Catch My Fall | ✔

14. Stay In Your Lane

My mom didn't bring up driving again. At least not my driving. She wanted me to get a ride from Indy after school. "Or one of those boys," she threw in as she dropped me off the next morning.

No one could guilt trip like my mother.

That would've been the perfect time to bring up getting my license, my own car, so I didn't have to rely on her or anyone else for rides. But a line of cars had formed behind us already.

Besides, it was too early in the morning for a rejection. I had too much of that yesterday. I'd probably checked my phone more times in the last twelve hours than I had since getting the phone.

Andre never replied to my message. I knew I shouldn't have been obsessing over it like I was. He could've been busy. But that didn't stop me from analyzing everything I've ever said to him and wondering what I did wrong.

Did I say something that made him realize I wasn't worth it? Was I a place holder until someone more interesting came along?

What I saw as I trekked across the quad didn't help my over thinking. Andre and a very pretty blonde girl sat at one of the picnic tables talking. The girl grinned as Andre leaned close to whisper something to her.

I tried to ignore them, and the burning in my chest, as I kept my head down and continued across the quad. Why was I jealous? We hung out, like, once. He could talk to as many girls as he wanted to. It shouldn't have mattered.

It didn't matter, I decided.

Before I turned the corner to meet my friends, I unclenched my jaw and relaxed my shoulders. I didn't want to explain my completely unwarranted feelings of jealousy.

Nia and Romeo were huddled together, looking at something on his phone and laughing. Was it truly necessary for them to be that close? Usually, there was enough space for me to sit between them. Now there wasn't even enough space for a breeze to slip through. Why didn't they just sit in each other's laps?

I dropped down on Nia's other side as loudly as possible. They both straightened up then, pulling a part as Romeo put his phone in his pocket. What was on it that he didn't want to show me?

"I mad at you," Nia declared as she shifted to face me, her boney knees digging into my thigh. "First, you and Rome go to party without me and now you're having sleepovers?"

I looked over her shoulder at Romeo. How much did he tell her about our "sleepover"? The awkward dancing? The sleeping on top of each other? Those things should've stayed between us.

"It wasn't a sleepover," Romeo said. "I was babysitting the babysitter."

My eyes rolled, but I felt myself smile. Maybe he didn't tell her everything. "I didn't need babysitting."

To Nia he said, "She would've been on the floor in the fetal position if it wasn't for me."

That might've been true, but I wasn't admitting it. "So, what time are we meeting up for the V-day movie?"

They gave me matching looks of stunned silence. After Nia's predictions yesterday, they probably assumed I had other plans. I'd even let her get my hopes up about it.

Romeo snapped out of it first. "You're not going with Andre?"

The unanswered text. The blonde. It was laughable how I even thought that was a possibility. "Why would you think that?"

Keeping her eyes on me, Nia leaned back into Romeo and stage-whispered, "I just got chills."

"I thought you two were--"

"We're not," I said, cutting Romeo off. "So, when are we leaving for the movie?"

Rome and Nia shared a glance, concern on both their faces. I thought they were going to push the issue. Instead, Nia said, "Six."