Right Where You Left Me

damsel in distress

Summer drifts by uneventfully. Nate doesn't make any offers to hang out with me. Maybe he's learned his lesson from the kitchen disaster. Maybe he's giving me space.

We ignore each other when we pass by each other in the house. He disappears in the mornings and doesn't return until late in the evenings. Sometimes he doesn't come home at all. A whole month goes by, half of my fucking summer, and all I do is sit in my room and read the same books over and over again and listen to music through my shitty wired earbuds and cry.

So when someone knocks on my bedroom late one night, I expect it to be Nancy. Hell, I would be less surprised if it was Kit. But it's Nate.

"Oh," I say, and then I realize that's kind of mean, so I quickly say "Hi."

"Hey," he says casually, as if he barges into my bedroom all the time. He eyes the piles of books on the floor and the book in my hand.

"What's up?" I ask, attempting to match his level of casualness.

He leans on the doorframe and runs a hand through his hair. "Uh, I got invited to a party. I was wondering if you wanted to come."

I stop and think for a moment. While reading in my room is an ideal way to spend my night, I've always wanted to go to a party. I set the book down and shrug. "Sure."

"Really?" His eyes light up, which is the opposite reaction of what I'd expected, to be honest.

I nod. "Sure. But you can't ditch me, and you can't get blackout drunk, and you can't get high."

He shrugs. "Fair enough. Be ready in fifteen, yeah?"

I sit up. "What should I wear?"

The corner of his mouth curls up. "You're asking me for fashion advice?"

"No," I say, rolling my eyes. "I need to know what the other girls are wearing. Shorts and tank tops? Dresses? I don't want to be under or over dressed."

I realize I probably sound annoying and insecure. I'm nagging him. I expect him to dismiss my concerns, but instead I watch as he calls Kit and asks him what his girlfriend is wearing to the party. They talk for a few moments and then Nate hangs up.

"Kit's girlfriend said she's wearing jean shorts and a tank top," he tells me.

"Thank you," I say, and then I close the door because that whole ordeal was honestly quite embarrassing.

After I change, I pull my hair back into a ponytail and slip on a hoodie, because the summer nights get a little cold. I put on a little makeup and meet Nate by the door.

"Ready?" he asks. He's wearing basketball shorts and a hoodie. His hair is messy and his blue eyes are sparkling.

"Where's this party located?" I ask as we make our way down the street, away from the house. Woodvale is tiny and almost everything is within walking distance, and the night isn't too cold.

"A few blocks away," Nate tells me. We walk a few minutes in silence, and then he talks again. "So, uh, how've you been?"

"Great," I lie. "I'm reading some new books-" I cut myself off. He doesn't want to hear about my books.

"You've been reading books?" he prompts.

I look up at him. His eyes are on me, hanging onto every word I say. He's so confusing. I thought we came to a mutual agreement to ignore each other.

"Yup," I say, avoiding his eyes. "There's a book about a boy at a boarding school. There's also another book about a girl who inherits a large amount of money from a dead man she never knew. And the latest one I read is about a girl who's rival steals her spot as editor in chief for their newspaper."