Change of Plans by C.L. Blackwell Page A

important enough that Sierra wants it.”
He didn’t realize it, but I saw his body flinch involuntarily at his pair’s
name.
    “Brody, what’s the deal with
you and Sierra?”
    He looked down at his feet,
“She’s my pair, but she cares more about her rank than anything else. As long
as she keeps trying to be with Caleb, I can’t have her, not fully at least.”
    He looked upset about that
and I understood why. He was guaranteed to be with someone he loved but she
kept trying so hard to resist it, even though she felt the same way.  I
dropped the subject, not wanting to hurt him further.
    When the subject came to
tonight’s football game, he told me that Caleb had to stay after school to warm
up but he wanted me to go watch him play. I was really excited to hear that he
to want me to come, even though I knew he would. They both thought I had my emotions
under control enough to go out. As long as I didn’t explode, I would be good.
Brody had to go soon and said, “I’ll be back after school and we can hang out
before the game.”
    I gave him a brief hug,
happy to have my brother back, and he left.
    I was so bored. Without
Caleb or Brody, I had nothing to do. I use to always have something to do, but
now I had no idea how to fill my time. Everything I use to love seemed so
mundane now, except photography. I would probably be in the woods taking photos
right now, but I knew Caleb wouldn’t want me in the woods. Not with all the
wild wolves running around.
    Bored to death, I ended up
jamming out to the Black Keys and Cage the Elephant for three hours. I loved
their songs, but there were only so many songs a girl could handle. The songs
were a mix of rock and pop that always got me in a good mood. In the moment, I
humiliatingly picked up my hairbrush to use as a microphone while listening to Lonely
Boy , one of my favorites.
    I'm a lonely boy.
    Oh, oh-oh I got a love
that keeps me waiting.
    Well your mama kept
you but your daddy left you,
    And I should've done
you just the same.
    But I came to love
you,
    And I want to flee.
    Any old time you keep
me waiting,
    Waiting, waiting
    I was bent at the knees,
flipping my hair in dizzying circles when a laugh came from the doorway. I
whipped around, embarrassed to be caught singing and dancing. I expected Brody
to be there but he wasn’t.
    “Caleb!”

 
    Chapter Twenty
    Friday
Night Lights
    Caleb

 
    Coach
Watkins took pity on me when I told him my girlfriend was at home sick. He told/spit that I could leave but not before asking who my
girlfriend was.
    “Allie
Underwood,” I told him proudly.
    “Oh,
Coach Betty told me she’s quite the runner. Tell her I expect to see her at
track tryouts in the spring,” he spat, already turning back to field to watch
practice.
    “Yes,
sir.” Anxious to get home, I hurried to my car. I promised Allie I would be
back for lunch but Mrs. Vertan , my awful history
teacher, told me to come see her during then so I couldn’t. I sent Brody, so
hopefully she wouldn’t be too mad.
    When
I walked through the wooden front door- I never knocked anymore- I heard the
bass from a song blaring upstairs. I recognized it as the Black Keys and knew
it was Allie. I’m glad she loved this band so much, because I just got front
row tickets to their concert in the Richmond next month for us as a birthday
present. Brody didn’t like them, his loss. I climbed the stairs, music getting
louder as I got closer. My eardrums were ready to burst. I’m surprised that the
neighbors haven't called in a noise complaint.
    Allie’s
bedroom door was open and she zipped by. I walked faster to the doorway,
curious to see what was going on. And there running
around dancing and singing into a hairbrush was my pair.
    I
leaned up against the doorframe and watched as she continued to sing and dance
her adorable butt off. I couldn’t contain my laughs when she bent at the knees,
doing hair flips that made me dizzy just by watching. She whipped around and
yelled my