Us Three by Mia Kerick

Author:Mia Kerick [Kerick, Mia]
Language: eng
Format: epub

18

CASEY’S REAL LIFE

I DIDN’T sleep well on Saturday or Sunday night because I was so worried. If I was going to be honest with myself, I’d admit that a big part of me was convinced Zander and Nate had set me up, because there was no possible way that what I thought I remembered had actually happened. Like maybe I’d created visions of the laughter, the closeness, the camaraderie, not to mention all of the kissing, in my drama-queen-vivid imagination.

I couldn’t manage to even eat a piece of toast on Monday morning. It just wouldn’t go down. Mom brought me a cup of English Breakfast tea, but not even that helped. So I just stared out the window, certain there was no way in heck that Nate’s truck was actually going to pull in to the driveway. I knew for a fact that Nate wasn’t going to pick me up to drive me to school today. In fact, he was probably already at school, snickering evilly as he thought about the queer kid who was at home waiting for a ride. And Zander, well, I was certain that somehow Zander had managed to videotape what had happened in his bedroom on Friday night (as well as on his living room couch, pretty much all day on Saturday) and he was probably showing the incriminating evidence to Liz, Elly, and Marcy on his iPhone right this very minute in the school parking lot.

I was going to have a panic attack. I could feel it starting.

Because I had started to breathe heavily, my mother was sidling up to me, a worried look on her face, when Nate’s truck pulled in to the driveway. I took a long slow breath to stave off the panic attack, and said brightly, “See you this afternoon, Mom.” Then I was out the door.

Except for the radio, it was kind of quiet in the truck, almost all the way to school. All Nate said was “Hey” and I think I just smiled nervously, but we didn’t look at each other even once.

Finally, when we passed the grocery store, I asked, “Aren’t we picking up Zander?”

Nate just shook his head.

I felt a cold chill run through my chest, like all of my blood had settled there and frozen in place. “Why not?”

“He texted me. Said his mom is droppin’ him at school today.”

I’d been right. But not about Nate, as he was here with me, driving me to school. But Zander—he was not with us… not here in the truck and I guessed maybe he shouldn’t be in our hearts either. I might have gasped, or choked, or possibly even sobbed, because Nate turned his head sharply to look at me.

“It’s his problem, not ours.”

“No.” It was all I could think of to say. “Just, no.”

Nate reached over and grabbed my hand. “Gonna be okay. We’ll figure it out.” When he squeezed my hand, I didn’t know how to feel. I was happy—someone special was here beside me—but

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