13
Bennett
Ileft prom feeling like the biggest loser. I couldn’t believe I’d let Jackilyn kiss me. I should have seen it coming. And now Jessilyn was hurting. I wasn’t sure she’d want to be with me anymore after this. I’d messed up big time. I felt sick to my stomach whenever I thought about it.
And now we’d have to perform our scene together, and it would be super awkward.
I drove home and changed out of my tux. My dad was watching tv in the living room.
“How can you even see the tv with all this mess in here?” I asked.
“I can see it just fine if I lean to the right a little.” He flicked his cigarette into the ashtray next to him.
“Have you ever thought about cleaning up around here?” I should have just stayed in my room. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with my dad tonight.
“I was planning on cleaning it Saturday,” he slurred.
“I’m sure you were.”
“You know, you could help out around here too once in a while,” he said with a gravelly voice.
“Sure thing. I’ll go get one of those dumpsters you can pull right up to the house. I’ll see if a couple of the guys from Uncle Ryan’s shop can come over and help me. We’ll get it cleaned out right away.”
My dad grunted and puffed on his cigarette.
He didn’t have a clue what a bad night I was having, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to get better anytime soon.
I grabbed a box of crackers from the kitchen cabinet and took it back to my room. I dug into the box and ate a handful before pulling out my phone to check and see if Jessilyn had responded to my earlier text. She hadn’t.
I groaned in frustration and sent her another text.
Me:Please, forgive me. If I had known Jackilyn was going to try to kiss me, I never would have agreed to dance with her.
Minutes passed with no response from Jessilyn. I sent her more texts, each one more pathetic than the last.
Me:Are you getting these?
Me:Please answer so I know you don’t hate me.
Me:Hello?
Finally, I gave up and got ready for bed. Maybe she’d fallen asleep.
* * *
My eyes fluttered open in the morning light. I rolled over and grabbed for my phone from the nightstand—still no responses from Jessilyn. Maybe I could go to her house and catch her there. I got up and showered and dressed in some of my nicer clothes. I stopped by the grocery store and bought a box of chocolates. Uncle Ryan said that trick always worked for him after fighting with one of his ladies.
I drove up to her home and knocked on the front door with the chocolates in hand. The door swung open, and Jackilyn stood in the entrance.
“Hi, Bennett.”
“Is Jessilyn home?”
Jackilyn smacked a wad of gum and leaned against the doorframe. “She’s pretty mad at you.”
“You got what you wanted then.”
She looked shocked. “WhatIwanted? You think I wanted to hurt my sister?”