different.”
“Yoo-hoo. Love-birds?”
Startled, I looked up at Janna.
“Man, you guys were in a pretty intense moment there. Everything okay?” She raised her eyebrows, pursing her shiny pink lips.
I nodded, wishing I could disappear.
“Rick and I are going to grab a soda. Want anything?”
Tanner and I both shook our heads. Together, Rick and Janna walked off holding hands.
I returned my gaze to Tanner. “How is it different?”
“It just is.”
“Fine, but if you can’t tell me your big secret how can you expect me to trust you with mine.? I grabbed my backpack and stood up.
“Kenzie, wait. You don’t understand.”
“Oh, I think I do.” Flinging my backpack over my shoulder, I stormed out of the cafeteria. I was really hoping he’d tell me. I was really hoping I could trust him.
He waited for me at my car after school. The way he leaned against it in his jeans and t-shirt made me melt. He looked like one of those magazine ads for Calvin Klein or something. If only he wasn’t so hot.
“Okay, you win,” he said when I approached.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you why Scarlet and I broke up, but first you have to make me a promise.”
A group of students bounded past us, laughing and chatting. A car careened down our aisle.
“Okay.”
“You have to promise not to hate me.”
“Of course I wouldn’t hate you.” I thought of all the terrible things I’d done. I’m sure it didn’t even compare to those.
“You have to promise, Kenzie.”
“Fine. I promise.”
“All right.” He looked around at all the students filling the parking lot and the cars peeling out. “But not here.”
“I would say we could go to the park, but it looks like it might rain again.” The clouds overhead were heavy and dark.
“We could go to my house. My parents are both at work,” he suggested.
“Okay. I’ll meet you there.” I knew where Tanner lived. I’d been to parties there before. His parents went out of town often and his house used to be party central. I always used to go to the parties with the intention of flirting with Tanner. Only, he would spend the entire evening with Scarlet, and I never got my chance.
Tanner lived pretty close to Haley and the streets were almost identical with their beautiful yards and similar tract homes. He also had a two story with a sweeping staircase. We sat in his living room, the large picture windows overlooking the large expanse of green grass that was his front yard. It was the house I’d always dreamt of living in. It smelled like oranges and potpourri. The magazines were organized in a rack next to the couch, and there was even a little console for the remotes. I thought of how Tanner had been in my own messy living room and felt a stab of embarrassment.
As if sensing this, Tanner said, “It’s not that great, believe me.”
“Yeah right.”
“No seriously. My mom’s a total neat freak. If she finds one thing out of place when she gets home, I’ll be in big trouble. I mean, look at this place. It doesn’t even look lived in.”
I looked around, but to me it looked heavenly.
“Can I get you some water or a soda or something?”
I shook my head.
He took a deep breath as he ran a hand over his hair. His nervousness was starting to get to me. If what he had to say was this bad, maybe I didn’t want to hear it. I mean, I thought so highly of Tanner. Did I really want that to end? But it was too late to back out now. Besides, at this point my imagination would run wild. Most likely, what he had to say wouldn’t be nearly as bad as what I would make up.
“Scarlet broke up with me.”
This alone was shocking. By the way she was acting in the bathroom, I thought for sure he’d broken it off with her.
He stared at his hands as if the story was written on his palm. “It was after a party at Caleb’s house. We were all drinking and having a good time. I tried to get physical with Scarlet but she pushed me away. She was
“Yoo-hoo. Love-birds?”
Startled, I looked up at Janna.
“Man, you guys were in a pretty intense moment there. Everything okay?” She raised her eyebrows, pursing her shiny pink lips.
I nodded, wishing I could disappear.
“Rick and I are going to grab a soda. Want anything?”
Tanner and I both shook our heads. Together, Rick and Janna walked off holding hands.
I returned my gaze to Tanner. “How is it different?”
“It just is.”
“Fine, but if you can’t tell me your big secret how can you expect me to trust you with mine.? I grabbed my backpack and stood up.
“Kenzie, wait. You don’t understand.”
“Oh, I think I do.” Flinging my backpack over my shoulder, I stormed out of the cafeteria. I was really hoping he’d tell me. I was really hoping I could trust him.
He waited for me at my car after school. The way he leaned against it in his jeans and t-shirt made me melt. He looked like one of those magazine ads for Calvin Klein or something. If only he wasn’t so hot.
“Okay, you win,” he said when I approached.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you why Scarlet and I broke up, but first you have to make me a promise.”
A group of students bounded past us, laughing and chatting. A car careened down our aisle.
“Okay.”
“You have to promise not to hate me.”
“Of course I wouldn’t hate you.” I thought of all the terrible things I’d done. I’m sure it didn’t even compare to those.
“You have to promise, Kenzie.”
“Fine. I promise.”
“All right.” He looked around at all the students filling the parking lot and the cars peeling out. “But not here.”
“I would say we could go to the park, but it looks like it might rain again.” The clouds overhead were heavy and dark.
“We could go to my house. My parents are both at work,” he suggested.
“Okay. I’ll meet you there.” I knew where Tanner lived. I’d been to parties there before. His parents went out of town often and his house used to be party central. I always used to go to the parties with the intention of flirting with Tanner. Only, he would spend the entire evening with Scarlet, and I never got my chance.
Tanner lived pretty close to Haley and the streets were almost identical with their beautiful yards and similar tract homes. He also had a two story with a sweeping staircase. We sat in his living room, the large picture windows overlooking the large expanse of green grass that was his front yard. It was the house I’d always dreamt of living in. It smelled like oranges and potpourri. The magazines were organized in a rack next to the couch, and there was even a little console for the remotes. I thought of how Tanner had been in my own messy living room and felt a stab of embarrassment.
As if sensing this, Tanner said, “It’s not that great, believe me.”
“Yeah right.”
“No seriously. My mom’s a total neat freak. If she finds one thing out of place when she gets home, I’ll be in big trouble. I mean, look at this place. It doesn’t even look lived in.”
I looked around, but to me it looked heavenly.
“Can I get you some water or a soda or something?”
I shook my head.
He took a deep breath as he ran a hand over his hair. His nervousness was starting to get to me. If what he had to say was this bad, maybe I didn’t want to hear it. I mean, I thought so highly of Tanner. Did I really want that to end? But it was too late to back out now. Besides, at this point my imagination would run wild. Most likely, what he had to say wouldn’t be nearly as bad as what I would make up.
“Scarlet broke up with me.”
This alone was shocking. By the way she was acting in the bathroom, I thought for sure he’d broken it off with her.
He stared at his hands as if the story was written on his palm. “It was after a party at Caleb’s house. We were all drinking and having a good time. I tried to get physical with Scarlet but she pushed me away. She was
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