Song of a Sophomore

CHAPTER 46 - Head Over Feet

Zach leaned up against the white cinderblock exterior with his feet crossed at the ankles, staring down at his stylish Adidas sneakers. He wore wholesome khaki shorts and a white cotton polo shirt. When he saw me approach, he ran his hand through his freshly cut hair. Nothing like James Bond.

"Hey, Rose, Thanks for meeting me. I thought we should talk. About the dance." He clenched his jaw and stood upright. "Can I walk you to your car?"

"Sure."

Zach put his hands in his pockets, walking past the idling line of buses, before he spoke. "Rose, I had a really nice time with you at the spring formal. You looked amazing in that dress–and you smelled great, by the way."

"You too." The smell of sandalwood filled the recesses of my mind.

"The way we danced, well, it just made me feel so, uh, how do I put this? Really, uh..."

"Amorous?" I asked.

"Yeah. Amorous." He chuckled. "I like that about you. You've got a good vocabulary."

"A good vocabulary... I'll take it as a compliment." I laughed.

"I mean, you're smart and you're pretty."

"That's more like it," I said.

The corner of Zach's mouth drew up into a one-sided smile. "You really deserve a great guy and love and romance and the whole package. Not how I treated you after the dance. I owe you an apology. That night, I was coming right out of a bad breakup. I just wanted to feel something other than angry at Katelyn. And, you were there. Looking all cute in that blue dress that day in biology class. Staring at me. I knew that you liked me and I kept thinking about what you said to me that night back at the bonfire. I was curious what that meant. I guess I took it the wrong way." Zach stopped walking and turned to face me. "Anyway, I was caught up in the moment. I made assumptions and came on way too strong. I'm sorry."

"Thanks, Zach, but I maybe I was caught up in the moment too. I thought I was ready and to be with you... like that," I looked up at the thick gray clouds, heavy with the threat of rain, "but I guess in the moment, I knew it was for the wrong reasons."

"Okay, good. I feel like that, too. Like, I need some time to process everything with Katelyn before I rush into anything."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." Relief washed over me as we reached the student parking lot.

"Looks like we might get a thunderstorm this afternoon." Zach stopped next to my glistening red car and rested his hand on the hood.

"Yeah, I can feel it in the air." I leaned against the driver's side door and gazed up at the darkening sky. "It reminds me of the day I first saw you at the pool. Last summer."

"I remember that. You were with your brother, right? Wearing a baggy t-shirt?"

I looked down at my sandaled feet, feeling a little embarrassed. "Well, I guess I was just a bit self-conscious."

"You have nothing to be self-conscious about, Rose. You are a beautiful girl. You have to believe that. It may not be the right time for you and me, but whoever gets to be your boyfriend is a really lucky guy." Zach leaned against the Firebird and crossed his arms. "I've got a confession to make. I asked you to the dance even though I knew that Leo had feelings for you. It was a shitty thing to do. I've been a real asshole lately. I would blame Katelyn, but, honestly, it's my own fault. You'd be better off with someone without any emotional baggage. Or mean ex-girlfriends. You know, someone who would treat you right. Someone like Leo."