Lend Me Your Heart

Four

“Yeah, there’s supposed to be some crazy party tonight at Mark Daly’s house,” Casey gushed at dinner on Friday night, and then she turned to me and explained. “He’s a day student.”

 My mouth formed into the shape of an understanding 'o'.

“Cass, don’t go to that stupid party. Who invited you anyway?” Matt asked Casey, suddenly defensive.

“Nick Howard,” she said, smiling dreamily up at the ceiling.

Nick was a senior who smoked way too much pot and drank way to much alcohol on campus without getting caught. Matt’s jaw clenched and he immediately stood up with his dinner plate, leaving the table without a word.

“What the hell was that?” I asked, utterly confused.

“I’m starting to think Matt has a thing for little Casey over here,” Joey said with a smirk. Casey blushed and looked down.

“No way! We’re just friends,” she said, looking back up at Joey. “Besides, I can do whatever I want. It’s my life and he can’t tell me what to do.”

“Are you guys going?” I asked Joey and Sarah. Sarah shook her head no, but Joey nodded.

“I kind of have to since I’m on the football team and everything,” he shrugged, which made me think. If the varsity football team were going, that meant Zach would be there, too. He had to go. Then again, did I really even want to see him after he made me cry a few nights ago? I didn’t know what it was about that boy, but his mysterious behavior drew me in. I wanted to know him; I wanted to help him. Nobody else seemed to think of him as an emotional wreck, just an angry boy on the football team, but I knew there was much more to him than that.

“Are you going?” Joey asked me.

“Depends,” I said. It depends on if somebody asks me to go, but even if I wasn’t asked, I’d probably end up tagging along anyway.

“How do you get to his house anyway?” I asked.

“You walk,” Joey shrugged, “It’s a little less than a mile.”

“Are you bringing anybody, Joey?” I asked.

“Nah,” he said. “I usually just go with my friends on the team.”

“Hmmm,” I mumbled aloud, playing with the tassels on the tablecloth, “Does everybody on the football team go without a date?”

“Well, people usually go as friends anyway. Not just the football team. You usually only ask people if you want to spend the whole night with them…if you know what I mean. So, I guess that’s why Matt got so angry when Cass said Nick asked her,” Joey explained. Casey’s face suddenly turned pale and she gulped in fear.

“Don’t worry, Casey,” Joey said. “I got your back if Nick tries anything on you.”

Well, if nobody asked me, then I guess it’s safe to say I’m going.

Joey offered to walk me to Mark’s house, since I didn’t know the way.

“Aren’t you going to miss walking with your friends on the team?” I asked as we walked out of my dorm.

“I’ll live,” he said. He was wearing his letterman jacket, something I’d never seen him wear before, and jeans.

“That jacket looks nice on you,” I complimented, making him blush slightly underneath the streetlamp.

“Thanks,” he said. “You look pretty cute yourself.”

I was wearing a white tank top tucked into a salmon colored, high-low skirt that flowed behind me when I walked, a brown belt, a jean jacket, and a long, brass necklace to top it all off. I had my hair down in loose curls and wore some light, natural colored makeup.