23. Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Sloane
K y kept his promise and called me on Sunday and we talked for over an hour. By the time Monday arrives, I feel like I'm floating and am so happy. Finally, things are going my way!
"Hey Buddy," Kurt says as he tosses his backpack on his desk and slides into his seat. "How was the Dinosaur Jr. concert?"
I can't contain my smile. "Oh my gosh," I say as my cheeks grow warm. "It was amazing!"
"That good, huh?"
"It wasn't just the concert, which was so good, by the way.” Excitement floods my veins and I feel my smile grow. “I met a guy there." I practically bounce in my seat.
Kurt's eyes soften and he smiles back. "Wow, that's cool."
"He's tall, cute, has chin-length brown hair, and of course he likes good music."
"Ooh, who are you talking about?" Amber asks as she slides into her seat.
I wave my hand, "Oh, uh, no one you'd know." I turn back to Kurt and speak quietly. "He is so nice. We talked on the phone for over an hour yesterday."
"Where does he go to school?" Kurt asks.
"Um, right now he's going to community college in South Georgia. He's nineteen."
Kurt's eyes go wide. "Oh, dang. So, it's a long-distance thing?"
I can feel my smile fade as I nod. "Yeah, that's the only crummy part." I grab Kurt's forearm. "It was so cool, Dinosaur Jr. was like halfway through their set, and he just held my hand."
"Wow, that's gutsy."
My smile is back in full force. "I know! We talked a little before the band played, but like, wow, I couldn't believe it. It was so cool." I glance up and see Amber trying to eavesdrop but playing it off like she's not. I smile to myself.
"That's rad, Sloane, I'm happy for you."
"Thanks," I say and then raise my voice a little louder. "He's gorgeous and sweet and way more mature than the guys around here. Except for you, of course." Yeah, I totally said that for Amber's benefit. Just to make her squirm.
***
By the time I head to marine bio, I can't wait to share my news with Billy, and if I'm being honest, I want Tyler to hear it to show that I am, in fact, a desirable girl. As I turn the corner to walk down the hall to class, I see Tyler and Sara in the hallway by the front door of our class sharing an intimate conversation as usual. Seeing them almost daily hanging out by our classroom has been hard, but today I only feel my heart sink a tad.
"Sloaner-loner," Billy says as I toss my backpack on the lab table. "What's shakin'?"
"Hey Hill-Billy!" I joke. "Did you have a good weekend?"
"Actually, I did," Billy is all smiles. "I went fishing with my granddad."
"Aw, sweet," I say as I sit in my chair and take out my book and notebook. "Isn't it a little cold for fishing, though?"
Billy gives me a look like I have horns growing out of my head. "It ain't ever too cold for fishin’ with your granddad."
I smile thinking of my own grandpa. "I guess you're right. Did y'all catch anything?"
Billy nods, "We sure did. My granddaddy taught me to fish, but more than the fishin', it's spending time on the water together, you know?"
"I've never fished, but I could see where just hanging out in nature with your grandpa would make for a really nice weekend."
"You've never fished?" Billy asks.
"Who's never fished?" Tyler's voice sounds behind me, and I turn in my chair to address him as he slides into his chair.
"I've never fished." I look at Tyler and am surprised he's in here so early, versus with Sara in the hallway, since there's still plenty of time before the final bell. That smile still melts me, but not as much as it did before this weekend. I turn back to Billy. "My parents are Yankees, remember?"
Billy laughs, and Tyler leans forward to see Billy, "Did you go fishing this weekend?"
"Yeah, with my granddad on Lake Burton."
"Nice," Tyler says. "Did you catch anything?"
After Billy details exactly what they caught, the type of fish, size, and what bait he used, Tyler turns to me. "I know you didn't go fishing, but did you do anything nearly as cool?"
I laugh. "As a matter of fact, I did." I'm wearing a proud smile as I sit up in my chair. "I saw Dinosaur Jr. at the Masquerade." I pull at the shirt I'm wearing that I got at the concert, showing it to Tyler.
"Oh, cool," Tyler says.
"Who?" Billy asks as he leans forward and squints at my T-shirt, then flinches at the slightly macabre-looking art on my black shirt.
I laugh at Billy. "They're an alternative band. I don't think you'd like them very much."
"How was the show?" Tyler asks before Billy can respond.
I'm beaming at this point. "The show was amazing, and I met the cutest boy," I say as I look at Tyler, and did his smile falter just a smidge?
"Who's the lucky guy?" Billy asks.
My eyes go skyward, and my smile spreads as far across my face as it can go. "His name is Ky, and he's really nice, so cute, has chin-length brown hair, and he's tall!" I continue, "We talked a bit before the show, and mid-way through it, he just held my hand. It was the sweetest thing.” My eyes go upward again as the memory warms my insides.
“Wow, bold move,” Tyler says, and I smile and nod.
"What kind of name is Ky?" Billy asks, his face wrinkling up like he just smelled a skunk spray our classroom.
My face goes from blissful to shocked as I playfully swat Billy on the arm. "It's short for Kyle." Billy snorts a laugh, and Tyler chuckles as well. "No, wait, it's not pretentious or anything. It's his dad's name, too, so he goes by Ky for short."
"Hmph," Billy grunts, "Why not go by Junior?"
I roll my eyes. "Be nice. I finally found a tall, cute boy who likes me back. Let me bask in this moment." I grin at him.
Tyler seems to be thinking then says, "Where does he go to school?"
My smile fades. "That's the thing, he lives all the way down in Thomasville. He's nineteen and goes to the community college down there."
"An older man." Billy feigns surprise and clutches his chest, laughing. "That sucks that it's long-distance, though."
"I know," I pout just a little. "He's so sweet and cool. Hopefully we'll get to see each other when he comes to town for shows."
"So, he's into that," Billy waves his hand at me and Tyler, "alternative music you two like?"
"Yeah, he's definitely into some of the harder stuff that Tyler likes, and not as into the poppy stuff I like, but his taste in music is pretty good."
"It's too bad you couldn't find a tall, handsome guy with your taste in music around here," Billy says as he rolls his eyes toward Tyler, and I try hard not to react.
I don't know what to say so I busy myself by searching for my Chapstick in my backpack, trying not to look at Tyler. "Boys at this school just aren't interested in me, so I had to look elsewhere." I didn't plan on saying that, but I'm glad I did. "Maybe an older guy is able to appreciate me more," I say with a joking smile then uncap my Chapstick and swipe it across my lips, tasting the sweet cherry flavor.
"Now, Sloaner, I'm sure that's not the case," Billy says.
"I do," I say confidently, then snap the cap back on my Chapstick with a pop as I roll my lips together. "My friends and I have concluded that we're all categorized into groups by middle school, if not sooner, and that's it. Our fate in school is sealed."
Billy squints his eyes as he contemplates this. "I mean, I guess you're right. We kinda are." He looks at Tyler. "What do you think?"
Tyler has been uncharacteristically quiet and appears to mull this over. "I don't ascribe to the established groups."
"I don't either," I say, "but they are pretty distinct. Besides, you're lucky. You only came here last year so you were an unknown. Plus, you're an athlete, football and baseball, so that's an automatic in." I put my Chapstick back in the front pocket of my backpack and drop it to the floor. "I've been with the same people since kindergarten for the most part, so I was classified a long time ago."
"Do you think you can change your classification?" Tyler asks with genuine interest.
I nod. "Yeah, I mean Sara did," I say, referring to his girlfriend. "She was always a nice girl who didn't have the most popular friends, but she was able to start hanging out with the right people when she cheered last year, and they embraced her. I mean, how can you not like Sara? She's so sweet and fun." He smiles as I say this.
Billy says, "So why don't you give it a shot?"
I think about this before answering. "Because if these people don't care enough to involve me in their world, then why would I want to hang out with them? I’m friendly with some of the popular kids here, but I’ve never been invited to hang out with them. Many of them I’ve known since elementary school and we were cool then, but I guess things changed for them. Besides," I say, "I'm not a partier. I'm extremely introverted, and I guess I have high standards for my friends."
"I respect that," Tyler says.
I smile, "Thanks. I guess by now I'm just ready to graduate and move on. If people wanted to invite me to their parties, hang out, or get to know me outside of school, they would have by now."
“Have you tried reaching out to them?” Billy asks.
I shake my head. “The cliques here are pretty well-defined. You don’t just invite yourself in, you know?” I look at Billy and he nods. “I’m nice to everyone, so I figure that’s my way of reaching out.”
"Do you think other kids feel the way you do?" Tyler asks.
"For sure. See, the weird thing is that your social life in school is kind of dictated by your schedule, who you're in classes with, who you have lunch with. I bet there are some awesome people who I don't really know because I've simply never ended up in a class with them, and that's kind of a shame."
"That's a good point," Billy says.
I smile. "If I didn't sit here," I point to my spot at the table, "next to you, I wouldn't have gotten to know you so well. I probably would have figured we didn't have much in common since you're basically a cowboy." We all laugh. "But we have a great time together--in school. The three of us don’t hang out outside of school, much like my relationships with most people here." I look at Tyler and continue. "And if you didn't squeak in right before the bell and take the first available seat, I doubt we would have gotten to know each other."
Tyler smiles and yes, I melt but try to fight it. "Is it because I’m basically a cowboy, too?"
I chuckle. "No, but you're this good-looking football-slash-baseball player who seems so confident and a bit mysterious, so maybe that would make someone like me think you're unapproachable, you know?"
"Wait, I didn't hear anything after you said I was good-looking." Tyler jokes, and I must be turning red based on the heat I feel in my cheeks.
"How do you think people look at you?" Billy asks, and I'm happy for the redirection because I almost can't believe I just told Tyler he's good-looking.
I think for a moment. "I don't know. Most often I hear the adjectives tall and nice, but neither of those qualities has people wanting to be my friend." I pause as I consider this more. "I’m shy and uncomfortable in new situations. I wouldn’t approach an established group of friends on my own. That would be terrifying. When I don't know someone well, my goofy side doesn't come out right away, so maybe that, plus my shyness, makes me seem…unapproachable?"
"I think you're right," Tyler says.
"About my shyness making me seem unapproachable?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "No, I mean, maybe, but I think that we probably miss out on meeting some cool people based on our class schedules. I am glad I sat next to you two and wish we'd had a class together last year."
My butterflies take this as a cue to flutter awake for a split second. Did Tyler Finlay just call me cool and say that he wishes we had met sooner? Well, it doesn't matter now because he has Sara, and I have Ky. At least I hope we can make this long-distance thing work. As happy as I am that I met someone, I sure would have loved it if he went to my school. It’s clear that I’m still affected by Tyler and that darn grin. Dang it!