Firsts

First Bomb Dropped

Hey. Sorry I flipped out this afternoon. Meet me at your locker at seven forty-five. I want to talk to you for fifteen min. before the bell rings, I read. Ashton sent me a message during rehearsal. We didn't get out until five thirty. Julia comes up beside me. 

"Who ya texting?"

I turn away, embarrassed.

"No one."

Julia seems to get it and changes the subject. Or at least she thinks she does.

"Ashton was really weird today," she comments. "I mean, he looked like he wanted to eat your face."

I almost laugh. Almost. It's just that kiss, that kiss was like the first kiss between us that counted for something. I walk to Annabelle's car in complete silence. 

"Hey!" she calls. "You were supposed to get out an hour ago!"

I shrug, opening the passenger seat.

"Sorry. We just lost track of time."

"About an hour and a half ago, Ashton Davis came out and gave me false hope. I've just been waiting here, doing homework, since it was only supposed to be a one hour rehearsal. Anyway, what was up with that?"

My heart pounds inside, but I remain calm and shrug.

"He just got sick. It was nothing."

Annabelle shrugs it off and drives home. 

I spend the entire night thinking about the afternoon's events. I make salad, I eat dinner, I do homework, yet I can't seem to concentrate on anything. I go to bed that night, my head buzzing with questions, and lie awake for hours. I finally fall asleep around two in the morning and wake up groggily five hours later to a blaring alarm. For the first time, I almost consider staying in bed for five minutes and getting up with Annabelle and her One Direction alarm. Eventually, my loathing of the band gets me up and moving with two minutes to spare. 

I get up eat breakfast, and take off outside. Julia pulls up two minutes later than planned, but before I can get mad, she let's me pick the radio station as an apology. She floors the pedal to try and make up for the gap, seeing how important this is to me. 

The plan was to leave at the precise time that would get me to school at exactly seven forty-five, so that I can stroll slowly, so as not to seem too desperate, and show up one minute after Ashton. Then, I could lean casually against my locker and listen to whatever he has to say intently, but pretending not to care. Thinking back to the planning session last night, Julia and I sound completely and utterly insane.

I get to school and stroll casually down the hallway, as planned, but once I actually see Ashton, last night's discussion is entirely forgotten. I smile in greeting, wave, and half skip to his side. Then, I look into his eyes, anxiously awaiting what he'll say next. 

"Hey, Skylar," Ashton says nervously.

"Hey," I answer. 

"So, about yesterday..."

Just then, a bunch of egghead jocks come up. 

"Hey, man," one calls. "You talkin' to 'the Green One?'"

He puts air quotes around the phase 'Green One.'

Ashton only shrugs and replies, "Just go away, guys. Give us a break."

The big one doesn't get it and continues to pry.

"You know, man, this whole school play thing isn't really workin' for us jocks."