The Fifteenth Year

March: Part 9

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Dear Friend,

I have no words to explain my feelings right now. I'll tell you what happened.

Jason knocked on my door early this morning. I was still in my pajamas when I came to the door and he made this elaborate attempt to get me to smile by lifting a ridiculous green top hat with shamrocks on it off his head and holding it to his chest and bowing to me.

"You look like St. Patrick's Day threw up all over you," I commented, trying to stifle a smile. The truth was he looked terrible. Wrinkled shirt, rings under his eyes...come to think of it, his eyes looked...different. And his hair was disheveled in a way that wasn't him.

"St. Patrick wants to deliver a message to a young man's very awesome, deserving girlfriend!" he declared.

"Oh really?" My arms crossed.

"Yes. He would like to summon you on this gorgeous day of days for an enchanting walk in the forest of...Dover and Melbourne Street."

I smiled now. "Wow, that's a romantic route. That sounds an awful lot like the street I live on and the street adjacent to it."

"The young man is short on treasure for further travel. That pot of gold is a giant hoax."

I held the door open for him to enter. "It'll do. Let me get dressed and I'll be right down."

As we walked down the street together, even holding his hand, I felt anxious; on edge. He wasn't being himself. He seemed...too amped up, like he was covering up something. Trying too hard to be smooth.

"What's going on, Jace?" I asked softly, not meeting his eyes.

The air between us changed. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Did something happen at that party?"

He smiled wryly and placed the green hat on my head. "My dear, nothing happened at the party. Walk jovially with me."

"Stop," I pleaded. "I'm being serious. You're acting weird."

"I'm playing around with you, Cassie. That's what we do. It's what we've always done."

"To an extent, yes. Not like this. I'm not 'my dear' or somebody to impress. I'm Koala, remember? This weird act isn't distracting. You look like you haven't slept. Did you guys stay up all night?"

He cringed. "Don't be my mom, Cassie. It doesn't suit you well."

"What? I can't care?"

"I thought we weren't going to talk about this anymore."

"We weren't until you came to my door not even having bothered to shower and smelling like cheap beer. You're lucky my parents didn't notice."

"Lighten up, okay? I only had a couple. Matt spilled one on me last night and I didn't shower after. That's all it is. I promise."

The partying scene really wasn't him. If two or three beers could make him this out of sorts in the morning, it should be apparent that he isn't cut out for being that guy.

"Did you drive?" I asked, praying for a no to come out of his mouth.

My prayer was answered.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Who drove you then?"

"Nathan."

"And was he drinking?"

Jason didn't say anything.

"Oh, God," I muttered. This just made it so much worse. Forget that he drank and acted weird at a party and then showed up at my house playing the guilty party. I could forgive all that. But getting in a car with someone under the influence? That's a whole other ballgame.