Her first instinct was to let Jennie see the text but she knew that wouldn’t be enough to convince her. In fact, it might backfire, leaving Jennie doubting Nate’s intentions even more. No, she would have to find a backdoor somehow, an inadvertent way get him to break up with Jennie without anyone telling her about his cheating. Quickly, her thumbs went to work responding to Nate. Her message was simple: I think Brittney’s boyfriend may be the way to go. If she’s alone, she’ll have no reason to keep their disgusting relationship a secret. We’ll talk soon.
Nate read her message several times. Time was running out, and Jace made it that much harder to get close to Jennie again. He had a little over a month. He picked up his phone and sent one last text for the night.
It read: I need more. I need time with her, without Jace around. Any brilliant ideas?
After he sent his last text to Marissa, Nate placed the phone on the floor next to his old couch. Sebastian was curled up on the secondhand chair next to the couch with one thick, furry orange paw covering his eyes. When Nate set the phone down, Sebastian took the opportunity to stretch before finally moving onto Nate’s lap. Nate scratched between Sebastian’s ears and was rewarded with rolling waves of purring. Nate knew he was getting far too attached to the cantankerous feline. He would be hard to give up in a month. Holding Sebastian gently while he readjusted his position, Nate stretched out on the couch and laid his head against a well-worn throw pillow. Sebastian soon adapted to the change and stretched out across Nate’s belly. When Marissa didn’t respond right away Nate found himself drifting in and out of sleep and the passing of time became skewed. Before he knew it, another night was gone.
Chapter 27
In the last few months, Nate had learned to hate the passing of time. To him, time was a thief, stealing his moments with Jennie and, in doing so, stealing the very best parts of his life. Time was shameless in its thievery and unforgiving in its constant movement forward. Every day Nate felt it bearing down on him, reminding him that, fail or succeed, he had less than thirty days left to be part of Jennie’s life.
Absently, Nate pulled up the calendar on his phone. The date was February 13; twenty-four hours before Valentine’s Day. He slipped the Valentine card into Jennie’s locker just as he had dozens of notes and cards asking for her forgiveness. He knew by now she wouldn’t respond. She was far too stubborn and had set her heels, casting the die for their relationship. It would take something phenomenal now, but first it would take getting rid of Jace.
Nate walked on quickly past the rows of grey metal lockers. The school was mostly empty at this time of day. A few teachers walked the halls and an occasional student scurried around trying to finish whatever kept them from escaping school even though the day was over. Nate was still there because Marissa told him to be. The day after he discovered Jace’s infidelity, she’d sent him an email with more instructions. He didn’t know why, but he was told to go to room 110 at four o’clock today. He didn’t even know what he would be doing when he got there. He only knew that Marissa promised him “an opportunity to make things right.”
When he arrived, Nate grabbed the long slender handle to the door of room 110. The doorknob was uncomfortably warm from sitting in the early spring sun so he pulled the door open quickly. He was familiar with the classroom. He took English from Mr. Brown in this room. He also knew that Mr. Brown was responsible for overseeing the prom committees. Nate began to wonder if that was why he was there. Soon students trickled in, mostly in small groups with their friends. As Nate listened to the chatter around him, he soon figured out that he was right: Marissa had signed him up to be part of a prom committee.
Finally, about five minutes after four o’clock, Mr. Brown waltzed into the classroom, and just behind him trailed Jennie, looking frazzled. Her ponytail was falling out and she kept blowing loose ringlets out of her eyes as she searched the room looking for a place to sit. It didn’t take long for her to spot Nate sitting at a table in the far corner of the room. In response, her lips pursed tight and she quickly looked away. Maybe we won’t be on the same committee, she thought hopefully.
Mr. Brown took his place at the front of the room and cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. Mr. Brown was one of the most respected teachers at Palm Springs High, mostly because he treated the students with respect. He never belittled them and he never, no matter how loud it got in class, raised his voice. Today was no exception to that rule. After clearing his throat, Mr. Brown stood attentively and waited with perfect patience for the students to notice him. Like magic, his patience paid off, and within a minute or two quiet settled over the room and everyone turned to face the front. Once they were focused on him, Mr. Brown held up a single piece of white paper in his right hand and addressed them.
“Time is a precious commodity,” he began.
You have no idea, Nate mused to himself.
“Since your time is valuable and so is mine, I will tell you who is on what committee, and you can spend the rest of the hour making a preliminary plan and choosing assignments.” Mr. Brown took his reading glasses off the top of his head where they always sat and began to read.
Jennie listened, but at the same time she found herself thinking over and over, Please don’t let it be Nate and me.
“Forest, Rebecca and Jake, you guys are doing refreshments.” This announcement didn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Jake’s dad owned a bakery in town, and rumor had it that Jake was more gifted than his father in the art of sweets.
“Lea, Jasmine, Keaton and Sara, you guys have music and location, and finally, Jennie, Marissa, Nate and Braiden are in charge of decorations.” Jennie visibly cringed, and Nate wondered if she might just get up and walk out. Instead, she raised her hand to ask a question.
Mr. Brown leaned on the large oak desk behind him and said, “Yes, Miss Townsend?”
“Do you know where Marissa and Braiden are?”
Mr. Brown smiled as if he were in on a good secret. “Yes, I got an email telling me they would have to miss today’s meeting, but I’m sure you and Mr. Everett are quite capable of getting things going without them.”
The crease in Jennie’s forehead deepened, and Nate noticed her knuckles turning white as she gripped her pencil unnaturally tight. Mr. Brown must’ve noticed too.
“Is there a problem?” He asked.
Jennie looked down at her desk. Marissa had tricked her into working with Nate, and Jennie planned on letting her have it later, but Mr. Brown didn’t know that and announcing it to the class would make her look like an idiot. Besides, Mr. Brown was big on taking responsibility even when it wasn’t pleasant.
“Be a team player,” he always told them. “You’re part of a community; make it a better place.”
This was his mantra, his battle cry, and he preached it often. Jennie didn’t want to let him down. She took a deep breath and took one last look at Nate before answering her teacher’s simple question.
“No, we can definitely get things started,” she said, working hard to try and hide the defeat in her voice.
Nate let go of the breath he’d been holding and felt his lungs fill with much needed air. Marissa must’ve known Jennie would fulfill her responsibilities. She’d banked on it and she was right. Once again, Marissa bought him another chance to begin fixing things with Jennie.
Mr. Brown glanced over the paper in his hand one more time to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. When he felt everything was in order he said, “All right, guys, everybody get to work.”
For a minute, the classroom was filled with the sounds of metal chairs scraping against the heavy vinyl flooring as people moved into their respective committees. Slowly, Jennie walked over to the table to join Nate where he sat unnaturally still. He was afraid if he moved a muscle or made eye contact with Jennie she might bolt for the door.
Mr. Brown, who’d planned to check in with all the groups, started with Nate and Jennie first. He moved over to their table and flipped a chair arou
nd backwards before sitting down with his stomach resting comfortably against the back of the chair.
“So guys, the prom theme is Our Night to Shine. What do you have in mind for decorations?” he asked.
Jennie began to shift nervously in her seat. Nate could tell she wanted to speak but was holding back. Instead, she glanced apprehensively at him. She obviously felt vulnerable in front of him. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him.
He turned to Mr. Brown and said, “I haven’t given it much thought yet, but I’ll bet Jennie has some great ideas. She’s very creative.”
Jennie glanced at him and then back at Mr. Brown. Completely oblivious to the fallout between the two friends, Mr. Brown encouraged Jennie to continue. “Dazzle us,” he said warmly.
“Well,” Jennie began slowly, “I kind of picture the large rectangular reception room divided into two dance areas. Massive sheer curtains would act as tents to define the two spaces. The tents would face each other, open on one side so that you could move between the two and the band would perform in the middle on a rotating platform. Also suspended, running the length of the curtains, would be thousands of tiny light…but no other lighting, giving us only the soft glow of the lights above. The refreshment table, centerpieces, anything else would be black and white with an occasional splash of red for an accent color, giving the event a really formal feel to it.”
Jennie paused and looked at Mr. Brown. She still shied away from Nate’s gaze, but if she had looked at him, Jennie would see that he was mesmerized by her imagery and the rise and fall of her voice as she spoke.
Mr. Brown leaned back in his chair as he mulled over her ideas. Finally he spoke. “It sounds incredible but expensive.”
Swept up in the moment, Nate was quick to defend Jennie’s idea. “I think it sounds memorable and I’ll bet we can find a way to pull it off. We’ll go into the community and get sponsors or contributions or something.” Jennie was starting to get excited now.
“Wait, I’m not done,” she said. Her voice bubbled with enthusiasm, the trepidation completely gone. “Nate’s a great photographer. We could take pictures of the couples in their prom clothes ahead of time and blow them up life-sized for the walls. Everywhere you looked, you would see your friends garnished in elegance. Kids would come just to see their life-sized picture on the wall, and we could sell them after the prom was done to pay for the photography.”
Mr. Brown chuckled. “I like that, garnished in elegance. Show me how to pay for the rest of it and we’ll make it happen. Now, I need to move on. You guys figure out the details.”
Not even realizing he had served as a go-between for the estranged friends, he scooted back his chair and climbed off of it before moving on to the next group. Not having anyone else to distract her, Jennie gathered the courage to look directly at Nate and was rewarded by his warm smile.
“So you really like it?” Jennie asked, forgetting to be defensive for the first time in a long time.
Although Nate continued to smile outwardly, inside he felt like he was walking on eggshells. The situation was precarious. They were interacting like old times, but Nate worried: one wrong step and she would shut him out again. He had to tread carefully.
“It’ll be breathtaking,” he said.
“Nate,” Jennie said, surprising him. Just hearing Jennie say his name sent a jolt to his vulnerable heart.
“Yes?” he responded, looking at her cautiously.
“Thanks for sticking up for my ideas.”
Nate wanted to look away, but she was now openly grinning, making it impossible for him to look at anything else. For Nate, seeing her eyes lit up and a smile on her face was like watching the sun come up over the horizon and illuminating the previously darkened world. Suddenly, everything became so clear and manageable. Even though Nate was soaring inside, he worked hard to act nonchalant, still trying to tread lightly on those eggshells.
“No problem,” he said keeping his voice perfectly level. A brief silence followed where neither Jennie nor Nate knew what to do next. This time, Jennie took the lead.
“Why don’t we talk about how we are going to get additional funding?” Jennie suggested.
For the next few minutes, they outlined the businesses they would approach and who would be responsible for what. As the hour was wrapping up Nate began to feel panicked again. What if she decided working with him was a bad idea? What if she went back to not speaking to him? Just their superficial interaction reminded him of how much he needed her in his life. He didn’t want to lose her again. He couldn’t. She was like the air he needed to breathe.
Jennie began to gather up her notebook and pencils. All the while Nate’s mind screamed at him, find a way to fix this. Not surprisingly, Jennie sensed his innate struggle and cut him off before he said anything that would damage their fragile relationship. Forgetting the consequences of touching him, Jennie reached out and touched the top of his hand with her fingertips. The sensation followed, although more lightly than before. That indescribable tingling served as a reminder to Jennie that she must not make her heart vulnerable again. As soon as she had his full attention, she pulled back to the safety of some distance between them.
“Look, Nate,” she began, and Nate knew right away by the tone of her voice, he wasn’t going to like what she said.
“I’m still reeling from our conversation at Blake’s house and I’m with Jace so that changes things, but I can work with you if you promise me to only talk about prom stuff. Nothing personal, no matter what.”
Jennie’s words came down on him, heavy like dark clouds, but at the same time, his vision was clear enough to recognize that at least they were talking. At least they wouldn’t have that pervasive wall of anger and hurt between them every day. Now there was a chance that he might see her smile at him and that was more than he had yesterday.
“I understand,” he said simply and then was wise enough to leave it at that.
“So we’ll canvass businesses on Saturday at one o’clock like we planned,” Jennie confirmed.
“I’ll see you Saturday.” Nate finished the conversation, thinking about how odd it felt to be virtual strangers again. In some ways, it felt like they were back to where they started in late August when he first arrived.
With a final tentative smile, Jennie pushed back her chair and turned to leave. She walked steadily to the door without looking back, but Nate knew she was thinking about him. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text thanking Marissa, taking great care not to say anything that could unravel his and Jennie’s mending relationship. When he was done, he tucked his phone back in the pocket of his plaid shorts and threw his backpack over his shoulder. As he walked out of room 110, he felt as if an overwhelming burden had been lifted. The daunting task of rebuilding his friendship with Jennie still loomed over him, but now there was a spark of hope, tiny but burning brightly enough to re-ignite the raging fire that had once been.
* * *
As promised, Jennie and Nate worked together tirelessly to gather the money and supplies to make prom into what Jennie imagined. Sometimes they would spend hours together, but Jennie was true to her word and never allowed them to talk about anything personal. Once, while they sat across from each other at a table having ice cream Jennie’s bare leg accidentally brushed against Nate’s. The sensation, that tingly sense of contentment that always came, followed. Jennie’s eyes grew wide in surprise even though she should’ve expected it. Nate never asked why; instead, he bit his tongue so hard he could feel blood in his mouth. Being kept at arm’s reach was excruciating for Nate, almost as painful as the realization that he would be leaving Jennie’s life in a few weeks. To help him keep his resolve, Nate focused on the reason he came in the first place. He asked Marissa to plan a trip for the two of them over spring break. He even offered to pay for their expenses. Marissa looked at him strangely, but that was nothing new. It didn’t matter though; Jennie was unwilling to change her plans, no matter what Marissa offered.
Nate glanced from Marissa to Braiden. Braiden tisked as if he was disgusted by Nate’s stupidity. “Don’t look at me, dude,” he said, “Marissa is always right when it comes to Jennie. I’d listen to her.”
Nate smiled weakly, knowing that the responsibility still fell squarely on him and, at the same time, wondering how he could possibly succeed.
Chapter 28
Jennie’s mom gathered up the papers from her lawyer’s office and slid them into the hard-sided envelope before tucking the envelope into a drawer in the kitchen. Looking over them for mistakes had taken the better part of her afternoon, but in the end she was happy with their updated will. Completing it had silenced her anxiety about getting their affairs in order. After the Sunday Nate spent with them, she had struggled with a sense of foreboding from time to time, but lately it seemed to have passed.
Now all she had to do was show the will to Jennie and explain the changes they’d made. Their lawyer was a family friend and Jennie’s mom felt confident that he would take care of everything else if anything ever did happen to both her and her husband. Jennie was reluctant to even address her parents’ will but her mom reassured her that updating the will was nothing more than just being prepared.
Cathy opened the drawer one last time and looked at the nondescript envelope sitting on top of their scissors and notepads, Scotch tape and coupons. It looked out of place in their junk drawer and she would be glad to put it in their small wall safe later that night.
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