Straight To You

sixteen

When Monday eventually rolls around, I'm less than ready to go back to school. Just the thought of seeing Jack makes my heart sink to my stomach, causing me to feel sick. How am I supposed to face Jack now that he knows everything about me, down to every depressing detail? I shudder at just the thought, wishing I had never opened up to Jack in the first place.

Then there's Lucas, whom I also seem to have messed things up with. I have the faintest memory of kissing him when I was drunk, which only makes me cringe and hate myself even more. I don't know what Lucas thought about that kiss, but I can't stop thinking that it was such a huge mistake. Before that drunken kiss, Lucas and I were nothing more than friends. Sure, we'd flirted before, but nothing had ever actually happened. Now I'm afraid that I've ruined the friendship we once had, and I'm not sure if our relationship will ever be completely restored.

I'm so nervous about running into either of the Crawford boys, I decide to stay in the front office with Elena until first bell. She doesn't seem to mind, and she even manages to lift my spirits a little. I don't know how she does it, but Elena manages to make me laugh every time I visit her, and she always has a warm smile reserved for me. She often tells me how much she likes my visits, and I can't help thinking how much I enjoy spending time with her too.

"You must have been excited about the win on Friday!" Elena exclaims when she sees me, offering a wide smile. Her brown eyes shine as they meet mine, and I can't help realizing how pretty she is. "I know your dad was!"

"I was!" I admit, trying to muster enthusiasm. I don't need Elena to catch on to my mood, because I don't need to be making any more embarrassing revelations; especially not when I'm sober. "Dad was pretty proud of the team."

"I'm sure," Elena says, swiveling around in her chair to face me. "He was always obsessed with football in high school. I can't say I was shocked when I heard he was going coach here."

"Were you and my dad close in high school?" I ask, suddenly curious. From the stories Elena likes to tell me, it's easy to see that she knew my father pretty well. But I've been wondering about their relationship a lot lately, like how they met, if they had any classes together, etc.

Elena shrugs coyly, shooting me a mysterious smile. I notice a mischievous gleam in her brown eyes as she fights back her grin, gaze meeting my own. "Something like that."

I furrow my eyebrows at Elena's vague answer, wondering what she could possibly mean by that. Before I get the chance to ask Elena to clarify, the first bell rings, startling me a little.

"Go on," Elena teases me with a smirk, gesturing toward the office door. "You don't want to be late."

I give her one last departing smile before walking out of the office, making my way through the crowded hallway. By one of the lockers, I spot Jack and Lucas talking to each other. I pause for a moment to study them, as my curiosity gets the best of me. By the looks of it, the two are in an argument. A pretty heated one, too. Deciding I definitely don't want to get caught in the middle of that, I scurry off toward my classroom, wondering just how long I'll be able to avoid the Crawford boys before shit hits the fan.