19. Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Sloane
A s I listen to the morning announcements in homeroom, I think about what Kurt said. He's right, I should be bold. Why not me? I am so nervous just thinking about asking Tyler to the dance that my pulse races as I stare at the back of Colt's head. I can't even imagine how I'll feel if I do get up the gumption to ask Tyler to the dance. By the time the bell rings releasing us from homeroom, I can't even remember anything I heard in there. All I can think about is whether or not I should ask Tyler and coming up with the right words. I rehearse most everything I say, especially when I'm nervous. I like Kurt's idea but am so scared to get a "no," that I try to think of other ways to ask. How do boys do this? It's completely nerve-wracking.
I'm in my own head while I trudge through the crowded halls on my way to marine bio. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. I inhale a deep breath as I turn the corner and make my way to my classroom. As usual, Billy is there but no sign of Tyler.
"Sloaner, how was your weekend?" Billy asks with a genuine smile.
I return his smile and feel better for the distraction. "Good, thanks." I pat the top of his newly cut flat-top hair style. "Looks like you got a haircut over the weekend."
"Yes ma'am," he drawls. "I was starting to look like a hippie."
I laugh at him. "What? Your hair was only about a half inch longer on Friday."
"I know, wasn't it awful? All long like that…" He fake shudders then leans back in his chair patting his chest. "I've got the legend on today."
I sit down and toss my backpack on the lab table and look at his chest. "Johnny Cash, huh?"
Billy gives me a look like I'm an alien. "Uh, yeah, and you say it like the man is just some average street musician.”
I take my book and notebook out of my bag. "Of course, I know he’s important. I just don't know if I could tell you what he sings."
Billy clutches his chest, "Dear God, who raised you?"
I laugh at him. "Ha, two people from Buffalo, New York."
"That's right, I forgot you're a Yankee," Billy says with a smile.
"Hey!" I feign taking offense. "I was born and raised here."
"By Yankees," he says, his face looking like he just took a gulp of sour milk, though I know he's joking.
Billy leans forward, looking past me and says, "Ty, can you believe this one can't name a Johnny Cash song?"
I freeze, Tyler must have sat down while I was facing Billy. I turn in my chair, feeling flushed.
Tyler looks at me and grins. Danggit! I'm nervous enough today, and now he's got to go and smile at me like that. I can't even think straight. "Really?" he asks as he cocks his head, still grinning as he takes off his letterman’s jacket.
I shake my head tentatively and think about how proud I would be to wear that jacket of his. "I don't think so." Great, now I'm too scared to even look at Tyler because I know what I want to ask him.
"Ring of Fire? I Walk the Line? Do those ring a bell?" Tyler asks, leaning his head down, trying to catch my eyes.
I look at him. "I think so?" I answer it like a question because I have no idea, then busy myself with my backpack.
"What are we going to do with this one?" Billy jokes as he hooks his thumb toward me.
I scoot my chair back so they can see each other. Tyler grows serious. "We’ll educate her, of course. We can't in good conscious let her continue on like this."
I laugh as they pretend like this is really important to my development as a human being.
"Oh, this isn't funny, missy," Billy jokes. "You listen to all that," he waves his hand in disgust, "grunge stuff, but you wouldn't have that if not for the work of the legend." He pats his chest and smiles.
Billy makes me smile and I turn to Tyler. "Is he pulling my leg?"
Tyler shakes his head, his expression as serious as a heart attack. "No, ma'am, he is not." He points to Billy's chest. "That man right there is the original rebel."
My eyes grow wide. "Really?"
"Oh, yes," Tyler says. "Would I deceive you?"
I look at Billy for confirmation, and he nods. "Seriously, he is known as the Original Rebel."
I can tell that Billy isn't joking. "Okay, it looks like I've got some homework to do, then." I feel a little more comfortable, and we're joking around, so now might be the time to ask Tyler. Oh gosh, just thinking that makes my stomach nervous. I take a deep breath.
Billy and Tyler exchange satisfied grins as the bell rings. "I mean, he's no Pantera, that's for sure," Tyler jokes, and winks at me which almost makes me forget who I am.
"Ha-ha," I say, then gather myself together. "Just for the record, I don't think I could name a Pantera song, either. I just know I've heard them, and they kinda scared me."
Now Tyler laughs out loud and this eases my nerves a smidge. "That was a pretty fun party, huh?"
I manage a smile even though I'm nervous right now. "Yeah, it was." I'm so glad he opened the door to this conversation, but my stomach is literally starting to hurt from nerves. "Oh, I meant to ask you-"
Coach K slams the back door hard and is in a flurry searching the back counter for something. "I'll be right with you," he snaps. "Start reading the next chapter."
"Yikes," Billy says quietly. "It looks like something's got Coach upset." All of our eyes are focused on our affable teacher who has one of the most easy-going dispositions in the school.
Clearly Coach K has something he has to say because we barely crack our books open when he turns around and addresses the class. "One of my students was in here this morning and was playing with my tarantula." He rakes his hand through his thick dark brown hair and grimaces. "It appears as if she didn't put the lid on tightly, and my rare red Chilean tarantula is missing."
My fellow students and I gasp, then Coach continues. "It's okay, it's okay, they are very docile." He waves his hands in a downward motion to settle us. "It's probably hiding, but just keep an eye out, okay?"
"Keep an eye out?" I gasp to Billy and Tyler and feel like my own eyes are going to pop out of my head. "You mean, that thing can be anywhere?" I pull my legs up off the floor and onto my chair. "Will you guys look under the table?" All my nervousness is now directed at the thought that a giant spider is loose in our classroom.
Billy and Tyler look underneath our table as other students do the same around their space. Tyler extracts his long frame from underneath his side of the table, his hair falling into his eyes. "All clear on my end."
Billy does the same, though his face is red from exertion. "Same here." He pats his hair. "You made me mess up my hair," he jokes. "Let's go help Coach look," he says to Tyler.
After several minutes, they return, telling me that they couldn't find it. If I was nervous before, I'm even more nervous now. Holy cow, there's a tarantula loose in our classroom! I'm acting like a scaredy-cat, and I'm not ashamed.
"If that thing appears, I will jump right out of this chair," I warn my classmates as I try to focus on my textbook. My skin feels all itchy, like there's something there when there's not, but I rub my arms, nonetheless.
Tyler looks at me and grins. "Don't worry, it's not on you. I would tell you if it was." He winks at me. Well, that's one way to get my mind off of a tarantula on the loose.
"Gee, thanks," I say as I continue to scratch my phantom itches. "If you see it on me, please don't tell me, just get it off, thank you very much."
Tyler laughs as his smile grows deeper, and he turns back to his book. As we're reading, Tyler whispers, "Hey Sloane?"
I turn to look at him, my eyebrows arched, my heart speeding up. "Yeah?" Maybe he's going to ask me the question he had on Saturday night? Or, maybe the spider is on my back…
"You were about to ask me something right before Coach came in."
"Oh, yeah.” Great, now I have to remember how the heck I was going to ask him to the dance. “I wondered if-"
"Doggonit!" Coach K huffs. Okay, that's not the word he said, but let's just pretend he said something PG in front of his entire class. "It's dead." He is holding his rare spider and examining it. "Looks like it cracked its exoskeleton. Dang it!" He walks to the front of the room and tosses the spider onto the top of his trash can which is full of papers. There's literally a dead tarantula sitting right there on top of the trash pile. I can tell he's really upset and sad, and I bet he would cry if we weren't all in here staring at him.
"That was one of just five left in the world," he laments as my heart breaks for him. He runs his hand through his hair again. "It must have crawled out and fallen off the table."
I feel so bad for Coach and for the student who was careless with the tank lid. I bet they are going to feel horrible when they find out. Coach dives into the lesson, and now I'll have to wait even longer to ask Tyler to the dance.
As the clock ticks away, I'm half-listening to Coach, half-preparing what I'll say to Tyler, running scenarios through my head. When the bell finally rings, the butterflies wake up. I inhale deeply, mentally preparing myself when I hear Coach K say, "Finlay, I need to see you."
Seriously? I think to myself. You've got to be kidding me. By the way Coach called Tyler by his last name, I suspect this must have something to do with baseball, even though we're still in football season. I shoulder my backpack and see the poor tarantula still sitting on top of the trash. I hope this isn't some kind of omen.