All Planned Out

Sixteen (Charlotte)

She may only live a few blocks away, but I could still probably count the number of times I've been in the vicinity of Montana Blackburn's house for more than a minute or two on just my hands. Of those less than ten occasions, the one I was currently experiencing was definitely the longest.

I had been sitting in Montana's passenger seat for at least fifteen minutes, not counting the ten or so that it took for us to get from the school lot to her driveway. Her car may have been old, but it had a comfortability to it that had surprised me the first time I had jumped in. I had been so nervous then that I had barely registered any of its many nuances. A gold chain hung from the rearview mirror and glistened in the sunlight. Someone, probably Stuart, had placed little googly eyes in various places all around the interior. I thumped my fist into the dash a few times and watched them jiggle in much the same way as my insides did with every minute that passed without her coming back through the door. An air freshener had also been jammed into the vent closest to me, and even with the T-tops off a cloud of chemical cherry scent lingered and, had I not been sitting where I was, would have still been a nightmare for my nostrils. As it stood now, though, I was feeling like I was just on the outskirts of heaven and waiting for an angel.

She told me she'd be quick. She just wanted to grab her gear. The last time we did this, when it was all four of us, it only took a few minutes. What could she possibly be doing? My mind raced. What if she's figured me out? What if she is sitting in there, hiding behind the curtains, and wondering what she is going to do about Charlotte Monaghan and her mixed up feelings. What if she's on the phone with Stuart, or worse Alex, yelling about the two of them trying to set up the two of us?

No. She couldn't be talking to Alex. Not right now. He'd have already been texting me. He'd probably already be on his way here, with or without Stuart, to drag me away to be alone. I'd need it.

Why has my mind immediately jumped to the worst case scenario? What is wrong with me? She's probably just in the bathroom. It happens. No big deal.

Though...I could call her. Or text her. That would be better. I could just tap out a little message asking her if she is okay. That wouldn't be a big deal, would it? She wouldn't be bothered, right? She wouldn't think I'm some kind of crazy person for checking up on her so quickly, would she?

I could also go to the door and knock. Or just walk right in. It's probably unlocked. I didn't even see her pull out a key when she walked up on her porch. Wait. Are her parents home? Did they see her pull up with a girl in her car and have questions? Oh no. I really hope that is not what is going on right now. They might not know it's me, their nephew's fake girlfriend. I can't believe Alex's parents told them that. At least they didn't out me, too. There is no way this would be happening right now if she knew how I really felt. There is no way that I'd be sitting in this car, in this driveway, and staring at that front door waiting for this specific girl to come strolling out and ready to spend an hour or so hanging out together.

"Sorry about that."

"Wha!"

I had decided the best course of action was to take my attention away from her door and look at literally anything else. Their neighbor's cat was in a window and was smacking at the glass. I don't know how long I had been distracted, but it was long enough to leave me feeling very embarrassed.

"Ah, Tum Tum's a bit of a derp." Montana pointed up toward the cat. "They let him out to wander the neighborhood sometimes and I think he falls in with a bad crowd." She laughed and my heart raced. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Totally. Awesome. I'm totally awesome." Could I push myself into the space under my seat and disappear into an alternate dimension? "Are you okay? You took awhile."