Night Road(21)

“Come on, Lexster,” Mia said from the doorway.

Lexi walked to the door with Jude, and then followed Mia out to the Mustang.

“One o’clock curfew,” Jude yelled from the doorway.

Zach didn’t seem to be listening. He walked on ahead to the Mustang, which was parked out front. He opened Lexi’s door but didn’t wait for her to get in. Instead, he walked around to the driver’s side.

When Mia and Tyler were settled in the backseat, Lexi took her place beside Zach. He started up the car and cranked on the music.

All the way to the high school, Mia and Tyler whispered together. Zach kept his eyes on the road. He seemed pissed off at Lexi, or at the fact that she was his date. She could hardly blame him. In the school lot, he parked close to the stairs, and the four of them merged into the colorful river of kids streaming into the gymnasium, which had been transformed into a tacky version of New Orleans, complete with streamers and fake moss. The Mardi Gras theme continued when they walked into the gym, where a chaperone handed them a handful of brightly colored bead necklaces.

The song playing was “Hella Good,” and the dance floor was overflowing.

They got their pictures taken first—each couple alone, then the girls, then Mia and Zach.

Lexi could see how stiff Zach was. Every girl in the senior class seemed to be watching them. No doubt Amanda had asked for a full report, and Zach wasn’t going to do anything to hurt his girlfriend’s feelings. He wouldn’t even look at Lexi.

Finally, he took her hand and led her out onto the dance floor. As they got there, the music changed, slowed down. He took her in his arms.

Lexi stared at his chest, tried to move with him and not step on his feet. Honestly, she had no idea how to dance, and she was so nervous, she couldn’t breathe. Finally, she looked up and found him staring down at her, his eyes unreadable. “I know you didn’t want to take me to the dance, Zach. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t know anything.”

“I’m sorry,” was all she could think of to say.

He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her through the crowd. She stumbled along behind him, trying to keep up, smiling at the people she pushed past so it didn’t seem weird that Zach was pulling her off the dance floor.

He kept going, past the punch bowl and the row of parent/teacher chaperones and through the big doors to the football field. There, everything was black and still. The stars overhead joined with a bright moon and set the goalposts aglow.

Zach finally stopped. “Why did you try to kiss me?”

“I didn’t. I lost my balance. It was stupid…” She sighed and looked up, immediately wishing she hadn’t.

“What if I wanted you to?”

“Don’t mess with me, Zach,” she said. Her voice cracked, betraying her. She knew his reputation. He probably said things like this all the time. He went through girlfriends like she went through lip gloss. “Please.”

“Can I kiss you, Lex?”

In her mind, she said no, but when Zach looked down at her, she shook her head, unable to find her voice.

“If you’re going to stop me,” he said, pulling her close, “this would be the time.”

And then he was kissing her and she was falling and flying, twisting into someone else, something else. When he finally drew back, he looked as pale and shaky as she felt, and she was glad of that, because she was crying.

Crying. What an idiot …

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No.”

“So, why are you crying?”

“I don’t know.”

“Zach!”

Lexi heard Mia’s voice and she lurched away from Zach, wiping the stupid tears from her eyes.

Mia ran up to them. “They’re crowning the homecoming king and queen. You better get in there.”

“I don’t give a shit about that. I’m talking to Lexi—”

“Go,” Mia said.

Zach looked at Lexi again, frowning; then he walked off, headed for the gymnasium.

“What were you two doing out here?” Mia asked.

Lexi started walking toward the gym. She didn’t dare look at her best friend. “He wanted to tell me something about the game tonight.” She forced a laugh. “You know me. I don’t know jack about football.” She winced. Another lie to her best friend. Who was she becoming?

It was the last time that night she and Zach were alone together until he walked her up to the front door of the mobile home, and even then, Mia was in the car, watching them.

At her door, Lexi had no idea what to say to him. Everything felt off balance; she was like some prey animal, frozen with fear, her senses acute. The kiss had rocked her world, but had it even made a ripple in his?

He stared down at her, his golden hair turned silver by the moonlight.

She wanted to scream say something but managed only a shaky smile. “Thanks for letting me be your sympathy date, Zach.”

“Don’t say that,” he said.

“Curfew,” Mia yelled from the car. “Mom will have a cow if we’re late.”

Zach leaned down, kissed Lexi’s cheek. It took all her effort not to respond, not to put her arms around him, but she just stood there, feeling his lips on her skin like a branding iron.

She stood there a long time, long after they’d left. Then, finally, she went into her house and turned off the lights.