Then & Now

Chapter Three

LOGAN

Amanda and I went hot and heavy for a couple of weeks. I didn't fight it; it helped keep my mind off Maisy, who now seemed to be attached at the hip to Justin. Everywhere she was, he was right there next to her. It was nauseating, and what was worse was Maisy was now more unattainable than ever.

I lost my virginity to Amanda two weeks into our relationship in the backseat of her car. I couldn't help but wonder how many guys had lay in this exact same position before me. It was far from romantic, but part of me was glad to be getting it over with, and Amanda certainly knew what she was doing. Our "relationship" lasted for about a month. Like a match, it burned hot and fast, but died out just as quickly.

But hooking up with Amanda Fisher had given me some sort of place of reverence among the males in my class. I wasn't one to kiss and tell, but word was out and Will and I found more and more guys hanging around with us as we slowly moved up the unspoken ladder of social hierarchy in high school. That spring Will tried out for the track team, and the next fall I made the basketball team. By junior year things were looking up again.

Unfortunately, now there was no chance in hell that I was getting a shot with Maisy Jacobs. Justin was a senior that year and my team captain. The two of them were like goddamn royalty at school. My crush was stolen from me, but that didn't stop me from still watching her sometimes, and wondering what was going on in her head, or what she was always scribbling down in that notebook of hers. But I never got the chance to find out.

Even though I'd risen in the ranks at school and we'd attend the same parties, I still never spoke to Maisy. She cheered for me when I was on the court along with the rest of the team, but we'd never had an actual conversation. However, we had moved up to smiling and nodding, acknowledging each other when we passed each other in the halls; so that was something I guess.

I hooked up with a few girls that spring, nothing serious though. Even though I wish it didn't, my crush on Maisy still existed and was holding me back. So when Kimmy Jackson asked Will on double date with her and Laura Spencer at the start of summer, it took a little convincing before I finally agreed to go with him.

Laura was a year younger than us. She was sweet and pretty, and had lots of friends at school. She was everything someone like me should want, and I found it easy being around her. The date went great and before I knew it the four of us were going on another. By the time school started Laura and I were officially a couple and most of the time I was happy.

There were those rare moments though when Maisy crept back into my life. Like the time Laura asked me if we could pick up her friends for this party we were going to. I didn't think anything of it, and of course told her it wasn't a problem. I picked her up and drove as she gave me directions to the fancier side of town.

"It's that house. The one on the left!" Laura stuck her arm in front of my face, pointing out my window and blocking my view of the road. As I pulled up to the immaculate white house with a white fence, and wrap around porch, I noticed Laura let out a sigh of longing.