That Night

Chapter Twelve

The week dragged on in what felt like slow motion.

I moved like a zombie: lie in bed sleepless all night, get up, go to school, carry myself from class to class, then go home and do it all again. I practically abandoned my plan to win Juliet over. Even when I simply said hello, she never did much more than nod and toss me a wary glance.

Harrison had driven her home every day that week. I always saw her waiting for him outside at the end of the day. What takes him so long to get his ass outside? I wondered, as she helplessly waited out in the cold when he had no reason to be running late.

One day, I happened to be sitting in my car watching her shiver on the curb when Harrison finally showed up. He pulled up to the curb in his car, leaning over to shove the door open rather than getting out to help her in. Despite his lack of chivalry, Juliet smiled when she saw him and laughed as she climbed in. I rolled my eyes trying to think what he could have said that would be so funny.

Although I hated seeing them together, there was no point in trying to stop it anymore. Juliet made it very clear that she was beyond done with me. There were only a few months left until graduation, so I just had to get on with my life. Once I got my diploma and walked off the stage, I would never have to see either one of them again.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Friday, I found myself dozing off during lunch. My head was pounding, and I didn't have much of an appetite, so I decided to close my eyes for the rest of the period. It was a few minutes before any of the guys noticed.

"Hey, man, are you okay?" Gordon asked.

I didn't answer, hoping he would lose interest and not draw more attention to me.

"I didn't realize it was nap time," Harrison said. His lame joke won some snickers from the rest of the table.

"Very funny," I grumbled, keeping my head down. If I ignored him, he would move on eventually.

"So, Harrison, how's it going with this new chick?" Cameron asked, steering the conversation away from me.

I stiffened, but I still kept my head on the table. Harrison was clearly trying to test my patience, but I couldn't let him get the better of me again.

Harrison snorted. "Oh, she's great. I really have her going. She genuinely thinks I'm into her. I mean, God, it's pathetic."

The guys cackled viciously, enjoying this ritual of tormenting naïve girls who can't help but see the best in people. My blood churned, my face feeling hot with rage. But I still didn't move.

"What's your plan with her?" Cameron encouraged him to go on with his cruel plot, but I knew Harrison wasn't stupid enough to reveal his end game.

"I don't know, man," Harrison replied, though his scheming voice implied otherwise. "I'm just going to keep testing the waters and see where I end up."

I could picture the smug look on his face, probably boring holes into my head as I sat there as motionless as a piece of furniture. He knew I wasn't going to do anything about it. He could already tell that I was accepting my defeat, but he still wasn't going to give it a rest. Harrison didn't believe in quitting while you're ahead. He only believed in winning.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the final bell rang at the end of the day, I left class and made my way to my locker in a haze. Once again, a strong sluggishness engulfed me as I simply went through the motions without paying attention to what I was doing.