The List

Chapter Eight

Friday morning I am in the cafeteria for the third week in a row with Grace, as we eat our lunch. This week has been pretty tense, leading up to my date tonight with Jake. I've avoided everyone, not sure of what they're really thinking. Rhett was the only one that seemed completely honest with his feelings toward me, and this date tonight. Granted, he hurt me the way he screamed at me, but at least he let me know what it meant to him. Grace stays pretty quiet as we both eat our salads, until I decide to speak.

"So this silence is awkward." I say. "I just need to know your honest opinion about what I should do tonight."

Grace smiles. "I'm like the guys, I don't want you to go with him at all. However, I can understand where you're coming from. He's a guy asking you on a date, and everyone is telling you to stay away from him, but you want to find out for yourself who he is."

I can't help but chuckle. "At least you get it."

"I may get it." She says. "But I will be worrying like crazy about you all night, just like the guys will."

"Rhett made it clear that he won't be worrying about me." I say, looking at my salad, suddenly feeling less than hungry.

Grace shakes her head. "He says that, but the way he came back into the apartment on Saturday says something else. He does care about you, Cari. I think it just scares him, because he doesn't care about anyone really."

"It still doesn't give him a right to yell at me the way he did." I say.

"Hell no." Grace says. "I won't defend that. Liam chewed his ass out after he walked in. We heard you fighting, and Liam wanted to rip Rhett apart for the way he talked to you."

I laugh. "Trust me, I wanted to do the same."

I hear laughing coming towards our table and see Liam, Nathan, and Rhett in their baseball uniforms walking to the table. Rhett makes eye contact with me and continues walking out towards the baseball field. I roll my eyes and keep staring at my uneaten salad.

"Cari, ignore him." Nathan says, taking my hand. "He's just being an ass, and he'll get over it after your first date goes great tonight."

I try to fake a laugh as best as I can. "You know, I don't think he will. He seemed serious that something was going to go wrong tonight."

"Just forget about it, have a good time tonight, and remember to call someone if things go south. We'll take care of him, and you." Liam says.

"We have to go, but we'll see you tomorrow and you can tell us all about it, yeah?" Nathan says, smiling at me.

I grin back at my two brothers. "Sounds great."

Grace and I manage to finish our lunch, and then I go to my workout. Instead of it being an hour and a half it turns into an almost three hour workout. Once I get off the treadmill, I find myself wishing I had finished my lunch, but I go back to my room and start getting ready for tonight. I've never been on a date before, and I don't even know what Jake has planned for us. I slip on a black pencil skirt that rests above my knees, and a red sleeveless top that shows just a bit of skin on my stomach with the black heels I wore last Friday. I look in the mirror and hope it's not too much. I spent so much time looking for an outfit to wear, that I only have thirty minutes to finish my hair and makeup. I decide to just keep it simple, and finish the final touches when a horn blares outside.

I grab my purse and leather jacket, wondering why he didn't even come up to my door to greet me. My mind wanders to when Rhett did that for me last weekend, and I have to shake the thought from my head, as I climb into his black Camaro.