Nanna immediately noticed my smile. "Must have been some party."
The light feeling inside me bubbled out as laughter. "It was." I replayed the evening for her, hesitantly including the part where Greg asked me for a date.
"You just met this boy last night?"
"No. I met him a couple months ago in the cafeteria. Then I ran into him again at the lake party last week." I opted not to mention that I'd gone with Greg for a ride on his Jet Ski. No way would Nanna like that. "So can I go out with him? He's not in the Clann."
She glanced at me with a frown. "Do you think that's wise? What with the changing, and all?"
My mood deflated a bit. Jeez, why couldn't they just let me forget and pretend for a while that I was normal? "Nanna, everything's totally under control." Or at least it had been for the past month.
She sighed. "Well, you are turning sixteen in a few months. I guess we can't keep you locked up forever."
"So is that a yes?"
"That's a very reluctant yes," she replied with a small smile. "But you have to promise to keep your phone with you at all times. And don't hesitate to call me or your parents if anything happens or you start to feel weird-"
"I know, I know." I shook my head. After weeks of no new developments, I seriously doubted I would suddenly get a mad craving for Greg's blood. And as for everything else weird about me, well, that really was under control.
All I had to do was remember not to make direct eye contact with Greg. Piece of cake.
What I wasn't so confident about was what I would wear for my first date.
CHAPTER 8
Savannah
I shouldn't have worried about my first date with Greg. Not only was he a total sweetie with the best manners I'd ever seen in a guy-opening doors for me, asking what movie I wanted to watch and where I wanted to eat afterward-but he didn't even get grabby at the end of the date, and only kissed me on the cheek at the door when he took me home.
The best part of the date was how much he made me laugh. I'd never realized before how little I laughed.
So when he asked if he could see me again, I said yes. And this time, I didn't hesitate.
And then somehow the summer just flew by. I didn't get to see my friends much, what with the church and science camps and family vacations that went on all summer, and the Charmers practices and fundraisers filling up my own schedule. Not to mention seeing Greg at least twice a week. In a lot of ways, he was even easier to talk to than they were. He had nothing against the Charmers, so he didn't mind that I was a manager for the dance team.
A detail I hadn't quite told my friends about yet.
I knew eventually I'd have to tell them. But I was waiting for the right time, or the right setting, or...something. Okay, the truth was I just didn't want to have to deal with their negative reactions about it until I absolutely had to. Just because they didn't like the dance team didn't mean I had to share their view.
I did tell them about Greg, though. They seemed mildly curious about him and wanted to meet him officially when school started back up.
By the time school began in mid-August, Greg and I had been dating for two and a half months. And I still hadn't told them I was a Charmers manager. Which was exactly what I was deep in thought about when I reached our usual table in the cafeteria for lunch only to find Greg already there waiting for me.
We hadn't really talked about who would sit where each day, so I was a little surprised and worried as he kissed my cheek. None of my friends had ever had a boyfriend sit with us. Probably because none of them had ever had a boyfriend, at least that I knew about. Would they be okay with Greg joining us today, or should he just say hi then go eat with his own friends?
"Oh, hi, Greg." I held my smile in place even as three pairs of curious eyes stared at us.
"Hey." He gave me a sweet grin, then turned toward my friends.
"Oh, right." Quickly I introduced everyone, appreciating how he made a point to say hi or hey to each girl. Michelle giggled her hello. Carrie gave a cool nod in response. Anne just stared at him with one eyebrow raised.
"So, listen, do you ladies mind if I sit with y'all today?" At their blank looks of shock, he held up both hands as if in surrender and added, "I swear I won't butt in every day of the week. Maybe just every other day, if that's all right with you?"
I expected Michelle to answer first. She liked everyone but the Brat Twins.
Instead, Anne was the one who said, "Sure, pull up a chair. I'm sure we jocks can all find something to talk about together. Right?"
Carrie laughed in agreement, and half the tension melted from my shoulders.
We all dropped our stuff at the table.
Then Greg turned to me. "Ready to grab some lunch?"
I nodded and walked beside Greg toward the lunch line in silence, feeling as if the whole cafeteria was staring at us the entire way. Even as a Charmers manager, I was still pretty much a nobody for the gossip mill, so it must be because of Greg.
We didn't say anything as we waited in line then chose our lunches. The great thing about hanging out with Greg was that, not only was he really easy to talk to, but he also didn't mind the occasional silence.
As we neared the cashier, he said, "I keep thinking it's because you're nervous around me, but I just realized...you're not like most girls, are you?"
My shoulders stiffened, my heartbeat instantly kicking into overdrive. "What do you mean?"
He shrugged. "Most girls would be talking nonstop by now."
The air eased out of my lungs. I forced a smile. "My grand mother says you learn more by listening."
"Uh-huh. And yet we've been dating for nearly three months now. So what's left to learn about me?"
It was my turn to shrug. "Does anyone ever fully know anyone else?"
His eyebrows shot up, but he didn't say anything. We paid for our lunches. Greg went first then waited for me to pay for mine. Once I had and we moved a few steps away, he smiled at me and said, "Well, when you figure out what else you want to know about me, just ask, okay?"
Too bad I couldn't be so open with him in return.
"Want me to grab you a soda?" he offered, jerking his head at the soda machines twenty yards away. "Orange, right?"
"Sure. Want me to take your lunch for you?"