ALIVE!
He underlines the last two words multiple times and the hopeless waves that keep pounding me, ease off just a little. I smile and mouth the words, thank you. I know he can't see me and I'm glad for it. The emotions massacring my system are not ones I'm ready to share.
CHAPTER TEN
The bell rings moments later and the students hurry to pack up their things. Mr. Moffat is stuffing papers into his bag as he walks out the door with everybody else. I guess students aren't the only ones who are desperate to leave at the end of the day.
Dale takes his time collecting his stuff, no doubt waiting for the class to empty so he can talk to me without looking like a total goof-ball.
My phone chirps as the last senior saunters out the door.
Dale gives a disgusted snort and slaps it down on the table.
"What?"
"Your friends suck."
"Why? What are they saying?" I reach for the phone, forgetting my fingers will pass straight through it. I let out a sigh and step back. "Can you read it for me, please."
"No." Dale grabs the phone and pops it in his pocket.
"Hey, that's my phone! Now read me the tweet."
"Forget it."
"Dale." I cross my arms and force my voice to remain calm. "I-"
"I'm not reading you the tweet, Nicole."
"Why not?"
"Let's just say the hashtag's changed."
"To what?"
Dale sighs and looks to the floor.
"You don't want to know, okay?"
My forehead crinkles and I swallow down the hurt. It must be bad if Dale's not willing to show me. I hate that I'm so desperate to see it even though it will probably hurt like hell.
"Tell me. I need to know."
"I'm not doing it." Dale goes to stride past me and I stand in his way. He walks straight through me and we both shudder. He spins around with a gasp. "DON'T do that to me again. Ever."
He let's out his breath and rubs his forehead.
"Tell me what it says or I'll do it to you for the rest of the day."
He groans and throws his hands in the air.
"None of these people you hang out with care about you. You're obviously missing and all they've done is started a twitter frenzy about what might have happened to you!" He pulls out my phone. "Some of these tweets are foul, Nicky. How can you be friends with these people?"
His sweet desperation at my plight pulls on heart strings I never knew I had. My eyes burn as I snap back, "Because they don't care about me."
Dale's shoulders drop and he stares at me in confusion.
I swallow and continue like an idiot.
"They're too shallow to dig any deeper than the clothes I'm wearing, or the shoes I have on... or what party I'm going to... or who I'm sleeping with. They don't care about what makes me tick... and they don't want to know anything about who I really am. They'll never know and that's just the way I want it."
"Never know what?"
"Nothing." I swallow. "I meant they'll never really know me." My cover is so pathetic, but Dale mercifully lets it slide.
"You know that's messed up, right?" The smile that follows his sweet statement is too cute.
I bite my lips together and nod.
"You okay?"
I clear my throat in reply to Dale's quiet words.
"Come on let's go drive around the national park for a while."
I cross my arms and follow him.
"I just have to stop at my locker first."
His pace is still quite fast, but I manage to keep up with him as I follow him to his locker. We pass Sophie on the way, she gives him a shy smile and he nods back.
I want to tease him again, but force myself to come up with something else. I need him on my side, not telling me to shut my mouth again.
"What's youth group?"
He turns to look at Sophie then back at me with a suspicious glare.
"I'm just asking what it is." I raise my hands.
Stopping at his locker, he dials the combination and looks to make sure no one is nearby. "It's just a bunch of kids from my church. We get together every Friday night and hang out."
"And do what? Read your bibles?"
His eyebrows bunch together as he tries to hide his grin. "Sometimes. Not always. We
He underlines the last two words multiple times and the hopeless waves that keep pounding me, ease off just a little. I smile and mouth the words, thank you. I know he can't see me and I'm glad for it. The emotions massacring my system are not ones I'm ready to share.
CHAPTER TEN
The bell rings moments later and the students hurry to pack up their things. Mr. Moffat is stuffing papers into his bag as he walks out the door with everybody else. I guess students aren't the only ones who are desperate to leave at the end of the day.
Dale takes his time collecting his stuff, no doubt waiting for the class to empty so he can talk to me without looking like a total goof-ball.
My phone chirps as the last senior saunters out the door.
Dale gives a disgusted snort and slaps it down on the table.
"What?"
"Your friends suck."
"Why? What are they saying?" I reach for the phone, forgetting my fingers will pass straight through it. I let out a sigh and step back. "Can you read it for me, please."
"No." Dale grabs the phone and pops it in his pocket.
"Hey, that's my phone! Now read me the tweet."
"Forget it."
"Dale." I cross my arms and force my voice to remain calm. "I-"
"I'm not reading you the tweet, Nicole."
"Why not?"
"Let's just say the hashtag's changed."
"To what?"
Dale sighs and looks to the floor.
"You don't want to know, okay?"
My forehead crinkles and I swallow down the hurt. It must be bad if Dale's not willing to show me. I hate that I'm so desperate to see it even though it will probably hurt like hell.
"Tell me. I need to know."
"I'm not doing it." Dale goes to stride past me and I stand in his way. He walks straight through me and we both shudder. He spins around with a gasp. "DON'T do that to me again. Ever."
He let's out his breath and rubs his forehead.
"Tell me what it says or I'll do it to you for the rest of the day."
He groans and throws his hands in the air.
"None of these people you hang out with care about you. You're obviously missing and all they've done is started a twitter frenzy about what might have happened to you!" He pulls out my phone. "Some of these tweets are foul, Nicky. How can you be friends with these people?"
His sweet desperation at my plight pulls on heart strings I never knew I had. My eyes burn as I snap back, "Because they don't care about me."
Dale's shoulders drop and he stares at me in confusion.
I swallow and continue like an idiot.
"They're too shallow to dig any deeper than the clothes I'm wearing, or the shoes I have on... or what party I'm going to... or who I'm sleeping with. They don't care about what makes me tick... and they don't want to know anything about who I really am. They'll never know and that's just the way I want it."
"Never know what?"
"Nothing." I swallow. "I meant they'll never really know me." My cover is so pathetic, but Dale mercifully lets it slide.
"You know that's messed up, right?" The smile that follows his sweet statement is too cute.
I bite my lips together and nod.
"You okay?"
I clear my throat in reply to Dale's quiet words.
"Come on let's go drive around the national park for a while."
I cross my arms and follow him.
"I just have to stop at my locker first."
His pace is still quite fast, but I manage to keep up with him as I follow him to his locker. We pass Sophie on the way, she gives him a shy smile and he nods back.
I want to tease him again, but force myself to come up with something else. I need him on my side, not telling me to shut my mouth again.
"What's youth group?"
He turns to look at Sophie then back at me with a suspicious glare.
"I'm just asking what it is." I raise my hands.
Stopping at his locker, he dials the combination and looks to make sure no one is nearby. "It's just a bunch of kids from my church. We get together every Friday night and hang out."
"And do what? Read your bibles?"
His eyebrows bunch together as he tries to hide his grin. "Sometimes. Not always. We
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