Blissfully Unaware

Chapter Thirteen

Beau

It’s been two weeks since I watched Sawyer and Lucy drive away without a word. Sawyer avoids me at all cost, not sure if it’s out of guilt or if she’s pushing me away again. Everyday the the pang in my heart hurts a little more. I try to catch her at her locker before class but Lucy is always there to quickly make an excuse and whisk her away. She seems to be avoiding Zeek too. Is it bad that I feel a little relieved I’m not the only one she’s running from?

    The fall formal is this Saturday. Sam is still taking Madison and is trying to convince me to take Caroline. Even if I can’t go with Sawyer I don’t want to go with another girl.

    “I told you Caroline is a psycho. She’s been obsessed with me for years and I want no part in that train wreck.” I say to Sam as we sit in Cafeteria eating today’s lunch special. Taco Tuesday is my favorite.

    “Madison won’t go with me if Caroline doesn’t have a date. Don’t be that guy that cock blocks his best friend. You don’t have to fuck her, just occupy her while I make my move on Madison.”

    “Why don’t you take Lucy? She’s good looking and not crazy. I know you like her bro.”

“Neither of us are trying to be tied down. What we’re doing is fun but it’s time to move on.” Sam finishes off his last taco and gets up.

“That’s bullshit Hanks!” I call after him.

I finish my lunch and walk back to my locker. That’s when I see Sawyer sitting on a ledge reading. A smirk crosses her lips. She must be at a good part. I try to casually walk over to her until I see Zeek approach her first. Dammit. WHY. Just fucking why. I change direction back towards my locker. I grab my things for english and head to class early. I don’t want to see what happens.

A few minutes later the bell rings and the halls are flooded with students. The classroom fill quickly and soon after the bell rings again. We’ve been talking about shakespeare and the influence he had on our outlook of love. The high expectations for a spark that lasts a lifetime. I smell a paper coming on. But instead we’re to do a project. Rewrite a shakespeare scene in modern language and act it out with a partner.

“Draw a stick everyone. Those with matching numbers will be partners.”

    After everyone has drawn the search begins. Sam has a five, he’s partnered with the foreign exchange student, Lucy is with Gaylon, Zeek is with Sarah, and Brian is matched with Julie. The rest of the class has matched. When I see who is left my heart stops. Sawyer.  I walk over to her table.

   

“I guess we’re partners.”

    “Looks like it.” She looks down at her paper.

“So. What scene should we do?”

    “Well there’s that scene in hamlet with his mom, or we could stick to a classic and do a Romeo and Juliet scene?” I see her cheeks instantly reddin. I still have that effect on her. It’s the most beautiful thing to me. Knowing her body reacts to me. But she still won’t look at me. “We can start tonight after football practice.”

    “Lucy and I have to go pick up our dresses after school and I have an appointment this evening. But I’ll be free tomorrow night.” Sawyer still won’t look at me and it’s killing me. I graze my fingers across her knuckles. She stares at my hand, then the bell rings. It’s like the world is against me getting anywhere close to her.

    “How’s 5 o’clock sound? You can come over to my house. My mom and David have a benefit dinner and the girls have dance class at 6, and will be at their friends house for the night. It’ll be nice and quiet.” Finally she peaks up at me. Shit she looks terrified. I grab her hand. “Sawyer, I won’t ever hurt you. I wish you’d let me show you that we all aren’t the same.”

    I walk away before she could respond. I want my words to linger with her. I want her to think about the honesty in my statements. If she’d let me, I would always be there for her. I could fall for her. Love her.

    I could really Love her.