Page 34 of The Perfect Play

“No,” I said, looking at the name spelled out before me. We hadn’t talked about going to the dance together, and we didn’t have many classes in the same area, so I didn’t see him often at school unless it was for baseball. Was he ashamed to go with me? As much as I tried not to, worries flashed before my eyes, and I focused on the last few times I’d been with Jake. Nothing had seemed off. Did I miss something?

“What are you going to do?” my dad asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Standing up, I walked over and stuck my foot into my slippers. “I’m going to go talk to Jake right now.”

Chapter 27

Jake

The guys had spent most of practice chatting about who they were going to ask to prom or how they were going to ask. At one point, I wanted to start chucking balls at them to get them to shut up.

Dances had never been my thing. I’d been asked several times to the girl’s-ask dances, and up until the accident, I’d gone. But things had changed when Troy died the night we were coming home from prom the year before.

Now anything that involved getting dressed up reminded me of that night, and I hadn’t been able to shake it. I avoided those nights as though I was quarantined in my room, because the rumors would start up again, and I didn’t need to relive them through other people’s words. I already did that enough when I tried to sleep.

I pulled out my math textbook, wishing I could somehow will the answers to appear on the page. It was the subject I was struggling with the most, but I needed to get it done. I was on a roll with all the changes I’d been making, and even my teachers had pointed it out. Maybe there was hope for me yet.

A knock came at my door, and I said, “Come in.” I’d been trying to remember the formula we’d talked about in class, but it still didn’t make sense after several minutes of reading through it.

“Penny’s downstairs. Do you want me to send her up?” my mom asked, barely opening the door.

“Yeah. She might be able to help me figure this out.”

A minute or two later, Penny walked in, her expression tight. Her lips were a thin line, and I could see the muscle along her jaw flexing.

“Hey, girl.” I stood and walked over, leaning down to kiss her. Her lips were firmer than normal, not forming to mine quite so easily. “I didn’t know you were coming over tonight. Don’t you have a big test to study for?”

She folded her arms against her chest, and I could tell from the ramrod-straight way she stood that something was up.

“I was studying for a test when Derrick came and told me someone had left something at my door.” Her eyebrows rose as if she were accusing me of telepathy.

“You got a package? What was in it?” I walked back to the chair at my desk, sitting in it sideways so I could face her.

She moved to sit on the edge of my bed, and I had to keep the grin off my face when I saw her giant puppy dog slippers.

“I got asked to prom, Jake. And it wasn’t by you.” Her voice warbled a bit at the end as if she was keeping everything together long enough to get the words out.

The air rushed out of my lungs, and from her body language and tone, I knew I was in trouble. If only I’d taken the time to talk to her about the whole thing, to explain that dances were PTSD-triggering situations for me. I searched her face, hoping to find the answer to what I needed to do to make things right.

When I saw her stony expression, I raised my hands. “Okay, who asked you?” I tried to think of any guys who’d been interested in Penny at school but kept coming up blank.

“Nate.”

“Nate Everton? No, he wouldn’t ask you out. He knows we’re together.” I ran a hand through my hair, feeling like I’d just jumped onto an emotional rollercoaster. I wasn’t as close to him as I was with Dax, but he wouldn’t go behind my back like that, would he? Thinking over the conversations at practice earlier, he’d been more quiet than normal. Was this his chance to get back at me for throwing him through the window? He had been ready to ask Penny out that day.

Penny threw her hands into the air and stood, pacing back and forth in the room. “The evidence is in my front room, Jake.”

Her tone caused my anger to surge. “What do you want me to do about it, Pen? I didn’t know he was going to ask you, so I’m in shock as much as you are.”

She stomped over to stand inches from my face, her bright green eyes boring into mine. “Well, what do you want me to do about it? I thought you’d ask me.”

“I don’t go to dances, Penny. I haven’t since the accident. And why do you care? You’ve never been one to go all out for that kind of stuff. I thought you’d be okay if we didn’t go.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong. I never had anyone I wanted to go with until now. You seriously don’t want to suck it up and go to a dance with me?” A red color had crept up her neck and into her face, causing her cheeks to nearly match her hair. Her gaze was so intense that I glanced away.

“I’ve got a lot going on right now. Can we talk about this tomorrow?” I kept my voice soft and even, hoping that would placate her just a bit.

With a shake of her head, she said, “So that’s a no from you?”

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