Anatomy of a Single Girl (23 page)

“Yeah. It started off as this total whirlwind, but then the weeks passed, and I guess I was getting comfortable. It was only a summer thing to her, though. She says we’re too different. I know she’s right, but …”

“That really sucks, Cal, even if it’s for the best.”

“Yeah.” He turns back at me. “You know, Sam’s a natural redhead, too.”

“Oh, really? She looked blond.”

“She dyes it ’cause she hates it. I never understood why.”

“
I
get it. Red’s a tough color to live with. You stick out like a sore thumb, you clash with a lot of clothes, and the nicknames reek: Carrot Top, Flame Brain, Ginger-vitis, Fire Crotch—”

“Coppertone,”
Calvin interjects.

“Well, I never minded
that
one.”

All of a sudden Calvin stares straight at me, and I stare back at him. He looks so kind and nonthreatening and cute. We’re in the rearmost seat on the shuttle, hidden from the other passengers’ view. Outside, the sunset sky is glowing gold and pink, and sharp beams of light cut through the clouds like fans. What a perfect moment for a first kiss.

If this were a Hollywood rom-com, that’s exactly what would happen. Calvin would proclaim something like, “I’ve wanted you for so long.” And I’d answer, “It was you, always you.” Finally we’d cling to each other as the shuttle levitated,
Grease
-style, off into the sky.

But life’s not like that. It’s messy, unpredictable, and unfair. Calvin’s wonderful, but Amy had it right. I. Don’t. Like. Him. That. Way. I want a boyfriend with whom I can have the love I felt with Wes, the passion I had with Guy, and the friendship I share with Calvin. It may take scads more guys, dates, relationships, and breakups before I find someone who feels right, if I ever do, and I realize it won’t ever be perfect. But no one, especially Calvin, deserves anything less than being in love
and
being loved just as much in return.

Calvin must know all this, too. He’s the first to look away. Then he clears his throat and does a couple of neck rolls, and he sounds more like the old Calvin as he says, “So, enough about my love life. How was your summer?”

I laugh. “That’s a loaded question, but it was … interesting. By far my craziest summer ever, but not in a bad way. I don’t know if I’d change anything about it, though I don’t know if I’d do it again, either. There’re a lot of new memories, that’s for sure.”

Calvin looks understandably perplexed. “Um … would you care to elaborate?”

“Another time. Right now I just want to think about unpacking and seeing everybody again and starting the semester. Which leads me to your MBA essay …”

I pull out my copy from my backpack, and we spend the rest of the ride going over it line by line. I knew it would put Calvin in a happier mood, since most of my comments are praise.

Back at Tulane, Calvin helps wheel my bags to my room, but he can’t stick around since he’s due at a Res-Life meeting.

“Remember,” he tells me, “team trivia’s Thursday night.”

“I’ll be there. And we’ll see each other later at that quad mixer.” Then I add, “That’s a promise.”

“Definitely, and, uh … hey.”

“Hmm?” I look up at him while unzipping my suitcase.

Calvin just stands there in my doorway for a moment. He still appears pretty cut up, which is expected, considering what he’s gone through. I want to remind him that he’ll always mean a great deal to me, and that we have so much to look forward to, but it’s clear from his eyes that everything’s understood. Finally he says, “Welcome home, Coppertone,” and opens his arms.

I go to him and claim a warm embrace. “It’s good to be home, Cal.”

Hugs are really underrated.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Heartfelt appreciation to my dedicated editor, Rebecca Short, to my determined agent, Scott Miller, and to my devoted readers, particularly those who’ve written me such beautiful and inspirational messages—I treasure each one.

DARIA SNADOWSKY
is the author of the novel
Anatomy of a Boyfriend
. Her essay “To Sir Anthony, With Love” appears in the anthology
Crush: 26 Real-life Tales of First Love
. Visit Daria at
daria-snadowsky.com
.

Outstanding praise for
Daria Snadowsky’s first Anatomy book,
ANATOMY OF A BOYFRIEND

A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOK FOR THE TEEN AGE

“Written in Dom’s authentic voice, Snadowsky’s debut novel is an unusually honest portrayal of a teen girl’s sexual discovery.… What feels so new here is the nonsensationalized explicitness.… Like [Judy Blume’s]
Forever
, this sensitive, candid novel is sure to find a wide audience among curious teens.”

—
Booklist

“Snadowsky confidently marches where few YA writers have dared to tread.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“[An] honest [look] at how to navigate complicated and confusing times.… Snadowsky does a good job of rendering all these emotions while keeping the plot chugging along.… It posits thoughtful questions about what happens after you’ve achieved that teenage dream, the acquisition of a boyfriend, and the dream loses its luster.”

—
San Francisco Chronicle

“Snadowsky’s narrative easily holds the reader’s interest with well-drawn, realistic characters, flowing prose, dialogue and emails.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

“Appropriately, this book is dedicated to Judy Blume, and it may be the kind of groundbreaking novel that
Forever
was when first published a generation ago.… Just like in Judy Blume’s
Forever
, the emotional experiences of first love are described as poignantly and as graphically as are the physical experiences.… Snadowsky writes with real compassion for her teenage characters.… She wants to convey useful information as much as she wants to entertain with a moving story of romance.”

—
KLIATT

“Snadowsky is as committed to detailing the obsessive emotional character of first love and the excruciating pain of first heartbreak as she is its hormonal expression.”

—
The Bulletin

“[An] honest and detailed portrayal of teenage love and lust (think
Forever
).”

—
HornBookGuide.com

“Snadowsky’s first novel is a frank and unashamed look at teenage sexuality and all-consuming first love.”

—
VOYA

“This novel … deal[s] in modern terms with the real issues of discovering sex for the first time and dealing with it in a responsible way.”

—
School Library Journal

“Contemporary teens will enjoy … the well-realized, engaging character of Dominique.”

—
Children’s Literature

“Feelings are intense and emotions heightened, but the love is real.”
—Romantic Times

“Daria Snadowsky does such an amazing job of portraying Dom that I felt like her best friend that she confided everything to.”

—
YABooksCentral.com
, five out of five stars

“Snadowsky’s writing is sharp, and Dominique’s voice is clever, funny and extremely authentic.”

—
TeenReads.com

“Dom’s great charm is that she’s … book-smart—future premed even!—but woefully inexperienced.… [Her] fascination with biology and obsessive study of anatomy give her explorations an extra-educational kick.… Snadowsky capably follows Blume’s guiding concept that in literature for young people, the presence of sexual knowledge is far less dangerous than its absence.”

—
Wichita City Paper

LEARN ALL ABOUT DOMINIQUE’S FIRST LOVE!
Dominique only used to care about the male anatomy when it showed up in her science textbooks. Then she met Wes, and everything changed. Crash course, anyone? If only boyfriends came with instructions …

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