“This sucks,” he mouthed.
I could only gawk and nod in return. The low lighting did amazing things to his features. The line of his jaw seem more pronounced, his lips fuller, and his eyes were like two silver dollars shining back at me.
I realized I was staring at him and quickly looked away, my heart pounding. I could feel my cheeks growing warm and hoped desperately it was too dark for him to notice. I caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye, but didnʼt realize what was happening until I felt him take ahold of my hand.
Alex Cole was not the first boy I ever held hands with. That honor went to my third grade boyfriend, Jeremy Rande, who bought me a chocolate rose for Valentineʼs Day and then moved to Illinois the next week. Over the years there had been others - including Dalton Riley, the asshat Ashley had done the nasty with - but none of those times had felt like this. With the other boys it had merely been skin on skin. I remembered how they always squeezed my hand too tightly or too loosely, how their palms had always been too dry or too sweaty.
Alexʼs hand was perfect. His skin was soft and warm. He held onto me gently, but with confidence. My own hand felt small and delicate wrapped around his.
I was, at that moment, in possession of the worldʼs happiest hand.
I was also in possession of the worldʼs reddest cheeks. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears; the air I drew into my lungs sounded shaky. I couldnʼt tear my eyes away from his.
“Hi,” he whispered.
“Hey,” I squeaked out, slightly louder than I intended. I had yet to fully regain control of my oxygen supply.
Talley jabbed me in the ribs and shushed me under her breath. I dragged my eyes away from Alex and tried to focus on what was happening on stage. While my eyes resolutely stayed trained on the play, my mind remained transfixed on Alex, who held my hand until the house lights came back up.
“Dear, sweet Jesus, that was awful,” Talley said, hefting herself out of the tiny theater seat.
“Did they totally skip the fourth act?” I asked. I couldnʼt remember Tranio tricking Hortensio into no longer courting Bianca.
“The fourth act in which Lucentioʼs accent changed at least twelve times? The fourth act in which Kate actually tripped over Petruccioʼs foot and fell onto the stage? The fourth act which drug on forever? That fourth act?”
“Ummm...I must have fallen asleep or something,” I lied weakly. Alex choked out a laugh behind me, causing my cheeks to go up in flames again. I playfully elbowed him in the stomach, enjoying the tingling sensation that raced up my arm when I made contact.
Talley indulgently nodded her head in agreement. “Iʼm sure that was it. You were asleep.”
“Shut up.” I pushed Talley towards the door, blissfully aware of Alex behind me.
The first thing I noticed as we exited the theater was how much colder it was than when we arrived. The second thing I noticed was how slick the sidewalk was. I didnʼt notice that it was snowing until I was sprawled on the pavement.
“Scout! Are you okay?” Alexʼs face loomed above me.
“I think I broke my butt.”
“Impressive ninja moves,” Alex chuckled as he reached down to help me to my feet. I was about halfway up when he lost his footing, and we both tumbled back onto the ground.
“Yep, my butt is definitely broken,” I said through gritted teeth. Judging by the way Alex was doubled over with laughter, he managed to escape without any serious injuries.#
By this time the entire class had gathered around to watch as Alex and I clumsily helped each other up. Once we managed to have our feet planted somewhat firmly on the ground, Alex wrapped his arm around my waist. “We donʼt want you doing any permanent damage to that butt,” he informed me.
I wasnʼt so sure I hadnʼt already. Falling onto concrete, tailbone first, cannot be good for you. It helped that Alexʼs proximity was having an anesthetic-like effect on me. I could feel the heat of his body, despite the fact that we were both wearing thick coats.
Ms. Ryder walked gingerly up to the spot where we had congregated. “Okay, guys, as Abbot and Costello have so nicely demonstrated, itʼs slick out here. Mr. Donovan has informed me that there have been several wrecks in the past hour and most of I-24 is closed.” She took a deep breath before continuing, as though she was less than excited about whatever it was she was about to tell us. “He believes that for our safety we need to stay the night in Nashville and drive home tomorrow, after the temperature rises again. The school has already made reservations for us at a hotel about three miles from here, so please call your parents and let them know that you will not be home until tomorrow afternoon.” A dozen voices started speaking at once. The class seemed evenly divided. One half was thrilled to be spending an extra day in the city and out of school, while the other half had other places to be and things to do.
As for me, my spirits were somewhere beyond the stratosphere. Beautiful, fat flakes filled the air, I had been granted a two day reprieve from Mr. Beck, and I now had an entire afternoon and evening to spend with Alex and his perfect hands. Could life get any better?
“Ms. Ryder, I have to go home now,” Alex said. He sounded even more upset than Ashley, who was terrified she would have to spend the night at a Motel 6.
Okay, maybe it would work out a little better if Mr. Perfect actually wanted to spend the day with me too.
“Iʼm sorry, Alex. Thereʼs really no way that I can get you home safely in these conditions.” Ms. Ryder emphasized her point by taking two steps before falling into James Kiplinger, who managed to accidentally feel her up as he caught her. Given Jamesʼs propensity to spend the majority of his time playing Magic: The Gathering instead of bathing, I felt fairly certain he had just experienced his first contact with boobs ever. The painfully humiliated, yet somewhat ecstatic, look on his face helped confirm my suspicions.
I was so busy watching James and Ms. Ryder (and feeling somewhat embarrassed for the both of them), I hadnʼt noticed Talley slide up beside Alex.
“I canʼt stay here,” Alex said to her as she gripped onto his elbow for support.
“I think you have to,” she said slowly. Apparently she could feel the tension in his body as well as I did. Whatever it was he needed to get home to, it was important to him. I took comfort in the fact Ashley was with us. At least I could rest assured that he wasnʼt running off to go out on a hot date with her.
“Iʼll call Liam. Heʼll come and get me,” Alex said, already retrieving his phone from the pocket of his coat.