Sweetheart Single

08 | Enter Stage Left

I smile at my phone when I see his name. I should be used to it by now. But I'm still not. I still don't think I believe Shawn wants to date me –or maybe date me.

@ lifting
text u after practice

OK!

Maybe the exclamation was too much, but I don't want to seem disinterested. Here I go again, overthinking literally everything.

"Oo. Is that the varsity boy toy?" Nikki glances at me, trying to peek at my phone.

"Maybe."

Texting with Shawn has kept Nikki from suspecting anything is going on between Jake and me. Not that anything is going on between Jake and me. Not that I picture us outside my door, inches apart. Not that I replay Jake's words about waiting until I ask...

"So how about the band announcement? Did you hear? They're officially booked for the singles dance," Chloe says.

"Oh my God! Elle! Did you know they were the band? THEM?" Nikki is clutching my elbow for life support.

"Yea, I saw on Glitter Girls' poster. So what?" I shrug her off. I can't find my pencil case in my bag. It must have fallen to the bottom.

"So WHAT?" Nikki repeats, eyes rolling. "It's GILDED RAGE. Honestly, I can't with you."

"She can't with anyone," Chloe says, squeezing Nikki's other hand.

"I can with you," Nikki smirks.

"Well, I'm the exception." Chloe kisses her full on the lips.

"Yes, you are. But still, the band. THEM!" Nikki is beside herself.

"Is it because they're British? I bet it's because they're British." I laugh. Nikki loves everything UK related.

"That. And the accents. And the music. And their faces." Nikki laughs. "What's not to obsess over?"

"Well, I don't think I've heard them. And from the poster I saw, they all look kind of grungy." I have other things on my mind besides Gilded Rage.

I think back to last night –to my walk with Jake –to the fact that I haven't told anyone else about it yet. Not that there was anything to tell.

...

By Friday afternoon, I am beyond overwhelmed and ready for the weekend. The only thing left on the agenda is to sort out a bit of student service.

We reach the gymnasium on the backside of campus. Nikki and Chloe are going to the student gym across the hall. I am going to the rec center next to the gymnasium to meet up with the students-in-service volunteer committee. We are reviewing the list of things to do before the dance. Decorations and tickets and everything else. Oh my.

"Okay. This is where we leave you," Nikki says. Her oversized headphones are hanging around her neck.

"Have fun," Chloe says.

"Bye!"

I cross the hall to the double doors. I can see the football team through the glass windows in the student gym. My eyes search for Shawn without realizing it. I see him, sitting at the bench press, Andre towering over him. His practice jersey looks so good on him. The whole team looks so good.

Focus.

Brittany, Amanda, and Olivia are already assigning people to specific stations when I walk into the rec center of the SAC. I'm not surprised to see they're wearing matching glitter scarves. There's a table set up in the center with paints and posters and markers and, of course, glitter. It's not very crowded today. There're maybe 10 or 15 volunteers in total.