Seth's Place

Six: I Trust Him More Than I Should

9:24 pm

We walk down the streets of Ashbridge, and as the minutes pass the wind continues to become colder. It is now that I realized I am truly thankful for the mittens that Seth bought earlier in the night. It's almost ten o'clock and I am beginning to feel a little uneasy. It's not that Seth makes me uneasy. Because he doesn't. It's the fact that it's a school night, and that I will have to go home at some point.

I told my mom that I would be sleeping at Madison's house tonight, which is the biggest lie of the century considering I made her up on the spot. I'll have to go home at some point. Maybe it's better if I leave now, rather than arriving early in the morning.

I can feel Seth's gaze burning into the side of my face. I keep my eyes on the paved road ahead of us. "Is there something wrong with my face?" I ask him. The wind picks up slightly, and my hands push the blowing strands of hair out of my face.

"No," he chuckles. "There's nothing wrong with your face. But are you feeling okay? You haven't said a word in the last ten minutes." He's hunched over a little bit, and his hands are buried in his jacket. His face is tinged pink from the harsh wind, and I imagine that mine looks the same.

I shrug my shoulders. "I'm just thinking about what I'm going to do when I have to go home." He doesn't say anything for a moment, and for a brief while I wonder if our night is about to come to a close. I knew it had to end at some point, but for some reason, I don't want it to.

"Don't leave yet," he says finally. "The night is far from over."

"I know" I tell him, a sigh escaping my lips. "But I'll be in so much trouble if I walk in at two in the morning or some time like that." I picture my mom's furious face as I walk through the doors at some early hour of the morning. I shake the image out of my head, and focus on the road ahead.

We walk in silence again, as I await his reply. "Please don't leave just yet." His voice is sad, and I look up at him. "We haven't finished the Wright method yet. And we have these bowling passes that we need to use. And..." He trails off. "And I generally enjoy your presence and I want to hang out with you some more." He gives me a shy smile, and I find myself silently agreeing.

I swallow my words of protest and take a deep breath. "Okay." Seth looks less than convinced, but doesn't say otherwise. We keep walking until we see the small building up ahead with neon lights flashing 'Rock n' Bowl'.

The bowling alley is at the edge of town, and it's eerily quiet. We cross the empty intersection and down the small gravel path that leads to the building's entrance.

Seth pulls the door open for me and a bell chimes. As we make our way through the hallway, and my eyes try to adjust to the neon signs in the otherwise dark area. The music is some current pop playlist and it's blasting out of speakers on either side of us.

We stand in front of the counter, and I laugh when I see that none other than Marge and Dawson are standing in front of us.

"Hey!" Marge shouts cheerily when she notices us. Her red hair is pulled back into a neat ponytail, and her eyes are wide with excitement. "I guess we weren't the only ones who decided that the night is still young, eh?" Seth and Dawson both wait at the counter, and Marge pulls me over to a table not too far away.

"Date night?"

My eyes widen at her words. "What? No, of course not. We're just...I don't really know what we're doing." I shrug my shoulders and peer over at the boys at the counter. They seem to be laughing and getting along pretty well.

"Mhm, sure you don't." Marge has a smug look on her face. She studies me for a second, and then her expression goes neutral. "So what is it then? Just hanging out on a Thursday night?"