“You sound different,” he said.

“No, just happy to hear you,” she was almost giddy. “Listen, I’ve been dying to talk to you. You’re never gonna guess what happened today,”

“Really? Let's hear it."

Good ole Sydney, he sounded just as excited as she felt.

She made herself comfortable on the bed. “Okay, remember I told you about Angel?”

“You mean, the Angel?”

She eagerly brought him up-to-date about her afternoon. When she mentioned the party, Sydney asked, “You gonna go?”

“No, I can’t. I’m… working.”

“Are you kidding me, Lynni? This is your chance to have some fun out there, you can’t pass it up.”

“I’ve already committed,” she said. “And, the Salcidos’ pay really well. Besides, I wouldn’t know anyone… well, except for Valerie.”

“And Angel,” Sydney reminded her.

Sarah smiled. God, she wished he were here. If Syd went with her everything would be so perfect. “You don’t understand. I’ve seen the girls he hangs out with. They’re so sophisticated, and popular and … rich looking.”

She stood up with the phone against her ear, then walked over and stood in front of the mirror. She put her hand on her waist and smiled big batting her lashes, like the girls she’d seen around Angel, and immediately felt stupid. Her br**sts had filled in somewhat, making her feel a little sexier, but she just didn’t feel well put together like those other girls. She looked at her less than exciting clothes and winced. No way is Angel interested in this.

“Who cares? Let me tell you something Lynni. It amazes me that you still think so little of yourself. I can guarantee you this guy would die for a chance with you. So, he’s Mr. Popular, Mr. Football player, who gives a shit? Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

“Yes! I’m looking right now. I just wish you could be here to see the kind of girls he normally dates, then you’d know what I’m talking about.”

“I don’t have to see them. I’ve seen you.”

Sarah sighed and plopped back down on her bed. “What does it matter anyway? It’s not like I’m gonna be here long. Remember?”

“You’re doing it again.” She could hear the annoyance in Sydney’s voice.

“Doing what?” But she knew exactly what he was talking about.

Before she left Arizona, Sydney’s parents offered to let her stay with them, so she could finish out her senior year there, but her mother refused. She insisted Sarah be with family. Sarah had argued Sydney’s family was more like family to her than Aunt Norma. They only visited Aunt Norma once or twice a year. And she felt so close to Sydney’s parents. All those late nights and holidays her mother had to work, they’d gladly taken her in as one of their own.

She was so devastated when her mother refused that she swore she’d never leave her room at Aunt Norma’s, except to go to school. So, the first few weeks in California, before school started, she just sat around feeling sorry for herself. Sydney had made her promise that she’d make the most of it. He hated the idea of her being out here alone, and miserable.

“Remember?” he’d said. “You love the ocean, Lynni. It’s all you talked about when you got back from your visits to your aunt's, now you’ll get to be near it for months.”

Sydney encouraged, demanded, at one point even threatened to stop calling and taking her calls if she didn’t try to make the best of it. So, she had. She started running every day at school, instead of coming straight home. She promised to try to get out on the weekend when she’d get a chance. So far, she’d made sure all her weekends were booked babysitting.

“It’s not like he asked me out, Syd. He just asked if I was going to be there.” She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror again and frowned.

“Will you promise me something?” he said.

Sarah hesitated, “What?”

“If he does ask you out, you’ll say yes. Hell, if anybody asks you out, you’ll say yes.”

“Syd, I can’t even talk when he comes near me. I can barely get a sentence out. I’ve made such a stupid couple of first impressions; I seriously doubt he’ll be asking.”

“You’re kidding me, right? Man, you must have it bad for this guy, ‘cause you don’t even have to try to be likable. I know.” He paused. “Tell him a joke.” She heard him laugh and she knew why. “He’ll love how you can’t get halfway through it without cracking yourself up.”

Sarah started laughing and threw herself on the bed. “Shut up!”

Sydney was still laughing. “Just be yourself, Lynni. No more, no less. I promise you can’t go wrong.”

He was right about one thing, she did laugh a lot. Even though sometimes she thought she did it too much. Lately, the only one that could make her laugh was Sydney. She sucked in a deep breath.

“Okay, if anyone asks, I promise I will.” She wasn’t too worried about it. “Oh except for Jesse.”

“Well, yeah, of course.”

Sarah had met Jesse the very night she’d first laid eyes on Angel two summers ago. One of Valerie’s friends was going out with Jesse’s friend, so they had hung out with them. Sarah agreed to go for a walk on the beach with Jesse that night, away from the crowd, and they sat down to talk. She had never kissed a boy back then, so, when he asked if he could kiss her, she let him. Before she knew it, they were making out, and when it started getting heavy she got scared and made him stop. He called her a tease, and they walked back to where the rest of the crowd was, in silence.