CandyMag.Com

“So you like him?” Anne’s question sounded more like a statement.

Nicole giggled before she answered. “What’s not to like?” she asked her back, grinning from ear to ear, barely able to contain the fact that she was kilig.

That Friday afternoon, Nicole had asked Jill, Anne and me to hang around schoool after class and spend some quality time with her guy (read: size him up). She ever-so-casually asked him to meet up with her to grab a bite in the cafeteria before basketball practice. Meanwhile, she oh-so-excitedly insisted that we drop all our after-school plans. Nic wanted to be sure she wasn’t just kidding herself about how great he was, and we were here to give her affirmation, maybe egg her on to finally say yes to him. She was singing his praises before we caught sight of him.

She really didn’t have to sing his praises to me.

As AJ strode to our table, I felt myself get a little starry-eyed. The guy I had been crushing on for almost two years now neared, and my stomach lurched a little and my heartbeat quickened. Force of habit maybe, at least I hope it is. But with his easy smile, his confident swagger and that mischievous glint in his eye, I was starting to think that maybe he will always have that effect on me, never mind that I practically swore off him after finding out that he was interested in my friend and not in me. I put on my most nonchalant expression as he sat down across from me.

“Hi,” he nodded at me, then beamed at Nicole. She replied with her own megawatt smile.

“First off, for someone with a lousy given name, your nickname’s ingenious,” Jill joked dryly. We all laughed. “Actually, she finds it cute,” AJ countered, looking softly at Nicole. She held his gaze shyly.

“So what is it anyway?” Your real name?” Anne asked.

“Andres Jose,” I muttered absentmindedly under my breath, fixating on the tabletop. Total silence I looked up and everyone was looking at me quizzically. “Mr. Cruz calls you that all the time,” I answered quickly, thankful that our English teacher picked on AJ a lot.

Anne’s stare bored down on me before she looked AJ. “Right,” she finally said.

But except for my one tiny lapse, the afternoon progressed perfectly. I sat there observing how genuinely interested AJ was in Nicole and how she was glowing from all the attention he heaped on her. I saw how he jumped on every opportunity to touch her, how his tone changed whenever he talked to her or about her, how he almost couldn’t get enough of looking at her. I saw how all of this was making Nicole very happy. At one point, she looked around and saw how well we were getting along with AJ and she sighed contentedly. It was then I realized that, never mind my first reaction to seeing AJ, I was truly happy Nicole was happy with him.

“So are you going steady soon?” Jill asked as she stared at AJ’s retreating back.

“I don’t know,” Nicole said, giggly. “Soon. Next week. Tomorrow. Ack!” she wondered aloud, laughing at how lovesick she seemed.

“I roll my eyes at this pathetic mass of mush you’re morphing into but I must say Nicole, he has my vote,” Jill conceded. But judging by the way the get-together turned  out, and how we exchanged cell phone numbers with him so we could set up a gimmick for another time, I was sure Nicole knew AJ had everyone’s thumbs up, without our having to tell her.

Settling into bed that night, I got a text from Anne: You know that I know when you’re lying, Katie, so you might as well just come right out and say it. Do you like AJ? She asked simply.

I thought about Nicole…and AJ…and how they seemed so right for each other. I knew there was no use lying to Anne. After all, my thing for AJ was in the past.

I keyed in: I’m over AJ. If you’re wondering when I was “under” him, we can talk about it tomorrow. Night, Anne. and sent it.

My cell phone beeped as I started nodding off. I read the message and bolted upright, now completely awake. You’re over me?? AJ had sent back.