The Line (20 page)

Jerm replied bitterly, “My girlfriend asked me to do this. She thought maybe we could patch things up. I see you obviously haven’t matured in two years. I wonder what Lucy sees in you.”

“Keep Lucy out of this,” Sam growled, “And what are you talking about ‘matured’? Lauren told me what you said about me that summer. If anyone’s immature here – it’s you.”

Jerm looked at Sam quizzically. Sam scoffed, “You’re going to tell me you don’t remember calling me a ‘prick percussionist who didn’t deserve first chair’?”

“Dude, I didn’t say that.” Jerm tapped his foot impatiently and asked, “Did she really tell you that?”

“Yes.”

“And you believed her?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“When she dumped me, she told me you had been making moves on her for weeks.”

“So not true, dude.”

With that, Sam sat down heavily on the curb and remarked, “We got played.”

Jerm joined his former roommate and said, “Yeah, we did.”

While his eye had been attended to, Jerm considered what had really been behind his punch. Certainly, some of it had come from the unspent anger of two summers ago, but there was another emotion entirely. To Sam, he asked quietly, “What if she was on your Line? What if she had dumped one of your boys? What would you have done?”

“Look, I’m not going to sit here and defend Lucy’s actions. She made her choices, and for the most part, I understand why. Given how you benched her…”

“She disrespected the hell out me!”

“Again, Lucy chose to keep our relationship a secret, precisely for the reaction you continue to have. What should she have done?”

While Jerm grumbled something unintelligible, Sam said, “Look, I see your point, but don’t you think Nevada is capable of taking care of himself? Why did you come after Lucy to get to me? Isn’t this his fight and not yours?”

“You might be right.”

With the former friends sitting in the disaster of Homecoming, Jerm started laughing hysterically. Sam eyed the snare drummer and asked, “What in the hell are you laughing at?!”

“I have no idea why I’m mentioning this, maybe it’s because we’re at a hospital, but do you remember Armstrong and the hot dog?”

Sam’s memory was instantly jogged and he found himself joining in Jerm’s laughter, whooping alongside his former roommate. Sam’s sides were hurting when he said, “He never saw it coming.”

Jerm commented, “So, maybe our girlfriends were right.”

“How’s that?”

“I overheard them talking. I think tonight was really just a lesson for us to get over ourselves already.”

“I just hope Lucy still wants to be my girlfriend.”

“What did you do?”

“For some reason I just couldn’t bring myself to admit I was just as much to blame about our fight earlier as you were. She left before I really got to tell her anything.”

“Well, dude, you still have a chance to change things.”

Sam’s eyes darted over to his car, which was still parked in the lot and he asked, “Will you cover for me?”

Just then both sets of parents came barging out of the hospital. Jerm nodded and answered, “It’s the least I can do.”

Sam took off to his car, determined to find Lucy and set the record straight.

Lucy’s guilty conscience seemed to drift further and further away as she danced one song after another with Nevada’s strong arms around her – this was more like the night she had been dreaming of. Lucy leaned into Nevada and breathed in his spicy aftershave. He usually worked the five o’clock shadow thing pretty well, but it was nice to have him clean-shaven this evening.

Earth to Lucy? If things go too much further, you’re going to wreck any future you might have with Sam.

Gazing into Nevada’s hazel eyes, Lucy thought, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

You have to at least hear Sam out. What if this is all a big misunderstanding?

What if it’s not?

Just do the right thing.

“Nevada?”

“Yup?”

“I think it’s time for me to leave.”

Nevada considered her comment, but kept his arms around her waist, “I tell you what.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll take you home, but not before we get our pictures taken. You look too good in that dress not to have it documented.”

“Sounds great.”

Lucy followed Nevada to the gym where the cheesy backdrops were set up. Lucy and Nevada joked with the photographer as they had their official Homecoming portrait taken.

“You guys sure make a cute couple,” said the photographer as he was giving them their paperwork.

“But…” Lucy interjected.

“Now, Lucy, it’s a nice compliment.”

“I’m sure he says it to everyone.”

Nevada, who had been around the photographer all evening, had heard that particular comment a few times, “But with us, I think he really means it.”

A few minutes later, they were in Nevada’s old Volvo station wagon and on the way to Lucy’s house. Lucy realized the last time they had been in the car, well, it had been an entirely different situation. She also recognized it was also the first time in the evening they had been completely alone. Thus far, Nevada had acted like a perfect, if flirtatious, gentleman. However, Lucy sensed a familiar tension between them. She had been trying desperately to ignore it all evening, but there were too many emotions conspiring against her. She was, after all, just a teenage girl in a dress. All she could do now was hope to hold out until she was out of the car. As the landscape passed by, the pair sat awkwardly listening to the radio, not saying anything. Lucy was still feeling guilty, mad, and confused. As Nevada pulled into Lucy’s driveway, her phone beeped. They both knew who it was. Lucy was desperate to check the message, but knew how unbelievably rude that would be to Nevada.

“Aren’t you going to check that?”

“No,” said Lucy quietly and she turned off the phone.

They continued to sit in the car. Nevada was obviously upset. Having had time to get over Lucy, her arrival – alone – at the dance was an unexpected and forced a number of unresolved feelings to the surface. The cymbal player had to convince himself he was just glad to be Lucy’s friend for the evening, but her dress and general behavior were giving him some very “un-friendly” thoughts.

As Nevada waged a war with himself, Lucy decided it was probably best if she just went inside. Maybe something bad had happened to Sam. Maybe something serious had happened to Jerm. Without saying anything, she leaned over to kiss Nevada on the cheek, but at the last minute he turned his head and met her lips with a kiss of his own.

Sam drove frantically towards Lucy’s house. When he pulled on her street he slowed down, spying a car in her driveway. He squinted his eyes and saw a recognizable redheaded male figure and a very recognizable female figure embrace each other. Sam briefly considering confronting the pair, but arrived at the decision that he had already had enough fighting for the evening. He quickly turned his car around and sped off in the other direction.

This doesn’t feel right!

For once, I agree with you.

Then stop what you’re doing!

Lucy awkwardly broke the kiss. Nevada’s hazel eyes flashed and the junior said awkwardly, “I’m sorry. I can’t do this. I thought I could, but it’s not right.”

“Fine, if that’s what you really want.”

At that moment, Lucy had no idea what she wanted. Walking up the slate sidewalk to her front door, she wished for a time machine to go back and warn herself. Not six hours ago, she had been posing for pictures with Sam, and here she was walking in after kissing Nevada. Sighing, she slid the corsage off her arm and looked around her room. Was it only hours ago she was in here getting ready for her big night with Sam?

Sam!

Lucy scrambled to turn on her phone while at the same time opening her computer. As the screen came to life on her phone, sure enough, there were messages for her – five new voicemails. She listened to them in order:

“Hey Luce – it’s Sam, where are you? I got stuck at the hospital. Please call me and I’ll tell you everything.”

“Lucy, I really need to talk to you. Call me back.”

“Hey – I’m starting to get worried. Where are you? Call me and let me know you’re safe.”

“Just saw you and Nevada. I guess I can make the decision easy for you. Please don’t try and call or see me.”

Lucy’s heart plummeted into her stomach. She could only barely hear the last message.

“Lucy, it’s Jerm. I can tell you the truth about tonight. Call me.”

* * *

CHAPTER NINETEEN: (RE)PERCUSSIONS

“Hello?” a masculine voice asked.

Lucy realized in her shock and disbelief from Sam’s last message, she had accidentally called her captain instead, “Oh hey, Jerm. It’s Lucy.”

“Are you okay?”

“I haven’t talked to Sam yet, but I think I really messed up,” Lucy’s voice was quavering and she knew she was dangerously close to losing control.

“What happened?”

“Nothing happened!” Lucy said quickly and changed the subject, “I mean, what about you? How is your eye?”

“I’ll definitely be wearing a patch to the first indoor competition.”

Lucy tried her best to hold in a laugh regarding the snare drummer’s condition, but did a terrible job of it. Jerm heard her and shouted into the phone, “You think this is funny?!”

“Given the bizarro Homecoming evening I’ve just experienced, I’m sorry, but I just have this picture of you with an eye patch.”

“I do have an eye patch!” Jerm said indignantly.

Lucy whooped with laughter. When she finally settled down, she asked Jerm, “How did Sam look when he left the hospital?”

“He was pretty bent on seeing you, Lucy.”

“Oh.”

“Just ‘oh’?”

“I think he may have saw something that didn’t happen.”

“Such as?”

“Nevada drove me home.”

“You seriously need help, Lucy.”

“Tell me something I don’t already know. So, if you do talk to Sam, just let him know I really want to talk to him.”

“Why do you think I would be talking to Sam?”

“Call it a hunch. Please, Jerm?”

“I’ll try, but no promises.”

“Thanks. Hope your eye gets better.”

Lucy hung up the phone and pondered the best way to get Sam back and knew she was going to have to bring in reinforcements. Her green eyes flicked over to the clock, recognizing it was too late to meet up with Mandy and Gina, but first thing tomorrow she would enlist their expertise. Although expected, a disappointed Lucy left a message on Sam’s voicemail, “Hey…I don’t know what you saw tonight, but you have to know it didn’t mean anything. I want to be with you. I hope that means something. Please call me back and let me explain.”

She followed up with a text, and her heart sunk further when no response came through.

Feeling motivated the next morning, Lucy woke up early, drove to pick up some bagels and Starbucks (a hot chocolate for herself, ice-blended mocha for Mandy, and a double shot of espresso for Gina), and pulled up to Gina’s house. After most dances, the girls usually all spent the night together so they could rehash the evening’s events, share pictures, and avoid sleep.

Knocking on the door, Gina’s mom answered and motioned, “They’re upstairs. I’m not sure if anyone’s awake just yet.”

Lucy walked boldly into Gina’s room and started pulling up windows curtains and turning on lamps. She heard groaning coming from the twin beds, and said, “Girls! Up and at em’! I have an emergency!”

Mandy was the first one to arise. She mumbled, “Wassamatter?”

“Sam saw Nevada kissing me!”

Lucy’s statement quickly got their attention. Mandy, rubbed her eyes, and asked more clearly, “What? How? And when?”

“Last night.”

“Last night?!” Now Gina was wide awake. “What happened? I remember you showed up in the limo, and then…well, where did you go?”

“So, at first I wasn’t going to go in. Then, Nevada was there and then he was really nice to me…”

Mandy commented, “Yes, I think a few people saw him ‘being nice’ to you.”

Lucy swallowed, she deserved the comment. Although it was difficult to say the words, she continued, “When Nevada drove me home, I fully intended for nothing to happen. I went to give him a quick kiss on the cheek and he turned his head and I think Sam was coming over to see me and he saw us and…”

“Just breathe, girl,” said Gina.

Lucy took a few moments, then continued, “So, I got home and checked my voicemail and Sam left one saying for me never to see him or call him again.”

Tears overflowed, and Gina and Mandy joined their friend, rubbing her back. Lucy asked in a watery tone, “So, how do I get him back?”