to hang around waiting for Derek to introduce me to any of his friends. Barbie. Awesome. What the hell was I thinking? Kaia was pretty good friends with him, I guess. She said he was one of the nicer guys from Hilltop. "I mean, they're all assholes," she'd said, laughing and blowing her hair out of her eyes, "but as far as Hilltop guys go, Derek's definitely one of the better ones. And he throws huge parties, so everybody likes him."
When we got to the mall, I parked on the side where we always do, the one closest to the food court. It's also the side where the smokers hang out, which means it smells just like my mom. So I said the same thing I always say. "Oh my god, gross! Tomorrow we have got to park over by Forever 21."
And Kaia wrinkled her nose and said "Totally," but I know we won't. Baskin Robbins is the first shop on the right once we get inside. We're not there to drool over the flavors, even though I swear if there's a heaven it will taste like Gold Medal Ribbon. We're there to drool over Grady Carrico, the guy who works there.
Grady's a senior, and there's no way he got that body scooping ice cream. He's built like a quarterback, all muscular but lean. But he's doling out thirty-one flavors, not practicing on the field, so he's definitely not on the team.
Kaia and I must've eaten five gallons of ice cream each this summer, but neither one of us had gotten up the guts to actually talk to Grady yet. Kaia'd had a crush on him for years, and she was determined to go for the gold today. We waited in line while he scooped some mint chocolate chip for a stressed-out mom and her whiny kid. Grady's straight brown hair fell into his eyes when he reached down, and he blew it out of his face. God, he even made his horrible pink polo shirt look good. Walking through disgusting smoke was worth it with this as my reward. Hell, I'd walk through fire.
"Hi Grady," Kaia said when we got to the front of the line.
"Hey. What can I get you today?"
"Oh, I don't know. ” Kaia chewed daintily on her thumbnail and walked back and forth in front of the counter, sort of looking at the ice cream inside, but mostly just checking Grady out from various angles. "It all looks so good."
"You two get the same flavor every time. Would you like to try anything else? I can give you a little taste of anything you want."
Kaia pounced on the opening. "I'd love a little taste," she said, shooting him a look that should have melted his entire freezer case.
Grady grinned at Kaia uncertainly. "Okay. What would you like to try?"
Oh my god. As hot as he was, you'd think he'd be used to getting hit on, but poor Grady was clueless and I felt sorry for him. I stepped up next to Kaia before she could open her mouth again. "Can I try the Quarterback Crunch?"
"Sure." Grady ducked his head into a freezer case a few feet away and scraped a little bit of ice cream onto a tiny pink plastic spoon.
"Dammit," Kaia hissed at me. "Cock blocker."
"That doesn't even make any sense," I whispered back.
Grady popped back up and handed me the spoon. I stuck it in my mouth. "Yummy."
"And how about for you? Did you decide what you wanted?" he asked Kaia.
"Oh, just give me a chocolate cone," Kaia said petulantly. The chocolate was in the case right in front of Grady, so he didn't have to walk away this time. "You want anything?" she asked me.
"Nope. I don't have any money."
"Don't worry about it, I've got it."
"Are you sure?" Kaia'd paid for my ice cream almost all summer.
"Sure I'm sure," she said.
"Could I have a kid's cone of Gold Medal Ribbon?" I asked Grady.
"A kid's cone?" he asked, smiling. "Are you twelve or under?"
I laughed. "Hardly. But my cousin's not a
I swear to god, I will never make fun of Kaia for killing the car again, because I did it like fifty times in the ten minutes that it took to drive from the high school to the mall.
I hadn't wanted to hang around waiting for Derek to introduce me to any of his friends. Barbie. Awesome. What the hell was I thinking? Kaia was pretty good friends with him, I guess. She said he was one of the nicer guys from Hilltop. "I mean, they're all assholes," she'd said, laughing and blowing her hair out of her eyes, "but as far as Hilltop guys go, Derek's definitely one of the better ones. And he throws huge parties, so everybody likes him."
When we got to the mall, I parked on the side where we always do, the one closest to the food court. It's also the side where the smokers hang out, which means it smells just like my mom. So I said the same thing I always say. "Oh my god, gross! Tomorrow we have got to park over by Forever 21."
And Kaia wrinkled her nose and said "Totally," but I know we won't. Baskin Robbins is the first shop on the right once we get inside. We're not there to drool over the flavors, even though I swear if there's a heaven it will taste like Gold Medal Ribbon. We're there to drool over Grady Carrico, the guy who works there.
Grady's a senior, and there's no way he got that body scooping ice cream. He's built like a quarterback, all muscular but lean. But he's doling out thirty-one flavors, not practicing on the field, so he's definitely not on the team.
Kaia and I must've eaten five gallons of ice cream each this summer, but neither one of us had gotten up the guts to actually talk to Grady yet. Kaia'd had a crush on him for years, and she was determined to go for the gold today. We waited in line while he scooped some mint chocolate chip for a stressed-out mom and her whiny kid. Grady's straight brown hair fell into his eyes when he reached down, and he blew it out of his face. God, he even made his horrible pink polo shirt look good. Walking through disgusting smoke was worth it with this as my reward. Hell, I'd walk through fire.
"Hi Grady," Kaia said when we got to the front of the line.
"Hey. What can I get you today?"
"Oh, I don't know. ” Kaia chewed daintily on her thumbnail and walked back and forth in front of the counter, sort of looking at the ice cream inside, but mostly just checking Grady out from various angles. "It all looks so good."
"You two get the same flavor every time. Would you like to try anything else? I can give you a little taste of anything you want."
Kaia pounced on the opening. "I'd love a little taste," she said, shooting him a look that should have melted his entire freezer case.
Grady grinned at Kaia uncertainly. "Okay. What would you like to try?"
Oh my god. As hot as he was, you'd think he'd be used to getting hit on, but poor Grady was clueless and I felt sorry for him. I stepped up next to Kaia before she could open her mouth again. "Can I try the Quarterback Crunch?"
"Sure." Grady ducked his head into a freezer case a few feet away and scraped a little bit of ice cream onto a tiny pink plastic spoon.
"Dammit," Kaia hissed at me. "Cock blocker."
"That doesn't even make any sense," I whispered back.
Grady popped back up and handed me the spoon. I stuck it in my mouth. "Yummy."
"And how about for you? Did you decide what you wanted?" he asked Kaia.
"Oh, just give me a chocolate cone," Kaia said petulantly. The chocolate was in the case right in front of Grady, so he didn't have to walk away this time. "You want anything?" she asked me.
"Nope. I don't have any money."
"Don't worry about it, I've got it."
"Are you sure?" Kaia'd paid for my ice cream almost all summer.
"Sure I'm sure," she said.
"Could I have a kid's cone of Gold Medal Ribbon?" I asked Grady.
"A kid's cone?" he asked, smiling. "Are you twelve or under?"
I laughed. "Hardly. But my cousin's not a
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