Fall Away

That night when I got home, I stumbled straight into bed, too tired to even change clothes. It wasn’t until the next morning that I got a chance to think about what Soren had said.

I replayed the conversation in my head, trying to figure out exactly what had happened. I depend on my sleep, and two hours was nowhere near enough for me. It had definitely thrown me for a loop. At least I hadn’t agreed to anything stupid. Well, except for the actual agreeing to get together part. But I guess that would’ve happened regardless.

Once again, I found myself wishing for someone to talk to. What was Soren thinking, when he said ‘grab a drink’? I had vetoed the idea of his house, but was there really anywhere else to go? It’d be tacky to go to Bella’s on my night off, and the town didn’t have a ton to offer.

Maybe, if his brother was there, it wouldn’t be that bad. I mean, it wasn’t like they were axe murderers or anything. Someone would have realized if they were. Common sense told me it was better to just invite him to my place, where I was in control, but as I looked around the room, I knew I wouldn’t extend the offer.

I scoffed at my own vanity, but the sad thing was it was true. Even here, where I had no reputation to uphold, no standards to live up to, I was still afraid of people’s judgment.

I sighed and shook my head. I guess old habits died hard. Or maybe it was just that some things never changed.

My phone rang, and I rolled to the side of the bed to grab it. "Hey Danny.”

“How did it go?”

I rubbed my eyes. “How did what go?”

“Your date.”

“Daniel.” I sighed in exasperation. “First off, how many times do I need to tell you it’s not a date?”

“Well, how did your whatchamacallit go?”

“It hasn’t happened yet.”

“What? I thought…”

“I was working last night. I didn’t have time to do anything with anybody.”

“Oh.” Danny was silent for a minute.

“Was that the only reason you called?”

“Um… yeah, basically.”

I laughed, but I was secretly happy that he cared enough to call me so quickly. We had always been friends, but it seemed like lately, he cared a little more. “Well, sorry there’s no big gossip to share.”

“Are you kidding? That’s gr-“ He broke off, clearing his throat abruptly. “I mean, of course. I’m so disappointed.”

I smiled to myself. “Yeah, yeah. I can tell you’re heartbroken.”

“Anyways. Any big plans for the day?”

I rolled onto my back, yawning widely. “Not really. I’m working tonight, but that’s it.”

“Isn’t it a Thursday?”

“Yeah. Good to know you still remember days of the week.”

“Doesn’t that mean you have class?”

“Well, technically yes. But-”

“But what? School is important, Ellie. You can’t just blow it off.”

“Says the boy who’s all done.”

“You know what I mean.” I could hear his stern big brother tone coming into play. “Why aren’t you going?”

“It’s the week before finals, Dan. Everything the professor’s going to say in the lecture, I can read in the textbook. I’ll be able to study it better that way.”

“But what if he throws in something new? What-”

“Get a grip, Daniel,” I laughed. “Are you telling me you never skipped class?”

“Well…”

“Yeah. I think it’s pretty good that I go as much as I do. Trust me, I’ll be fine.”

He protested a little more, but finally stopped as he seemed to realize he was being a total hypocrite. “So you’re not going to do anything today?”

I shrugged, then realized he couldn’t see me. “I might go to the park. Walk around. Go to the movies. Surf the internet. Watch pointless videos on YouTube. Listen to music. Go through-”

“Okay,” my brother interrupted, laughing. “I get the picture. You won’t be bored. Congratulations.” I grinned. “However, I do have to get to work.”

“Aww, poor kid,” I teased.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Give me a call later, though, okay?”

“How late? Like, midnight? Or two in the morning? Or-”

“Ellie.” I could tell I was really getting on his nerves, and for someone reason that made me feel strangely accomplished. “Call me after you’ve talked to whatshisface.”

“Are you trying to keep tabs on me?”

“Not on you. On him.”

I rolled my eyes. “Dan, it’s not-”

“I know what you think,” he said, interrupting me again. “But still, just let me know what’s going on. It’ll make me feel better.”

“Okay,” I sighed. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

I hung up the phone and closed my eyes. Suddenly, going back to sleep seemed like a very good plan.