Right Back On

Twenty-Seven

"Hey, cowboy. Are you doing anything this weekend?" A blonde girl from our class sidled up to Kellan with a bright smile.

"Um, we're rodeoing," he replied, face red.

She gasped and bounced on her toes with wide, excited eyes. "You guys are good enough to compete in the Roundup?"

He nodded hesitantly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I guess. We go all over the state, not that it makes a difference. Almost anybody can--"

"That's awesome," she cut him off. "I'll be watching." After winking, she strode away towards the cafeteria.

It was right before lunch on Friday and Blake and I were waiting patiently on the landing. Again, Kellan had gotten caught by some girl and we had the privilege of witnessing his embarrassment.

"Why do you think he always gets so awkward when girls talk to him?" I asked Blake, watching him blink and shake his head before continuing towards us. "I mean, he was such a smooth talker the day we met!"

She shrugged with a knowing smile. "He's only confident when he gets to make the first move. Plus, he's out of his element here. Now, if he was the one initiating this, and it was a girl he really had a thing for, his words'd be slicker'n snot on a door knob; just like when he met you."

I stared at her, not believing a word of it. "He was smooth as hell the first day, but remember when he had to call and ask me out? You said you had to dial the phone for him! What's up with that?"

She smirked, one eyebrow raised. "That was after he found out you wouldn't be easy. You weren't like the other rodeo rebounds he went for after the other three dumped him."

We shut up when the subject of conversation finally reached us. Some of the color that had shown up in his cheeks while talking to the blonde chick had drained, but not all.

"Sounds like we'll have an audience tonight!" Blake grinned deviously. "You better not screw up!"

Any red that had disappeared returned immediately, making Kellan look like he'd just run a mile. "Shut up."

I slipped an arm around his waist and glanced up. The kid looked pretty miserable.

"Hey, you'll be fine," I assured, giving him a squeeze.

Arm in arm, we traipsed down the stairs, Blake on Kellan's left side. While she wasn't in on the physical contact, she was just as much a part of our huddle as I was.

It wasn't until the three of us walked into the cafeteria that I realized my mistake. It looked bad, entering a crowded room tucked under Kellan's arm.

The entire school stared mercilessly until someone from the senior table let out an obnoxious whoop. That started a barrage of catcalls and whistles. The only thing keeping me from turning around and running out was Kellan's strong arm draped over my shoulder. Him and Blake just kept walking, dragging me with them into the lunch line for a portion of soggy biscuits and gravy.

My face burned as I made my way down the counter for food I didn't even want anymore, gripping the sides of the red tray so hard it should've broken in half. I was getting close to tears when all of a sudden, the whole room went quiet. After a few seconds of hesitation, I glanced up to find the cause of their silence.