Page 31 of Strange Love

“No, I’m fine,” I answer quietly, fighting the instinct to pull away from his touch.

“I’m gonna go grab a sandwich or something,” he says. “I’ll be back.” I watch him walk away and then turn to see the incredulous look on Sascha’s face and the bemused grin on Sarah’s.

“Okay, spill it,” Sascha says.

I take a deep breath and decide to rip off the band-aid. “Corey and I are trying to get to know each other,” I admit, not daring to peer up from my lunchbox.

Sascha surprises me by responding with a nonchalant shrug. “That’s cool.”

I finally glance up, only to see a soft smile on Sascha’s face.

“It is?” I ask, feeling relieved.

“Sure, why not?” she shrugs. “I told you when we met that as long as someone respects me, then I can respect them.”

“You don’t think it’s weird?” I question.

“Not really,” she replies. “You guys would make a cute couple. Just be careful.”

Sarah chimes in with her own opinion. “I think it’s cute, too.”

“But just so you know,” Sascha adds before taking a bite of her salad, “if Michael Tazman ever shows up at any social gatherings, count me out.”

Chapter 18

“Take On Me”

Corey - Age 18, 1988

This is going as I expected it would. My friends act like nothing’s different as we sit at Ivy’s usual table. They’re cracking jokes and teasing each other like normal, but I know they’ll ask me about sitting with Ivy later. I won’t give them much information, but since I never do, no one will ever guess this arrangement is fake.

I still don’t have the answer to Ivy’s question yesterday. Why am I doing this? All I know for sure is that almost every time I see her, she seems sad, and for some reason, that bothers me, and last night I could barely sleep because I was thinking about our arrangement, and not much besides hockey excites me.

The girls from our usual group are gawking at us from their table, some sneering in our direction. They appear dumbfounded by our change in lunchtime routine. It’s worth it for that reason alone.

Ivy’s quiet, her food untouched in front of her. She looks shocked by the action taking place around us. Garrison and Landry practically shout at one another over a video game while Sascha shoots Taz angry stares from across the table. I make a mental note to ask him about that later.

“Are you not hungry?” I ask, trying to break the tension.

She shakes her head, her long honey-blonde hair swishing from side to side. “Not really,” she says with a small smile.

“What do we have here?” I ask, leaning over her lunch spread on the table. A neatly made turkey sandwich sits next to sliced apples and baby carrots, a bag of chips propped up against them. A red and silver Capri Sun pouch peeks out from under the sandwich. My eyes fall on a stainless steel thermos, its contents unknown.

“And what’s in the thermos?”

“Probably soup,” she answers.

I raise an eyebrow, playfully teasing her. “And you’re not going to eat it? Can I have it?” My grin widens as I lean in closer.

“You want my soup?” she questions, blinking her eyes and looking adorably innocent.

“Ivy, I’m a growing boy,” I joke. “Plus, couples share food.” I give her a mocking smile as I unscrew the lid and smell the chicken noodle delight that invades my nostrils. “Now, this is what I’m talking about,” I tell her before finishing most of her lunch.

As the lunch period ends, I lean in close to whisper in her ear, “Thanks for lunch.” Before she can react, I lightly brush my lips against her cheek, causing her to let out an adorable little surprised squeak. As she starts to pull away, I pull her closer, determined to make this public display of affection work. After all, we’re both new to this whole couple-thing. Might as well go all in.

“I have to hit my locker before English,” I inform her with a smile. “See you in class.” Turning to my friends, I add, “Come on, boys.”

Ivy is already seated in her usual spot up front when I enter the classroom a few minutes later. I walk over to her desk and ask if she wants to sit with us in the back today. She hesitates momentarily, glancing back at the group of popular girls who usually occupy those seats. Finally, she shakes her head. I understand her hesitation - it’s not easy being around those girls, but if Ivy wants a taste of popularity, she’ll have to learn how to deal with them.