“Sure,” Amber said and led the way to her favorite table.
“Why do you always sit at that table?” he asked.
“Do you have another you want to sit at?” Amber asked blushing.
“No, I usually sit upstairs in the armchairs,” Joshua said, “but here's fine.”
“Good, because this is my favorite table, because it's at the very center of all the books,” Amber said, setting her backpack down before taking her usual seat at the table.
She slid her fee
t out of her flip-flops and curled one leg under the other. Joshua sat down across from her and they both stared at the table for a moment. Amber's heart began to race again and her palms were sweaty. This reaction would have been normal, if Joshua Nelson had walked by recently, but not sitting here with the other Joshua.
“So what do you do besides read?” he asked.
“Go to school,” Amber laughed.
“I mean besides what the government and your parents force you to do,” he chuckled.
“Umm. Read,” Amber laughed, “and hangout with Tamara.”
“Tamara? Isn't she the one with the crazy couponer for a Mom?” he asked.
“Yes, but Mrs. Page isn't crazy,” Amber said, “She's actually really freakin' nice.”
“Well, what do you and Tamara do, because I've never seen a novel in that girl's hands,” Joshua laughed.
“We shop, hang out at the mall, just chit-chatting really, and sometimes we watch movies, but I don't like them much,” Amber said, “What about you?”
“Video games, the internet, and guitar,” he said.
“Guitar?” Amber asked.
“Yeah, I started playing last year. I'm decent at it, I guess,” Joshua shrugged.
“You have to play for me sometime,” Amber said.
“Okay,” Joshua chuckled, “We can go to my house now if you like.”
Amber blushed. She had never been invited to a guy's house. Her dad wouldn't like the idea, but she wanted to find out if this Joshua could really play the guitar.
“I better not,” Amber sighed, “I don't know when my dad's going to pick me up and if I'm not here when he gets here, I'm in for it.”
“Okay,” Joshua shrugged, “What about this weekend?”
“Can I get back to you on that tomorrow?” she asked.
“No,” Joshua laughed.
“That's rude!” Amber said.
“No, you can't get back to me tomorrow, because I won't be at school. My dad's opening another branch of his automotive store and I have to help him set up tomorrow and Thursday,” Joshua chuckled.
“Oh, okay,” Amber said, “I could text you.”
“I don't have a cellphone,” Joshua laughed.
“Really?” Amber asked.