I nodded because for now, she was right. For now, I had the golden boy, but it wouldn’t last; he’d picked the wrong girl.
I swallowed down the thought, shoving it so far beneath the surface that by the time physics rolled around, I could offer Chase my best attempt at a genuine smile. Mr. Jenkins passed out the problem set and I focused on it like my life depended on it. Chase and I worked through it together while Connor lagged behind. In a lot of ways, it was the same Friday afternoon I’d had for the last few months, until Chase’s phone buzzed and I glanced down to see an incoming call from Kimberly.
My stomach clenched at the sight of her name. Did she call him often? She was his Diamond Girl, of course she did.
I pretended not to notice the call and he ignored it, but just as we turned in our problem sets, his phone buzzed again. This time he asked to use the restroom so he could answer it. The final bell rang and he never came back.
I watched the other kids in my class bolt, including Connor, but I waited. I glanced back and forth from Chase’s backpack to the door, wondering if he was going to bother coming back for it. Mr. Jenkins packed up his classroom and offered me an expectant glare.
“It looks like Chase skipped out of class early. When you see him please let him know that he’ll be serving detention for that next week.”
I nodded and carried out both of our backpacks, one on each shoulder.
The sky had been dark and cloudy during lunch, but the rain waited long enough for me to eat my sandwich out in the nature center. As I walked out after the final bell, I knew I wouldn’t be so lucky for my walk home.
The wind whipped my hair across my face and I stared up to see dark rumbling clouds overtaking the sky. I smiled thinking about how much my plants needed the rain. It was the first time I'd smiled all week and it slipped away as soon as I looked down to see Chase walking side by side with Kimberly. He’d been running late, and now I knew why. He wasn’t planning on meeting me at all.
The two of them bee-lined for her car in the parking lot. I stood frozen as she reached up to give him a hug before rounding the car toward the driver’s side. My stomach twisted into a knot I was helpless to untangle. I blinked, trying to clear away the scene as they pulled out of the parking lot, wondering if my mind was playing a trick on me. Chase was leaving school with Kimberly. Why? Why would he do that? Had Kimberly told him what I’d said earlier?
My mother always told me to be careful what I wished for, and in that moment I realized how truthful her words were. I should have been more careful about airing my doubts. The universe had listened and acted much faster than I’d even thought possible.
I didn’t have the golden boy any more.
A clap of thunder jostled me back to the present and I knew I needed to get a move on if I wanted to make it home before the rain started. I reached around to pull my phone out of the front pocket of my backpack and felt betrayal melt through me. There wasn't a missed call or a text message waiting to be read. The blank screen sealed my fate: Chase had left school with Kimberly and I would be walking home alone. I tucked my phone back into the front pocket of my backpack and turned to start my walk home as the first few raindrops started to fall like splatters of paint on the sidewalk.
Just perfect.
By the time I reached the front gate of the school, the rain was pouring harder than it had in years. The school’s buses had already left or I would have turned around and hopped on one. My dad was still working and I didn't want to bother him. My only choice was to continue walking.
I headed around the perimeter of the school with two backpacks weighing down my body and the idea of Chase and Kimberly together weighing down my mind.
I didn’t stop walking until I reached an old oak tree on Main Street. Its canopy was wide and hung low over the sidewalk. I huddled beneath it, hoping the storm would pass quickly. My clothes were soaked and each backpack had gained at least ten pounds of water weight. I dropped them to the dry ground beneath the tree and rolled my shoulders back to loosen the tension in them. The rain didn’t look like it would be letting up any time soon; I knew I'd have to just suck it up until I got home.
I checked my phone again, desperate for a text from Chase, but there was nothing. I bent down to retrieve the backpacks with a groan just as a familiar silver Camry pulled to a stop against the curb right in front of me. Behind the rain-splattered windows, I watched as Trent leaned over and turned the manual crank on the window.
I pushed my wet hair behind my ear and leaned down.
“What are you doing walking home in this?” he asked with a frown.
I looked from left to right, trying to think of a good excuse. I didn’t have one.
“It’s not that bad. I’m almost halfway,” I answered limply.