Page 44 of The Heart That Breaks
He shrugs. “It’s not like we had any control over it.”
“I know.”
“At least she’s got a gift. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna take her somewhere.”
“Yeah. You ever feel guilty for not having the odds stacked against you?”
“No. You think I should?”
“I don’t really know how to think about it. To be honest, I never gave it much thought until I started going out to Ann-Elizabeth’s place and realized what she does just to take care of her dog.”
“Guilt isn’t productive, man. But if there’s anything I can do to help you deal with that psycho, all you gotta do is yell.”
“Thanks, man,” I say. Even though I can’t imagine what that would be.
*
Ann-Elizabeth
I DON’T SEE Nathan until Lit in the afternoon.
When he walks into the room, I find myself staring at him, unable to take my eyes off his ridiculously good looking face. He spots me, smiles the smile that actually rivals Luke Bryan’s, and I just about melt.
I look away just in case someone else is watching my reaction. I can only imagine what a goofball I look like, grinning as if I’ve just won the lottery.
“Hey,” he says, taking the desk next to mine.
“Hey,” I say, suddenly at a loss for words.
“I stopped by your locker earlier.”
“I had a test to make up so I never got over there.”
“You up for another practice session after school?”
I start to say there’s no way I can do it again today, but then I think about how good it felt to be a part of what we did yesterday, and I say, “Okay. That sounds great.”
“We’ll swing by and get Henry and then head to my place?”
I nod, unable to believe this is suddenly my life. But for once, I’m not going to question it.
*
WHEN THE CLASS is over, I pick up my backpack and step away from my desk. Nathan follows me to the door, and we’ve just left the room when Carlie’s voice sounds from behind us.
“Aren’t you two cozy all of a sudden?”
We both stop and turn around. Nathan’s face is unsmiling when he says, “Hey, Carlie.”
“You don’t write. You don’t call.” Her voice is light, but the look in her eyes is anything but. She shifts her gaze to mine, adding, “Is she the reason?”
“We’re not doing this,” Nathan says.
“What? You could have been honest with me. Instead of leading me to believe we were on temporary hiatus.”
“I didn’t lead you to believe that or anything else. We’ve been done.”
“What’s with the lowering of standards, Nath?” She grabs the arm of a girl I recognize from the cheerleading squad, pulling her to a halt. “Hey, Haley. Did you know Ann-Elizabeth sleeps outside with her killer dog every night?”
