For a moment during the summer, I didn't have to lie my way out of watching over Angie. We were on good terms after our walk that one day. Now, however, we're back to square one. I feed grandma a dozen excuses, and she buys every one. It's best to keep things distant between her and I.
I should just take back the fight, but I feel like I have something to prove. I want her to know that I don't have to care as much, and so my mouth clamps shut when she's near. I refuse to talk first, and besides she hasn't explained to me about her and Dan.
Instead of focusing on family drama, I put my energy into deciding on a location for the contest. I think that off guards are the best type of photos, but I'm debating on if I should do something more structured.
What would the judges want to see? It's hard not to get discouraged knowing that Ben's breathtaking work is currently being held on display. How can I top that?
I run some scenic views in my head, jotting them down into my notes. I haul today's school work in my arms, walking down the flooded hallway to my last period. Penny's already dressed out when I get to the locker room.
She's leaning against her locker, unmoving.
"Come on." I show her the time on my phone. "We'll be late."
She follows behind, taking the tiniest steps.
Matt saved our seats. He waves us over. She was absent for three days, which is very unlike her. She cares about her attendance almost as much as her clothes, and that's saying something.
Penny is in her own head, not bothering to look at anybody. Her foot won't stop tapping. AJ rubs her back soothingly, but her eyes stay to the waxed floor.
"You're still not feeling good?"
She shakes her head, giving a faint smile. "I just need some water."
He stands up, even though she insists on getting it herself.
"Sit tight." He walks to the vending machines outside, leaving the three of us to sit in a brief moment of silence.
"You okay?" Matt asks her.
The tapping stops. Her eyes flutter. "Yeah. You?" She finally lifts her head.
A confused smile widens his mouth. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
She shoots me a quick glance. "I thought that you weren't feeling well either?"
"You mean the day I was absent? I had the worst hangover," he says, sighing. "I'm okay though, Heather and I decided to just be friends."
She tilts her head.
"I heard," I say.
Their attention turns to me.
"I know homecoming must've sucked. Sorry, Matt." I'd been avoiding that conversation with him, because I figured that he didn't need any reminders.
He shrugs. "Eh, we ended on good terms, but thanks."
"So...that's why you skipped?" she asks.
"Yeah, why else?"
She hesitates, gnawing at her lip. "How wasted did you get?"
"I woke up with zero memory, hugging an empty bottle." He shakes his head. "That's the last time that I ever drink, I swear. It was never really my thing anyway."
Her voice perks ever so slightly. "Zero?"
"Zero."
For whatever reason, relief washes over her face. Her smile is finally genuine, yet his seems to falter at her excitement. I'm not sure what's up with them, but if it's important I'll hear about it soon enough.
"I'm with you. Drinking isn't as fun as people make it seem," she says.
AJ sits back down, handing her the water bottle. "There's that smile. I almost forgot that you had dimples."
She squirms when he plants quick kisses all over her face. Just like that, she's giggling and back to her bubbly self.
~
Matt's tight lipped smile is back all too soon, and I know the reason why. Heather was a great distraction, but with her out of the picture he's got nothing to numb his feelings.
A week has gone by, and one major thing has changed for me. Turns out that Dan switched out of our class after he and Ben talked. I don't know what was said, but I'm grateful.
I'm in art class with my pottery wheel on the lowest speed, lubricating my clay. I'm still trying to create the center of my pot while Ben is already shaping the walls of his. Brown clay cakes our hands, filling our nostrils with an earthy scent. This class always smells like something chemically intoxicating.
"You know what next week is, don't you?" Ben asks, as if I would forget my own birthday.
"The big seventeen. It feels weird to almost be an adult."
"You'll get used to it." He turned seventeen during the summer. "But, remember those play tickets that I promised you?"
"Yeah?" I smile, knowing where he's going with this.
"It's your birthday surprise." He shrugs. "Do you like it?"
He's like a kid who made something for their parents, hoping that they'll approve. It's sweet. Except this is a ticket to a play, and not some illegible scribbles on a paper.
"I love yo-it! I love it," I say, sputtering to save myself.
His brown eyes are wide with excitement. My face is on fire. Embarrassment isn't the word.
A smile sets on his lips when my words finally absorb. His clay caked hands cup my face as gives me a strong kiss, ignoring our teacher's protests. I imagine her round glasses sliding off of her pointed nose, hanging around her wrinkled neck.
"I love you too," he says, mumbling.
My heart still flutters from his touch. He apologizes to Ms. Fay, going back to shaping his clay.
I bring a hand to my cheek in a daze, feeling the wet clay from where his fingers lingered. A small smile creeps on my lips as I recall his words.
He loves me?