Page 62 of We Thought We Were Invincible
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The buzzat school was the upcoming winter dance. It was always popular. I'd never been, and that didn't seem likely to change. Surprise surprise, I hadn't been asked. Morgan and I had talked about getting ready together and then going as a group, but that didn't seem likely to happen anymore. Not that I cared. I didn't, I swear.
It's not like Jamie and I could go together, especially since I'd now reverted back to my old status. We'd only seen each other at school over the past week. He'd give me a nod and a heart-stopping smile, but then move on. Last weekend was soccer championships, taking up every second of his time. I'd had to cover Colby's shifts at the diner - not that I minded. It gave me something to keep my mind occupied. We were getting busier with the return of snowbirds.
Maybe that's what I'd do this weekend. Work. Who needs school dances anyway? Bad music. Spiked punch. Sitting around waiting to be asked to dance. Let's face it, I was one of those girls.
Friday came. The day of the dance. Morgan hadn't spoken to me since the party the week before so I wasn't surprised to find my usual seat occupied.
Mr.Chase walked in jovially, dropping a pile of papers onto his desk with a thud. His accent reverberated around the room.
“Good morning ladies and gents.” He grinned. “Winter break is almost upon us. You only have one week left of my class before exams unless you've decided to take creative writing two, which I hope you have. We will be delving into nonfiction and how to add your own style to it. But today, we have lots of work to do. Our prompt will take most of class, so we only have time to read excerpts from two of our fiction stories. Callie, you and Jamie are up. I've chosen the action sequences to read so we can see your differences.”
He pulled our stories off the top of the stack and flipped the page, choosing mine first. I buried my face in my hands, not wanting anyone to see my reddening cheeks as the blood pulsed in my ears.
He started reading, and it was a while before I could bring myself to listen. “… Cara decided it was now or never. The moment of truth. She sucked in a breath, blowing it out as she stepped out over blue skies. Arching her back upwards toward the clouds, she felt the world holding her up at the same time it was trying to drag her down…”
He read a few more paragraphs before placing the pages on the desk and looking to Jamie's. I sat forward in my chair, anxious and curious.
“This wasn't his idea and Jim wasn't so sure about it anymore. He was afraid. Her brown hair disappeared out the door and his gut clenched. There was no turning back. She went through with it so now he had no choice.”
I chuckled as Mr.Chase read. Of course that'd be Jamie's reasoning. I thought back on that day that seemed like a lifetime ago. It was not long before he supposedly cheated on Amelia. Did I have a right to care about that?
I got home from school to find Colby sitting on my bed, flipping through my photo albums. He'd been down all week, even after scoring two goals in the finals. The team had lost, but his future college had been impressed.
“Hey brother.” I sat next to him, looking over his shoulder at the image of Mom.
“I haven't looked at these in years.”
I didn't know what to say to that.
“Think she'd be proud of us?” he asked, closing the album and turning to me.
“Of you?” I snorted. “Duh.”
He smiled at that, bumping his shoulder into mine. “Yeah, but I'm not fearless like you.”
I couldn't help it. I snorted again.
“Really. You are. At least this year. You've changed, sis. I don't think anything could break you.”
Shows what he knew.
I shrugged. “You just aren't used to being the one who is hurt.”
“Is this what I do to people?” he asked.
“Worse because us girls take things harder and you don't exactly have the best track record.”
“I like that you're mean.” He grinned.
“I like that you're a doofus.”
He stood and brought me with him. “Come on. Kat's probably waiting for us at the diner.”
She wasn't, in fact, waiting for us. We were on the schedule, but the place was slow since the dinner rush hadn't hit yet. Kat was leaning up against the counter, talking closely with Mr.Chase.
They both straightened up when they saw us. “Hey kids,” Kat said.
