Winging It Read Online Free

times had I been here, usually in the passenger seat with one of my parents behind the wheel, picking Nat up for hockey or whatever else we’d done together?
    And Nat was always waiting in that same spot by the door. Her mom was a social worker and got called out at a lot of weird hours, so she couldn’t do as much driving as the other parents had done. She’d gone way over the top in making it clear to Nat that she had to be super courteous and never inconvenience anyone kind enough to chauffeur her around.
    Now, Nat the Punctual jogged down the walkway between the tall piles of snow, pulled the car door open, and slid into her seat. “Been a while since I’ve been in this car,” she said. I was driving my mom’s old Corolla. “And I used to be in the backseat, usually.”
    I didn’t want to think about how our brains still ran along the same paths, so instead I said, “It’ll mean something a bit different now if you start talking about how much time you’ve spent in the backseat of my car.”
    She frowned, just for a second, and I honestly hoped she was realizing what a stupid idea all this was. Instead, she nodded as if confirming something to herself, then reached into her knapsack and pulled out a bundle that could only be the trophy, wrapped up in a couple plastic grocery bags. She shoved it toward me without looking in my direction.
    “You’re sure about this?” I asked, still hoping she’d back down.
    She nodded, keeping her gaze on her boots.
    “Okay.” And then I guess the devil sneaked out from wherever I usually kept him tied up. I took the trophy in my left hand and reached out for her with my right. She jerked a little when my hand wrapped around the back of her neck and turned to stare at me with big, round eyes. “We’re a couple now, right?” I tried to make it sound casual, as if my heart wasn’t thudding like just before taking a penalty shot. “So, don’t you think we should get comfortable with each other? Shouldn’t I get a good-morning kiss?”
    “There’s no one here to see!” she said, sounding young and kind of lost, and again I felt bad for half a second before remembering that this was all her idea and she was the one using me .
    “But you want it to look natural when there is someone, don’t you? I mean, if we’re doing this, we have to really go for it. Scott’s an asshole, but he’s not blind.”
    There was a moment when she looked totally vulnerable and unsure, but then that old West determination kicked in. “Right,” she said, and she jerked her head in what I guess was supposed to be a nod. “Okay.” A deep breath, and then she reached up and pushed my hand in tight against her neck again. “Like this?”
    I tried to pull my hand away, because, no, not like that. I wasn’t against the idea of kissing her. Not at all, I realized. But not like that.
    Of course, I’d forgotten who I was dealing with. Nat held on, gripping tight enough that I thought I might hurt her if I pulled away. And we sat frozen like that, staring at each other, both waiting for the other’s will to collapse.
    “You were right,” she said. “We need to make it look real. It shouldn’t look like our first kiss if someone sees us together.”
    “Well, technically you kissed me yesterday, so ‘first kiss’ is already off the table.”
    “Well, technically you kissed me in kindergarten. Like, constantly. You were the kissing bandit that year, remember?”
    I relaxed a little. “Not really. But my mom is happy to give me reminders when she thinks I need them.”
    “So yesterday was hardly our first kiss. You and me have history, buddy.”
    “Me and most of the girls in kindergarten that year, I guess.”
    “Some of the guys, too, I think. But none of them are here with you right now. Just you and me.”
    Nat couldn’t flirt. At least, I’d never seen her do it, and I wasn’t seeing her do it right then, either. She was just being honest. None of those other people were