Hiding From Us

11. kim

Friday held the first Jam Session of the school year, and Shain was fifth in line. So Robin, Grace, Erick, and I found front row seats and ate our lunch, waiting for Shain and her guitar to make an appearance. 

     Sitting next to me, Grace took a bite of the cafeteria’s meatloaf and made a sour face. ‘’Oh, goodness,’’ she said, because she didn’t swear. ‘’Um, this lunch.’’

     ‘’Is disgusting?’’ I offered. 

     ‘‘That’s putting it mildly, actually.’’ She pushed it to the side of her plate and nibbled gingerly on a carrot; she didn’t make a face this time. Beside her elbow, her phone buzzed. 

     I grabbed it before she could. ‘‘You received a text from . . . no way, that’s the guy you ran into, isn’t it? Adrian?’’

     ‘‘Shhh,’’ Grace hissed, taking the phone and opening the text. Her lips curled up ever so slightly, and then she started texting back.

     I elbowed Robin. ‘‘She’s flirting. Our Gracie is flirting with the malicious creatures we call boys.’’ Robin feigned shock and disgust at the same time. I said, ‘‘Our little Gracie’s growing up!’’ 

     Across from me, Erick laughed a little. 

     Grace murmured, ‘’Oh, hush.’’

     Soon Shain came on and sat in front of the microphone. She’d done this lots before, Erick had told us. She was a natural performer. The speed on her guitar was only a little fast, and her voice quavered just barely as she started to sing. 

     ‘‘What would I do without your smart mouth . . .’’

     Robin grinned and mouthed the words to John Legend’s hit. I knew the song; I tapped my knee a bit to the beat. It wasn’t Marley, but it was good in its own way. 

     Shain hit the chorus: ‘‘’Cause all of me loves all of you, love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections . . .’’

     Her eyes found us, and she smiled a bit. Then she saw Erick, and she didn’t blink for a long time. The song was for him. 

     ‘’I give you a-a-a-all of me . . . and you give me a-a-a-all of you, oh . . .’’

     All of the forum applauded loudly when she finished. Grace, Robin, and I cheered. Erick just sat there, staring at Shain with a smile on his face that said, I am so lucky to have someone like you in my life. Shain gave him a similar grin that replied, I know. 

     Lunch period was almost over, so we filed out of the forum and tried to find the sun in the field. For some reason, Shain wasn’t ready to put away her guitar, so she brought it and fingered soft melodies as she leaned against Erick’s jean-covered legs. 

     ‘‘Lights and love, they’re not so different,’’ she said in an awkward tune, ‘‘they shine equally.’’

     ‘‘That’s beautiful, man,’’ I said. 

     She grinned. ‘‘Why, thanks.’’

     Again, Erick was speechless. He leaned down and kissed Shain. 

     Robin and Grace averted their eyes, because they were polite and good-natured. I, however, found myself gaping. Shain and Erick were something that you would be ashamed to be staring at, but they were something that you couldn’t look away from. 

     Just then, Robin pinched my skin and said, ‘‘Oh. Hi, Henry.’’

     I looked behind me. Henry Stewarts stood with his buddies a few feet from the trail that took you up the hill where Shain, Robin, and Erick lived. Henry was in my grade. Apparently he’d had a crush on me in seventh grade. 

     ‘‘Hey,’’ said Henry. He had dark hair and thick glasses of the same color. 

     Robin said, ‘’Hi.’’ 

     Grace said, ‘’Hi.’’

     Shain and Erick were still kissing. 

     I said, ‘’Hi.’’

     He left with his buddies and started up the trail. Shain and Erick took a break from kissing and all five of us sang two-thirds of Rixton’s Me and My Broken Heart. Erick was a bit off-key. Grace, although she was blessed with a heavenly voice, chanted very nervously. Our key melody was from Robin while I attempted to follow Shain’s lead with the harmonies. 

     Henry and his buddies came back down the hill. One of the knees in his jeans was torn, and the other was caked with mud. 

     That was all. 

     But I couldn’t quite convince myself of that.