Not Today, But Someday(39)

“Who wouldn’t be?” the other girl says. “He’s huge!”

“And I taught him everything he knows,” Misty brags. “Are you gonna see him again?”

“I hope. He didn’t come to school today, though. Maybe I wore him out,” she says with a laugh.

“Doubtful,” Misty says. “He’s insatiable.”

I sit down on the bench to put my shoes back on, all the air in my lungs rushing to get out. Did he sleep with that girl? He didn’t even mention he was interested in anyone. There’s no way he slept with her. I glance at both of the girls once more, watching the one who’s not Misty as she alternates between smacking her gum and applying lipstick. Her ratty blonde hair makes her look a little slutty. But I don’t think he’s like that.

I take a deep breath, feeling certain it’s just a coincidence. When I put my watch on, I realize the bell must have rung already, signaling the end of class. I grab my backpack and slam my locker door, walking quickly past the girls, keeping my eyes averted.

Running through the halls after the final bell, I find my brother at his locker. “Hey, I need a ride home after all. He wasn’t here.”

“See? Already he’s completely unreliable,” Chris comments, arranging some books in his locker.

“Or, he’s sick,” I defend my friend.

“Already making excuses for him.”

“Shut up,” I say with a slight laugh. I still hear the two girls in my head, and it still bothers me. “You have homework?” I ask him in an effort to get my mind off of him.

“Physics and Chemistry,” he says, shutting his locker and heading toward the exit. “They like homework here.”

“That’s what you get for taking all the advanced classes. If you weren’t such an overachiever, you’d have some free time, like I do.”

“You should apply yourself more,” he says.

“The way I see it, I’m just right. You’re the brain, Jen’s the partier... and I’m somewhere in the middle. We all have our place.” I smile up at him as he shakes his head in disapproval of my answer.

“Need me to take you to the prop shop?” he asks as we enter the parking lot gates.

“I don’t know,” I answer. “I can probably just throw some stuff together. I was really going to help him find things.” Really, I’d asked him to take me so we could have some time together. I like spending time with him. He makes me feel normal. He makes me feel happy.

An obnoxious dark-green sports car revs its engine beside me as Chris tries to say something. I try to outpace it, but the driver is keeping up with me. I glare at him to show my general disapproval.

“Hey,” Nate says, rolling down the window all the way.

“Hey,” I return, curious. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought we were going to the costume place. Wasn’t that today?”

“You weren’t here,” I shrug. “I figured you were sick.”

“Is that your car?” Chris asks him. Nate simply nods. “That’s a 355, right?”

“Yeah,” Nate says, this time with a proud grin.

“You have no idea how much I’d love to drive one of those someday.”

“Probably as much as I did before I got it,” Nate says. “It’s amazing.”

“I bet.”

“We’ll go for a spin sometime,” Nate offers. “But I promised your sister a ride to the city first. Maybe this weekend?”

“Should I tell him now you vetoed him?” I whisper to Chris. “Or wait until after the weekend?”

He laughs a little. “That would be awesome,” my brother says. “If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

“So, I guess I don’t need a ride after all,” I tell him, snapping in front of his face to get his attention. “Tell Mom I’ll be home later?”

“Yeah,” he says. “Wear your seatbelt,” he mumbles to me. “That thing can go fast.”

“I will.” I walk around to the passenger side and get in.

“We’ll see you later,” Nate says to my brother.

“Hey, uh,” he says. “Be careful, she’s my little sister.”

“I’ll drive the speed limit,” Nate says. “Scout’s honor.” He revs the engine once more, now looking at me. “Seatbelt?”

“Right. How fast can this thing go?” I pull the belt over my lap and buckle it.

“One-eighty?” he says. “Although I doubt I’ll ever be able to prove that.”

“Not with me in the car,” I tell him. “One-twenty’s my limit.”

“Oh, is it?” he laughs, pulling out of the lot. “In your brother’s Pontiac?”

I glare at him, noting the cute smile on his face. Once we’re on the road, I’m surprised at how quiet the car actually is. Nate’s listening to Nirvana, marking time with his index finger on the gearshift. “Tell me about last night,” he says, turning the volume down.

“You got that message?”

“Yeah, but it was too late to call. I thought about it, but I didn’t want to wake your mom.”