The Wrong Path

Chapter Six





Annabelle felt like she was glowing as she walked into the crowded diner under Trevor’s arm, wearing his letterman’s jacket like a brand. She spotted their group of friends crammed around their regular table in the back, several chairs pulled up to accommodate the ones that wouldn’t fit in the circular booth. Annabelle caught Claire’s eye and her friend immediately started catcalling, inciting the others into a chorus of cheers and whistles.

Blushing furiously in a mixture of immense pleasure and embarrassment, Annabelle stood at the head of the table with Trevor as the others slid over to make room. She had never been the center of attention before, and while couldn’t say she liked it, there was something exhilarating about it; about being Trevor’s girlfriend. She slid into the booth beside Erin, Trevor sitting down on the edge of the packed bench beside her.

“How was the movie?” Zach asked, his arm wrapped around Claudia’s shoulders.

“It was good,” Trevor answered, smiling. He picked up a menu from the table and held it out for Annabelle to look at with him. “What did you guys do?”

“Made plans for tomorrow night,” Parker replied, grinning wolfishly. Annabelle felt a weak smile form as the others laughed and began chatting excitedly. Even though she was sure that Parker hadn’t drugged her to be cruel, she still felt uncomfortable around him.

“Tomorrow night?” Trevor asked, frowning in confusion.

“You know!” Claire insisted. “The big launch of that new club?”

“Oh… Right.” Trevor smiled charmingly. “I forgot.”

“Well you’ve had a big week,” Claudia reminded him, shooting him a kittenish wink. Annabelle had to clasp her fingers together to keep from shifting uneasily. She knew Claudia didn’t mean anything by the flirtatious gesture, but she couldn’t help feeling troubled that her friend might be interested in her new boyfriend. “We’ve barely seen Annabelle all week long.”

There was laughter around the table, while Trevor and Annabelle offered their protests. Annabelle looked over at Claire nervously, but she didn’t seem to be upset about Annabelle’s lack of appearances. She was laughing and teasing with the others, no traces of annoyance on her face. Annabelle relaxed, relieved, and allowed herself to feel pleased.

Being Trevor’s girlfriend was really like a dream come true. Trevor drove her to school, walked her to her classes, and after school she did her homework in the library while he was at football practice. Then he would either take her out for dinner or they would go back to her house and watch a movie in the game room. He was gentlemanly and polite and being in a relationship with him was impossibly easy. She had never thought it would be so easy to be in a relationship after all of the stories she had heard from her friends.

“So what is the plan for tomorrow night?” Trevor asked, when their teasing died down.

The waitress came by, interrupting the conversation before it began. Before any of the girls ordered, Claire suggested they split a plate of fries, and even though Annabelle was starving, she agreed with the others. It was an unspoken rule between the girls to never order anything they couldn’t fit into their mouths in a small bite—it was unattractive. Annabelle ordered a strawberry shake and the waitress collected their menus, looking irritated as she walked away.

“How do you girls survive on nothing?” Parker asked, shaking his head with a smile. The boys had ordered cheeseburgers. “It’s why you’re all so skinny, isn’t it?”

There were squeals of delighted objections. Annabelle added her voice to the protests, but she was so hungry it felt hollow—of course it was why they were skinny. And ordering nothing had the added benefit of drawing attention to themselves.

“Well they’re all so small they don’t need much food anyway,” Trevor pointed out, smiling warmly down at Annabelle. She smiled up at his compliment, squeezing his leg under the table as he ran a hand through her hair. He looked back at the others. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

Claire lightly smacked Parker’s hand away from her, giggling, and addressed Annabelle. “Tomorrow we’re going to get ready at Claudia’s,” she told her. “I’ll swing by and pick you up around 5:00.”

Annabelle nodded appropriately. Claire turned to Trevor. “You guys are going to pick us up at 9:30.” She looked around the table at the other guys, as if waiting for confirmation.

“We’ll be there,” Zach assured her flirtatiously, winking. Claire giggled and rolled her eyes.

Annabelle was desperate to ask what the plan was if one of them was turned away at the door for having a fake ID, but she didn’t want to bring down everyone’s good mood, so she kept her mouth shut.

They began talking about the new club and how cool it was supposed to be, so Annabelle tuned out, stirring the milkshake the waitress set in front of her. Her friends were laughing loudly, drawing the attention and stares of other patrons, but she felt strangely conspicuous in the mass of it. Normally she reveled in being part of the crowd that drew so many looks of admiration, but tonight she just wanted to be sitting at home in her game room with Trevor, watching a movie.

She darted a look up at him. He was reclined back in the booth, his arm stretched out behind her, laughing and looking completely relaxed and comfortable. She grinned when he looked down at her, and he grinned back before returning to the conversation.

Annabelle tried not to sigh. Trevor was having a great time, and she would just bring him down if she continued acting the way she was. She needed to cheer up. So what if she really just wanted to be somewhere alone with him? Trevor was having fun, and he had sacrificed his evening to go to a movie he had probably hated just for her—the least she could do was stop pouting.

In the corner, Annabelle spied a boy and girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen, having dinner with their parents. They looked embarrassed and uncomfortable to be with their parents, and kept shooting longing looks at Annabelle and her friends.

The sight made her heart ache. She wanted to tell them they were lucky their parents were still healthy and able to take them out to spend time with them, because it wasn’t a luxury everyone had. She wanted to tell them to enjoy being young, because in a few years pressures they couldn’t even comprehend would become daily occurrences. She wanted to tell them she would be willing to trade places with them for the evening in exchange for their cheeseburgers.

Instead she lowered her head and stirred her milkshake.

She had to hide how subdued she felt through the rest of the meal. When Trevor drove her home, he walked her to her door, and all her melancholy feelings vanished as he leaned down. Standing on her front porch, the moonlight overhead casting a silver glow everywhere, Annabelle received her first kiss.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, almost shyly.

She swallowed the squeal in her throat and nodded. “Tomorrow,” she agreed, grinning up at him.

Trevor Scarlett had just kissed her.

Trevor Scarlett, who she had loved since she was a child, had just kissed her.

As soon as she was in her room, she threw herself on the bed and let out an excited screech. No matter how difficult it was to be in her crowd at times, there were definitely benefits… and being able to be with Trevor Scarlett was the biggest of all.