I
really can wait. I have nowhere to go until the party.
I
close my eyes and tilt my head back, enjoying the cooler evening sun on my face
and praying it will calm my frizz. I hold my cell, waiting for it to vibrate
with his response. As the minutes pass, I toy with the idea that maybe he
forgot …
But
he planned this. He wouldn’t do that.
A
light laugh interrupts me. My eyes jolt open and I gasp. I hate how easily I
startle.
“Sorry,
Lady,” says a deep, smooth voice behind me. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You
just look so funny all dressed up but relaxing in the sun.”
“Oh,
it’s okay.” Great. I pull at the bottom of my white tank. I look funny.
He
clears his throat, waiting for me to do the social thing. Interact.
Not
in the mood. Not now. The dent in my phone demands study. If I turn the phone
upside down, the dent looks like a cow. I shift, making sure my back faces the
voice. Maybe the guy’ll take a hint? My bench creaks with newly added weight.
I
force myself to glance up. My throat closes. Marissa would freak.
Justin
stares back with that fake smile. “Who are you waiting for?”
“My
boyfriend, Zach Filman.” Confidence, yes.
Justin
nods. “Oh, Zach.” He looks at his watch and snickers. “I bet he’s late, huh?”
His eyebrow flicks up with his smile.
“You’re lying.” He moves closer to me.
Shaking
my head, I focus on the lined pavement. The lines aren’t parallel at all. I
really suck at lying, but the most popular guy in school doesn’t need to know
my boyfriend’s late.
“Well,
then,” he continues. “I’ll just wait here with you. You don’t mind.”
He
taps his finger on the bench’s armrest. “Shouldn’t be long now.” His voice is
thick with sarcasm which he pairs with his flashy, stupid smile. Justin may be
gorgeous, but he is super annoying. He clears his throat. “Might as well get to
know one another. I’m Justin Marshall.”
“I’m
Lucy.” He doesn’t need to know my last name.
“Well,
Lucy.” He pulls out his phone. “It’s six fifty-two. When’re you going on that
date?”
“For
real?” The heat from the sun must’ve fried my brain-to-mouth filter.
He
claps his hands together, leaning back, enjoying my outburst. “Well, I’m bored.
Jennifer doesn’t get off for another twenty minutes. I need a little fun.”
“Well, in that case, I’m pleased to entertain
you.” Sarcasm rolls thick off my tongue.
“Wonderful.”
His hands fold behind his head and his muscles twitch. But I’m steady, not a
flinch and not even close to his regularly received swoon.
“So,
where’re you love birds going?” he continues.
“Right,
Italian food. How romantic. Very original, Zach.”
Blood
rushes to my face. I don’t care if it is the typical place. This is my first
fancy, romantic date and it’s going to be perfect. I glare back, replying with
silence.
“Okay,
okay.” He throws his hands up. “It’s a good place. Great food, actually.”
I
ignore him, glancing back at my phone. An hour late. Maybe he got in an
accident?
“Can
I ask you two questions?” Justin prods.
“No.” My filter’s gone now. He’s beyond
irritating. Just because everyone worships him doesn’t mean he gets to know
everyone’s business. Of course, he ignores my answer.
“First,
why are you being picked up for a date here?”
I
answer without thinking. “Zach thinks my mom’s weird.” My tongue thickens,
making it hard to speak. Crap, shouldn’t have said that.
“Oh?
Should that matter if he’s dating you? I mean, shouldn’t he want to get to know
her if he’s dating you?”
He
looks at me with a soft expression, like the ones people use on injured puppies
on those Emergency Vet shows.
I press my lips together. He doesn’t know my
mom. This time he accepts my silence.
“Secondly, don’t you think you
deserve someone who respects you enough to either show up on time or at least
call and let you know why he’s late?”
Whoa, who is he to give me
relationship advice?
“You’ve
got to be kidding, right?”
“No. I’m dead serious. You deserve
better.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“So
do I. He’s my boyfriend.” I refuse to look at him, instead watching a group of
ants pour out of a crack in the pavement. “You know you’re a real jerk, right?”
I add.
Justin lets out a long whistle.
“Wow. I haven’t been called a jerk since I was, like, eight?”
I don’t care how hot he is. Why Marissa
wants him blows my mind.
He pulls out his phone. “Let me show
you something.” He dials and flashes me his outgoing call: Zach F.
No. This is not happening.
I launch at his phone but he’s too quick. He
jumps off the bench and I eat pavement.
“It
doesn’t matter. He isn’t going to answ—” I say as I scramble up off the ground.
“Hello?” a familiar voice booms.
Speaker phone. Crap.
“Hey Man. What’s up?” My gut
relaxes. Zach’s okay.
“Not much. Just waiting to pick up
Jennifer.” Justin paces, circling the bench and me.
“Right on, man!” Zach is always so
positive. His attitude is contagious. I can’t help but smile when I’m around
him.
My
chest squeezes. How can Zach be playing a game with his cousin Tater? An
I-Told-You-So expression sits in triumph on Justin’s face.
“Sweet. Awesome day for a game.”
Justin
drags his shoe through some sand.
“Will I see you at the party
tonight?”
Maybe he didn’t forget? He knows
we’re going to the party together. He must have gotten the times mixed up.
Assumed he had time to play disc first.
“Sweet. I’ll see you there. Got to
run, Jen’s done. We’ve got a great date night planned before the party and all
…”
No Justin, don’t do this. I want to die.
“Oh shit, dude. I was supposed to
pick up that Lucy chick for a date too.” Zach laughs.
Three skipped heartbeats.
My
nose begins to itch. Tears are inevitable. But I won’t cry in front of Justin.
I focus on my cuticles, trying to hold off tears while Zach’s voice continues
to boom from the phone. Justin finishes circling the bench, now standing next
to me. So I can hear everything Zach says.
“Eh, she’ll understand. It’s a gorgeous
day. I mean, who can remember a date when disc golf calls?”
“Well, good luck with that.” Justin taps my
shoulder. I want to break his fingers.
My eyes are heavy, probably now red
and puffy too. I take a deep breath, trying to hold off the emotional impact of
the moment. Justin’s moved in front of me, waiting for my reaction. He’s so
rude. I glare daggers into his green eyes. Hate him.
My
phone finally vibrates.
Zach: hey sorry work’s crazy. Meet u
at party L8R.
My gut twists inside out. Zach lied.
He forgot about me and lied. Why did he ask me out if he didn’t like me? I grab
my bag. I need to get away from Justin before I break down.
“Let
me guess,” Justin says, “he lied?”
A
ruthless fire burns inside me, made especially for him.
“Can
I ask you something?” I don’t wait for an answer. “Why are you so unbearably
rude?”
“Listen,” he begins, “you deserved to know.”
“No.
That wasn’t your place. Do you think you’re like a god or something? ‘You
deserved to know.’ Total bull. Don’t
I deserve to be treated with respect?” I pause for effect. His eyes widen and
he opens his mouth to speak, but he doesn’t have a word to deliver. “Right. You
dish out Hallmark wisdom but don’t follow it yourself. Don’t be a hypocrite.”
The tears are rolling down my cheeks
but I don’t care anymore. Now I want him to see it. Staring into his green
eyes, I search to see if he understands what he’s done. But his eyes are blank.
Not even a hint of remorse. The pool gate jingles and Jennifer steps out. I
quickly distance myself from the bench and start the walk of rejection back
home.
I don’t look back. I never want to
see Justin Marshall again.
The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials: The Collector's Double Edition (Maze Runner, Book One and Book Two)
James is the author of THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy and THE 13TH REALITY series. He also published a series (beginning with A DOOR IN THE WOODS) with a small publisher several years ago. He lives and writes in the Rocky Mountains.
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