The Trouble with Dating Sue (Grover Beach Team #6) (34 page)

“No. Well, yeah. Maybe.”

He arched a graying eyebrow at me.

“I need a gift for a friend.”

“A girl?”

“Yes.”

“How close a friend is she, if you don’t mind my asking?”

I didn’t mind, because it meant he was thorough and knew his job. Only, I didn’t have an answer to his question. To say I hadn’t hoped Sue would have forgiven me by now was a lie. All would be easier if she let me talk to her—and figure out my chances. But as of right now, they might as well be zero. Pressing my lips together, I shrugged.

“I see.” He unlocked the cabinet with a key he pulled from his jacket pocket. “Maybe one of these beautiful Swarovski crystal figurines is just right for her then. Girls love them, and the present is noncommittal enough.”

I licked my lips, waiting with a wry expression for him to look at me. When he did, I pulled my brows up. “You heard my brother say sixty for the earrings, right?”

He nodded.

“Well, that was between the both of us.
This
one I have to afford on my own.”

“Ah, yes.” Clearing his throat, he locked the door and slid the key back into his pocket. Then he held out his arm, subtly motioning me away from the expensive section of the store and back to the affordable side.

“Do you have an idea?” Ethan asked me, squatting down as he looked at some watches for men.

“Nope. And I don’t even know if it’s a good idea at all.”

He lifted his head, gazing sternly at my face. “Oh, I think you should get her something. She won’t be mad forever, and this way you can show her that she really means something to you.”

Ethan was right. Even if Sue didn’t let me in now, I wasn’t giving up hope that, if nothing more, we could be friends again one day.

My mind was set; a gift it was. And since I didn’t have a fortune to spend, the choice was narrowed down to: three necklaces with either a teddy bear, a flower, or a heart pendant, some rings that looked like they were stolen from a crackerjack box, and a bracelet made of seashells. Nothing really appealed to me. But when the man put those things away, my gaze got snagged on a different kind of bracelet in the adjacent shelf in the glass case.

It was made of silver and had some small items clipped to it. A single flip-flop, an open book, a shamrock, and an angel. Excitement gripped me. “Ethan, come here. Look at this!” It was just perfect for Sue.

“I’m sorry, but this won’t fit into your financing plan, sir,” the salesman said with regret. “The bracelet alone is twenty-five dollars. But it’s not complete without any charms, which cost five dollars each.”

Hmm.
Rubbing my neck, I took a deep breath. So what if there wouldn’t be four charms dangling from it in the end, but only one. Or…maybe two? Yes, two should be okay, as a gift and budget-wise, too.

I turned to the man in gray. “Do you have other charms to choose from?”

Grasping that this really was what I’d set my mind on, he nodded, smiled, and went to get a whole tray full of tiny items that could be randomly clipped to the bracelet. There were a million little things—flowers, a sun, horses, cats, a cell phone, pens, a lady bug, birds…the list was endless. I took my time in examining them all.

In the end, I picked three items and laid them on smaller padded board beside the tray. All three of them were things that had to do with Susan and me. Things that defined our relationship. A basketball. A strawberry. And a tiny purple butterfly.

“You really want to buy three?” Ethan reasoned in a low voice.

I grimaced. “Actually, I was thinking just one.” It was impossible, though, to single out the most meaningful item. Weak-minded, I cast Ethan a hopeful look. “Maybe I can afford two?”

He gave me the final, much-needed nod of encouragement. “Which one goes back?”

A big breath expanded my chest. “I think the butterfly. It will only remind her of the chat we had on that last date, and I don’t want her to get angry all over again.” Even though I loved the idea of being the one to cause butterflies in her stomach.

“Very well,” the tall man said once more and put the bracelet, together with the chosen charms, into a small bag of dark blue velvet. “Shall I wrap this one for you, too?”

I chewed on my lip. “Um, no. Thank you.” For some reason, I wanted to do this on my own at home later. Also, I wanted to take another look at the present before actually wrapping it up.

“All right.” He put the velvet bag into a small box of stiff cardboard and punched the three prices into the old-fashioned cash register. “With tax, that will be thirty-seven eighty, sir.”

As I pulled the money from my wallet, Ethan interrupted me. “Er…wait a moment. Can I—can I, um, add a dangling thingy to that bracelet for Sue, maybe?”

Actually…why not? It looked a little sad with only two items, anyway. “Sure, go ahead and find one.”

He started to grin. “I already have.” Pointing at the lower section of the tray, he showed the shop assistant which charm he wanted. And I cracked up. It was a tiny Super Mario. He really couldn’t have chosen anything better than that.

Ethan paid for his addition while I paid for the rest. Mr. All-in-Gray dropped the small Mario into the bag and handed me the box. “Thank you,” he said to us, smiling big again. “I wish you and the ladies a lot of joy from these gifts.”

We both said goodbye and left the store, the tiny bell above the door chiming again. As the door fell shut and we could finally breathe air that didn’t smell of rich people
and
diamonds, Ethan cast me a satisfied look. “Hey, that went great, didn’t it?”

I nodded and climbed into the car after he unlocked the doors. In truth, this was the first day in a long time that I felt a twinge of happiness return to my chest. Now I couldn’t wait for Christmas to come so A) I had a reason to talk to Sue again, and B) I could give her this pretty little present.

Ethan put the key in the ignition, but before he turned it, he hesitated, staring out the windshield, his face turning pale. “Chris?”

“Yes?”

He tilted his head toward me with both eyebrows arched. “Does Mom even have pierced ears?”

IT WAS ONLY a few more days until Christmas, the night before the last day of school. Music drifted from the speakers in my room. The air outside had gotten chilly in the evening, so I’d closed the windows a while back and settled on my bed, letting my gift for Susan slide around my fingers. I’d done everything she’d demanded—I didn’t send her texts, didn’t call, and didn’t talk to her at school—but she still avoided me at every occasion. Tonight, my last bit of hope that she would forgive me was slipping away.

Tomorrow was the last day we’d see each other before Winter break. The last chance to give her the bracelet. I’d have much preferred to give her the gift on Christmas Day, together with a hug and maybe a little kiss, but it seemed like my wish wasn’t going to come true.

Rolling off the bed, the words “very well” rang in my ear, a mockery of the shop assistant’s voice. We had wrapping paper and bows in a drawer in the living room. The black cardboard box was elegant, but I wanted it to look like a real Christmas present when I handed it to Sue.

Like a small boy in elementary school, I sat on the floor Indian-style and concentrated hard as I carefully cut a square piece of some blue paper with silver glitter—well, it was almost square. Fine, it wasn’t really square. It bore a resemblance to a screwed-up triangle, but with any luck, no one would notice once the ends were stuck together with Scotch tape. Crafts had never been my strength. That was Ethan’s thing, and he might have done a hell of a better job than me. Yet, for once in my life, I really wanted to wrap a present myself.

Sadly, it turned out that my visual judgment was worse than expected. The piece of paper wasn’t only bell-shaped, it was also three times too big for the small box. After cutting around the corners, taking a bit off here and there, I sealed all edges with Scotch tape until the black cardboard was well wrapped in blue. I held the package in my hand and proudly examined it from all sides.

Okay, maybe there was a bit too much tape, but at least this way the silver glitter wouldn’t get brushed off the wrapping paper. Now for the bow.

In the drawer with the paper, there were all kinds of ribbons in different colors. I picked a silver one to go with the glitter and sat back down on the floor. When I’d thought wrapping the box was hard, I certainly had no idea what was coming with the bow. The slim ribbon was kind of stiff and wouldn’t stay put. Biting my tongue, I fought with the little monster. In the end, I decided to just add another knot on top of the first and, to be totally sure, a third one, before tying the ribbon into a nice bow.

A shadow fell on the carpet in front of me. Mom stood in the doorway when I lifted my face. Arms folded around her waist, she leaned on the threshold and watched me tinkering on the floor. Even though she undoubtedly had a good idea of who this present was for, she didn’t ask me about the situation with Sue. Which was for the best, since there wasn’t any change to report.

Our gazes locked in silence, and she sent me a small smile of encouragement. I beamed back, full of pride.

And once Susan saw how much effort I’d put into wrapping this little present so perfectly for her, she might be more inclined to give me a second chance.

*

On the last day before winter break, everyone was in a happy mood. In the morning, as Ethan and I left the house together, a confident smile was pasted on my face, too. The smile started to slip, however, when Susan saw me in the hallway before first period. She changed direction to head down a different corridor. Great. How was I supposed to give her the present when she kept running from me?

Then, at lunch, she appeared really absorbed in conversation with her friends. Ethan subtly shook his head at me from across the cafeteria, which meant “not now.” So I remained seated at the table with my friends and tried to put on a cheerful face as Becks hummed all kinds of Christmas songs to get us in the right mood for the holidays.

By that time, the gift for Sue felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket.

I kept patting it through my final two classes and thinking of plans to catch Susan after school. Unless I decided to drop the present on her doorstep or toss it through her chimney, it was the last chance I had.

Luckily, Mr. Ellenburgh let us out early. “No use torturing you with Shakespeare when all your brains are in holiday mode already,” he joked, closing the book we’d been reading the past couple of weeks.

Backpack shouldered, I rushed outside with only one thought in my mind: hopefully, Sue hadn’t had as much luck with her teacher as we just had. Knowing where her house was and that she always walked to school instead of driving or biking, I positioned myself at a strategically good point, not too far away from the entrance of the school, but far enough to catch her alone.

Minutes ticked by. My sneakers pounded on the concrete as I paced up and down, waiting. One by and one, students filed out through the big double doors. With the third rush of people, my pretty girl with glasses and a ponytail walked out. My heart tripped a little in anticipation.

Sue waved goodbye to her friends and headed in my direction, her gaze pasted on the pavement. With every step she took, my heart pounded faster. Eventually, she looked up. Her initial happy expression fell the moment she spotted me. And so did my heart. To her credit, she didn’t stop walking, even though a slight deceleration was noticeable in her steps.

Since it was clear that I’d been waiting for her, she came straight for me. Two feet separated us when she stopped.

I opened my mouth to offer a small “hi,” but the word never made it out.

“Don’t, Chris! Just don’t say anything,” Susan said, heaving an exhausted sigh as she clasped the straps of her backpack harder.

I let out my breath in disappointment. That was it? Not even a
hi
—on the last day before Christmas break? Adjusting my schoolbag on my shoulder, I cast a helpless glance at the tree under which we stood, as if the answer to all my problems with this girl was to be found up there. Not even a bird chirped a response. I was on my own.

“It’s been so long, Sue.” Gaze returning to her, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I did everything you wanted. I stopped texting you, didn’t talk to you in the hallways. What else do you want me to do to convince you to give me another chance?”

“Why do you think I’ll ever do that?” Her eyes were hard on me, reproachful, and filled with determination. “Chris, we’re done.”

My throat twitched, and I made an aching gulp. Was I really the only one clinging to the chance that we could work this out somehow?

Obviously.
And for all I knew, she might have already replaced me with a new crush. The thought nagged at me, so I asked in a small voice, “Are you dating somebody?”

Taken aback, Sue crossed her arms over her chest. “No.”

Oh, but she should. She was the prettiest girl in the world. I leveled her a look from under my lashes. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not interested in anyone else,” she snapped, her brows knitting in a frown. She probably didn’t even realize the emphasis she’d put on “
anyone else
.” The two simple words did funny things to my stomach, almost as if I was riding a roller coaster. A little smile of joy escaped me.

Suddenly, her eyes widened with understanding. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

That’s what she said, but was it how she felt? For the moment, I wasn’t capable of stopping my hopeful smile from widening. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! Of course,” she blurted out. Then her gaze dropped, and she started to rub her temples like this conversation was giving her a headache.

I knew there was no way to keep her here with me all afternoon, so, riding a last rush of hope, my hand slipped into my pocket and I pulled out the wrapped bracelet.

“Can we stop this now? I want to go home,” Sue murmured a moment before she looked up at me again. I held the package out for her. Lips pursing, she narrowed her gaze at my outstretched hand. “What’s that?”

“Your Christmas present. I was hoping this chat would go differently. Since it didn’t, I doubt you’ll let me see you for Christmas to put it under your tree myself.” My hand hovered in midair, and all Sue did was stare—first at the gift, then at my face, for a long time. Other than the occasional blink, she didn’t move one muscle. Damn, she wasn’t going to even accept the present.

My stomach dropped to my feet, my chest tightening in despair. Precisely nothing had gone according to plan since I met this girl. What in the world had I done to bring this kind of bad luck upon myself? Had I mowed down one of God’s angels recently, or what?

“Girl, you’re one stubborn little thing,” I growled. Done with today and done with hoping, I grabbed Susan’s hand and planted the present in her palm. “Merry Christmas.” Blowing a frustrated stream of air out through my nose, I spun on my heel and stomped away.

People passed me. Some of them wished me a merry Christmas or happy holidays. Head lowered, I ignored them all and strode across campus to the parking lot, where Ethan was supposed to wait for me. He was sitting in his car, patiently typing away on his phone. When I got in and slammed the door, he put the cell away and turned a beaming face on me. “How did it go?”

“She won’t be mad forever, my ass.” I rolled my eyes, looking out the window. My voice dropped to a wounded level. “You should have seen her. There’s still enough anger in that girl to bust a planet.”

“Oh.” He paused. “And the present?”

“Probably ended up in a trash can on her way home.”

“No, she wouldn’t do that.” Ethan started the engine and reversed out of the parking spot. “She’s still angry at you. That’s a good sign.”

The seatbelt in my hand, I stopped in the middle of buckling myself in. “Pardon?” I threw him an annoyed look. “Name just one reason why this is a good sign!”

“Simple.” He flicked on the right blinker and turned up the road home. “She isn’t speaking to you, and she’s still angry. That means she’s not over you yet. You still matter to her, that’s why she’s hurt. Make sense?” Halting at a crosswalk, he let a couple of kids pass in front of the car before driving on. “Now let’s say she wasn’t angry anymore, but still didn’t talk to you. Wouldn’t that mean she left you behind and went happily on with her life?”

I gaped at Ethan in silence. Could he be right? I liked to believe so, but that didn’t ease the awful ache in my chest. We had made zero progress in this tangled situation. How much longer did I have to endure Sue’s silent treatment? It was nerve-wracking…and so, so tiresome. Couldn’t we just fast-forward to the end of this fight and the moment she showed up on my doorstep, ready to forgive me?

I knew it was a little late, but this was my last-minute Christmas wish.

*

Needless to say, my Christmas wish did not come true.

On the morning of the 24
th
, my family decorated the tree together, and we put our presents for each other underneath. When my gaze got stuck on the little package for Mom, I couldn’t help but wonder whether Sue had put my gift for her under their tree. And if she unwrapped the bracelet tomorrow when she got up…would she wear it?

I tried to shake off the heart-wrenching thoughts of Sue and went to the kitchen to help Mom prepare a huge turkey for later. Like every year, my grandparents came to celebrate Christmas Eve. It was nice to have some distraction in our house for a while, tell Granny everything about my awesome winning dunk in the last basketball game, and watch Grandpa try to figure out how to play Wii golf with Ethan. They stayed with us long after we’d eaten dinner, and together we sang some Christmas songs in the living room along with Granny playing the flute she always brought for the holiday.

Ethan seemed to be happy. He smiled a lot and told jokes all day. But it didn’t escape me that he also glanced at his phone really often. Every time he put it away, even for a minute, his face lost some of the joy of the day.

Strangely enough, I did the same. It would probably require more than a Christmas miracle to make Sue forgive me, but a small voice inside my head urged me to check my phone for messages from her anyway.

Nothing.

After eleven, my grandparents took their leave. They lived in Cambria, fifty miles north of Grover Beach, and Granny was afraid her husband would fall asleep behind the wheel if they didn’t hit the road soon. After a round of hugs and goodbye kisses, we saw them off at the door, waving until the taillights had disappeared down the street.

I was the last to walk back inside and locked the door. Then I tugged my cell out of my pocket and checked once more.

“Did she text you?” Ethan’s voice surprised me as I stared at the blank screen.

Biting my lip, I shook my head. “You?”

“No.” His shoulders lifted in a sad shrug. “Think we should call her?”

That wouldn’t be a good idea. Not for me, anyway. “You can if you want. She wouldn’t answer the phone if she saw
my
number.”

“She probably won’t answer for me either.”

I sniffed, curling my lips. “Should we drive over there and throw rocks at her window until she comes out?”