Growing Pains

Chapter 19 - Life had given me so much anger

T R I S T A N

In many ways, Zoey was a complete fucking mystery to me. Sure, I had returned the principal's minivan, but it wasn't like she was contractually bound to drive us to the concert. We had a deal, yes, but why should she keep her end? The minivan was back. The game was happening. She got what she wanted.

I had only returned the car in the first place because I thought she might actually go to the police if I didn't. Caitlyn and I had already started making peace with the fact that we would probably have to take a series of crowded buses to get to the concert. And then Zoey had showed up by my locker at school and said she would wait for us after class, just as she had promised.

Why? I had no idea, but Caitlyn and I had actually made no peace at all with having to use public transportations, so we agreed. After class, there she was. Did I pepper-spray her seconds into seeing her? Yes, but it was an accident. Was she still willing to keep her end of the deal then? I know I wouldn't be. But she said she was. Promised even.

We didn't believe her. We had our reasons, but I didn't feel like thinking about them anymore. We had made it to the rooftop of the concert venue. We were too close to a night of music and drugs to think about the past. Except maybe not. Maybe we were closer to watching Zoey fall off the edge of a building instead.

She had finally jumped over, landed on her feet, smiled, and then lost her balance almost immediately afterward. I reached out as fast as I could and pulled her towards me and away from the edge. There, no one was dying tonight.

Before I knew it, she was hugging me. She was actually hugging me. Arms around my shoulders, her breath on my neck, and the words, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

I put my hands on her waist and pushed her away, "Never do that again."

"Definitely not. I thought I was gonna die."

"I meant the hug."

"Oh." Her eyes were still very red, and so was her nose, her cheeks too. "Right, I'm sorry."

"It's not like I was gonna let you fall," I started, and she smiled. I decided to state the obvious, "It would ruin the night, wouldn't it?"

There, smile gone. Eyes off me too. She was looking at Caitlyn instead, standing by the door that would lead us downstairs and onto the actual venue, her hand on the handle, the other turning something inside the lock, one way, then the other. I knew it wasn't the key.

"Is she picking the lock?" Zoey asked, walking closer.

"Don't ask stupid questions." Wasn't it obvious she was picking the lock? Where would she have gotten the key otherwise?

The door opened. Caitlyn had opened it. She had managed. She always did.

She turned around with a smile on her face, "Let's go, bitches!"

We followed her inside. Then down the stairs. There was an elevator, but it wasn't safe to use it, might we not just run into someone who could get us in trouble. So the stairs it was. Flights and flights of stairs.

Everything hurt by the time we made it to the last floor. Zoey was breathing hard behind me and struggling to take off her sweater. Did she share her closet with her grandma?

Caitlyn didn't wait. She kept going through the hallway, past the lines for the bathroom, and into the main hall. It was already crowded, almost all the way to the end, where we stood, two-thirds of us out of breath.

Caitlyn held my hand, "I really wanna make it to the front row."

I wanted to say no, fucking no, please no. Instead, what came out was, "Lead the way."