Eastwood Academy

Chapter 28: The Homecoming Game

The next couple of hours feel unbearably long. I only had time to change and grab a power bar before sprinting to get to class on time. I usually have two classes after lunch and then a committee meeting on Thursday, but since Homecoming is tomorrow, today's meeting was canceled because half the committee volunteered to set up for the dance.

I thought about signing up to volunteer a couple of weeks ago. I even went so far as to ask River if he would volunteer with me, but he didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about the idea. Beth was in charge of the whole ordeal, and the last thing I wanted was an excuse for her to boss me around or for River to be in close proximity with her. I thought it was bad enough I had to share him with her during committee meetings. At the time, he seemed more than content with my company, and that made me stupidly hopeful. A mistake that more than one person has paid the price for.

I try to drown out my intrusive thoughts by paying extra attention to the lecture but it's no use. Even though I slept until 11:00 AM, I feel groggy and hungover. Halfway through my first class, a headache starts to form behind my temples. Taking notes only makes it worse, and eventually, I give up and decide to just listen to the lecture.

As I sit back and attempt to pay attention, my eyes wander, and I notice a couple of people staring at me. I realize the story about what happened at Connell's party must have gotten out. Instinctively, I slouch down in my seat and let the curtain of my long dark hair fall around my face, hoping it will shield me from the prying view of my classmates' gaze. I really shouldn't be surprised. Gossip travels faster than the wind around here.

When class ends, I'm the first one out of my seat and out the door. I hurry down the corridors, going so fast that I almost run headlong into other students more than once, but all I want is to get back to my room.

I'm extremely relieved to find Jessica sitting on her bed when I return to our dorm room, her laptop open as she types on it. At the sound of my entrance, she looks up, closes her computer, and jumps off the bed to hug me.

"You're back!" She sounds relieved to see me in one piece. "Tyler called me, and he told me everything that happened. Oh and don't worry at all about missing class this morning, my friend Zoey from yearbook, works in the front office. She'll delete your name from the absence log for today."

Her arms tighten around me as she talks, and I find myself returning her embrace. Finally, after the events of the last twenty-four hours, I allow myself to relax.

"I'm okay," I reassure her as she pulls back to look at me. Jessica gives me a look that says "bullshit."

"I think we have different definitions of okay," Jessica says softly, eyeing me with a deep look of concern etched onto her face.

"Physically, I'm fine," I amend my statement. Emotionally... it's been a shitty couple of days. I feel pretty low."

"You've seemed kinda off for a couple of days. What happened? Is River acting like an asshole again?"

Knowing that putting on a face is useless with her, I slump onto my bed, dejection written on my face.

River's name is what breaks through my resolve. I thought I cried myself dry last night, but I have to force myself to swallow the lump in my throat as tears well up and spill down my cheeks. I try to compose myself for a minute and then give up. Who cares if I cry in front of Jessica? I bawled my eyes out in front of Beth last night. It doesn't get much more embarrassing than that.

"I-I don't know what happened," I tell Jessica shakily when I can catch my breath. "Everything was going so well with us. He kissed me two days ago in the library, and then the second we walked out, we ran into Imeria's parents, and... he shut down. Wouldn't look at me or talk to me. He just walked away with them and ignored me all day. And at Connell's party, he brought Beth and basically pretended that I didn't exist. I mean, I was literally fucking standing in front of him, and he couldn't even be bothered to say hi. And I don't know what happened. I just felt anxious and started drinking, and then Aaron was being so nice to me, and then things just got really, really out of hand." It all comes out in a rush as if forcing the words out quickly will cut down on the amount of time I spend reliving the events of the last few days. If only.