The First Thing About You by Chaz Hayden

Author:Chaz Hayden [Hayden, Chaz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781536227239
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

I held up my end of the bargain and went with Zander to the concession stand so he could defrost during halftime. The grass behind the bleachers was muddy from a rainstorm the night before, and my wheelchair jolted over every bump. Miranda had to put her hand behind my head just so it would stay up. My hand fell off the joystick a few times, too, but she always put it back quickly.

“See, Zander? We’re still friends,” I said. “I’m falling out of my wheelchair for you.”

“Your chivalry is noted. Now, excuse me while I see a man about a bag of gummy worms.”

“And I’m gonna use the bathroom,” Nory said.

They left Miranda and me sinking into the mud behind the bleachers, where kids were taking sips out of suspicious-looking water bottles and throwing noisemakers at each other. I realized I hadn’t thought about colors all evening or whether I was blending with Zander and Nory and everyone else at the game. Our conversation flowed, and I felt as close to them as new friends can feel. I’d spent the rest of my attention trying not to think about how dirty my wheels were and the wrath I would surely face from my mom.

“Kaylin and I used to hang out behind these bleachers,” Miranda said.

“Yeah, it’s the place to be at games.”

“Oh, I’m not talking about just football games. We would come back here to ditch class or a boring assembly.” Her face lit up. “We should do that sometime!”

“Miranda, I’m not gonna skip class to sit under the bleachers in the freezing cold for no reason.”

“I mean, we can do it when it gets warmer out.” Then she tugged at my knit hat so it fully covered my ears. “It’s a classic high school thing.”

I didn’t know how to answer. I chalked her suggestion up to the red side of her personality.

“You didn’t have class tonight?”

“Nope.”

“And you didn’t want to spend Friday night with your boyfriend?”

“He’s working on an important project and doesn’t want me to distract him.”

“Oh. Well, thanks again for taking us.”

“No problem. This is a hell of a lot better than watching movies with my parents.”

On cue, Zander returned, half the bag of gummy worms already eaten. “Hey, I heard some guys talking about a party after the game. Should we go?”

“A party? Where?”

“Don’t know.”

“How are we supposed to go if we don’t know where it is?”

Nory walked back into our circle. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Zander said there’s a party tonight, but he doesn’t know where.”

“Oh, it’s probably at Tess Santoro’s house. She has one every Friday.”

“Do you ever go?” I asked.

“Not really. My dad likes me home before eleven.”

The three of us decided that going to the party would be a waste of time and that the football game was a sufficient social outing for the weekend. We finished watching the game—well, listening to it—from behind the bleachers. It was warmer back there.

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