Lend Me Your Heart

Six

On Thursday night, I was surprised to walk into the cafeteria and see Zach sitting with my friends, rather than with the football team. He had dirt smeared across his face and uniform, but he was actually smiling. I know this might sound cheesy, but when I found him like that my stomach warmed up a little and I smiled too. After filling my plate with egg noodles and broccoli, I walked over to my usual table, which now included Zach. I made eye contact with Matt before I said down, who gave me a look like I’d done something amazing, and I knew he meant Zach.

“Yeah, but they were only down by, what, thirteen points?” Zach said, clearly in the middle of a football conversation with Joey, who sat across from us.

“Still. Brady could’ve definitely carried it all the way through. It’s not like the other guy even had a chance.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

That must’ve been the end of their conversation, because he turned to me and smiled so big he showed his teeth. I’d never, ever seen him smile that big before. I felt dizzy staring back at him.

“Hi gorgeous,” he whispered low enough so nobody else heard, the corners of his eyes crinkling adorably. I could’ve fainted, but I tried hard not to and smiled dreamily back up at him.

“Hi handsome,” I said, returning the complement, my face flushing.

“Guess what?” he said, his voice still soft enough that everyone else could carry on with their separate conversations.

“What?” I asked eagerly, tilting my head to the side.

“I’m taking you out tomorrow night. My treat,” he said.

I stared incredulously at him, wondering where this new boy came from. “Who are you and what have you done with Zachary O’Connor?” I joked.

“I’m better than the old Zach,” he smirked.

“This is so exciting!” I beamed. “Where are we going?”

“Dover. It’s about thirty minutes away, but I made us reservations at a hotel restaurant. It’s supposed to be really good.”

I bit my lip, fighting the urge to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him right there, in front of everyone. I stared at him in disbelief, my eyes sparkling. “Why?” I breathed in astonishment.

“Why?” he chuckled. “Because I want to do something nice for you. I like you and I want to know more about you, so I thought a date was be a nice idea.”

My stomach lurched with excitement when he called it a ‘date’. I smiled so big I must’ve looked crazy and threw my arms around Zach’s neck. “That’s the nicest thing anybody’s ever done for me,” I said. “Thank you so much.”

He breathed a sigh of relief once I hugged him and relaxed a little. I hadn’t realized how nervous he was. “You’re welcome,” he said with a smile, showing his teeth again.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Erica in a bright pink tank top, yoga pants, and huge, fury boots. “May I please speak to Zach?” she sneered. “Alone.”

I raised an eyebrow and looked at Zach, who shrugged. “That depends on what you mean by ‘alone’,” Zach told her.

“Just let me sit in your goddamn seat, little bitch,” Erica hissed, making me stand up and stagger towards a different seat. Nobody had ever called me a bitch before, and I didn’t even know why she was so mad at me. What did I ever do to her?

I looked intently at Erica as she whispered something in Zach’s ear, making me very curious. Suddenly, her words from my first day came back into my mind: “That’s odd,” she said, “He’s usually so nice to everyone. I mean, he’s always been nice to me. Maybe he just doesn’t like you.” My heart started to beat faster, wondering what she could possibly be saying to Zach. Was it something about me?