Olivia
I am so mad at my mom.
I was havingย suchย a great time with Liam. Heโs, like, the first boy Iโve ever had a big crush on. And he actually seems to like me back. And she ruined it. For no reason!
โAre you going to give me the silent treatment the whole way home?โ Mom asks as she turns onto Maple Street.
I fold my arms across my chest. โYou know Liam asked me specifically to come tonight.โ
โAnd heโll ask you again.โ โWhat if he doesnโt?โ
โIโm sure he wonโt be discouraged that easily.โ โYou donโt know that.โ
โGive me a little bit of credit, Olivia. Giveย himย a little bit of credit.โ
I let out an angry huff and stare out the window. Mom knows how much I like Liam. Iโve been confiding in her about my crush the entire year. Especially since Madison is so anti-Liam, my mother has been my main confidante. She knows how excited I was about tonight.
โI think I saw him through the window,โ Mom says. Sheโs chosen to ignore me ignoring her. I hate it when she does that, although to be fair, it usually works. โWas he the one wearing the blue T-shirt with the dark hair?โ
โYes,โ I admit. As much as I want to be angry at my mother, I also sort of want to talk about Liam. Iโm very conflicted.
โOh.โ She nods. โHeโsย reallyย cute. I can see why you like him.โ
โI know, right?โ My palms get all clammy again at the thought of him. โAnd heโs notย justย cute. He is, like, one of the smartest guys in the school. You should have heard him at the debate yesterday, Mom.โ
โWell, Iโm sorry I made you come home, but Iโm sure youโll have another opportunity with him.โ
โHe held my hand.โ I smile at the memory. My whole body gets tingly at the thought of it. โI mean, just for a minute because one of his friends started teasing him. Butโฆ it wasโฆโ
โYou should invite him over to the house.โ โYou mean whileย youโreย home?โ
โOh God. Unthinkable.โ โMomโฆโ
Mom winks at me. โWhat? Iโll be cool.โ
Oh my God, she will definitelyย notย be cool. Sheโll probably drag out old photo albums and show him pictures of potty training.
โYou can take him up to your room,โ she adds. โAs long as you keep the door open.โ
โDo we have to keep it open? Itโs not like weโre going to do anything.โ
Mom snorts. But I guess maybe sheโs right. If Liam and I were alone in a roomโฆ
God, the thought of it makes me all tingly again. I canโt wait to see him again.
Mom pulls up the Honda in front of our house, and by this point, Iโve mostly forgiven her. Aside from Madison, my mother is my best friend and itโs hard to stay angry at her. And sheโs probably right. I donโt think Iโve blown it with Liam. Arenโt you supposed to play hard to get with boys?
So Iโm in a pretty good mood when I get out of the car. Until I see whoโs sitting on the front steps to our house.