The End of Innocence

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Nate slides into the diner at six pm, dressed nicer than his usual Nike shorts for his date with Layla. It feels weird to be going on a real date again. He feels as if he should be scanning the sidewalk for Emerson, worrying that she'll catch him.

When Layla texted him, he was surprised. He always thought she was too shy and awkward to actually be fun, but he wanted to say yes. He couldn't stop himself from agreeing.

As he walks through the door, he glances around, recognizing a lot of people from school. Some older hockey players wave. Sarah Smith and Chrissy Carwell stare at him from their window booth. He even sees Lexi Evans, and he smiles, reminding himself to sit somewhere far-away from her listening ears. It's weird to think that all these people are going to see his first date with Layla. He and Emerson always hung out at their houses, or at the park, never somewhere as public as this.

That's when he sees her. She's sitting alone on a barstool, sipping a vanilla milkshake. His legs gravitate towards her, his eyes fixed on the back of her neck, and soon he finds himself beside her, watching as she twines her hair around her index finger.

"Emma," he breathes.

Emma whips around, smiling shyly when she sees him. "Hey, Nate," she says.

"I know you didn't really kill Serena, Emma," he says, loving the sound of her name coming from his mouth.

Emma stares at her shoes, and he realizes that was a pretty crappy way to start off the conversation .

Finally, she asks, "Are you here alone?"

"No," he admits. "I'm... I'm meeting Layla." Emma's face falls, and he laughs nervously. "No, Emma. We're just friends." He leans over, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, just enough to make sure she knows how he feels, before finding a table in the back to wait for Layla.

———

The next few days pass in a slow haze as the usual drag of late autumn sets in. Tanner and Eleanor go to a meeting at the school to get Eleanor placed into all the same classes as Tanner, as a way to help her adjust to being back. It's fun to have Eleanor back, and it's nice when they all sit together at lunch and giggle the way they used to, but it doesn't stop the stares that follow the girls down the hall. It's like people are seeing a ghost. Eleanor just takes it, waving at smiling at everyone she sees. Adelia still sees Eleanor's legs wobbling when people's eyes are on her, though.

They all get the stares, just for being friend's of Eleanor and Serena's. Even Clare has begun to complain about the attention she's been getting. Lunchtime is the worst, because they're all together and it feels like everyone in the school is watching as they eat their sandwiches. That's why Adelia is glad when Will calls her over to his table on Thursday.

"Have you and Serena talked?" Adelia asks him. She feels petty immediately after she says it. Will has been hurting over this girl for years, and all she wants is a clarification that it won't matter anymore.

Will frowns. "No. Not yet. I'm going over there on Sunday. That's okay with you, right?"

"Of course," she lies. She knows she'll have to get used to Will and Serena being friends.

"Good," says Will. "You know that I like you, right?"

Adelia nods. "Of course. I like you, too."

"I'm not going to look at any other girl but you," he says. "I promise. Serena is just a friend."

She smiles, a smile that's just for herself and not for anybody else's benefit. She understands, of course, that it wasn't his fault before. Serena was all he could see, the bright light blinding his vision.