Page 37 of We Thought We Were Invincible
“You're such an old man.” I poked his side. “He wanted to see her again soon. That's cute.”
“Don't you guys have homework?” she asked.
“On it.” I jumped from the couch.
On the way to my room, I heard Colby say, “Since when does she do all her homework, let alone get excited about it?”
“Oh, hush, you,” Kat responded.
I shut my door and grabbed my laptop on my way to the bed. It wasn't due for another week, but suddenly, I couldn't wait to work on the creative writing project. I had so much to say, images flooding my mind, and I didn't want to lose any of it.
My phone dinged with a text.
Jamie:I heard the waves are good. You going?
I thought for a moment, glancing between my phone and my computer then to the surfboard in the corner of the room.
Me:Not this time. Working on our writing project.
His response was immediate.
Jamie:Me too. The waves will always be back.
* * *
Jumpingout of a plane together seemed to thaw whatever ice had existed between me and Jamie. When we saw each other in the halls at school, we grinned as if we had a secret no one else knew. Maybe we did. We knew how to fly.
After school, his soccer season continued as did my work schedule. When we weren't busy, we all hung out - Colby, Morgan, Jamie, Amelia, and the fifth wheel that was me. Sometimes Parker would join us or just convince me to leave the happy couples to their own devices and go out with her.
I sat in the stands with Jamie and Colby when Morgan and Amelia had soccer games. I hadn't spent so much time with my brother in years.
Sometimes I'd catch Jamie watching me. He'd smile when my gaze connected with his and heat flooded my face. Every. Single. Time. I didn't know what was wrong with me.
We turned our writing projects in on a Monday and it felt as if I was handing over a piece of myself. Mr.Chase's kind eyes met mine when I released my story into his care. His smile was supposed to put me at ease, but it did the opposite. While writing the story, I hadn't thought of anyone else reading it. It felt deeply personal.
I headed back to my desk, breathing deeply to keep myself from running and snatching back my words.
“I still can't believe you went skydiving for a project.” Morgan scooted her desk closer to mine. “Jamie must be very convincing.”
“It was my idea,” I said quietly, my eyes still focused on the stack of papers on Mr.Chase's desk.
Her eyes widened. “I bow to the queen.” She mock bowed, finally making me laugh.
“It wasn't a big deal.”
“Really?”
“Okay, it totally was.” I laughed. “What'd you and Matthew do, anyway?”
Her face scrunched up in disgust. “Ugh, we just went to the beach for like a second.”
“And you got a story out of that?”
“With some… embellishments.”
She wiggled her eyebrows, but I only looked away. I loved being friends with Morgan, but some days were hard. If Colby weren't my brother, I'd probably have been one of those kids they tormented throughout high school. I used to be friends with a few of them before shutting myself off. I knew what they went through. I wasn't strong enough to fight it.
If I was a better person, I'd tell Morgan that how she and her friends treated Matthew was crappy. Heck, the way they treated anyone outside their group sucked. Most of them still didn't talk to me. Only Morgan and occasionally Amelia. If Morgan wasn't dating Colby, would I just be another invisible to her?
