The Shane Game

Chapter 11

      And that's exactly what he did. He cried about it for at least an hour. With no one to turn to that he could trust or that would understand, he completely broke down. He tried calling his mom to pick him up but she didn't answer.

     Someone knocked on Shane's door, startling him. He wiped a few tears, sat up straighter and tried to pretend he was fine.

       "Yeah?" he asked.

       "It's me, Heather," she said. "Can I come in?"

       "No!" Shane said.

       She opened the door anyway, "Look sweetie, I'm really sorry about what I said. I guess my hormones are all out of wack because of this pregnancy and I didn't mean to say that. It was in the heat of the moment and I said that out of anger. It's not true at all and I know we kind of started off on the wrong foot but I'd like to try again."

      Shane knew she probably didn't mean it and was just saying this so Shane wouldn't tell his dad. Not that his dad would believe him if he told him anyway. But what was Shane supposed to say to Heather? If he didn't forgive her, she'd just call his dad and tell on him as if they're in second grade. And Shane knew he'd be in more trouble after that.

       "I'm sorry I sent your girlfriend home-" Heather started.

       "She's not my girlfriend," Shane interrupted.

     "-but I just didn't know what to do. I was shocked she actually had the nerve to do that.”

     “It doesn’t affect you, you don’t have to worry about who I hang out with,” Shane rolled his eyes.

     “Well when I find these in your dresser, I do worry,” she held up a condom packet.

      “Heather, don’t go through my shit!” Shane took it back and put it back in his drawer embarrassed, wondering if she’d told his father.

    “You’re fifteen Shane, you shouldn’t be having sex with older girls,” she said.

    “I didn’t bang her!” he said honestly. He didn’t have to say he was planning to.

       “You shouldn’t be doing it with any girls yet, Shane.”

      “I’m not!” he lied.

    “Yeah, alright,” she didn’t believe him. “I don’t care what you do, I just don’t want anything to happen and I just don't think she's the kind of girl you should be hanging out with. Not to say you shouldn't hang out with any girls though, so what do you say you come to the town pool with me, Corinne, and her friend and I can help you find a new girl there?" Heather finished.

    Shane sat there with a blank expression on his face. He hated Heather. She ruined so much for him and it was unforgivable. She couldn't change that quickly. And that's when he realized, he was Savannah's Heather. Ruining so much and then trying to be nice. Shane couldn't tell if Heather was being sincere or not, but if he expected Savannah to give him a chance, then he should give Heather one too.

    "Fine," Shane said, still a little unsure if he wanted to be seen in public with her.

    Heather smiled, "Go get changed."

    Corinne and her friend ditched Shane and Heather as soon as they got there to hang out with some guys they went to school with. Heather laid their stuff out on some chairs and took off her cover up, exposing her five month pregnant belly. Shane silently prayed that no one from school would see them because then he'd have to reveal who Heather actually is.

    "Alright, we're on the hunt," Heather laid down and put on her sunglasses.  “Hmm, she's cute!" She pointed to a petite brunette in a white bikini that made her skin look even more tan.

     "She's like, twelve," Shane said.

   "Alright well, what about that girl?" Heather whispered as another girl walked by.

    "Are you sure that's a girl?" Shane asked. Heather laughed and got up to go in the pool. Shane followed and they just talked a little about school and football and other things when Heather interrupted.

     "Shane, that girl's perfect!" she pointed to the lifeguard.

   Shane's face dropped as his heart pounded, "That's my ex-girlfriend... Savannah."

~~~~~~~~~~~

As if seeing Shane at the pool wasn't bad enough for Savannah, she could see from her chair that at the entrance of the gate was Ava Rivers coming in with a few of her obnoxious cheerleading friends. Although she was over what Ava had done, she still had a little disliking towards her that she wasn't sure would go away. 

"Speaking of ex-girlfriends," Savannah heard Shane's pregnant friend who she soon realized was his father's fiancé say to him, referring to Ava. 

"How did you know she's my ex-girlfriend too?" Shane asked in shock. Shane remembered when Ava mentioned Heather, but he didn't realize they actually knew each other personally.

        "She came in to Hooter's one day with a bunch of guys and I realized that she was wearing a cheerleading jacket with your school's name on it. I told her my boyfriend's son went there too and when she asked who and I said your name, she got this look on her face and I could tell it wasn't a good one. So I was like, ‘Do you know him?’ and she got all sad and told me you just broke up with her the week before," Heather said.

        "And you still remembered her after all this time?" Shane asked.

      "She comes in every other week with a new guy and I started to get to know her," Heather explained. "Hey, Ava!" Heather called out.

        Ava looked over, "Oh, hey Heather!" Her eyes met with Shane's and she was unsure of whether she should say hi to him or not after how he'd made fun of her to his friends just a few days before. She awkwardly waved at him and half-smiled.

       He did the same and tried to turn around as if it never happened. "What was that about?" Heather asked. "She told me that you guys were kind of friends still."

     "What? No, I haven't talked to her since like, the day I broke up with her," Shane lied, hoping Savannah wouldn't hear Heather.

      "What? That's not true," Heather said. "She told me things were getting better and that you still talked every now and then."

      Shane lowered his voice, "Heather, stop." He then raised it loud enough for Savannah to hear. "I haven't talked to Ava since I broke up with her. She ruined something great for me and I told her I didn't want anything to do with her after that."

    "Wait, what? I'm so confused, she would show me some of the texts between you guys of sweet things you said because she was hoping things were getting better between you two. I don't understand...?" Heather said.

       Shane opened his mouth to cover up Heather's response with another lie when a red flotation device hit his shoulders. He turned around and looked up at the lifeguard.

      "Need some help? It seems like you're drowning in your lies," Savannah scoffed.