Aftershocks (14 page)

“Okay,” I said, barely able to get the word out.

“Okay,” he said, taking a step back. I watched him take a deep breath and wondered what he was thinking in that moment. Even though we had music on was on, the room felt overwhelmingly silent.

“I’m sorry I yeled at you,” I said then, wanting to break the tension that was surrounding us. “I can’t help it. Last year there were a lot of things said about me that painted me in a pretty crappy light. It sucked, and I stil can’t believe someone would do that to me, but whatever. I guess I don’t care as long as you don’t believe any of it.”

“I don’t believe any of it,” he said, sitting down on the beanbag I’d been occupying.

I sat down next to him, pushing him over a little so we were squished into one beanbag, our sides touching.

“Do you know who started the rumors?”

“No,” I said, lying through my teeth. As much as I would have liked to crack the façade of his relationship, I felt bad. He had enough of a burden to shoulder in his life. I didn’t want to wreck his relationship too. “I never found out.”

He looked over at me, taking my hand in his. “That’s a pretty shitty person to do something like that,” he said, shaking his head.

It was your girlfriend!
I felt like shouting at him, but I held back.

I nodded. “Yeah, wel, sometimes people are shitty.”

He laughed, and I was glad. It broke the tension just a bit. He twisted my fingers around in his hand, bending them this way and that in a playful way. “Alright,” he said, looking down at our entwined hands. “It’s late. I think I’d better go.”

“Don’t go,” I said, suddenly.

“I have to,” he whispered then. “My dad wil be home soon.”

I nodded. “I know,” I said, knowing I sounded defeated, but I had a feeling that if he stayed, something more would happen between us, and it was like he was putting distance between us to prevent just that.

“I’l cal you tomorrow,” he said, smiling as he half-hugged me and eased off the beanbag.

“You’d better,” I said, as I watched him climb back down the ladder.

Chapter
11

Sunday night I was working through my homework at a good pace when my phone rang.

“Hi you,” I said, not taking my eyes off the question I was reading.

“Help!” Connor said in a playful way. “Alexis is making me see a chick-flick, and I don’t want to go. Be my excuse?”

I sat up a little straighter against my headboard. “Connor,” I chastised in a teasing way. “That is very bad of you to want to bail on a movie with your girlfriend. You shouldn’t do that.”

He laughed. “I can’t help it. She’s putting pressure on me to spend some time with her since I’ve been home al weekend and she’s afraid of germs, and I get it, but I realy, realy don’t want to see this movie.”

I loved this conversation. It seemed there might be trouble in paradise. While I had braved their house on Saturday night to play video games with Connor and Jordan, his own girlfriend had avoided him like the plague.

“Just tel her you want to see a different movie,” I said, re-reading the question I’d been focused on when the phone rang.

“I can’t,” he said. “The only other movie she’d consider seeing is R rated, and I have to bring Jordan, so we can’t go to that.”

Their dad had left that afternoon for another business trip, but he’d be back on Tuesday. I’d eaten dinner with them on Saturday evening, so I got to meet him. He was nice, but mostly talked about sports, asking Jordan how footbal was going and talking with Connor about the Michigan game from earlier in the day. He’d been thriled to hear I was planning to attend his alma matter, so we’d talked about that for a little bit. Then he got a phone cal halfway through dinner, so Connor and I ended up clearing the table and doing the dishes since Jordan was feeling bad again. Miraculously, once we finished the dishes and started playing video games, Jordan was feeling fine.

“Which movie does she want to see?” I asked, but Connor didn’t hear me. In the background, I heard Jordan shouting that he wasn’t a baby and could see an R rated movie. Then I listened to Connor argue with him about how while he was under his care, he wouldn’t be seeing anything other than PG13 and he should be lucky he was getting to see that at al. Jordan argued back that he didn’t want to see some dumb movie about love. The brothers argued back and forth for a few minutes. It seemed Jordan was feeling much better.

After a few minutes, I cleared my throat, pretty sure Connor had forgotten I was there.

“Hey, sorry,” he said into the phone after he told Jordan to can it. Jordan had mumbled something I couldn’t hear in response. “Rock, hard place, me.” Then he growled in frustration which was adorable.

“Hey,” I said in an effort to pul him back down to earth. He just wasn’t thinking clearly. “Why don’t you guys just go to dinner or something instead?”

“Alexis already made plans with Faith and Rich. It’s fine. I’l just go to the movies. Whatever. Jordan, you’re coming with me. Go get dressed.”

Jordan grumbled something back, and I thought I heard my name. “What did he say?” I asked.

“No way,” Connor said, and I knew he wasn’t talking to me.

“Connor,” I said. “What is it?”

“Uh-uh,” he said, his attention back on me. “I’m not even dignifying that request by asking you.”

“Ask me what?”

Jordan was saying something in the background, and it seemed like he was pleading. He’s pleas were folowed by a coughing fit.

“Jordan says he’l go if you’l be his date. He’s being ridiculous. You don’t have to respond.”

I laughed out loud. It was actualy the first request for a date I’d had in a while. The fact that it was from a thirteen year-old was hilarious in my mind and pretty much par for the course.

“Sure,” I said. “I’l be his date.”

“Abby, you don’t have to humor him,” Connor said.

“It’s fine,” I said, knowing no one would seriously think I was on a date with Jordan, including Jordan. He just liked that I played video games with him and shared his addiction to sour gummy worms, even if he wasn’t supposed to have them because of his braces. “Tel him I’d be honored.”

“Jordan, Abby wil go, but she’s not your date,” Connor caled out to his brother.

I heard Jordan cheer in response before he started coughing again. I’d have to buy him some sour worms at the concession stand – and a soda.

“Thank you,” Connor said, returning to me. “You’re the best.”

I smiled. “It’s no problem. Jordan’s a cool kid.”

We made plans to meet in an hour, and I focused on my English questions until I had to stop to get ready. I spent some extra time touching up my make-up and made sure I was presentable. Frustrated that my hair wasn’t cooperating, I settled for puling it back into a ponytail and played up my eye make-up. I stood back to see if my eyes matched and realized too late that I was acting like I was actualy going on a date with Connor. It was ridiculous. So what if we’d had a moment and he’d kissed me? He had a girlfriend. There was no way he was interested in me.

We hadn’t discussed the kiss since it had happened, and I didn’t think we would. I chalked it up to Connor losing his mind for a temporary period of time. I knew he didn’t have real feelings for me. In truth he probably kissed me out of pity. Okay, now that was an even more depressing thought than temporary insanity. He’d better not have kissed me out of pity.

I threw my reflection a dirty look and headed downstairs. I opened the front door to see Connor lounging against the porch railing. He looked amazing in faded jeans and a black hoodie. My stomach flipped over at the sight of him, and my mind flashed back to the kiss.

Maybe Alexis would break up with him soon.

I smiled widely, stepping out onto the porch to join him. He embraced me in a hug and kept his arm around me in a friendly way as we walked to driveway where Jordan sat in the backseat of Connor’s new and improved Mustang.

“Hey cutie,” I said, by way of greeting, as I climbed into the front seat.

“Hey Abby,” Jordan said, excited to see me.

“I’m glad to be your date tonight,” I said, grinning at him. He grinned back. Connor just roled his eyes as he started the car, so I elbowed him. He was no fun.

When we puled into the movie theater parking lot I could see Faith and Alexis waiting by the box office. They were dressed like they were going out to a club. I laughed to myself when I realized that I wasn’t the only one who had worried about what she looked like. At least I’d had the sense to wear jeans.

As we approached them, Alexis turned and saw us. She ran the ten feet that separated us and jumped up to hug Connor, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Hi baby,” she said in baby talk as he picked her up. “I missed you.”

“I just talked to you an hour ago,” he said playfuly, as he set her back on the ground.

“Yeah, but I haven’t seen you since Friday.” She nudged her lower lip out slightly. He leaned down and kissed her pout, and I vomited in my mouth just a little.

I couldn’t help but think how unfair it was that she never usualy dated a guy longer than three weeks – ever – and she and Connor had been together for almost two months. It felt like a karmic kick in the ass that the one guy she decided to get serious with was a guy I liked.

Talk about a self-fulfiling prophecy.

“Come on, let’s go,” he said, taking her hand. “If we don’t hurry, we’re going to miss the beginning of the movie.”

She turned to me but didn’t acknowledge my presence. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Jordan standing next to me. She made a sour face that Connor didn’t see, but I sure did.

“Hi Jordan,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

Jordan promptly grinned and then started coughing loudly. Alexis flinched and inched back away from his hacking which I was pretty sure was fake.

“Better not come too close,” I said, widening my eyes at Alexis in chalenge. She inadvertently covered her mouth and nose with her hand as she turned to walk into the theater with Connor.

Jordan started to folow, but I held his arm back. He turned to look at me.

“You are a big faker,” I said, and he just grinned at me.

“She’s a bitch,” he said, and I recoiled a little bit, hearing those words from his mouth. I tried to fight back a smile but I couldn’t.

“Seriously, I don’t know what my brother sees in her. Sure, she’s hot, but that’s about it. I like you much better, Abby.”

I laughed out loud. It was ironic that a thirteen year-old had more sense about women than his seventeen year-old brother.

“That’s why I like you, J,” I said, shaking my head. “We think alike.”

He grinned at me.

By the time Jordan and I caught up with Connor and Alexis, Faith and Rich were with them. Faith was holding a bunch of tickets in her hand. She started to pass them out and when she got to me, she said, “Abby, who’s your date?” To which she and Alexis started giggling under their breath.

I looked up at Connor, but he was immersed in a conversation with Rich about fantasy footbal, so he wasn’t paying attention. Alexis realy knew how to push the envelope when he wasn’t looking.

I watched Jordan’s face turn red at their laughter, so I put my arm around him and said proudly, “This is my friend, Jordan.”

Jordan beamed at them. “What up, bitches.”

I literaly had to press my lips together to keep from laughing as Alexis and Faith looked at him with curiosity. I could tel they were trying to decipher if he was insulting them – yes, he was. He’d covered it up by speaking street, but I knew what he was realy doing. I was just glad Connor was tuned out because Jordan definitely would have gotten an earful for that comment. Connor wasn’t a big fan of him cursing, and he might have heard the double-meaning in Jordan’s words. I didn’t think he knew that Jordan hated his girlfriend.

“Thanks for getting these, Faith,” I said, as I took my ticket from her hand. “How much do I owe you?”

“Oh, it’s okay. I’ve got it. You can buy next time,” she said in her annoying, squeaky voice.

“Okay, thanks.”

Yeah, like I plan to go to the movies with you ever again.

Once we were inside the theater, Connor turned to us and said, “I’m getting popcorn. Does anyone want to share?”

“Eww, no way, not me,” Alexis said. “Do you know how many calories are in popcorn?!”

“I want sour worms,” Jordan said, “and a Dr. Pepper.”

Popcorn sounded good to me. I told Connor I would share with him. We walked to the snack counter together, while Alexis, Faith and Rich went to save us seats and Jordan headed off to the bathroom after Connor promised to get him what he’d ordered.

“I’l have a large popcorn, a pack of sour worms, a large Coke and a large Dr. Pepper,” he told the employee behind the counter. “Do you want a soda?” He’d turned around to me.

“Sure,” I said. “But, I’l get it.”

“No way. This one’s on me. What do you want?”

“Um, a Dr. Pepper.”

“Okay, make that two Dr. Peppers,” he told the employee.

“Thanks,” I said. “I’l go get us some napkins.”

He met me at the counter that held the napkins, straws, condiments and the butter dispensers. “Do you want some extra butter flavor on your popcorn?” he asked, reading the side of the dispenser.

“Absolutely. It’s no good without it.”

“That’s the spirit,” he said, holding the popcorn under that spout and pushing it down several times. Warm, yelow liquid poured over our popcorn. It smeled delicious. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was made out of, but I didn’t care.

As we walked to the theater, I reached for a handful. Connor puled the bucket away before I could grab some.

“Hey, what’s the big idea? I thought we were sharing?”

He took a few steps back, picked a piece of popcorn out of the container and said, “Open your mouth.” He held it up like he was going to throw it at me.

I opened my mouth. He tossed the piece toward it, and I moved to catch it but missed.

“Aww, you missed!”

“Sorry, I wasn’t ready. Go again,” I said, opening my mouth once more. I missed again, and it hit me in the nose. I reached up to wipe the grease away. “Okay, one more time. I’l do it this time, I promise.”