Page 59 of Eighteen (18)

I don’t have much to compare it to, but I decide it is, and I decide I like it, and I decide I want it.

I want him.

When we get home, and I get out of the car, I wish so bad that he’d invite me in and keep me forever. The last thing I want to do is go home to Jason.

But he doesn’t. He takes my hand and walks me across the street. He pushes me against the brick wall just a few inches from my bedroom window and kisses me goodnight.

I go inside feeling sadder than I have a right to.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Mateo didn’t call on Sunday, and if that was all that happened in the days following our ‘date’, I’d get over it. But he never showed for class on Monday. I took the bus all the way over to Gilbert only to find the doors locked. I waited, nothing. I took the bus home and texted him. Nothing.

The next day I had to show up for science class, so I took the bus out to Gilbert again, did my two hours, turned in several more open-book tests, and went to room twenty-one.

Empty and dark.

I texted again. Nothing.

So I got desperate and tried to call, but it went straight to voicemail.

What the fuck?

“Shannon?” A push on my shoulder takes my attention away from my phone and I look to see Sunday peering down at me. “Didn’t you hear me? I called your name three times.”

“Oh,” I say, pointing to my ear. “I have an ear infection. It’s all clogged up.” I do too. It started on Sunday afternoon and it’s been building ever since. “I get them a lot and the drops I had left over from the last one aren’t working yet.”

“Why do you look so unhappy?”

“I’m just in pain, that’s all. I took some pills, but they’re not working either.”

“You looked this way yesterday too. There’s something you’re not telling me. What’s going on?”

There’s no one here but us. People ditched to go smoke out at the arcade across the street at lunch. I have some vague recollection of being asked to partake, but waving them off as I concentrated on Mateo’s absence.

Obviously, I can’t tell Sunday anything about Mateo. “I think I’m going home. It’ll feel better tomorrow.”

“I’ll take you,” he says.

I know I should say no, but the ear really does hurt. And the thought of walking the few blocks home makes me tired just standing here. “OK.”

He takes my backpack and we walk towards the parking lot. “The ex-boyfriend giving you trouble?”

I sigh. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“OK,” he says again, opening the passenger door for me and placing my pack at my feet. He closes my door and walks around to get in his side, starts up the car and pulls out.

“It’s just, we had a really good weekend. Saturday night was fun. And then Sunday, nothing. No call, no text. And I haven’t been able to get a hold of him since. He’s just disappeared.”

“I thought you didn’t want to talk about it?”

“Sorry,” I say, placing a hand over my ear to try to dull the pain.

We drive in silence after that, and thankfully, a few minutes later, he pulls up in front of my apartments. “You gonna be OK?”

I nod as I gather my backpack and get out of the car. “Thank you. See you tomorrow.”

He waits there at the curb until I get my key in the door, and then I wave for him to leave. Say what you will about Danny Alexander, but he’s considerate.