Page 10 of This Changes Everything

Rory Campbell called me Ellie. Rory Campbell only calls me Cainey. Why was Rory Campbell calling me Ellie, and why did he wink? A wink? He really did wink, right? Did I imagine that?

DUFF. DUFF. DUFF. DUFF. And DUFF.

I didn’t hit any of my balls. I hit the ground behind them, taking chunks out of the grass every time. All five balls rolled into the hedge at the front of the first tee box. Rory didn’t see a single shot and only knew my turn was over once another player was called. I came in last place—thirty-fifth, to be exact. I went and picked up one of my five duffed balls and put it in my pocket to bring it home with me. I wouldn’t be able to tape it to a diary, but I was certainly going to keep it, to remind myself that I was a piece of shit.

“The plan is the theater program at UCLA. I’m gonna get a yellow Jeep. I’ll wear a bright-blue Dodgers hat, like, every day.” I swung my club in the tall grass next to the sand trap, looking for my lost ball. “I’ll marry a celebrity, and every time I come back, I’ll have to get my dad to remind me what your name is because I won’t be able to keep all the normies straight. You’ll understand,” I teased.

“Oh, will I?” Rory took his trusty black hat off to readjust. The sporadic sunlight caught in his auburn streaks, making him look like the quintessential teenage heartthrob.

“That’s the plan.”

“Which celebrity are you marrying?” Rory played along with my game and trudged farther into the weeds to look for my ball.

“Elijah Wood,” I answered with absolute certainty.

“Is that the hobbit?” Rory smirked.

“Yes. And?” I popped my foot out and leaned on my club.

Watching Rory laugh always sent a shock wave through my system. I could see his dimple form, his eyes blaze. He would run his fingers through his curly hair or adjust his hat mid-laugh, and I would think, “That was because of me.”

The sky rumbled overhead.

“Alright, three questions each. Go.” I checked behind a random tree along the rough.

“Hmm . . .” Rory swung his club through the thick grass, smacking a log. “What’s your favorite movie? And what’s your favorite song?”

“Scream, and . . .” I had to think carefully about what to say for the song. Something older, and mature, maybe? Something unexpected and maybe even a little abstract or unpopular. The perfect answer would make me sound like I was cool, unique, and an interesting conversationalist with lots of provocative and sexy thoughts. “Maybe . . . anything by . . . I don’t know, the Beatles?”

“The Beatles? You hang out with your friends listening to the Beatles? I think you’ve been spending a little bit too much time with your dad. I don’t know your grandparents, but I’m guessing them, too.” His smile twitched, teasing me.

Goddamn it.

Instead of embarrassing me further, he dropped his gaze and then dropped a grenade. “I have some music that reminds me of you, you know.”

“You do?!” I said, louder than I meant to, scaring away a flock of birds. “What music?” I heard my voice go up an octave and told myself to chill out.

He shook his head and doubled back, checking to see if my ball was nestled by a rake in the sand trap. “Nope. I still have one more question.”

“What is it?”

Rory kept his back to me as he asked, “Do you have a boyfriend?”

My heart pounded through the top of my head. There may have been ringing in my ears. I may have been levitating. “Um.” I choked over my spit, then cleared my throat. So far, I was nailing this. “No. No boyfriend.”

Rory turned back to me, unfazed and unbothered. “Alright, your turn.”

I took a deep breath. “Um, okay . . . What’s your favorite movie? Do you have a girlfriend? And what song makes you think of me?” I think I died.

I could see Rory holding back his smile as he pressed his lips together. “Favorite movie will always be Terminator 2. No, I don’t have a girlfriend.” He flicked his eyes up to me very briefly and then flipped his hat around. “And the song ‘November Rain.’ You know it?”

“No.” But you better believe I was going to listen to that song on repeat every day for the rest of my life. Rory’s eyes hooked on to mine, and we both released small, shy smiles.

“Hurry up, ya freakin’ turtles!” Jacob bellowed from a hundred yards ahead of us, jolting us back to Earth. I looked up to the dark clouds that had seemingly come out of nowhere.

“It’s going to rain. It’s super warm, too. I bet there’s a storm.” Things were looking ominous. “Do I just forget the ball and walk?” I looked at Rory and knew he could see humiliation dripping from me. I slammed my club into the inside of my foot, mortified.

“No, don’t be stupid. I’ll give you a ball.”