Landry in Like by Krysten Lindsay Hager Page B

wrote back that was even better because we could get together on a week night. Then he asked if I was free to meet tomorrow. Wow, I hadn’t expected him to want to hang out quite so soon. I asked Mom, and it seemed like she did the same weird swallowing thing I did because she choked on her tea.
    â€œOh, I guess. I can’t take you until after five though, and I don’t want you driving with high school boys,” she said.
    â€œI could see if we could meet at the smaller library that’s near Hillcrest. I can walk to that one from school.”
    She frowned. “I don’t want you walking alone from there.”
    â€œI could see if his friend would drop him off at my school and we could walk together.”
    â€œOh, I’m hating this idea more. You and him unaccompanied with no adult supervision, and I have no way of knowing if you will go to the library at all,” she said.
    â€œWhat if I text you a picture of me standing in front of the library?”
    She shook her head.
    â€œMom, you promised. Don’t you trust me?”
    â€œI guess the only way to know is to let you go and do this. However, you need to realize if you disobey me at all on this then the trust will be gone and I will never let you do anything like this again.”
    I nodded. “I know.”
    â€œLandry, it’s easy to get talked into things — even things that don’t seem so bad — by older kids and boys, so you have to be able to set boundaries and say no.”
    I promised I would follow her rules.
    â€œThis will be a huge test for us. I’m counting on you. And I might take off work early to come spy, just so you know.”
    I texted Vladi that my mom was on the fence about it and had a bunch of rules. I think there was a little part of me that was hoping he’d say forget it, but instead he asked if he could call me. He rang me a second later.
    â€œSo what are these rules?” he asked.
    I told him about the whole distance to the library thing.
    â€œSteve could drop me off at your school.”
    â€œOkay, but we have to walk there. Mom would kill me if I got in the car with Steve.”
    â€œDoes she know you’ve driven with him before?” he asked.
    â€œNot quite.”
    â€œAh, okay. All right, we walk from Hillcrest to the library then.”
    â€œAnd we have to stay in the teen section or else she’ll have, like, nine cows or something. And she’ll know if I step one toe out of that section. Don’t ask how. She’ll just know.”
    He laughed. “That’s my mom right there, too. She knows stuff she wasn’t there for and couldn’t possibly be aware of, but somehow she just knows.”
    â€œIs this going to be completely lame, or are you okay with it?”
    â€œIf I get to see you, then it’s cool. To be honest, when Kendall said she was bringing her friends along, I was not looking forward to it. I hate being around those girls. She’s cool, but some of her friends are, like, drama central. So this will be better and plus, we can talk and stuff. There’s a coffee shop in the library on the main floor. It’s not near the teen section, but could you ask your mom if that would be okay?”
    â€œHang on. I’ll check.”
    I ran into the living room and told my mom about the coffee shop.
    She stared into space.
    â€œWhat? Yes or no?” I asked.
    â€œI’m thinking… well, it’s not in the teen area, but it’s small so nothing could happen there. I guess that whole library isn’t all that big so… okay, you can leave the teen area.”
    I told Vladi she was fine with it.
    â€œCool. Okay, so I’ll see you tomorrow after school then. Can we meet by the city bus stop that’s on the end of the street by your school?”
    We got off the phone and then it hit me. Vladi was going to see me in my stupid Hillcrest uniform, and it was too late to borrow one of