Chasing the Boy

Chapter Twenty Two

The weekend was fast approaching and I was excited and nervous for obvious reasons. I wanted to tell Ryan, but I was afraid he would be mad at us. As if that weren't enough to worry about, things got even more complicated.

It was Thursday night and I was lying in bed, happily daydreaming about my new secret - soon to be not-so-secret - boyfriend. The phone rang, and I grabbed it, hoping it was Joey. It wasn't. It was Nicky.

"Hey," I said, hoping that I didn't sound too disappointed.

"Hey yourself," she replied. "What are you doing tomorrow night?" she asked immediately, not lingering over pleasantries.

I thought about it – I didn't have any actual plans. Joey and I were keeping things on the down-low until after our talk with Ryan, but I wouldn't have been opposed to a Friday night telephone marathon with him. Then I thought that maybe I should make plans with my friends, because once Joey and I became public knowledge, I might not see them as much as usual.

"Nothing, I guess," I told her. "Why? What's going on?"

There was a pause,and then she started talking in a rush. "Fred called me out of the blue yesterday and the guys are all home for Winter Break and he's having a small, impromptu gathering at his father's house and he wants us to come." She stopped suddenly, to catch her breath. Then she went on.

"I know you're probably thinking what about Billy? I completely understand your concern, but I figured there would be no harm in going, because Fred and I did decide to stay friends and I thought it would be fun."

"Are you done?" I asked when she finally finished. She made a harrumphing noise affirming that she was, indeed, done. "Good," I told her. "I'll come. It sounds like fun." I guess I wasn't fully thinking about the implications of such an evening, because her next words caught me completely off-guard.

"You should know Gregg is going to be there."

I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. Things were going so well with Joey and I didn't want any potential monkey wrenches being tossed into the mix. But, I told myself, if I really and truly did like Joey as much as I believed I did, seeing Gregg shouldn't matter in the least.

"That's fine," I told Nicky. "What time should I be ready?"

Kate pulled up in front of Fred's father's house. It was impressive, with big, white columns and a huge front door. I felt like I was stepping onto an estate from the past as I crossed the vast front lawn to the welcome mat. Nicky rang the bell and the four of us huddled together, standing close, our hands shoved deep into our pockets. My mind was racing and I tried to slow it down by taking a deep breath of frosty air. I exhaled through my mouth and watched my breath mist and swirl before my eyes.

The front door opened and there was the same old Fred with his long, messy hair; he was wearing cargo pants and a sweatshirt. He stepped outside and gave Nicky a giant bear hug. Uh oh, I thought. He looked a little too happy to see his ex-girlfriend.

"Jaime," he said, turning to me and wrapping me up in an equally enthusiastic squeeze. I squeezed back, realizing how much I'd missed him. Fred had always been nice. "It's good to see you," he told me, leaning back to study my face. "You look great," he said. "Something in your life is definitely agreeing with you."

I almost told him that something's name was Joey, but decided against it.

"Thanks," I said. I followed the others inside, looking around the house in appreciation. "Nice place," I told our host.

"Yeah, it's nice," he replied dismissively. "Come out to the den, guys. Everyone is hanging out there."

Great, I thought, feeling the sudden urge to check my reflection in a mirror. I refused to revert back to my old, insecure ways but was only marginally proud when I resisted the compulsion.