The Secret Recipe for Moving On by Karen Bischer (ebook reader for manga txt) 📕

“Just because Joaquin was wearing those tight jeans that day doesn’t mean I was checking out his butt. I am many things, but a silent sexual harasser is not one of them.”

I’m kind of relieved I have Jodie on the defensive, thus momentarily preventing her from going on the offensive with me. I turn to Luke. “She has a crush on a new guy she works with at Retro Mania in the mall, but she can barely talk to him,” I say.

“Why not?” Luke says.

“I just never know what to say. I don’t have a lot of experience with guys,” Jodie says with a shrug.

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Luke says. “Like, you’re doing a great job of talking to me. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Jodie’s brow furrows. “Really?”

“Really,” Luke says.

Jodie sits up straighter. “Okay, maybe I’ll try tomorrow.”

This crazy warm feeling grips my heart then and I smile gratefully at Luke. He winks back in return.

The game is pretty close. The score seesaws back and forth between us and Lawndale, and by halftime, Lawndale’s up 17–14. The wind has really kicked up and the smell of rain is in the air. I wonder if they’ll get the whole thing in before the monsoon hits.

I’m impressed at how well Jodie and Luke are getting along. Within ten minutes, they realize they both love Saturn Quest, this Netflix comedy/sci-fi show. Jodie tells Luke it’s her dream to write for a show like that, and Luke tells her all about BMXing and how I’ve seen him train.

“Why didn’t you tell me you interviewed him?” she says, elbowing me, then jerking her thumb in my direction. “She’s so mysterious, this one.”

I’m about as mysterious as a toothbrush, but I’m kind of amused that Jodie is painting me as a lady of intrigue. Maybe let Luke think I’ve got some deep secrets or something.

“And she’s one of the funniest people you’ll ever meet,” I say, jerking my thumb in Jodie’s direction. “That she thinks Joaquin wouldn’t be into her is crazy.”

“So, when did this Joaquin dude first catch your eye?” Luke asks, and Jodie launches into detail about how Joaquin started at Retro Mania three weeks ago and how he seems almost impossibly shy. Luke ends up giving Jodie tips on how to talk to him, and even this old guy sitting behind us, a football player’s grandfather, weighs in with, “Sometimes, all it takes is a smile.”

After that, Jodie high-fives the old man whenever something good happens during the game.

When the RHHS band takes the field for the halftime show, Jodie stands up. “Anyone want a soda?”

“I’m good,” I say, also standing up, “but I’ll come with you.”

“No, I can handle this,” Jodie says cheerfully. “I saw where the snack bar was when we came in.”

She is so doing this to give Luke and me alone time. I know her too well.

“Okay,” I say, blinking hard at her.

“Luke, you want anything?” she asks innocently.

“Well, if you insist,” Luke says, fishing some cash out of his pocket and handing it to her. “Can you get me a Coke?”

She waves the money off. “It’s the least I can do for all the boy advice you’ve given me,” she says, making her way up the bleachers.

“She’s awesome,” Luke says. “You guys are a lot alike.”

“In some ways, we’re like twins,” I say. In other ways, I want to kill her.

“You guys been friends long?”

“Since the fourth grade,” I say. “It’s going to be weird next year, when we’re at different colleges. I mean, being at two different high schools is hard enough. But I guess if we could survive middle school together, we can survive anything.”

“That sounds heavy,” Luke says, his eyes full of concern.

“Oh, it was nothing life-threatening. I just got picked on a lot in middle school, and Jodie got picked on for sticking up for me.”

“Really? You?” he says, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “You’re so … What did they pick on you for?”

I’m so what? I want to ask, but I jump right in with the scoliosis saga.

Luke narrows his eyes. “Why would anyone bully somebody for something like that? God, if I had been at your school…” But he doesn’t finish his thought.

“So were you always defending your classmates like some kind of superhero?” I ask teasingly.

“Uh, not really. It was weird. My dad died when I was in the sixth grade, so after that, it was like I didn’t care about anything. I think I was popular before that, but after, I didn’t give a crap anymore. Thankfully, my real friends stuck by me, because I was a bit of an ass to people for a while. Not in a teasing way, though. I just couldn’t deal with anything and I got pissy easily.”

“But that’s totally understandable. You were coping with a loss.”

Luke manages a small smile. “I think a lot of people thought I hated them when I didn’t. Man, I was a charmer back then.”

“I have to admit,” I say, laughing. “I thought you hated me when we first met…”

“Oh, god!” Luke says, looking alarmed. “I didn’t mean—”

“… but I realize now that you were just joking around. I was being too much of a bundle of nerves to figure that out back then.”

Luke sighs. “Well, I’m going to admit that I thought you were a bit like Brynn at first, because you were always hanging out with her. But I saw that look on your face when she bitched me out the first day of school. You looked like you wanted to punch her.”

“I did! God, she was so rude to you. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to defend you.”

“You didn’t have to,” Luke says with a shrug. “I swear, that look on your face was enough.”

“And then we kept almost knocking into each other,” I say, giggling.

“Yes! And you seemed so flustered and frustrated with me, like I was doing it on purpose or something.” He raises an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” I say, covering my