I watched him walk away and knew my world was changing. I only hoped it was for the better.
I sat in silence as I absorbed all that had happened. Was Gary right? Did Nick love me as more than a friend? Or was he just trying to push my buttons?
“Sarah,” Nick said quietly. I looked up and tried to smile, but he’d known me too long. “What happened while I was gone?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I’m just thinking.”
“About?”
I didn’t want to tell him. Even if he wasn’t interested in me, he’d be upset to hear that I was going out with Gary on Saturday. He was already irritated that I was going out with Tom, and Tom was one of his friends.
Nick sat down and put his arm around my shoulders. “Talk to me, Kitten. What’s wrong?”
Hearing him use my nickname eased my tension. “It’s nothing, Nick. Really. How was your talk with Tom?”
He knew I was trying to change the subject, but for once he let me. “Fine. We’re okay now.”
Nick sniffed and then bent down, sniffing my cheek. “Gary kissed you!”
Hell puppies. I’d forgotten about his sense of smell. No doubt Gary hadn’t. “Uh, yeah, he came by while you were gone.”
“Of course, he’d come by when I was gone. He probably waited until I left. What did he say to you? Why did he come by?” he asked as he pulled his arm away and turned to face me.
What the hell was I going to say? I couldn’t lie to him. “It’s not important.”
He stood up. “Then I’ll go ask him why he had to wait until I was gone.”
I jumped up and grabbed his arm. “Nick! Please, just wait. You don’t need to talk to him. He just…”
“Just what?”
I released his arm knowing he was going to storm away as soon as I said something. “He asked me out on a date.”
I’d never seen Nick so mad, well, except the time when we were four and I’d stolen all of his underwear as a practical joke and he’d had to run through the house in only a shirt. “What did you say?” he asked in a soft voice.
Calm was not good. Calm preceded the storm. I pulled out the only card I had to keep him from being mad at me. “He said you told everyone that we’re only friends and that you’re not romantically interested in me–that you’re only interested in guarding me. So, he figured there was no harm in asking me out, since you weren’t going to.”
Nick’s entire body went still. His nose quivered as he inhaled my scent and tried to discern my feelings. When I looked up at him, I saw fear in his eyes. He turned and headed towards the gym. “I’ll see you in fourth period.”
“Nick!” I yelled.
He ignored me. I threw my hands up in the air and headed towards my third period. I just couldn’t win. First, I finally got dates with attractive guys, and now my best friend was mad at me.
Third period dragged on endlessly, but I was hesitant to go to fourth period which I shared with all three of the guys confusing me right now. Cherry put her arm around my waist as I stood, looking towards the fourth-period classroom door. “What’s up, Sar-bear? The door scaring you?”
“I’m having a guy dilemma, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Maybe I can help,” she said as she pulled me out of the walkway and against the side of the soda machines.
“You know Tom asked me to dinner tonight already. Well, at lunch Gary asked me to dinner and a movie Saturday. Now, Nick’s acting mad even though he’s told his friends that he’s not interested in me romantically. I don’t know what to do and I don’t get it.”
She exhaled loudly. “Sarah, Nick has been gaga over you since kindergarten.”
I couldn’t tell her the truth about our relationship so she wouldn’t really understand fully. “He’s just my friend. That’s even what he tells everyone.”
“He’s probably realizing that you’re not the little girl who needs to be saved by him anymore. You’re turning into a woman and now other guys are noticing, too. Just put it all aside and have some fun. Go on your dates and don’t let any of them get you down. Besides, there are plenty of girls wanting those three guys. You should be happy you finally have their attention.”
She wasn’t wrong. “You’re right. I’m going to have fun and forget the drama. I hate drama.”
She hugged me once and headed to her classroom next door to mine. “That’s my girl.”
I walked into the classroom with my head held high and sat down in my chair beside Nick. He looked at me, but I flipped my hair towards him, letting it create a wall separating us, and faced the other way. Gary smiled at me from across the room, and I smiled back. Tom tapped my shoulder, and I turned around to face him. “What’s up?” I asked cheerfully.
“I was wondering where you wanted to eat tonight?” he asked as he leaned towards me.
I shrugged. “I like pretty much anything. You pick, and I’m sure I’ll love it.”
“Sarah,” Macy said from beside Tom. “You ready to get tossed today?”
“Tossed?” Nick asked suspiciously. “What is she talking about?”
Macy smiled at him. “Didn’t she tell you? She’s going to be the one who gets tossed up in the air at the game.”
“Who’s tossing her?” he asked.
“We are.”
“Who’s catching her?”
Macy rolled her eyes. “Stop being overprotective. We aren’t going to drop her. Or at least we’ll try not to.” she said with a wink.
“You better not drop her,” said Gary. “I don’t want to have to reschedule our date Saturday night.”
Nick tensed, and I heard his desk groan as he gripped it. Tom’s jaw clenched, and I worried that he might cancel our date, but the teacher came in and began talking, saving me from whatever he was planning on saying.
Class seemed to take forever as I sat, surrounded by the ever-increasing and choking amount of testosterone in the air. I just had to hope they didn’t end up fighting after class.
The bell rang, and I sat numbly in my chair. I wanted to enjoy myself, but perhaps I should enjoy myself one guy at a time. I was single, so it shouldn’t matter, but I did feel bad.
“Sarah,” Nick said softly. “The bell rang.”
I stood and grabbed my backpack which I hadn’t even bothered to open during class. We walked to the locker rooms, and Nick stopped me as I reached for the door. “Sarah, what’s wrong? I’m sorry I’ve been snapping at you today.”
I couldn’t look him in the eye. I felt strange and I wasn’t sure if it was just because of the guy situation or not. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s my job to worry about you,” he whispered.
I patted his arm and opened the door. “Only until I die,” I whispered.
He tried to come in the door after me, but Coach Brown stopped him with a hand to his chest, her dark eyes flashing. “This is the women’s locker room, Nicholas. Kindly go to your own side.”
I dressed numbly and dangled my pompoms beside me as I walked. Why did I feel so defeated when nothing had happened? If anything, I should have been thrilled!