Read Online Gone by Francine Pascal - Free Book Online

God,
Heather,
I’m so sorry.” Sam laughed, too.
    â€œI didn’t even recognize your voice. Wow…” Suddenly he sounded much more serious. “Heather… How
are
you?”
    â€œHow am I?” It seemed like a more complicated question than it should have been. “I’m… I’m okay. I am truly okay, Sam. How are you?”
    Sam seemed to have to pause and think about it, too. “I’m okay, too,” he said thoughtfully.
    â€œWell,
okay.
” She tried to take in some good breaths. “So I guess we’re both okay.”
    â€œI guess we are,” Sam said quietly. “Who would have thought it?”
    It was already so much more awkward than she’d expected. Awkward but somehow… nice. Something about hearing Sam’s voice made her feel happier and more nervous at the same time. Which, she supposed, was how he’d always made her feel. Giddy but insecure.
    â€œWell, Sam, for both of our sakes, I’m just going to get right to the point.”
    â€œOkay…?” He sounded a wee bit scared.
    â€œDon’t worry,” she assured him. “It’s nothing bad.”
    â€œOh, good,” he said. “I’ve lost all capacity for bad news. I kind of reached my quota, you know?”
    â€œTell me about it. No, it’s not bad. I mean, I
hope
it’s not bad to you. I mean, I guess you could see it as bad, but I’d hoped you wouldn’t because… Ugh. Listen to me. I feel like I’m twelve.”
    â€œHeather,” he said in a calming tone. “What’s up?”
    â€œRight. Sorry. I’ll get back to the point. The
point
is that, you know… I’m graduating.”
    â€œI know. You guys have made it through. Congratulations.”
    â€œYes, thanks. I must say, it wasn’t as easy as it was supposed to be. But that’s still not the point.”
    â€œI didn’t think so.”
    â€œNo… Nope. No, the point is…”
Breathe, Heather. If this is your “grown-up” behavior, you’ve got a hell of a ways to go.
“Sorry. Okay. The point is, when we graduate, we also have this one last high school ritual known as The Prom.”
    â€œYes. I am familiar with this ritual.”
    â€œRight.” Heather laughed. “And I’m kind of coming into this whole prom thing a little late. And the point is… well… I need a date.”
    â€œAha. I see….” Sam went silent. Heather’s mouth went so dry, she couldn’t unglue her lips from her teeth. “Well,” Sam said, “I mean… I’m sure I know a few guys.”
    There was a long silence on the line.
    â€œOh…” The air seeped out of Heather’s lungs. Rejection number two. Her chest began to hurt. Her eyes stung from trying to fight off unexpected tears. “Well… yeah,” she uttered, trying to keep her voice from quavering with disappointment. “If, uh… If you know someone who’d be willing to take me—”
    â€œHeather.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI’m kidding.”
    â€œYou are?”
    â€œAre you asking me to the prom?”
    â€œI was, yes,” she replied meekly.
    â€œWell, I would be honored,” he said. Now she could hear his devastating smile over the phone.
    She literally fell back in her chair, slapping her hand over her head with relief. The smile spread so wide over her face, it almost hurt. One of those tears she’d been fighting off managed to escape from the corner of her eye.
    â€œHeather, why didn’t you just ask me in the first place?”
    â€œI don’t
know,
” she said, laughing out all her pent-up nerves. “I mean, after everything we’d been through, I didn’t even know if you’d want to talk to me. I was afraid you’d say no.”
    â€œWell, you were wrong. I think we’ve both been through enough rejection, don’t