Curvy Girls Can’t Date Soldiers by Kelsie Stelting

Twenty-Three

Nadira

We got backto the house and walked inside, joking about the waiter who’d bet Dad he could speak in a British accent for the rest of our meal at La Belle. (The waiter had won, and Dad was out twenty bucks.) Once my emotions had calmed, I’d actually had a really good time.

“In here!” Mom called from their room on the main level.

We walked over that way to find her folding clothes on their king-sized bed. (Dad needed that big of a bed so his feet didn’t hang over the edge.) She smiled up at us and asked, “How was dinner?”

“Ask Dad how he lost twenty bucks.”

He put his arms around my shoulders and rubbed his hand in my hair.

“Hey!” I cried, beating at his arm. “That’s not very chivalrous!”

He let me loose. “Date’s over—you got all the learning you’re going to get!”

Mom chuckled. “Sometimes I think I have four children instead of three.” She shook her head. “Did you have a good day, Dir?”

I nodded. “I’m actually expecting a call, so...”

Her eyes lit up. “Go ahead.”

I went up the stairs as fast as I dared. Apollo was supposed to be calling in less than ten minutes, and I didn’t want to sound out of breath when I answered. Unfortunately, I hadn’t accounted for him being as punctual as I was.

The phone rang five minutes before our eight o’clock time, and I took a deep breath before letting out a breathy, “Hello?”

“Hey,” he said. I could hear the smile in his voice.

“What’s up?” I asked, still out of breath. I decided to lie down on my bed. Surely a prone position would help in slowing my heart rate. (Although, hearing Apollo’s voice only sped it up again.)

“Just failed another assignment, no big deal,” he said with a slight laugh.

“What class was it this time?” I teased. “History of Rock and Roll?”

“I’ll have you know I took History of Rock and Roll last semester, and it was actually pretty interesting. I now know way more about AC/DC than I ever thought I would. My dad is very proud.”

I laughed. “I hope so.”

“It was human geography. Everyone presented their videos, and I’m pretty sure I’m the most awkward human alive. Now we’re learning about human migration patterns through U.S. history.”

“Like we’re geese or something,” I said.

“Exactly like that.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “If this is how your ‘easy’ classes are going, how will your engineering classes go next semester?”

He groaned. “Maybe I’ll be like Einstein. You know, fail my basic classes so they think I’m stupid, then just blow everyone else out of the water in calculus.”

“Did you just say what I thought you said?” I asked.

“What?”

“Well, I thought I just heard you compare yourself to one of the brightest minds in history.”

“Hey,” he said with a chuckle, “if the failing test grade fits.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be sure to tell my parents that next time I bring home a failing grade.”

“Be honest,” he said. “You’ve never brought home a failing test grade.”

“I have!” I argued.

“When? In seventh grade?”

My cheeks got hot. “Sixth,” I mumbled.

“What was that?”

“Sixth, okay? And it was so mortifying I never did it again. Besides—I still maintain that English teacher was grading unfairly.”

His laugh tickled my insides with butterfly wings. “Stubborn.”

The word struck my heart. That was what he said he wanted, right? A stubborn girl? I shoved the thought down, lest I get lost in fantasies and forget reality.

“You know what I want to know?” I said. “I want to know what you do besides school and ROTC.”

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” he deadpanned.

“Classified information, soldier?”

“Mostly embarrassing.”

“Now I’m intrigued.” I played with the edge of my comforter, weaving the seam between my fingers. Downstairs, I could hear my brothers arguing over video games and the quiet hum of my parents’ voices in their room.

“I play bingo,” he mumbled.

I let out a laugh. That was the last thing I’d expected him to say. “You do what?”

“I have a great aunt who lives in a retirement home here. All of her family’s moved away and any Banks who attends Brentwood U goes to see her. That’s the deal.”

“That’s the deal?” I echoed.

“Yes. My brother did before he graduated. A few cousins have done it, and well, now it’s my turn. At this point, it’s a family tradition.”

The thought of Apollo, this ex-football player and future soldier passing his free time playing bingo with his great aunt brought a smile to my lips.

“What?” he asked. “Does that ruin my street cred?”

I bit my lip. “I actually think it’s pretty sweet.”

There was a small moment of silence before he said, “What about the famous future aerospace engineer? Do you just pass your time doing math calculations and blowing everyone away with your brilliance?”

I snorted. “The luxurious life of a Mathlete.”

“Really,” he said. “I want to know.”

I rolled over on my bed, propping myself up on my elbows. “Not much. I watch my brothers’ games. I go to school. I hang out with my friends.”

“What do you and your friends usually do when you’re together?” he asked.

“Lots of different things... eat Mexican food, lie on the beach, watch basketball games, go to dance competitions, plot payback on bullies and then fall in love with them.”

“Wait, I have to hear about this.” I heard the creak of springs and wondered if that was the sound his mattress made as he lay back on it. It made the conversation feel more intimate somehow.

“Well, it all started last semester...” I launched into the story, telling him about Ryker and what a jerk he’d been before Cori put him in his place.

“Remind me never to cross you or your friends,” he said with a laugh. In the background, I heard a door close. Apollo said, “Hang on a sec.”

I waited as the phone line went silent. I wondered if Josh had walked into his room. I felt a little guilty for turning him down, but it was for the best to break it off before we got too involved in a relationship that would never work.

He came back on the line and said, “I may need you to help me plot revenge on some girl.”

I sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”

“Josh said that girl turned him down. He’s pretty disappointed.”

“Oh,” I breathed.

“She said she was breaking it off because she’s leaving for college. That’s not until August. Why turn someone down before you even know how it’s going to go?” Apollo said. “Why not at least give it a shot?”

My voice was small. “Maybe she thought it was for his own good.”

“He can decide that too.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I made up an excuse to get off the phone and said goodnight. Apollo made a good point.

Which got my thinking... Was it his choice to decide whether or not he thought the real me was ugly?

I didn’t know, but I also wasn’t ready to find out. The odds of anything working out were looking bleaker and bleaker day by day.