A Million Shattered Pieces

Chapter Twenty-Six

~ "You should not have to rip yourself into pieces to keep others whole."

Zoe charged into her seat. An unexpected guest took a seat beside her.

Anthony Santos.

My eyes widened, and I glanced over at her. Her grin made it worse. Zoe tugged Anthony to her side, who clearly had no idea what he was doing here.

"Claire, meet Anthony. Anthony, meet Claire. Brock, this is Anthony. Anthony, that is Brock. He's Claire's boyfriend."

"Uh, Zoe, can I talk to you a moment?" I tried to make the glare I shot her discrete.

She nodded, giving Anthony a pat on the back before following me out the cafeteria doors.

I pulled her into an alcove filled with half-lockers. "What are you doing?" I hissed. "Why did you bring him?"

"To discuss prom arrangements. Tickets go on sale tomorrow. You are aware of that, right?" Based on the blank expression on my face, she took that as confirmation I'd forgotten. "Good God, Claire! You can't be serious."

"I've had a lot going on lately, okay? Last week, I had to speak to a psychiatrist. Excuse me for not worrying about something like prom."

"It's supposed to be the best night of the year! Prom is every girl's dream. And you have a boyfriend now, too! Wait. Have you guys, you know?"

I frowned. "Not that it's any of your business; but no."

Zoe laughed. "Neither have I. But you already knew that. Who knows, maybe things will be different after prom." She glanced into the cafeteria, at our table.

"Zoe!"

"What?" She snorted, focusing back on me. "It's one of the stereotypes of high school. Losing your virginity on prom night."

"You seriously astound me." I still found myself looking over at Brock. "We've only been together for just over two months. Besides, he has other things on his mind."

Another laugh tumbled out of her. "He's a teenage boy. Trust me, they always find a way to think about sex."

"I'm not having this conversation with you." I started to walk back to the cafeteria doors.

Zoe linked her arm with mine, and slowed down my pace. "Okay, I'm sorry. You're right. That was totally out of line. I'm just so excited for prom! And everyone will get to see you in that dress. Oh, it's going to be such an amazing night."

We reached the table, each taking a seat beside one of the guys. Brock kept his distance from me in Anthony's presence. The two did little more than glance around the room, uncomfortable.

"So, are we all sitting at the same table?" Zoe asked, trying to start up a conversation.

Anthony turned to her, and I could see that he had real feelings for her. It made me smile. "That depends on how many people are coming for each person." He looked over at me. "Are both your parents planning on going?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak in front of him.

Anthony Santos was one of the football players. Friends with everyone, he seemed nice enough. But I had never been one to associate with people like him. He belonged with the cool crowd, the people that joined tables together on the other side of the cafeteria to create one king-size seating arrangement.