All I Can't Resist by Kels Barnholdt Page B

I think my parents are totally disappointed when they compare me to her, like where did they go wrong or something. My mom always says things like, “Too bad you can’t be more like Kaitlin.” Or, “Well, I know if Kaitlin was in this situation…”
    “What’s his name?” Veronica asks, not taking her eyes away from the table the boys are sitting at.
    I frown. What is she crazy? Who cares what his name is?! If he sees me he’ll tell Kate, who will definitely tell my parents that I was in a bar. Don’t get me wrong, my sister and I are actually pretty close, but she’s definitely a straight-edge. She would not get why I was in a bar with Veronica on a Wednesday night. Especially because she isn’t the biggest fan of Veronica to begin with.
    “I’m not sure. Shawn, I think?”
    Veronica looks at me skeptically. “You think? Doesn’t seem like he’s really that good of friends with your sister if you don’t even know his name.”
    “Of course they’re good friends. Best friends even.” Which is kind of true. Well, I mean, technically I only saw him over the house one time. And I’m pretty sure he was only there because my sister was talking to this kid Mike from the basketball team who’s pretty good friends with Shawn. He didn’t even go to our school. He went to Eastern, which is the school in the town next to ours. Still, supposedly he’s this like amazing basketball player. They say he’s on track to get into the NBA draft like right out of high school, which is crazy. I’m almost sure this is part of the reason he’s such a jerk. You know the type, totally full of himself and sure that the world revolves around him.
    Veronica laughs and takes the jacket she’s wearing off to show off her dress a little more. Oh great, she’s getting comfortable.
    “Let’s go, please,” I try again.
    “If we get up now they’ll know it’s because of them.”
    “No they won’t,” I tell her. “How will they?”
    “Because,” she says, clenching their teeth, “here they come.”
    I glance over my shoulder and notice that Shawn and his friend are now walking directly toward us. Oh, for God’s sake. Can’t I catch a break?
    For a second I think maybe I can because they walk by us. And just as I’m about to exhale the breath I’ve been sucking in, Shawn stops and sits himself down right next to Veronica. His friend keeps walking through the bar into the restaurant, but not Shawn. He has to sit down right next to us.
    He reaches over the bar effortlessly and grabs an empty glass from the other side, placing it under the nearby tap and filling the glass to the rim. If the bartender seems concerned about the fact that a minor is now stealing alcohol from their establishment under his watch he doesn’t show it.
    Shawn takes a long swig from the glass and turns his attention to us. His features are dark. He has the type of skin tone girls spend hours in the sun trying to get. His eyes are a deep chocolate brown, with eyelashes surrounding them that you would swear he must curl. He’s wearing a hat, but I remember his hair being short and dark, with facial hair that suits him perfectly. He’s absolutely beautiful and he knows it. And not in a good kind of way.
    “You look like the girl from Casper,” he reports to Veronica firmly.
    Oh please. That’s his pick up line? You look like the girl from Casper? No way that works for him. And then I notice Veronica giggling and twirling her hair around her finger. Of course it works for him. He doesn’t have to be creative looking the way he does. As if to prove my point, right at that moment two girls walk in and giggle and stare as they pass by Shawn. If he notices them staring he doesn’t let on. Instead, I notice his eyes are on me.
    “You guys look familiar. Where would I have seen you before?”
    I fix my eyes on the numerous sports games that are taking place on screens around the bar and let Veronica take over. The last thing I need is Shawn