After o go to ty of Nort Ced me to go to on like some of t     possible. Not t I udent. I just didnt foy studies, and my grades    exactly up to snuff for t ty mucouc accepted at UNd ter, a place    me over top. Id just finis ing do;I tudent body president," ;Youll be graduating in June, and I t oo, by t;

        My mot speak muc me. Sometimes I to see me squirm, even t.

        "I dont t ; I said. t kid in sc popular. t o Eric er, my best friend.    almost y miles an ball team to back-to-back state titles as tar quarterback. ud. Even his name sounded cool.

        "Of course you    ; my fat;e Carters al;

        ts anot like spending time imes ed to mold me into a miniature version of ty muc o resent    versation o me on the phone.

        "But     to?"

        My fat doines.    me crossly, givi even t ing. My fat, by the way.

        "I t; ;t it ;

        I kled. ts t    t er I agreed, I didnt    to do it. I didnt    to e my afternooing eacer scer sc    to decide reamers ss really all ts did, at least back    like students o actually decide anything meaningful.

        But t. If I ed to go to UNC, I o do somet play football or basketball, I didnt play an instrument, I    in t excel in t excel at muc, I started listing tually could do, but to be , t t mucie eig types of sailing knots, I could    across    asp fartically on my finger for ty seds . . . but I didnt t any of tand out on a college application. So t long, sloo tion t I hanks, Dad.

        t m I    to to t of didates. t stand a c rig off your clotalked to you. But udent.    in t roea. If o give t al one, and urn o side ellect balls at eaed.

        Maggie Broter. Sudent as    cil for t t trike against    t s very attractive, and s on ty pounds t summer. I k a single guy e for her.

        After seeing tition, I figured t I miger all. My eure ed my strategy. Eric    to agree.

        "Sure, Ill get all team to vote for you, no problem. If ts ."

        " too?" I asked.

        t ty mucire campaign. Of course, I    to tes like I o, and I passed out t; Ill do if Im elected president" fliers, but in t     four udents, so getting tic vote ical, and most of t give a        just the way I planned.

        I ed student body president y of te. I    trouble it ually lead me to.

        steady    real girlfriend, t lasted for only a fe before sc out for ty years old and ribute, as far as I could tell,    e t-s o t t;; w I mean.

        ell, anyuation, I still didnt e. Everyone on tudent cil o attend-it ory. I o e t day-and besides, it ty good time. I called a couple of girls I kes, so I called a fees, too. By tting pretty slim. to talked    ly a bed for beauties any to find somebody. I didnt    to go to t a date- look like? Id be tudent body president ever to attend t long or mopping up ts    dates usually did.

        Gro of panicky, I pulled out tarted flipping t not e. First I looked t of t college, a feill around to t. I couldnt find a least not ay good at ion, Ill tell you, ts not t of t to yrandkids. My mom kneo my room and sat on the bed beside me.

        "If you t get a date, Ill be o go ; she said.

        "t; I said dejectedly.

        t even    t down.

        t, by ted treasurer, and ill didnt e, eited to spend time    all, and ted    of proportion, as if opped groomac I mean. calking-its ions. "    fun? Did you see any girls?"    even    for an ansly as o keep turning your o keep . I s. If I did a date, and off on one side    long, firing questions like some deranged prosecutor.

        So tion,    a sed, tur it. I spent t    looking, but I sloo tion t t anyo. In time I finally turned back to ure and looked again. S bad looking, I told myself, and s. S. . . .

        I closed ts daugely not. My friends    me alive.

        But pared ing your mother or ing up puke or even, God forbid . . Carey Dennison?

        I spent t of ting t bad fort in to me. I o ask Jamie to t o ask her.

        It    I realized someterrible, sometely frig same t no    if ? Jamie    say no to ically sion    dead unity saints. Sen to Careys squeaky voice, see ting from , and accept rig.

        So tting in my room, frantic y t Jamie mig go to t t nigell you,    tra tted about asking Jamie out before. I plao ask    till    Jamie    in scy, tried to get out of sc excuse, too, but Jamie    a. to ts or just sitting around playing games    sneaking out to t at Cecils Diner or anyt cept ely ludicrous.

        "Got a date yet?" Eric asked me i, but even t friend, o stick it to me on a while.

        "Not yet," I said, "but Im ."

        Doo    me a beady glare    looking.

        ts t was.

        tes ticked by slo-if Carey and I got out at time, Id be able to get to , arted to psycook off from sc a full clip. I    a arted to get kind of tired, and t in. Pretty soon all I could do    t cramp really started to get to me, and I o bend over and    moving. As I made my reets of Beaufort, I looked like a wre Dame.

        Be I cer. I turned around, digging my fingers into my gut to stifle t I coulding tard, t guy. You couldnt trust e.

        I started to stumble along even faster, and pretty soon I reacreet. By ting all over-my s ook a sed to catce my fevered ruso ic side assumed t Carey    me orious look in    essentially meant "Sorry, partner, youre too late."

        But it    Carey    time in my life I sao a bun, sually be cute if sunity.

        "Landon," s;t; Jamie o see everyone, includiartled ;You look like youve been exerg," she said.

        "Not really," I lied, .

        "Youve s    t."

        "O?" I looked at my s. "ts not s a lot sometimes."

        "Maybe you s cor."

        "Ill be okay, Im sure."

        "Ill say a prayer for you any; s as he club.

        "t; I said.

        S of s for a moment. "ell, Id invite you in, but my fat    allo around."

        "O; I said dejectedly, "ts okay. e    talk out ; If Id his inside.

        "ould you like some lemonade ; s;I just made some."

        "Id love some," I said.

        "Ill be rig; So t s took a quick glance around. ticed,    tidy,    o oscillating in table tening to Jesus and Faitoo, and it o ter on Luke.

        A moment later Jamie returned ook a seat in ted, I sa, o us. Jamie ed my c Mrs. ings couldnt see my face. Even to ask Jamie to t    anyone-even Mrs. ings-to see me t sed Careys offer. It o actually go    o be rejected by her in favor of a guy like Carey.

        " are you doing?" Jamie asked me. "Youre moving your co t;

        "I like t; I said. S, t immediately I could feel t and making me s again.

        "If ts ," s;So,    to talk to me about?"

        Jamie reacarted to adjust     moved at all. I took a deep breatrying to gat I couldnt force myself to e out    just yet.

        "So," I said instead, "you    today?"

        Jamie looked at me curiously. "No. My fat tors office."

        "Is ;

        S;;

        I nodded and glanced across treet. Mrs. ings    see anyone else in ty. t    I still    ready.

        "Sure is a beautiful day," I said, stalling.

        "Yes, it is."

        "arm, too."

        "ts because youre in t;

        I looked around, feeling t; t a single cloud in t;

        time Jamie didnt respond, and    in silence for a fes.

        "Landon," s;you didnt e o talk about t;

        "Not really."

        "t;

        t of trut.

        "ell . . . I ed to knoo t;

        "O; sone made it seem as if s suced. I fidgeted in my seat and ed for her answer.

        "I really    planned on going," she finally said.

        "But if someone asked you to go, you mig;

        It took a moment for o answer.

        "Im not sure," s;I suppose I mig to a ;

        "t; I said quickly. "Not too mu." Especially ions, I didnt add.

        S my turn of p;Id o talk to my fat if    ;

        In tree beside tarted to c supposed to be rated    to calm my nerves. Just t    it, but suddenly tening to myself as I spoke the magic words.

        "ell, o go to t;

        I could tell s ttle lead-up to tion probably o do imes teenagers sent t to "scout terrain," so to speak, so as not to face possible reje. Even t muagers, Im sure s, at least in theory.

        Instead of ans a sinking feeling in my stomaco say no. Visions of my motted toimes Id teased or or simply made fun of    o avoid Carey for five urned and faced me again. S smile on her face.

        "Id love to," s;on one dition."

        I steadied myself,     sometoo awful.

        "Yes?"

        "You o promise t you    fall in love ;

        I kneimes, I o admit, Jamie ty good sense of humor. I smiled and gave her my word.
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