Dare to Be Different (24 page)

“We just like each other. Neither of us really has time for dates or outside things, so we’re just enjoying the fact that we share our team athletics. I am in high school now, and this is part of it. There will probably be other boys as time goes on.”

“If that’s all it is, I can probably understand that,” Mom said. “But don’t think it’s going to turn into you going on private dates. That won’t be happening until you’re sixteen, and you know that.”

“I know, Mom. What about school-sponsored activities like dances and stuff like that?”

“Oh, that’s different. Of course you may go to dances like homecoming and prom. That’s all part of getting the full experience of high school; plus, they are chaperoned activities.”

Feeling like she had made huge strides, Drew decided that she had better quit while she was ahead. “May I be excused now? I really need to shower, and then I have homework to do.” With her parent’s agreement, Drew excused herself from the table and headed off for the shower, where she’d have a few moments to herself to daydream about all that had taken place that day. It was a day for the history books.

Chapter 9

Dani felt invisible when she was with Drew. Everywhere they went they were met with choruses of, “Hi, Drew.” “I like your hair, Drew.” “That’s a cute shirt, Drew.” Everyone seemed to want to talk to Drew and be her friend. They all knew her name, even though Drew knew only a handful of them.

It was much like any celebrity status, Dani realized; people just wanted to make a connection, no matter how small.

Drew squealed next to Dani, making her jump, as Trevor sneaked up behind her and covered her eyes with his hands, saying, “Guess who!”

“I know who it is, silly.” Drew giggled, and Dani rolled her eyes.

“You’d better know who it is. I mean, everyone else better keep his hands off,” Trevor teased possessively, making Drew smile even wider.

“Hi, Dani. How are you today?” he asked, trying to include Dani.

“Oh, I’m fine, thanks. You?”

“Just fine, now that I’ve seen my girl.”

“I have to run to class. I’ll see you two later.” Dani scurried off, mainly just to get away from the syrupy sweetness of young love that she was tired of enduring. As an afterthought, she turned to Drew and said, “It’s Tuesday, so wait for me out front after school, okay?”

“As always, sis. See ya then,” Drew promised, forgetting for a moment why Tuesday was different than any other day.

“Finally, a moment alone,” Trevor teased, because they were never really alone. Everywhere they went, their friends and other kids wanted their attention. Both of them loved it, though. They seemed made for each other, and everyone saw it.

Though he didn’t want to leave Drew, Trevor couldn’t afford to be late to class, since the coach always checked up on that. “I’d better get going, too. See you at lunch?”

“Of course. Save me a seat, okay?” Drew had farther to walk to the lunchroom, so Trevor always got there before she did. For a second she considered asking him to save a seat for Dani but then dismissed the idea because she didn’t think that Dani would want to sit with Trevor and his friends. It was just not her thing.

Racing to the lunchroom so she’d have as much time as possible, Drew got there in record time. She spotted Trevor and his friends in their usual spot and waved across the room. On her way to meet him, she passed by the table she used to share with her sister, who was already sitting in her favorite seat. “Here ya go, Drew.” She patted the seat next to her as Drew was about to breeze past.

“Oh … Dani … I thought you realized … I’ll be eating lunch at Trevor’s table from now on.” Drew nervously chewed on the side of her fingernail. She didn’t want to hurt Dani, but she was sure it was inevitable. “You’re welcome to join us.”

“I just didn’t think. Of course you’ll be eating with Trevor … I guess it just didn’t click.” Dani looked fine about what she was saying, but Drew
knew her inside and out. Dani was crushed. It was a sad realization that she would be eating relatively alone from now on. Sure, there were other people who would be around, friends of theirs she could talk to, girls to joke around with while she ate her lunch. But the loss of the presence of the other half of her heart made the remaining half feel broken.

Drew pretended to believe that Dani was fine with it all and headed over to sit with Trevor. Somehow, though, her excitement had diminished and the sparkle was dimmed because she knew that she had disappointed her sister. Drew managed to put her guilt aside as soon as she saw how happy the group was to see her. She, a new freshman, was eating lunch at the table where all of the star football players and varsity cheerleaders ate. She beamed with pride while trying to maintain her composure so they wouldn’t know how excited she actually was.

“Hey, there’s my girl,” Trevor said above the loud lunchroom noises.

“Hey, you. I’m famished.What’s for lunch today?” Drew asked, sliding into the seat beside Trevor.

Sam informed her that the hot lunch was
beef tips and noodles but that she wouldn’t eat something so fattening, so she was just having the salad option.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. I sure don’t want those extra calories either.” In reality, Drew would have loved the beef and noodles; it was one of her favorite hot lunches. But she surely didn’t want the group to think she wasn’t watching her weight. She went to the lunch counter and came back with a side salad and dinner roll, hoping it would tide her over until she got home that afternoon.

Lunch was a party of laughter and chatting. The time went too fast for Drew. While she did enjoy herself immensely, the whole thing was bittersweet as she watched her sister sit quietly across the lunchroom. Drew wondered for a moment if she had made a mistake. She didn’t want to choose her new friends over her sister. But then again, she reasoned, she shouldn’t be forced to. Her sister should want her to do the things that made her happy and to meet new people.

“Meet me after school outside the sports office?” Trevor whispered to Drew before they broke to head to their afternoon classes.

“I don’t think I can stay long. I have to meet Dani right after school today, but I can’t remember why. I could meet you for a few minutes, though,” Drew offered.

“A few minutes is all I need.” Trevor smiled suggestively, making Drew wonder what he was up to.

She laughed and said, “I can’t figure you out half the time. But all right, I’ll meet you there right after school for a few minutes.” She waved at the rest of the group as they all headed off in their separate directions. She had hoped to break away with enough time to see Dani before class, but Dani was already gone. Drew sighed and hoped that she could make it up to her at home later.

The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Drew hurriedly gathered her books and things and headed for her locker. She shoved everything in there—keeping the one book that she needed for homework—grabbed her purse, and hurried for the sports office, eager to find out why Trevor wanted to see her.

Walking down the corridor toward the sports office, Drew smiled and realized that she would
be spending a lot of time in that corridor over the next four years. Spotting Trevor talking to his coach, Drew hung back for a moment, giving them space. As soon as he saw her, though, he broke away from his conversation, clapping the coach on the back, and headed over to her immediately. “I know you only have a couple of minutes, so let’s not waste a moment’s time.”

“Sounds good to me, I think. Where are we going?”

“Follow me.” He grabbed her hand and headed toward the exit that led to the football field. They walked quickly onto the field and then climbed into the bleachers.

After climbing all the way to the top of the bleachers, he pulled her down to the seat beside him. “Look out there.” Trevor pointed to the empty football field. “Have you ever seen it like this?” When Drew shook her head no, he continued. “I love seeing it empty like this. It reminds me of how big it really is. It’s amazing to me that it sits here lonely like this until we come and bring it to life. It really gets me charged up.”

“Oh, I can see what you’re saying. What a beautiful thought. You really can’t get the feel of the place when it’s full of people in the stands
and players on the field. It’s nice to sit back and get to know the personality of it when it’s alone.”

“That’s exactly how I feel about it. It’s alive.”

Drew smiled and sighed as she looked around the empty field. She looked from one end of the field, through the bleachers on the other side, and past the goal posts on the other end of the field, around back to where they were seated. Once she had her fill of the sights, she looked at Trevor, only to realize that he was looking at her. Had he had been looking at her the whole time?

Trevor smiled at her and cupped her chin in his hand and leaned toward her. Here it came. Her first kiss. It was probably under the perfect circumstances; but she also wasn’t really ready for it. Still, she wanted Trevor to kiss her, and she wouldn’t dream of telling him not to.

As all of those thoughts sailed through her mind, he leaned in toward her lips. She should probably do her part and meet him halfway so that he wouldn’t think she didn’t want the kiss.

Palms sweating, cheeks on fire, she leaned toward Trevor. Their lips met in a soft, quick kiss. Just as quickly, they both backed away. She was thankful that it was over fast. It was all she could handle.

Flushed and breathless, they looked at each other for a moment and Drew began to giggle.

Trevor laughed and said, “You’ve really gotten to me, Drew Daniels. I never expected to get serious about someone this year.”

“You’ve gotten to me, too. Believe me,” Drew assured him. “I’m really glad, though.”

Knowing that it was time for Drew to head home, they got up from their seats and retraced their steps back through the building. At the school’s entrance, Trevor squeezed Drew’s hand and said that he would see her tomorrow. She smiled and turned to walk in the direction of her house. Not riding the bus, like she sometimes did, would mean a long walk alone. Immediately she saw the spot where she normally met her sister.

With horror, Drew remembered that she had told Dani that she would meet her there after school so they could walk home together. She had never told Dani that she wouldn’t be there.

With a backward glance over her shoulder at Trevor, she smiled and waved again, then headed quickly for home. Worried about how her sister was feeling, she jogged part of the way.

What a day. She had dropped the bomb on Dani that they wouldn’t be eating lunch together
anymore and then completely blew her off after school. Dani was probably at home, feeling very left out and lonely. Drew knew that’s how she would feel if the roles were reversed.

But on the other hand, should Drew be stuck only doing what Dani wanted to do? Didn’t Drew have the right to make new friends and have new experiences? She spent the remainder of the walk trying to convince herself, against nagging doubts, that she had done nothing wrong when it came to her treatment of Dani. She also hoped that Dani wasn’t mad enough at her to tell Mom all that had been going on. Realizing that was a real risk, Drew promised herself that she would be much more careful in the future.