After o go to ty of Nort Ced me to go to on like some of t   possible. Not t I udent. I just didnt focus on my studies, and my grades  exactly up to snuff for t ty mucouc accepted at UNC, and ter, a place  me over top. Id just finis ing do;I tudent body president,quot; ;Youll be graduating in June, and I t oo, by t;

    My mot speak muc me. Sometimes I to see me squirm, even t.

    quot;I dont t ; I said. t kid in sc popular. t o Eric er, my best friend.  almost ninety miles an ball team to back-to-back state titles as tar quarterback. ud. Even his name sounded cool.

    quot;Of course you can ; my fat;e Carters al;

    ts anot like spending time imes ed to mold me into a miniature version of ty muc o resent  conversation o me on the phone.

    quot;But   to?quot;

    My fat doines.  me crossly, giving me t even t ing. My fat, by the way.

    quot;I t; ;t it ;

    I kne  tled. ts t  t er I agreed, I didnt  to do it. I didnt  to e my afternoons meeting eacer scer sc of trying to decide reamers ss really all ts did, at least back  like students o actually decide anything meaningful.

    But t. If I ed to go to UNC, I o do somet play football or basketball, I didnt play an instrument, I  in t excel in t excel at muc, I started listing tually could do, but to be , t t mucie eig types of sailing knots, I could  across  asp fartically on my finger for ty seconds . . . but I didnt t any of tand out on a college application. So t long, sloo tion t I hanks, Dad.

    t morning I  to to t of candidates. t stand a c rig off your clotalked to you. But udent.  in t roeacion. If o give t al one, and urn o side ellect balls at eacurned.

    Maggie Broter. Sudent as  council for t t trike against  t s very attractive, and s on ty pounds t summer. I kne not a single guy e for her.

    After seeing tition, I figured t I miger all. My entire future ed my strategy. Eric  to agree.

    quot;Sure, Ill get all team to vote for you, no problem. If ts .quot;

    quot; too?quot; I asked.

    t ty mucire campaign. Of course, I  to tes like I o, and I passed out t; Ill do if Im elected presidentquot; fliers, but in t   four udents, so getting tic vote ical, and most of t give a

    just the way I planned.

    I ed student body president y of te. I  trouble it ually lead me to.

    steady  real girlfriend, t lasted for only a fe before sc out for ty years old and ribute, as far as I could tell,  e t-s o t t;; w I mean.

    ell, anyuation, I still didnt e. Everyone on tudent council o attend-it ory. I o e t day-and besides, it ty good time. I called a couple of girls I kne tes, so I called a fees, too. By tting pretty slim. to talked  ly a bed for beauties any to find somebody. I didnt  to go to t a date- look like? Id be tudent body president ever to attend t long or mopping up ts  dates usually did.

    Gro of panicky, I pulled out tarted flipping t not e. First I looked t of t college, a feill around to t. I couldnt find anyone, at least not anyone ty good at ion, Ill tell you, ts not t of t to your grandkids. My mom kneo my room and sat on the bed beside me.

    quot;If you cant get a date, Ill be o go ; she said.

    quot;t; I said dejectedly.

    t even  t down.

    t, by ted treasurer, and ill didnt e, eited to spend time  all, and ted  of proportion, as if opped groomac I mean. calking-its ions. quot;  fun? Did you see any girls?quot;  even  for an ansly as o keep turning your o keep . I s. If I didnt get a date, and off on one side  long, firing questions like some deranged prosecutor.

    So tion,  a second, turned t it. I spent t  looking, but I sloo tion t t anyone left. In time I finally turned back to ure and looked again. S bad looking, I told myself, and s. S. . . .

    I closed ts daugely not. My friends  me alive.

    But compared ing your mother or cleaning up puke or even, God forbid . . Carey Dennison?

    I spent t of ting t back and fort in to me. I o ask Jamie to t o ask her.

    It  I realized someterrible, sometely frig same t no  if ? Jamie  say no to ically sion  dead unity saints. Sen to Careys squeaky voice, see ting from , and accept rig.

    So tting in my room, frantic y t Jamie mig go to t t nigell you,  trangest t tted about asking Jamie out before. I planned to ask  till  Jamie  in scy, tried to get out of sc excuse, too, but Jamie  a. to ts or just sitting around playing games  sneaking out to t at Cecils Diner or anyt concept ely ludicrous.

    quot;Got a date yet?quot; Eric asked me in bet, but even t friend, o stick it to me once in a while.

    quot;Not yet,quot; I said, quot;but Im .quot;

    Doo  me a beady glare  looking.

    ts t was.

    tes ticked by slo-if Carey and I got out at time, Id be able to get to , arted to psycook off from sc a full clip. I  a arted to get kind of tired, and t in. Pretty soon all I could do  t cramp really started to get to me, and I o bend over and  moving. As I made my reets of Beaufort, I looked like a wre Dame.

    Be I cer. I turned around, digging my fingers into my gut to stifle t I couldnt see ting tard, t guy. You couldnt trust e.

    I started to stumble along even faster, and pretty soon I reacreet. By ting all over-my s ook a second to catce my fevered ruso ic side assumed t Carey  me orious look in  essentially meant quot;Sorry, partner, youre too late.quot;

    But it  Carey  time in my life I sao a bun, sually be cute if sunity.

    quot;Landon,quot; s;t; Jamie o see everyone, including me, tartled ;You look like youve been exercising,quot; she said.

    quot;Not really,quot; I lied, .

    quot;Youve s clean t.quot;

    quot;O?quot; I looked at my s. quot;ts not s a lot sometimes.quot;

    quot;Maybe you s cor.quot;

    quot;Ill be okay, Im sure.quot;

    quot;Ill say a prayer for you any; s as he club.

    quot;t; I said.

    S of s for a moment. quot;ell, Id invite you in, but my fat  allo around.quot;

    quot;O; I said dejectedly, quot;ts okay. e can talk out ; If Id his inside.

    quot;ould you like some lemonade ; s;I just made some.quot;

    quot;Id love some,quot; I said.

    quot;Ill be rig; So t s took a quick glance around. ticed,  tidy,  one  t oscillating in table tening to Jesus and Faitoo, and it o ter on Luke.

    A moment later Jamie returned ook a seat in ted, I sa, o us. Jamie ed my c Mrs. ings couldnt see my face. Even to ask Jamie to t  anyone-even Mrs. ings-to see me t sed Careys offer. It o actually go  o be rejected by her in favor of a guy like Carey.

    quot; are you doing?quot; Jamie asked me. quot;Youre moving your co t;

    quot;I like t; I said. S, t immediately I could feel t and making me s again.

    quot;If ts ,quot; s;So,  to talk to me about?quot;

    Jamie reacarted to adjust   moved at all. I took a deep breatrying to gat I couldnt force myself to come out  just yet.

    quot;So,quot; I said instead, quot;you  today?quot;

    Jamie looked at me curiously. quot;No. My fat tors office.quot;

    quot;Is ;

    S;;

    I nodded and glanced across treet. Mrs. ings  see anyone else in ty. t  I still  ready.

    quot;Sure is a beautiful day,quot; I said, stalling.

    quot;Yes, it is.quot;

    quot;arm, too.quot;

    quot;ts because youre in t;

    I looked around, feeling t; t a single cloud in t;

    time Jamie didnt respond, and  in silence for a fes.

    quot;Landon,quot; s;you didnt come o talk about t;

    quot;Not really.quot;

    quot;t;

    t of trut.

    quot;ell . . . I ed to knoo t;

    quot;O; sone made it seem as if s suced. I fidgeted in my seat and ed for her answer.

    quot;I really  planned on going,quot; she finally said.

    quot;But if someone asked you to go, you mig;

    It took a moment for o answer.

    quot;Im not sure,quot; s;I suppose I mig to a ;

    quot;t; I said quickly. quot;Not too muc fun.quot; Especially ions, I didnt add.

    S my turn of p;Id o talk to my fat if  ;

    In tree beside tarted to c supposed to be rated on trying to calm my nerves. Just t  it, but suddenly tening to myself as I spoke the magic words.

    quot;ell, o go to t;

    I could tell s ttle lead-up to tion probably o do imes teenagers sent t to quot;scout terrain,quot; so to speak, so as not to face possible rejection. Even t muceenagers, Im sure s, at least in theory.

    Instead of ans a sinking feeling in my stomaco say no. Visions of my motted toimes Id teased or or simply made fun of  o avoid Carey for five urned and faced me again. S smile on her face.

    quot;Id love to,quot; s;on one condition.quot;

    I steadied myself,   sometoo awful.

    quot;Yes?quot;

    quot;You o promise t you  fall in love ;

    I kneimes, I o admit, Jamie ty good sense of humor. I smiled and gave her my word.