Bradley knew Emma was lying to him, but he did not know why. “So tell me what she said again.”

Emma sighed. “I already told you. She has no feelings for you. The new hot girl thinks you’re a dweeb.”

“A dweeb?! Me? C’mon. All the girls think I’m hot stuff.” Bradley flexed. He knew his false bravado usually worked to get her to talk.

Emma rolled her eyes, then smacked him hard on the shoulder. “No. All the girls think you’re a dweeb.”

He was not expecting the hard right. “Ow!” Although he should have.

“Serves you right mister braggy pants.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

Bradley just smiled as he kept rubbing his shoulder.

“Okay. She thinks I’m a dweeb. Just like you and all the rest of the girls. So it must be true.”

Emma blushed. Then she hit him again on the same shoulder. Just as he stopped rubbing it.

He changed the subject. “So how long have we been best friends?”

Emma looked into the sky. He knew she was stalling, but he could not figure out why.

“Since we were five. Kindergarten.”

“Right. So you’d tell me if some girl I thought I might like liked me, right?”

She paused. “Yeah. I guess so.” He wondered why she had paused so long. Then he thought he figured it out.

“You know…” Bradley wondered aloud. “My dad and mom say all the time that they’re glad they’re married to their best friend. They even say that they might not have started out to be soul mates, but they are now.”

“Yeah. So?”

“Well, I was just thinking that we’re best friends.” He paused.

“And?”

“And… maybe we’re soul mates.”

Emma scoffed. “Yeah right. As if.” She rolled her eyes.

Bradley smiled. “I know you’re lying to me. You think we might be soul mates too..”

She blushed as if to confirm his statement. “No. I am not lying. You stupid jerk.”

“Right… And how do I know you’re not lying to me?”

Emma looked him right in the eye. “Because nobody finds their soul mate when they’re eleven, Bradley!”

Bradley smiled. “You might be right.” He looked Emma right in the eye. “But you don’t mind if I keep my eye on you until we’re old enough to decide for real, do you?”

Emma blushed. Then she slugged him one more time.

Bradley smiled as he rubbed his shoulder again. It was all the answer he needed.