Winger

friday morning

THE CREEPIEST NIGHTS SEEM TO evaporate into nothing once the sun comes up and you can hear the sounds of guys out in the hallway talking crap to each other and play fighting while they get ready for school.

So I hardly gave another thought to how scared I had been when I came home from the dance; and I didn’t really even want to ask any of the other boys what had gone on in the dorm before I got back to O-Hall.

Routine has a way of making you feel like an idiot after you’ve gotten all worked up over things not being in their expected order. So I showered and got into my uniform, just like I’d do on any other morning.

We ran in Conditioning class.

JP still wasn’t talking to me, but I had a feeling that things were just okay, and nothing better than that, between us; and when Seanie and I spoke, I was careful to not be such a smart-ass and say things just to pick at JP again.

But Joey didn’t show up that day for Calculus.

I remembered how pissed off he seemed the night before, and since it was Friday and all, I just figured he was taking a day off and going home early. Still, I mostly hoped I’d be able to talk to him again before he left, so I could find out what he was so bugged about when I saw him outside the dance.

Then it really sank in that it was Friday.

It meant Annie and just about everyone else would be leaving for home too, and I wished I didn’t feel so goddamned scared and alone without my friends around.

When Megan saw me in class, she smiled and said, “I like how you dance, Ryan Dean. Pretty hot.”

I turned red.

“Sorry about that. We were kind of getting a little nasty, Megan.”

She laugh-whispered, “A little?”

“Hey, did you see Joey, or hear if he’s sick or something?”

“No. I saw Kevin this morning, though,” she said. “You should ask him.”

“Okay. And thanks for the dance, Megan. I had a lot of fun.”

She turned around and rubbed my forearm and winked at me.

Ugh.

She made me feel so weak.