Band X

Chapter 14: Juicy Interruption

Despite my dread of the whole date thing and my huge fear that Thomas will realize that he's made a really big mistake by asking me out, the rest of the night is actually fun. No awkward conversations or silence at dinner and Vito's even had decent gluten free pizza.

I get sick of eating this way, always looking on the menu for something that won't make me sick but the evening would have been truly awful if I had pizza with regular crust. Like me spending lots of time in the bathroom awful. Coming back to the table and finding a note Thomas left me because he couldn't stand to wait for his gassy date anymore kind of awful.

Carter-

Thought you died in there. Left you some money to get an Uber. Let's not speak of this night again.

P.S. I'm quitting the band.

Thomas

Of course, there was no gluten involved and no note. I didn't have to find a way home, and after dinner and a slightly scary movie about a guy who comes back from the dead to kill his enemies, Thomas took me home and walked me to my door just in time for my curfew.

The night is cool but humid and I'm shivering and sweating at the same time. Thomas takes my hand and I cringe thinking about how sweaty it must be. He doesn't let go so I guess it's not dripping wet. Yet.

My parents conveniently left the light on. I'm sure they're also lurking somewhere nearby to make sure that Thomas doesn't turn into some sort of monster as he delivers their precious, sickly daughter to their front porch.

Even though I would never let them know, I don't mind that they find me precious. Let's face it-what kid doesn't want their parents to love them more than anything? And I know mine do. I mean they really, really do. It's obvious in everything they say, in how they help me all the time, and how they try to understand me.

Understanding me is probably the most difficult thing for them. I'm not really like either one of my parents, personality-wise. I'm not supper loud and outgoing like my mom and I'm not someone who keeps to herself most of the time like my dad. Now that I think about it, I guess I'm more like a combo of them than anything else. I don't like to be alone all the time like my dad but if I spend too much time around people like my mom does, I freak out and hide in my room until I'm ready to join the rest of the world again.

I'd like to think I'm the best of each of them but the anxiety that keeps me up at night and the burning pain in my joints and the sharp ache in my back makes me wonder about that theory. This crap certainly isn't the best of anyone.

Even though I've loved every minute of our date, I'm starting to feel nervous and tired at the same time. My eyes dart to my front door and I contemplate making a break for it, leaving Thomas alone on the other side. But I really don't want the night to end, either.

My heart thuds in my chest, starting and stopping in jagged spurts. Thomas smiles and says something to me but I can't hear him over the throbbing in my head. It sounds like our washing machine when it first starts up. Wub, wub, wub.

I close my eyes as he leans in to kiss me goodnight and he fades away with the rest of the night. The world goes black and our date is officially over.

I hear hushed voices saying my name over and over again as I struggle to open my eyes. My lids are heavy and I feel like I'm suffocating. I can't breathe and no one can tell because they're all talking to each other instead of looking at me. My lips are sticky and dry and I can't open my mouth. I know I'm going to die, right here, surrounded by people who are too busy to pay attention to me.