My Undefined Romeo

5…4…3…2…RING!

I stood up with the crowd and cheered. Everyone was going wild and screaming with joy. Sulphur had won! Across the field, the losing stands were slowly emptying with sad rugby fans. Down on the field, the two teams were lined up in a line each and were slapping hands for show of a good game.

I was only here because I had won in rock paper scissors against Ashley before the game. Whoever won got to watch the last quarter of the game, but had to stay and clean up afterwards. Obviously, I won. But now… if I had known that Nate was going to stop by, I probably would have volunteered to work the fourth quarter and Ashley go to the game.

I followed the people out of the row and down the big bleacher steps. Everyone was smiling and laughing; meanwhile, “We Are the Champions” was playing in the background. I was now off the bleachers and was mixed in a crowd of people heading for their cars.

“Emma!” Ashley yelled at me. She was sitting on a counter of the concession stand swinging her legs back and forth. “Are you going to the after party after you clean up?”

I walked over to her and shook my head. “No. I don’t really like parties…Too wild, you know?”

Ashley laughed. “Well, yeah! That’s the whole point! Get drunk, sleep with a guy or two, have an amazing but unforgettable night, and then forget it all in the morning. It may sound awful, but it’s great! Really!”

I smiled and rolled my eyes. “You have fun. I’ll see you Monday.” I opened the door to the stand and went in. Ashley jumped off the counter, now on the other side, waved at me, and then left.

I sighed and surveyed what I had to clean. The place was a mess. Cups and trash were tossed on the floor and on the counters, while cheese and pop were clinging to the floor. This could take a while… I reached up and pulled the shutters to the stand shut and decided to get started.

After fifteen minutes of picking up trash alone, it hit me how stupid I was. Nate wasn’t going to show up. Why would he? He was the star rugby player, so of course he had to be at the after party! I mentally slapped myself for being so stupid. He was just playing me…

Knock knock!

I jumped at the sound of someone pounding on the door. I quietly put down my almost full trash bag and went over to the door, slowly opening it. “Yes?” I asked.

“Sorry I’m late.” Nate was changed into regular loose fitting whitewashed jeans and a well fitting black T. His hair was damp and he had the most adorable smile on his face… Wait! No! Stop it, Emma! Bad Emma, bad!

I opened the door wider for him to come in. “Really, you didn’t have to come… I’m about done anyways…” My voice trailed off as I surveyed what I had left to do. There was still tons of trash left to be picked up as well as sweeping and mopping the floor.

Nate chuckled. “Yeah, I see that. Totally almost done.” He turned his head back and grinned at me.

My heart faltered at his smile. It was a smile for me. He was smiling at me and just me. I gently closed the door and walked over to pick up my garbage back and began to put more trash in it. “Have at it.”

“Where to start…” he mumbled, looking around.

“You can sweep, right?” I asked.

He looked at me like I was insane. “Yes… Why would you ask something like that?”

I shrugged and motioned to the corner with the broom in it. “You never know with you Populars. I don’t anyone of them would volunteer to help me clean this place, and I highly doubt any of them clean up after themselves.”

Nate took the broom from the corner and started sweeping up chips, candy, and whatnot. “We’re not all like that,” he said quietly.

I couldn’t hold in my laugh. “Should I buy the red Gucci heels or the sparkling white ones?” I mocked. “Please, Nate, face it. You’re all the same.”

He stopped sweeping and rested his chin on the top of the broom stick. “You think I’m like that? Is that the impression I give you?”

I also quit my cleaning and faced him. “Well, I used to think that…” What did I think now though? Obviously Nate was different than the others, but still. It could just be a show. “Never mind.”

Nate went back to his sweeping, letting the topic drop.

“Nate,” I said quietly. “Why are you here?”

“I didn’t want to go to the party,” he replied casually.

I tied my bag of trash and tossed in it a corner. “You’re lying.”

He gathered his dirt in a tiny pile and shrugged. “Yes I am.”

I picked up the dust pan from the broom corner and knelt down by his dirt pile. He continued to sweep it into the pan and I dumped it out until we were finished. It was silent the whole time.

“Mop?” he asked. I motioned towards the broom corner. He walked over and retrieved the mop.

“Here,” I said walking over to him. “I should do that. I’m supposed to be the only one cleaning anyways.” I reached for the mop but he pulled it out of my reach. A tiny smirk was playing on his face.

“No,” he said. “I’ll do it. I want to do it.”

Fine. If he was going to offer to mop the floor then I wasn’t going to object. Less work for me. “Fine,” I stated. I walked over to a counter and hoped on.

“So, Emma, tell me about you.”

I nearly choked on my own spit when he said that. Why the hell would he want to get to know me? “Uh, no.”

He dumped the mop in the bucket and frowned. “What?”

I sighed. “There’s no point. Monday morning you won’t remember anything I’ll tell you. After tonight, you’ll probably never speak to me again. So again I say, there’s no point.”

“Emma…” he whispered quietly. He quit mopping and stared into my deep brown eyes. His blue eyes looked almost sad and hurt.

I threw up my hands in defense. “Well it’s true! Ever since first grade you have never said a single word to me! All you and your posse have ever done to me is treating me like shit.”

“Emma, I’ve never-”

“No,” I interrupted. “You’ve never done anything to me, but you never stopped them either.” I sighed and shook my head. “Lets just hurry up and get out of here, okay?”

No more words were said as Nate mopped the floor and I watched him. Truth was, I doubted either of us knew what to say. Sorry would have been a good start I guess…

I just still couldn’t figure out why he would volunteer to help me out though, let alone talk to me. The last time Nate Carter talked to me was when he asked if he could borrow a crayon in the first grade. Now here we were seniors and he’s suddenly noticing me?

What the hell is up with that?!