Page 34 of Holiday Star
I sigh, understanding immediately what she means. “I don’t know, Jenny. I’m not sure I want to.”
In the food court, I had daydreamed about seeing Jax again, about getting back together with him, but now that doesn’t seem as appealing. An image of Caleb, sparkling in the sunlight with Pip in his lap, flashes in my mind’s eye. I push it away, not wanting to look too closely.
“What don’t you want to do?” Caleb has swum over to us. He folds his tan arms over the edge of the pool and hangs there, kicking his legs slowly to keep himself afloat. Water droplets glitter like stars on his long eyelashes and run in streaks down his muscular chest.
Jenny answers before I can. “A bunch of our old classmates are going to Shooter’s tonight. It’s a tradition, but little Miss Scaredy Cat here doesn’t want to go.”
A line forms between Caleb’s brows. “What’s Shooter’s?” he asks Jenny, “and why are you scared?” he asks me.
“Shooter’s is a bar,” I explain. “A small dive bar, nothing fancy, but for some reason alumni from our high school have been meeting up there during holiday breaks for ages. Anytime you go to Shooter’s, you’re basically guaranteed to see someone you know.”
“What’s so frightening about that?” Caleb asks.
“There’s a high probability that Gwen’s ex will be there tonight. His name’s Jax.” Jenny shoots me a disappointed glare, knowing I’ll try to weasel out of going. “That’s what’s got her running for the hills.”
I can sense Caleb’s gaze warm on my cheek, but I refuse to glance over. This isn’t a conversation I want to have with him around.
“What happened? End badly?” Since I won’t look at him, I can’t tell if Caleb is asking me or Jenny.
“You could say that.” My voice is grim, but I don’t elaborate.
Jenny fills in the blanks for me. “It was our senior year. Gwen lost her dad the summer before.” I flinch, hating that she framed it that way. It makes me remember that time after my dad died. Walking around like a zombie, like I was missing the most integral piece of my puzzle.
How can I blame Jenny for saying it like that, though? Isn’t that how I define my life as well? The time before and after dad? His death a jagged line down the middle of my world, breaking it into two separate halves.
“It was like something out of an ’80s rom-com, a John Hughes movie,” Jenny continues as she waves her hands across the sky in a grand gesture, like she’s pointing out a theater marquee.
“Jenny,” I warn, but I already know that once she gets into storytelling mode, there’s no stopping her.
“Picture this. A shy, but attractive, nerd.” She points to me, and I roll my eyes. “Meets the brawny, but brainless, football quarterback.”
“He was a receiver,” I correct.
Jenny waves me away. “The football, whatever his position was, guy has a problem. He’s failing trigonometry. Oh, no!” She clasps her hands to her cheeks, like the kid fromHome Alone. “Whatever shall we do?” Jenny says overdramatically, while I give a frustrated groan next to her. She ignores me and continues. “Ah-ha! An idea! Jock Boy asks Nerd Girl to tutor him.”
A flashback comes to me. It had been such a role reversal. Jax, usually so confident, standing before me with his hands shoved into his pockets, feet scuffing the ground. “Will you help me, Gwen? I can’t fail trig and lose my spot on the team.” Me, usually so shy around guys like him but suddenly confident in my trigonometry skills, telling him, “You won’t fail, Jax. I promise.”
What a stupid, stupid girl I’d been. I’d given him everything: my heart, my virginity, years of my life.
Jenny has continued on with her story. “Nerd Girl has had a secret crush on Jock Boy for years, so this tutoring proposition is like winning the lottery for her. Plus, Jock Guy just broke up with…wait for it, because it doesn’t get any more predictable than this…the head cheerleader.” Jenny makes a drum roll motion with her hands.
“Sophie was a regular cheerleader, remember? Sarah was the head cheerleader that year,” I interject.
Jenny puts her finger over her lips. “Hush.”
I spare a glance at Caleb to see how he’s taking all this in. His arms are still resting on the edge of the pool, and his eyes are wide, his expression rapt. “What happened?” he asks, like he’s hanging onto every word Jenny says.
Wanting this torture to stop as quickly as possible, I take over. “Nerd Girl fell for Jock Boy. He passed trig. They stayed together for six years. But next came the plot twist. Turned out that Jock Boy got tired of dating boring, too serious Nerd Girl, so Jock Boy dumped her, then got back with Cheerleader Chick and broke Nerd Girl’s heart. The end.” The words rush out of me, so fast I’m not even sure if they made sense. I barely have a chance to see Caleb and Jenny’s stunned faces before I’m up and striding into the kitchen.
I open the refrigerator door to feel the cool air on my overheated cheeks. If I could crawl inside the arctic of the refrigerator, I would. Just curl up in there like a penguin, so I wouldn’t have to face anyone, especially Caleb, again.
“Gwen, I’m so, so, sorry.” Jenny is behind me. I close the door and turn to see her wringing her hands. “I’m a terrible friend. Forgive me.”
“It’s okay.” I gather my long hair off my neck into a high ponytail, letting the air dry the sweat that’s gathered there. “It’s a good story, and if it wasn’t my life I’d find it entertaining, too.” I pull a hair tie off my wrist to secure the ponytail, winding it around and around.
Jenny’s mouth tugs down. “But it is your life, and I know how Jax hurt you. I’m the one who helped pick up the pieces, after all. I shouldn’t have made light of it.”
“Honestly,” I shrug. “I like how you tell it. Much easier than me having to explain what happened. Mostly, I’m embarrassed because Caleb heard.”
