(in)visible (2 page)

“Wait, are you threatening me?” I had to ask, almost not able to believe I was having this conversation.

“If that’s what it takes.”

“If he means so much to you, why did you leave him behind the other night?” She didn’t answer me right away, just shot me daggers instead.

“You’re pretty ballsy for such a quiet person.”

I decided that was my moment to disengage from the conversation. I turned in my seat and got to work. I had no interest in getting involved in any drama with Blaine.

4

I had almost forgotten about my weird encounter with Blaine as I left the school building, but it replayed in my mind when I saw Logan standing by my car. “Hey, I was waiting for you,” he said in a cheerful and familiar voice that bothered me.

“Why?” I felt bad for asking it in a rude way.

“I...I don’t know.” He dug his hands deep into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I just wanted to talk.” He smiled as he said it, looking exactly like the little boy I remembered.

“That’s a bad idea, Logan. I got enough grief from Blaine today. I have a hard enough time without adding her to the mix.” Suddenly little boy Logan was gone, replaced by a much older, much angrier Logan.

“What did she say to you?” His jaw was a tight, straight line and his hands automatically balled into fists.

“Nothing. I just think it would be best if we stayed away from each other.”

“Why? Because of her? She’s not my keeper.”

I opened my car door and tossed my bag inside. “Tell her that.” I got in before he could respond.

I was bothered by the fact that Logan thought he could walk back into my life after all this time, and even more bothered that it was making my days at school complicated. There was only one person I could talk to about this, and decided to make a pit stop on my way home.

Williams Cemetery was just a few minutes from home. The drive through the pines was peaceful and somehow prepared me for my visits to Noah. When I pulled through the gates I could see that the trees were almost bare and the grounds were covered in the colors of fall. “Big brother, my little plan at being invisible is exploding in my face,” I said as I cleaned up his grave. Noah’s tombstone was covered. I wiped the old leaves away and used my sleeve to clear some spots from where his name was etched. “Logan thinks he can waltz back into my life and be a friend. Is it bad that I’m so bitter? Besides, I don’t need any complications or attachments when I leave for school.” It felt good to say what I was thinking out loud, even if it was to a piece of stone. I hoped Noah was always with me, but I felt closer to him when I was here.

The wind started to pick up and it looked like a storm was brewing. “I guess I need to go. I miss you. Be safe wherever you are.” I wiped a tear away. Even after all this time, it never got easier. I kissed my fingers and placed them on his name.

My shift at the coffee shop made the rest of the day fly by. I still had time to work on a few assignments when I got home, but my day was nagging at the back of my mind. I finally tossed my homework aside and called it a night, hoping that a good night’s sleep would shake Logan’s lingering effects on my mood.

The next few days at school seemed uneventful, aside from the occasional dirty look I would get from Blaine, or the awkward smile I’d get from Logan. I hoped it would pass and I’d go back to being invisible to him again, but the end of the week proved that wouldn’t happen. I had stopped at my locker to switch out books when I felt someone shove me from behind. I knew who it would be before I even turned around. Blaine stood with a hand on her hip, glaring at me through perfectly made up eyes.

“Did you really think it would be smart to tattle on me to Logan?”

“Walk away, Blaine. I don’t need any drama.” I tried to push past her, but she didn’t budge.

“Too late for that,” she said as she stepped a little closer into my personal space. I wasn’t prepared for her hand hitting my chest and slamming me into my locker. I had to process that this was really happening. School fights were something I saw in movies. I didn’t think people resorted to them in real life.

“Hey! Break it up!” I heard our Vice Principal shout from across the hall.

Twenty minutes later I was sitting in our Principal’s office, waiting to see what punishment he would hand down to me. “Megan Winters. One of my top students. Never thought you’d be in my office for this reason.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Anything you’d like to say?” I thought for a moment. I could tell him it was her fault- that she had started it- but I was sure she was pleading the same case to the Vice Principal at that same moment.

“No, Sir. It was stupid.”

“Very well,” he said with a heavy sigh. “You’ll need to perform two hours of community service. I’ll expect to see you at the Winter Social to serve refreshments.” So that was my punishment. I knew he was being easy on me, but somehow I knew this dance would feel like torture.

Now it was my turn to spend the week shooting daggers with my eyes at Logan. He’d scrunch the skin between his eyes, and shake his head at me. Even when I didn’t realize it, I was staring holes into the back of his head. I didn’t participate at school, and now thanks to him, I would be serving my classmates drinks at a dance I would have never gone to.

I was told to dress appropriately, and searched my closet for something besides jeans and tee shirts, but I was having very little luck. I finally came to the conclusion that I’d have to shop. It was Saturday, my day off, so I really didn’t have an excuse not to. I was almost attacked by a sales associate the minute I walked into the department store. I figured I may as well take advantage of her help, since I had no clue of where to begin when it came to buying a dress.

She picked a few things off of the rack for me to try out, and I cringed at the thought of wearing any of them. Once I was in the fitting room, I stood and stared at the dresses for a few long seconds. The last one she picked out didn’t seem terrible, so I freed it from the hanger and slipped it on. I almost jumped at the shock from seeing myself a dress. Even more surprising was the fact that it actually looked good. The light pink bodice looked good against my pale complexion and the black, ballerina style skirt felt fun, and not so stuffy. I just worried I would chicken out with so much skin showing, but none of the other dresses seemed to cover any more or less.

“How’s it going in there? Can I get you another size?” I took a deep breath and stepped out of the fitting room.

“Be honest, is it awful on me?”

“No. Quite contrary. It fits like a glove. I think I can put the others away. Shall I ring you up?” I squeezed my eyes shut and took a moment.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

5

When the day of the formal finally came around I was glad. I wanted to get it over with and go back to being a hermit. I thought most of the drama between Blaine and me had passed, but the end of the day proved that to be wrong. As I tried to tuck my books into my locker, she managed to accidentally knock them out of my hands, causing every paper in my possession to spill out all over the tile floors. “What the hell?” I asked, as I bent down to pick up my stuff.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there. I’m ever so sorry,” she said in the most condescending tone possible. I chose to ignore her, hoping she’d walk away, but she just stood there with her hands on her hips, laughing at me as I gathered my things. Moments later another set of hands started picking things up. I looked up to see Logan helping me. Blaine had no response, except to storm off.

“What was that all about,” he asked.

“You tell me.”

“I don’t know,” he said as he handed me a pile of notebook paper.

“I can get this. I’m fine.” I sounded more annoyed than I had meant. He sighed, clearly frustrated, but put his hands up as if to surrender.

“Ok, it’s all you.” He stood and walked away without another word.

I got myself ready, using a little of the make up that collected dust in my bathroom. I kept it very natural and simple. I pulled my curls into a loose side braid that the internet tutorial called “romantic”. It was the best I could do. I grabbed a coat and slipped into some black flats and I was on my way out. Normally I would be working on a Friday night, but Betsy and Mark seemed a little too excited to give me the night off for a dance. I left out the part about it being community service.

I got there early as instructed and took my spot behind the refreshment table. Another girl from the student government showed me what to do then went to another table on the other side of the gym. I hesitated before taking my coat off. I had never shown this much skin in public, and the thought of it was making me nervous. I finally peeled my coat off like a band-aide and stuck it on the chair behind me. I started pouring a few glasses of punch for people to grab, but was interrupted soon after.

“Meg? From my English class?” I looked up to see a boy named Jake Evans standing on the other side of the table.

“Hey, Jake.”

“I almost didn’t recognize you. I don’t think I remember seeing you at any school functions before.”

“You haven’t. I sort of didn’t have a choice,” I said with an embarrassed grin.

“I bet that’s an interesting story.” He smiled warmly at me, and there was something about his green eyes that made it almost impossible to look away. That feeling was short lived when Blaine, Logan, and a few other kids from their group walked into the gym. Blaine automatically locked eyes with me, clearly shocked to see me. I guess she didn’t know about my “punishment.” Jake turned to see what caught my eye. “Oh boy, the attention whores are here,” he said with a roll of his eyes. I had to smile, but looked down so he wouldn’t catch me.

“So,” he said as he dug his hands into his pockets. “Do you get a break tonight?”

“I don’t think so.”

“That’s a shame. I was hoping I could dance with you later.” I could feel color rising to my cheeks and hoped it was too dark for him to see me blush. “I’ll just keep coming back to keep you company,” he said and I couldn’t help but giggle a little. At that same moment, Logan looked in my direction. I saw him do a double take when he caught sight of my dress, but then he saw who else was there and looked back and forth between Jake and me. A few seconds later he was standing in front of me.

“Meg, you look amazing.” Now I knew there would be no hiding the fact that I was blushing. Jake looked to his side where Logan stood and I could see his jaw tense up.

“I’ll catch you later,” Jake said, as he walked off and disappeared into the crowd.

“Did I interrupt something?” Logan asked, sounding a little too satisfied. He grabbed a cup of punch, and just like a cliché out of a teen movie, he pulled out a small flask and spiked his drink with something before any chaperones could notice. “You’ll thank me later. That guy is a dick,” he said, just before he emptied his cup in one gulp.

“I don’t care what he’s like. I just want to get this night over with,” I said, but got the feeling he didn’t hear a word I said from the way he looked at me. “What? What are you staring at,” I finally asked.

“Sorry,” he said as he snapped out of it. “You. I’m staring at you. You grew up exactly like I expected.” I didn’t know what that was supposed to mean, but something about the way he said it gave me chills.

“I think someone is looking for you,” I finally managed to say. Blaine was glaring at us both, then I noticed Jake in a corner talking to some friends, but he was looking at me.

Logan took a couple of cups of punch and smiled an apology at me, walking away without another word. Jake made his way back over as soon as he left. Now it was Logan watching from the other end of the room. I shook my head, positive the world had gone friggin’ nuts.

“Are you ok? He wasn’t giving you a hard time, was he?” Jake seemed sincerely concerned.

“No, I’m fine. Don’t you have someone you need to be with?”

“Wow, that’s awesome,” he said sarcastically. “I can take a hint.”

“I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I just don’t want you to waste your night at the refreshment table. Not when all these girls are gawking at you and wanting to dance.” He looked around the room.

“I don’t see any gawkers,” he said, shaking his head.

“Of course not. If you look in their direction they’ll look away. Ok, red hair- three O’clock.” I pushed him in the right direction and he looked.

“Mmm...nah. Would it be against the rules to come behind the table and dance with you?” His green eyes were back on me and I had a hard time looking away. I felt my heartbeat pick up and it made it hard to speak.

“I don’t know. I didn’t make up the rules,” I managed to say, just above a whisper. I had to take a moment and ask myself if this is what all the girls went on and on about. There was a butterfly feeling in my belly, and I was suddenly very aware of how close Jake was, noticing a lock of his jet black hair had fallen into his eyes.

“Miss Winter’s, I believe it is break time,” I heard my Principal’s voice say from behind me.

“Ah, no excuses now. Are you ready to dance?” He held out his arm for me to take.

“Are you ready for broken toes after I step all over them?”