CHAPTER 11 FIRST DATE

A couple of nights later April made her way through the crowds on Main Street to meet Matt. The shops and restaurants she passed were brightly lit and jammed with people. She stepped onto the street to get around a large group of window-shoppers. She moved through the sea of glowing, sunburned faces, smiling people in colorful shirts and white shorts or skirts.

From halfway down the block, April could see that Matt wasn’t on the corner in front of Swanny’s where they had arranged to meet. I hope he isn’t late again, she thought, glancing at her watch as she crossed the street.

A motorcycle roared past right behind her, and she jumped to the curb. “Hey—” She turned in time to see the backs of two boys with long blond hair, speeding in the direction of the carnival grounds.

I wonder if the carnival has opened, April thought, searching the crowded walk for Matt. April loved carnivals. She loved the rides and the dumb games, and the smell of popcorn and cotton candy. Maybe Matt would like to check it out, she thought.

She had promised her sisters she’d take them as soon as it opened. That meant an entire night of arguing over which ride to go on next and who got to sit in front and who had to sit in the back.

“Matt—where are you?” she said aloud.

She poked her head into the arcade—and saw him near the back. He and Ben were leaning over a game, staring intently at the screen as another boy frantically spun a steering wheel.

“Hey, Matt! Matt!” She couldn’t make herself heard over the explosions, gunfire, loud whistles, sirens, and crashes that echoed through the long, narrow room.

When he finally turned toward the doorway, he seemed surprised to see her.

Didn’t he even remember that we were supposed to meet? April wondered.

He pushed himself away from the game and hurried toward her, a guilty expression on his face. “Oh. Hi.” He followed her out onto the walk. “You just get here?”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“You look great. Is that a new T-shirt?”

April was wearing a pale blue T-shirt with a V neck that she had worn about ten thousand times. “No, Matt. What’s going on?”

“Uh . . . I ran into Ben. We’ve been playing some games with a few other guys. You know. Just goofing.”

“So what do you want to do tonight?” April asked, her eyes following a cream-colored Jaguar convertible as it turned the corner onto Dune Lane.

“Nice car,” Matt said.

“I think Jaguars are cute,” April said, smiling at him.

“The prices are real cute too,” he said, grinning back at her.

“You didn’t answer my question, Matt. Did the carnival open?”

He shrugged.

“Want to go check it out?” she asked, turning in the direction of the carnival grounds. Yellow beams of light streaked the sky in that direction, spotlights announcing that the carnival was open.

“Well . . .” He hesitated. “There’s this Friday the 13th triple feature tonight.” He motioned across the street to the movie theater, where a line had already formed, mostly teenagers, waiting for the box office to open. “Ben and I really want to see it. How about you?”

April groaned angrily. “You know I hate those films! Why do I want to see a bunch of pretty girls get sliced and diced? It’s such sexist garbage, Matt!”

“Yeah, I know,” he replied, his eyes on the growing line at the movie theater.

I can’t believe this! April thought, feeling her anger grow. He’s spending all his time with Ben and the guys. He was so excited about this stupid triple feature, he didn’t even remember he was supposed to meet me!

“You sure you don’t want to come?” he asked, avoiding her eyes. He brushed his hair back nervously with one hand and glanced into the arcade, checking on his friends.

“Yes, I’m sure,” April said, not bothering to conceal her anger. “Don’t you ever get tired of that horror stuff?”

“No,” he replied quickly, grinning.

April made a disgusted face. “Guess I’ll go then,” she said quietly.

She expected him to protest, to ask her not to leave. She expected him to change his plans, to tell Ben and the other guys, that he was going to skip the movie.

“Well, we’ll do something together tomorrow night,” he said instead. “You know. Go to the carnival or something.”

She turned away from him. “Yeah. Okay,” she muttered and started to walk up the street.

“Call you tomorrow!” he shouted after her.

Why didn’t I tell him how angry I am? April asked herself, shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts and taking long strides away from the arcade. Why didn’t I let him know that I’m upset with him? Why did I just say, “Yeah, okay,” and walk away?

She realized that she was as angry at herself as she was at Matt.

Maybe I should have just gone along to the movie with him, she thought.

No. No way.

She quickly erased that thought.

I’m always the one who gives in, always the one who compromises. He thinks he can do whatever he wants.

This vacation is turning out to be the pits, April thought, her anger soaring. All day long I take care of my bratty sisters at the beach. Then at night Matt would rather hang out with the guys than spend time with me.

April began to cross Seabreeze Road by the Mini Market, walking rapidly. She was so distracted by her angry thoughts that she crashed right into someone crossing from the other direction.

“Oh!”

Startled, she stumbled back, struggling to keep her balance.

First, she saw a maroon pullover, then black denims.

Then she saw a narrow, pale face, its expression as startled as hers.

Then she recognized the face. “Gabri!”

“Oh, hi!” he cried, still somewhat shaken. “I didn’t see you.”

“I didn’t see you, either,” she replied, embarrassed. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I think so.” He smoothed back his black hair and flashed her a reassuring smile. “You’re in a hurry. Where are you going?”

“Nowhere,” she admitted. “I’m going nowhere fast.”

She thought she was making a joke, but he didn’t seem to get it.

A horn honked. They both jumped and realized they were standing in the middle of the road. “Come on,” he said. She followed him to the walk as the car rolled by, honking again as it passed.

“Are you with Matt?” Gabri asked, stopping in front of the Mini Market.

“Bad subject,” April muttered.

Gabri’s eyes seemed to light up. “Huh?”

“No, I’m not with Matt,” April said, realizing her anger hadn’t subsided.

Gabri stepped under the streetlight, making way for a woman who had just come out of the grocery store, struggling with three full bags of food.

“You have to be the palest townie in the world!” April blurted out, laughing.

Again, Gabri didn’t smile. In fact, for a brief moment, he appeared alarmed by her comment. But he quickly recovered and his warm smile returned. “It’s my job,” he explained, moving from under the light, back into the shadows near the wall of the building. “I work all day. I never get to the beach till night. It’s kind of hard to get a tan by moonlight.”

“Where do you work?” April asked.

“In the next town,” he said after a short pause.

“What do you do?”

“Whatever they tell me to,” he replied. “It’s not a very exciting job.”

April realized that he was gazing into her eyes as they talked. Doesn’t he ever blink? she wondered. And then she thought: His eyes seem so . . . deep. Like tunnels. Like tunnels that draw you in, deeper, deeper.

Feeling dizzy, she raised a hand to the building wall to steady herself.

“The carnival opened tonight,” Gabri said. “Want to check it out?”

“Yes,” April replied, without even thinking.

And then she pictured Matt. And thought, Matt won’t like this.

I’m going to the carnival with another boy.

And then she thought: I don’t care. He’d rather spend his time with Ben and the guys at that stupid horror movie.

He doesn’t care what I do.

I have a right to have some fun too.

Her anger flared, then slipped away as she gazed into Gabri’s eyes.

He smiled warmly at her. “Well, let’s go.”

This is so easy, Gabri thought, slipping an arm around April’s shoulder as they made their way to the carnival grounds.

This is almost too easy.

April’s going to be no trouble at all.

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 617