Infinite (Strange and Beautiful, Book 1) (66 page)

The
hardest part, however, proved to be the actual asking.

“You
should just ask her,” I insisted. The concert in question was on the first
Friday in March, and Mark had the tickets tucked safely away in his wallet. He
even knew what he was going to wear to the concert.

“If
you don’t get your butt in gear,” I warned, “you’re going to end up at the
concert alone.”

Mark
made a face and sulked away, muttering promises that he’d ask Tegan out soon. I
threw my hands up in exasperation and went to class.

I’d
all but resigned myself to the fact that Mark and Tegan were never going to
happen when, one week before the concert in question, Tegan came running down
the hallway as I was leaving my locker and about to head out to the parking lot
to meet Jackson.

“He
asked me,” Tegan panted, holding her chest as she took a few deep breaths.
Naturally, I was confused. When I raised an eyebrow, as if to ask what she was
talking about, she sighed, rolling her eyes. “Mark. He asked me out on a date.”

“Oh!”
A smile spread across my face. “What did he say?”

“Well,
he got tickets to see Nickelback, Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace,” she
grinned. “
Someone
apparently told him that I’m a big Nickelback fan.”

“Hmm.”
I smiled innocently, and she glared playfully before a smile also spread across
her face. “So what did you tell him?”

“Of
course I said yes,” she laughed.

I
laughed as well, but my laughter was wrought from relief. I’d been so on edge
over the whole situation for weeks, and there had been a small part of me that
shared Mark’s anxiety and uncertainty as to whether Tegan would say yes when
Mark finally asked. “So you’re excited?”

“Yes
and no,” Tegan admitted, frowning just a little. “I’ve been waiting for him to
ask, so it’s a relief that he finally did. But I’m also nervous.” She worried
her bottom lip between her teeth. “I have no idea what I’m going to do. I’ve
never really had more than a fifteen-minute conversation alone with him. And
we’ll be alone in the car for at least an hour!”

I
tried to be encouraging and reassuring. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

“I
hope so, Sil.” Tegan didn’t look so sure.

“Well,
you can’t back out of it,” I advised her. “He already went to so much trouble
to get the tickets and everything.”

“I
know. Besides, I wouldn’t do that,” Tegan sighed. “I’m just nervous.”

“We
have a week to figure something out.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“Come on. Jackson and Tierney are probably waiting for us.”

Tegan
sighed and dragged her feet all the way out to the parking out.

“I’ll
call you later,” I assured her. “We’ll figure something out. I promise.”

“Thanks,”
Tegan smiled and waved as she skipped across the damn parking lot.

I
knew if I did such a thing, I’d end up flat on my ass. Such is life, I thought
as I made my way much more slowly to the back of the parking lot, where Jackson
parked. Before I even got a few steps away from the sidewalk, though, Jackson
backed out of his parking space and drove toward me.

I
smiled when the car came to a stop in front of me and pulled the door open.
“Thanks,” I said as I slid into the passenger’s seat.

“No
problem,” he grinned. Once I had the door closed and my seatbelt fastened,
Jackson shifted back into drive and drove us out of the parking lot.

As
he drove, I rested my head against the glass. I couldn’t stop thinking about
Tegan. I really wanted things to go okay for her and Mark. Though for different
reasons, I knew Tegan wasn’t the only one who was nervous. I couldn’t blame
either her or Mark. As Tegan mentioned, they’d never spent that much time one
on one. I cringed at the idea of them spending an awkward evening alone.

“Okay,”
Jackson said, cutting into my thoughts as he switched off the radio. “You’re
too quiet. What’s up?”

“Sorry,
I was just thinking.” I smiled apologetically.

“About?”
Jackson prompted.

“Mark
finally asked Tegan out on a date.”

“Oh,”
Jackson said slowly. “What was the verdict?”

“She
said yes. He’s taking her to a Nickelback, Breaking Benjamin, and Three Days
Grace concert,” I explained. “She’s excited about that, but I think maybe
nerves outweigh the excitement.”

“Does
she not want to go with Mark?” It was a reasonable enough assumption on
Jackson’s part, but I shook my head.

“I
don’t think it’s that. I just think she hasn’t gotten to know him well enough
on her own to be comfortable,” I explained. “If that makes any sense.”

“Yeah,
I get it,” Jackson nodded. “So are you devising a plan to help her out?”

I
blushed a little, sighing. “I’d like to help, but I’m coming up empty.”

Jackson’s
brows knit together as he came to a red stoplight. He glanced over at me.
“When’s the concert?”

“Next
Friday.”

Jackson
considered for a moment. “Are tickets still available?”

“I
think so,” I nodded. “It’s just general admission.”

“Well,
we could get tickets and all go together and make it a double,” Jackson
suggested as the light turned green and he accelerated forward.

“Really?
You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not
at all,” Jackson shrugged. “I think it would be fun.”

“Thanks,
Jacks.” It felt like a weight had been lifted. “I’ll call Mark and Tegan later
and check with them. I don’t think they’ll mind.”

“Just
let me know, and I’ll see if I can get Friday off and I should probably get the
tickets as soon as possible.”

“Ticket,”
I corrected. “I can pay for my own.” Or, at least, I hoped my parents would, I
thought.

“No,
it was my idea, so I’ll pay,” Jackson insisted, looking over just long enough
for me to see his smirk.

“Fine,”
I huffed. “But I’m getting dinner.”

“Fine,”
Jackson agreed. I suspected we’d end up eating at McDonald’s or some place
equally cheap.

As
promised, when I got home I called Mark, asking if it was okay if Jackson and I
tagged along. Instead of telling him Tegan was nervous about being alone with
him all evening, I said, “Jackson and I were talking about the concert and
thought it might be fun to go together.”

Mark
sounded relieved when he said, “Sure, I don’t mind.”

When
I told Tegan the news, she thanked me profusely. “It’s not that I don’t want to
go,” she added. “I like Mark well enough, but I’m not sure I’m ready for the
one on one when we’re an hour away from home, you know?”

“I
get it,” I said, “but Jackson and I will try to give you two some space once we
get to the concert. We’ll just be there in case you need a buffer.”

After
I got off the phone, I checked to see if the tickets were still available.
Thankfully, they were, so I emailed the link to Jackson, so he could take a
look when he made it home from work. I also bypassed Dad, knowing he’d be the
harder of the two to convince, and asked Mom about going when she got home from
work.

“Since
it’s a Friday, I guess we can extend your curfew,” Mom said once I’d relayed
what information I had about he concert. “Who will be driving?”

“I’m
not sure yet,” I answered honestly. I didn’t particularly look forward to
riding in either Jackson or Mark’s car for over an hour. “I’m sure Mark and
Jackson will work out the details tomorrow. I’ll let you know.”

Mom
merely nodded and turned her attention back to preparing dinner.

Later
that night, as I was doing homework, I was startled by the sound of raised
voices coming from downstairs. I sat my books down on the bed and got up,
crossing the room to the door. I opened it slowly, so it wouldn’t squeak and
crept along the hallway to the landing of the stairs.

The
voices grew louder, and I jumped again when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I
turned to find Skylar. I hadn’t realized she was home from work yet.

“What’s
going on?” she whispered.

“I
think Luke’s telling Dad about his decision to quit baseball,” I guessed,
keeping my voice low. Skylar grimaced and backed away. “Where are you going?”

“Staying
the hell out of the crossfire,” she answered as she slipped back into her room.

I
turned back to the stairs and listened, but none of the words were clear.
Shrugging, I decided to brave the storm and crept slowly down the stairs. When
I reached the middle landing, I sat down on the bottom stair to the upper steps
and listened closely.

“What
about all of your plans for the future?” Dad exclaimed.

“Don’t
you mean
your
plans?” Luke retorted.

“Don’t
be a smart aleck,” Dad spat. “I cannot believe you want to give up baseball for
this band of yours. That band isn’t going to get you into college. It isn’t
going to earn you a scholarship.”

“So
what?” As upset as Dad sounded, Luke sounded just as angry. “Why are you always
on my ass about a scholarship? I never hear you getting on Skylar’s case about
playing a sport or earning a scholarship and she’s the one going to college in
the fall!”

“Watch
your language!” Dad shouted and I cringed away from the noise. While Dad was
always good at making sure everyone knew when he was angry, he usually didn’t
shout.

Since
Mom and Dad were always looking to cut costs, I understood that Dad thought of
a possible scholarship as a way to save. I couldn’t blame Dad; college was
expensive, but Luke also had a point. Skylar sent off college applications back
in the fall, and while Dad had griped about the colleges where Skylar applied,
he’d never got on her case about the cost. She’d apply for scholarships and financial
aid, of course, but she wasn’t badgered constantly the way Luke had been since
he started high school.

“If
I thought Skylar had half a chance at getting some kind of scholarship, I’d be
on her about it too,” Dad continued. “But they don’t hand out money for face
painting!”

I
froze at Dad’s words and glanced back up over my shoulder. I hoped Skylar
hadn’t heard. Dad’s words were harsh, even to my ears. I was gobsmacked he’d
say such an awful thing. Even though he didn’t understand it, he had no right
to discount Skylar’s artistic talent.

Apparently
I wasn’t the only one who thought so. “Theodore Granger!” Mom exclaimed,
breaking her apparent silence. “What an awful thing to say.”

If
Dad answered, I couldn’t hear his words. Mom went on. “Theo, I know you’re
disappointed, but if Luke doesn’t want to play baseball anymore, I think he’s
old enough to make that call.”

“Oh,
yeah,” Dad groused. “His maturity is astounding. What with giving up a future
for some useless garage band.”

“You’ve
never even listened to us play!” Luke cried.

“I’ve
heard plenty,” Dad countered. “How could I miss it? You’ve taken over the
garage and filled the house with that awful noise.”

“Theo.”
Mom still sounded upset, but her tone was soothing. “I’m sure this is a bit of
a shock. I think maybe we all just need to take a step back and calm down.”

“Don’t
mollycoddle me, Leela.” I could just imagine the glare that accompanied the
angry tone.

“Fine,”
Mom spat, and this time her anger shone through. “Quit acting like a child, Theo.
You don’t have the right to say mean and hurtful things just because you don’t
like Luke’s decision. Now, I suggest we all walk away.”

“Fine,
we’ll talk about this more later,” Dad growled.

“No,
Theo,” Mom sighed. “We won’t. Luke’s made his decision. What’s done is done.”

“But—”

Mom
cut him off. “No buts. It’s done.”

I
waited to see if more was said, but when I heard heavy footsteps stomping down
the hallway toward the stairs, I stood quickly and scrambled back up the
stairs, hoping to not be caught spying, and fled to my room.

The
days following the news of Luke’s decision to quit baseball were tense at home.
It was reminiscent of those first few weeks after Mom went back to work. The
atmosphere was chilly, and conversation was often strained. Dinner alone was an
uncomfortable affair, and I found myself eating with Tegan’s family more often
to avoid the uncomfortable dinners at home.

As
disappointed as I expected Dad to be, I’d never anticipated him being so angry.
I still couldn’t believe some of the things he’d said both about Luke’s band
and Skylar’s talent. As far as I could tell, Skylar hadn’t heard. Or, if she
had, she was putting on a good front of pretending she hadn’t.

Dad
seemed to be of the belief that Mom had betrayed him by siding with Luke, and
he barely spoke to Mom or Luke. I kept my mouth shut as much as possible. I
didn’t want to be in the crosshairs of Dad’s wrath. Skylar seemed to make
herself scarce as well.

Things
at school were easier; filled with excitement and trepidation as we made plans
for the night of the concert. We worked out what time we should leave, who
would drive, where we’d stop to eat, and finding the best route to get to the
venue. Tegan and Mark, oddly, had no problems discussing these plans. As the
excitement grew, the more animated the conversation seemed to become.

On
the day of the concert, Tegan rode home with Skylar and I after school. We’d
decided to leave by four-thirty, so she and I had a little bit of time to get
ready for the concert. It didn’t take us long to change clothes, opting for
t-shirts, jeans and zip up hoodies. Despite it being the beginning of March,
the weather was still cool. We wore our hair back and had our Chuck Taylor’s
sitting by the door, ready to slip on when the guys arrived.

All
of the money I’d saved up over the last few months was stowed away in the black
over the shoulder bag Skylar had gifted me one year for my birthday. Even
though I hated carrying a purse, I thought it was cute and brought it out on
occasion.