Free In My Shoes by Adrian Stephens Page A

together.”
    “So what, is it just that I’m not your type,
or do you still think I’m a clown?”
    It seemed to really bother him that I called
him a clown. “I don’t think you are a clown so much anymore.
And…it’s not so much that you’re not my type as it is that I’m just
not looking for a boyfriend right now. I’ve been working my whole
life to prepare myself for college. The last thing I need is to
find a guy who will start complicating my life.”
    “So, you don’t date?”
    “No, not really. There will come a time, when
I’m done with college and I’m working. Then I can start looking for
a man to let into my life.”
    He kind of laughed, more to himself. “You
know it doesn’t work like that, right?”
    “What doesn’t work like that?” I asked.
    “Well, it’s not like you just get to choose
when everything happens to you. I mean, your idea sounds good on
paper, but if you wait until you start your career before you start
dating, you could very well let the guy of your dreams slip through
your fingertips. You don’t get to choose when your true love shows
up.”
    “You’re assuming that every person has one
true love,” I said.
    “Well, I don’t know about the ‘one true love’
idea, but I’m not about to take a chance on losing the person I’m
meant for just because it doesn’t fit into my schedule. If someone
is interested in me, I’m going to at least get to know them.”
    “Well, you’re entitled to your opinion and
I’m entitled to mine.”
    “Just as well,” he said. “If a guy asks you
out, I’m telling them no.”
    I didn’t know what to say to that. That’s
really what I wanted, but it felt more like he was getting his way
there. “Can we just change the subject? I think this whole
situation is complicated enough without adding dating to the
mix.”
    “Sounds good to me,” he said.
    We went into Target and got a pre-paid phone,
added minutes and headed out. “Hand me my phone out of my purse,” I
said. He pulled it out and handed it to me. I programmed the new
number into my phone and handed it back to Jake. “Okay, I put the
pre-paid number in my phone under your name. If you get in a pinch,
call or text me.”
    Next up, Mike’s house.
    “Okay,” he said. “This is going to be a
little tricky. I am really close with Mike and his mother. They
know me really well and I know them really well. I knock, and then
walk right into their house.”
    “How am I supposed to do that?” I asked with
a little bit of panic in my voice.
    “Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it. You
are going to act like you are in a hurry and can’t stay to
talk.”
    We got into the car and headed toward what I
assumed was Mike’s house. “So, when you get there, go to the door,
rap three quick knocks on the door and open it. You will probably
see Mike’s mother in the main family room. His house is sort of
like mine, but the front area is more open. So, as you walk in, it
is one big room. That’s where you will see his mom. Her name is
Diana. When you see her, say ‘Hi Diana’ and keep walking forward
toward the hall on the right. Tell her you just came to pick up
your homework from yesterday. If she’s dressed tell her she looks
nice.”
    “Wait,” I said, “you mean she might not be
dressed?”
    “No, she’ll be dressed, but she might be in
her pajamas. She knows me well enough that it doesn’t bother her if
I see her in her pajamas. They’re not revealing.”
    “Okay, so knock three times, open the door,
say hi to Nancy,”
    “Diana!”
    “Right,” I corrected, “Diana. Tell her she
looks nice if she is dressed, and continue walking forward toward
the hall on the right. What next?”
    “If she says anything more, tell her a friend
drove you over here and you don’t want to keep them waiting. Then
make a right down the hall and make your first right. That is
Mike’s room. Just barge in. That’s what he does to me, and that’s
what I do to him. I