Access Denied (and other eighth grade error messages) (26 page)

JILLY AND I WERE COMING out of PacSun at the mall on Saturday. She was teasing me about whether we should shop or boy watch
when I saw a familiar ponytail across the mall.

“Omigod.” I pulled Jilly back into the store and hid behind a rack of jeans near the window. “Don’t move.”

Jilly looked at me. “Why are you whispering? Does he have super hearing?”

I looked at her. “How do you know it’s a ‘he’?”

“Duh.” She peered out between the size fours. “So, who do we really want to see even though we’re hiding?” She sucked in her
breath. “Omigod. Look at that guy.”

I moved a pair of jeans away from my face. Jeff Massey stood near a planter with two other guys. “Which one?” I said, hoping
my voice sounded casual.

“The hottie with the ponytail,” she said. “Who else?”

My heart pounded. No way was Jilly going to like someone I liked again. It just wasn’t going to happen. “What about Bus Boy?”

“I can still look,” Jilly said. “And man, I don’t want to take my eyes off that one.”

“Excuse me, ladies.”

We looked up. One of the sales people stood next to the jeans rack, looking down at us. “Did you need help with something?”

“Yeah,” Jilly said. “Can you get that guy’s phone number for us?”

“Jilly!” I smacked her on the arm as we stood up.

The sales clerk leaned to one side, glancing through the window toward Jeff. “Wow. I might get it, but I don’t think I’d be
handing it off to anyone else.”

Jilly nudged me and giggled as we moved toward the center of the store.

“Aren’t you two a little young for him?”

“He’s only thirty-five months older than me,” I blurted out. Then clapped a hand over my mouth.

“Say what?” Jilly’s eyes bored into mine.

“I think this is my cue to leave,” the sales clerk said. “Let me know if you need any help—with
clothes.
” She walked away before either of us could say anything.

Jilly was still staring at me.

“I, uh, see—”

“Well, if it isn’t Swift the Younger.”

Jilly and I turned toward the voice at the same time. Jeff Massey stood a few feet away, his arms across his chest. His muscles
bulged and I felt that tingle again.

“Uh, hi, Jeff.”

Jilly elbowed me.

“Oh. This is my friend, um—”

“Jillian Hennessey,” Jilly interrupted. “I’m Swift the Younger’s best friend.”

“Nice,” Jeff said. He thumbed over his shoulder. “Roy and Brandon.”

We exchanged hi’s. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t sound stupid or immature. But
if I didn’t say something, Jilly would and then he’d fall in love with her and she’d be taking away someone else I liked,
even though she had Bus Boy and wouldn’t go out with Jeff.

“Hey, I got the Green Street Majority CD,” Jeff said to me. “Your bro said they were one of your finds.”

I smiled. “Yeah. I came across them online. Chris says they’re awesome in concert.” I cringed. Why did I say that? Now he’d
know I was a baby, too young to go to a rock concert.

Jilly stepped forward. “Erin is totally into the music scene,” she said. “She knows bands no one has even heard of.” I looked
at her in surprise. Jillian Gail Hennessey was bragging about me to the hottest guy in the entire world.

I laughed. “She’s exaggerating.”

Jeff smiled. “I have a feeling you’ve got good taste.”

I looked him right in the eye. “Oh, I do.” I was about to say more when Jilly grabbed my arm.

“Well, we’ve got to bust,” she said. I almost said,
We do?
but she shot me a warning look.

“See ya next time, Erin,” Jeff said.

“See ya,” I said as Jilly dragged me out the door.

When we were out of earshot, I turned to Jilly. “Why’d we leave?”

“Because they were about to,” she said. “It always best to take off first. Leaves them wanting more.” She steered me down
the mall. “But don’t think that gets you off the hook,” she said as we ducked into Seal. “You are in so much trouble. I can’t
believe you didn’t tell me about him. And what was that good taste thing?”

I groaned. “Was it too much? Was it too middle school?”

“It was perfect,” she said. “He ate it up. Now tell me what’s going on.”

“Nothing, unfortunately.” I told her how we met. “That’s why I didn’t say anything.”

“A hottie in your house that you have a major crush on?” Jilly said. “Who listened to your music advice through your brother?
Erin, this is News with a capital N.”

“Okay, okay,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “Man, if I wasn’t so in love with Jon…” She smiled at me. “But I am and this guy is yours. You saw him
first.” She furrowed her brow. “I wonder if he’s seeing anyone.”

“Probably,” I said. Who was I kidding? I didn’t have a chance. Even if I was in high school, I could never go out with a guy
like Jeff.

“We’ll find out his status,” she said. “But first, I need to try on some jeans.”

It took Jilly exactly three hours to find out where Jeff lived, that he’d had at least one serious girlfriend back in North
Carolina and had gone out with two girls since he’d been here—one a senior who was a cheerleader. He also liked grits, hated
chocolate (who hates chocolate?), and was obsessed with the homemade burritos you could buy outside the Broncos games.

“You didn’t find out boxers or briefs?” I teased as we sat on her bed. I had no idea who she’d talked to to get all this information,
and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

Jilly laughed. “No, but I probably could.”

“I don’t want to know,” I said, putting my hand up.

Jilly rolled over on her stomach. “Well, it sure doesn’t sound like he’s going out with anyone right now.”

“That doesn’t mean he’ll go out with me.” Why were we even having this conversation? As if my parents would let me go out
with anyone for real yet, let alone a junior in high school.

“You never know,” Jilly said, propping herself up on her elbow so she could look me in the eye. “But even if he doesn’t, it’s
still fun to be talking about it. You know, imagining what it would be like. Making things up until there’s something real
to talk about.”

I liked how she said “until,” like it was only a matter of time.

“Let’s make some things up,” I said, grinning.