Free Emmalee by Jenni James

deal.”
               
“Em-ma?”
               
“Come on, I’ll drop you off home, if you want.” I
smiled and hooked my arm through hers.  “Then you can have
a chance to think about it and decide if he’s the most perfect
guy for you.”  
               
She looked down at the letter, disappointed.  “I don’t
need to think about it.  I’ll tell him no.  I mean,
it looks like Elton’s going to ask anyway, right?” 
She crumbled the paper up and threw it in the trashcan ahead of us
and then started walking. 
               
In shock I looked down into the can as we passed.  “Are-are
you sure?  I mean, do you want to give it more thought?” 
I glanced back at the can. 
Ah!
 
What am I
saying?
               
She chuckled. “No, I’m good.  Besides, he’s
not anywhere as cool as Elton anyway.”
               
“Yeah that’s true—Oh!  I forgot.  Now,
that you’re going to tell Martin no, I guess I can show you
this.”  I handed over my phone.  “Read the last
text.  It’s from Elton.  You’re going to die.”
               
She quickly devoured it and then threw her hands in the air and
shrieked.  “Wahoo!  I knew it!” 
               
I laughed along with her—causing more of a scene than I had in
years, but it was fun.  “Okay, so where do you want to go
and celebrate?” I asked as we climbed into my car.  “Pick
anywhere, it’s my treat.  This is definitely a day for
celebration.”
               
Hannah wiggled her eyebrows as she clicked her seatbelt in. 
“Imagine, less than a month ago, Elton didn’t even know I
existed and now it’s so crazy to think that he likes me.” 
She brought one leg up and turned in her seat toward me as I backed
out of the parking spot.  “Okay, so like, no one knows
this, but I have had a secret crush on Elton since the sixth grade.”
               
“No way?” Flabbergasted I smiled and shook my head. 
               
“I know!  Can you believe I had to wait until my senior
year before my little dream came true?  Holy rusted metal
Batman; Elton Bloomfield has a crush on me!” 
    We shrieked again as I pulled out
onto the road. 
Well, we’re girls.  Seriously,
what else are we supposed to do?
               
               
               
I was in the kitchen helping my mom with dinner when the
doorbell rang later that evening.
               
“Would you get it, honey?  I’m a mess.”
               
“Sure Mom.”  I quickly rinsed my hands and jogged to
the door.  It was Chase.  I could barely make out the huge
smile on his face over the large bouquet of flowers in his arms. 
“Hey you!  Come on in.  What are those for?”
               
He stepped over the threshold.  “A gift from my mom to
yours.”
               
“Oh?”
               
“They’re from the garden.”  He chuckled. 
“Our house is chock full of flowers at the moment and dad has
banned any more from coming in.  So my mom sent them to you
guys.”
               
“Oh, well, come on into the kitchen, Mom’s gonna be
really excited.”  I started to head toward the back of the
house and Chase followed.
               
“You know, I’m really glad I saw you, I have some news
about your friend Hannah,” he said.
               
“Really?  What do you know about Hannah?” 
Intrigued, I stopped near the stairs and turned around.
               
Chase moved the flowers over a bit so he could see me better. 
His smile grew.  “She’s about to get a boyfriend. 
A really nice one at that.”
               
I grinned.  “And how would
you
know?”
               
“He told me.”
               
Elton told you?
  “When did you see him?”
               
“Yesterday, while I was