Bound Together (25 page)

The school day passed slowly, and even during the game, I couldn’t quite get myself into it.
We won easily against West Branch, twenty one
to
three
, which was nice. In the showers, I
relaxed, I was
finally getting ready to see
Zoey
.
I let the hot water roll
down my back
.
I pictured
Zoey
in a black dress and couldn’t get my mind of
f the idea that she’d wear her C
onverse sneakers with it.
But I knew she’d wear her hair down like I requested. I looked at my wrist. I still had her black elastic hair tie on.

After toweling off, I checked my duffle bag one last time to be sure I still had our tickets tucked into the side pocket and hurried to get dressed so I wouldn’t keep
Zoey
waiting.
I had to re
-
tie my tie three times; it kept ending up either too long or too short.

On my way out front to meet her, I passed by the gym and looked inside. It was all decked out in streamers and balloons, like we were supposed to forget this was the place we shot hoops and ran circles when it got too cold out. The DJ was playing some crappy pop song, but no one was really dancing yet anyway.
The lights were turned low and there was even a disco ball
hanging
from the ceiling,
making everything look glittery
. I stuck my hands in my pockets and
strode to the door
. These shiny, black dress shoes were
already
uncomfortable, but it would all be worth it when I saw
Zoey
. I knew it was weird, but being with her always made me feel better.

I stepped outside so I’d be waiting on the front steps when she walked up. I leaned against the railing with my hands in my pockets and began to wait. People started to filter
in
, passing by me on the stairs. I hardly recognize
d
them, in their suits and dresses. The guys high fived me as they passed, then their hands hovered at their date’s lower backs, or shoulders. Soon, that would be me with
Zoey
and I hoped I was man enough to take being seen with her as my date. 

I kept checking the watch I rarely wore.
Zoey
was running late. My foot had fallen asleep and rather than continuing to stand here like a moron who was getting stood up, I went into the dance.  I couldn’t miss the athletic awards they gave out before the dance kicked into full gear.
And for the first time I started to worry that she wasn’t going to show
.
She’d probably changed her mind about this whole dance and last time seeing me thing.

Chapter Twenty
-
nine

Zoey

The night of the dance, I made an early dinner, then scrubbed out the batht
ub and took a long bubble bath and
generally took my time being girly,
something I practically never did. I lit candles along the edge of the tub, washed my hair and shaved my legs. I was in my room putting the finishing touches on my
makeup
when a
blood
-
curdling scream interrupted
the process. I ran down
stairs and into the kitchen where the yelling was coming from.

Charlie was hunched over the kitchen sink, holding his arm. “What happened?” I pulled his arm closer to inspect it.

“I was trying to get mom
some
juice, but I dropped the glass.”

There was glass littering
the countertop. It must have hit the counter and
shattered on impact, sending
the
shards flying. Charlie was freaking out, trying to pull his arm away from me. By now, we’d attracted
Cora
’s attention
. She did not
react
well
to
blood and started crying.

“Ty, take Cora upstairs. Everything’s fine, Cora,” I said in my calmest voice.

Shit
.
How did you know when a cut needed stiches? I couldn’t call Morgan, she’d be at the dance. My mom wouldn’t know, and I didn’t have time to Google it, with our impossibly slow Internet connection. I held Charlie’s forearm up to inspect it. The cut was small, but deep and it had been oozing blood for the past
several
minutes. “Come on –we’re going to the ER.”
Frick
. This would mean we’d been there twice in two weeks. I hoped we didn’t get turned in for child abuse. I helped Charlie put the too small Band
Aids
—
the only size we had over the cut, trying to
keep the skin together and
slow the bleeding.

I didn’t even bother to change out of the black dress Morgan
had let me borrow, but did thro
w my raggedy gray hoodie over it and slipped into my Chucks without untying them. Charlie and
I
walked to the end of the block, and mercifully didn’t have to wait long for
the
bus. On the
way there, I repeatedly tried Matt on my cell. He didn’t pick up. I knew he was done with his game by now. He must have gone into the dance. I pictured him waiting for me in his suit and hated that he thought I was standing him up. Maybe we could get through the ER quickly, or maybe they’d send us away without stitches, just a sturdier bandage.

No such luck. There was over an
hour wait to Charlie to get four stitches. It was nearly eleven
by the time
we got home. I got Charlie a glass of milk and some cookies and helped him change into pajamas
, being careful not to bump his arm
. I wondered if Matt would still be there, and whether he was having fun, having moved on and forgotten about me, or if he had just left after I hadn’t showed. I guess I
needed
to know. Plus I wanted to explain what happened and that I hadn’t ditched him.

Forget wearing the strappy sandals I has planned on, I left on my tennis shoes and jogged to the school. I heard the music coming from the gym before I even pulled open the front door of the school. The hallways were dim, with just the emergency lights
overhead casting everything in shadows
. It
 
always felt strange to be at school after hours. I turned towards the gym and stepped out of the way of a group of kids chasing each other
out
through the open gym doors. I approached the doors slowly. I hoped I could spot Matt, if he was even still here
,
before going in, or possibly find Morgan and have someone to walk through the gym with. I felt really out of place standing here alone in my wrinkled party dress while everyone around me danced and laughed without a care in the world. It didn’t take long to spot Matt. He was standing on the far side of the gym, directly across from me, leaning with his back against the wall
.
I took a deep breath and started to take a step forward, but then I followed his gaze to a group of girls dancing in front of him. I looked closer and saw
Chelsey
seductively swaying
her hips from side to side as she sashayed her way across the floor to Matt. He was leaned back, standing with one foot
propped
up against the wall behind him and
Chelsey
used his position to her full advantage. She lowered herself in front of him, grinding down the length of his
bod
y
as she went.

 
My heart fluttered erratically
. M
y palms started to sweat and my fingertips went numb. It w
as a stupid reaction, but in that
moment, my body betrayed me.
Chelsey continued her dance, brushing her chest across his as she moved around his body. His face was unreadable, but he did nothing to stop her. His buddies caught onto what was happening and started hollering at him under their
cupped
palms.

Matt
looked from Chelsey to them and then over to me. As soon as our eyes met, I felt like I’d gotten caught doing something wrong. And like a genius, I turned and ran from the gym.

I could tell Matt was behind me without even looking back. His footfalls met mine, and I could practically hear Chelsey’s huff. Once I was outside, I took off in the opposite direction of home. I wasn’t ready to go home. I walked through the parking lot, lit only by the florescent street lamps.

“
Zoey
, wait!” Matt called behind me. He quickly outpaced me and
jogged around
in front of me
, blocking my path
. I didn’t stop in time, and slammed right into his chest.

Opfh
.

“Will you stop?” He took me by the shoulders.
I could smell his cologne
, igniting my senses, making me dizzy
.

“What’s the point?
This
doesn’t make sense.” I motioned with my arms between us, causing his hands to drop away from me. “Just go back in there with Chelsey and your friends where you belong.”

I turned to leave, but Matt grabbed my wrist, and held on. “
No way
—
you don’t get to say that. You stood me up tonight.”

I’d forgotten that this was what he would’ve assumed.
T
hat
didn’t
mean
what I sa
w
with Chelsey in there was okay
–e
specially when I was supposed to be his date tonight.
A couple ducked around us, laughing as they snuck from the dance to a car at the other end of the lot. I suddenly remembered we were in a parking lot
—
where anyone
could see us.

I
refused to
believe
that I had actually started to fall for him. We were too different. Besides, hadn’t I always said high school relationships were stupid, and now here I was having a public fight, making a scene outside a
dance?
I didn’t even know who I was anymore.

“What’s that?” Matt pointed at my sweatshirt.
I looked down and saw I had
dried
blood and iodine on my sleeve from holding Charlie’s hand while they gave him a shot and sewed him up.

“I had to take Charlie to get stitches. I didn’t
stand you up.”

“Oh.” His voice
was
soft.

My heartbeat quickened in my chest
.
I was flooded with a wave of emotion I didn’t expect.
And I looked him over more closely,
white button down
shirt
,
sleeves
rolled up to the elbows,
tie knotted loosely at his neck, and flushed cheeks from the stuffy gym
.
I took a deep breath.
“And then when I finally get here I see my
date
getting a lap dance from that trash whore.” I shook my head. “You know what? It doesn’t even matter. This whole thing is stupid, I mean what are we even doing? You’re a townie, you’re always going to be a townie
—
and I’m leaving after this year.”

He stood his ground,
staring
at me with a look in his eyes I’d never seen, breathing through his nose while a ve
in stood out in his neck. “Y
ou’re telling me you’re really going to leave those kids? Your mom?”

I tried to say something, but the words stuck in my throat.

“I saw the college applications in your room, those were supposed to be sent in by now.” He shook his head.
“Quit acting like you’re something your not
—
you’re too afraid to do anything
Zoey
. You hid
e
in your shell at school, you’re afraid to really feel something for me.
You act like a martyr, taking care of everyone but yourself.
You
put up a good act,
but yo
u’ll never get out of this town
either
.”

I
turned
and ran
away from him, and this time, he let me.

Chapter
Thirty

Matt

The next two weeks passed by in a blur of school, football practice, and nights spent working at the store. 
Zoey
and I made equal efforts of ignoring each other, which actually wasn’t too difficult, considering all the practice we’d had ov
er the years. The only problem was, I didn’t seem to fit in my
old
life
anymore
. I’
d been
stupid to think that this thing between
Zoey
and I would lead to something real. But without her around to sidetrack me, things sucked
more
than normal,
plus
my headaches were back
with full force.
Food seemed tasteless, I as distracted during football and even Justin couldn’t make me laugh.