Chasing Spring(53)

The two of them bee-lined for her car in the parking lot. I stood frozen as she reached up to give him a hug before rounding the car toward the driver’s side. My stomach twisted into a knot I was helpless to untangle. I blinked, trying to clear away the scene as they pulled out of the parking lot, wondering if my mind was playing a trick on me. Chase was leaving school with Kimberly. Why? Why would he do that? Had Kimberly told him what I’d said earlier?

My mother always told me to be careful what I wished for, and in that moment I realized how truthful her words were. I should have been more careful about airing my doubts. The universe had listened and acted much faster than I’d even thought possible.

I didn’t have the golden boy any more.

A clap of thunder jostled me back to the present and I knew I needed to get a move on if I wanted to make it home before the rain started. I reached around to pull my phone out of the front pocket of my backpack and felt betrayal melt through me. There wasn't a missed call or a text message waiting to be read. The blank screen sealed my fate: Chase had left school with Kimberly and I would be walking home alone. I tucked my phone back into the front pocket of my backpack and turned to start my walk home as the first few raindrops started to fall like splatters of paint on the sidewalk.

Just perfect.

By the time I reached the front gate of the school, the rain was pouring harder than it had in years. The school’s buses had already left or I would have turned around and hopped on one. My dad was still working and I didn't want to bother him. My only choice was to continue walking.

I headed around the perimeter of the school with two backpacks weighing down my body and the idea of Chase and Kimberly together weighing down my mind.

I didn’t stop walking until I reached an old oak tree on Main Street. Its canopy was wide and hung low over the sidewalk. I huddled beneath it, hoping the storm would pass quickly. My clothes were soaked and each backpack had gained at least ten pounds of water weight. I dropped them to the dry ground beneath the tree and rolled my shoulders back to loosen the tension in them. The rain didn’t look like it would be letting up any time soon; I knew I'd have to just suck it up until I got home.

I checked my phone again, desperate for a text from Chase, but there was nothing. I bent down to retrieve the backpacks with a groan just as a familiar silver Camry pulled to a stop against the curb right in front of me. Behind the rain-splattered windows, I watched as Trent leaned over and turned the manual crank on the window.

I pushed my wet hair behind my ear and leaned down.

“What are you doing walking home in this?” he asked with a frown.

I looked from left to right, trying to think of a good excuse. I didn’t have one.

“It’s not that bad. I’m almost halfway,” I answered limply.

“Do you want a ride? It’s not going to let up any time soon.”

I looked past his car to the sidewalk covered in puddles and the rain hammering down around me. Truthfully, I'd never been so relieved to have a ride home in my life. I pulled open his passenger-side door and slid onto the seat. He reached over to shove aside a few CDs and crumpled receipts. His hand brushed my thigh and his eyes flew to mine.

“Sorry, I wasn't expecting passengers,” he said with a boyish smile that wasn't something I was used to seeing on him. His black hair was cropped shorter than I'd seen, making his handsome features far easier to discern. I fidgeted in my seat, placed the backpacks between my legs, and reached over to grab my seatbelt.

“Thanks for picking me up,” I said, surprised by the vulnerability in my tone.

“No problem. I usually hang out after school but I left today to beat the rain,” he gestured through the front windshield. “As you can see, I didn't do a very good job of that.”

I laughed, surprised by the lightness in my chest. This feels right. Easy.

“Do you want to go grab something to eat?” I asked.

The question was out before I'd decided whether or not it was a good idea, but I figured eating an early dinner with Trent beat sitting at home and wondering what Chase was doing with Kimberly.

Trent's eyebrows shot up and then he nodded once, slowly, processing my question. “Yes. Yeah, okay. I know a good place we can go.”

I sighed and looked out the window, soaking in the musty scent that clung to his car's upholstery. There was a small part of me that felt at home in Trent's car. Trent didn’t shine the way Chase did. No one would judge me for hanging out with him. We were on the same playing field: two misfits in a small town.





Chapter Fifty-Two


Lilah





Trent took me to a pizza joint off Main Street that was connected to an old arcade. It was the perfect place to wait out the storm as we filled our stomachs with warm cheese pizza and played Pac-Man until our thumbs were sore. The restaurant was empty save for a burly man behind the counter whose beard reached the top of his beer gut. I didn't mind him though; he flipped a switch on a few of the arcade games so that after Trent had spent twenty dollars, we could both keep playing for free.

I hadn't realized how much time we’d spent there until Trent pulled his phone out of his back pocket and offered a change of venue.

“There's a get-together over at Blake's house. Do you remember him?” he asked. I racked my brain until I recalled a guy that had graduated from our high school a few years earlier. He'd stayed in Blackwater even after graduation and I'd heard rumors that he was one of the guys supplying Trent and his friends with drugs. I chewed on my lip, trying to decide if it'd be a better idea if I just went home. It was fun hanging out with Trent for a little while, but we weren't really friends and I didn't want to regret getting stuck at a party with him.