Porter was having a meltdown.
I'd seen him worked up over things before, but never like this—never so dramatic.
"She's going to kill me, murder me. Next time you see me I'll be a human chair or stuffed in a basement freezer."
Ty and I exchanged worried glances. "Porter, you still haven't told us what happened."
"She's going to burn me alive, that's it. That way there's no mess. She can just leave my ashes in the forest somewhere."
I shook my head. "Do you think he can even hear us?"
Ty shrugged. "Let's find out. Hey Porter, there's a big ass centipede right by your foot."
There was absolutely nothing more intense than Porter's fear of centipedes, though maybe his mother was somehow able to top them. Porter barely moved. Instead, he lowered his head into his hand and started to swear.
"Wow, did he just drop the f-bomb?" Ty asked.
Porter was hardly one to curse.
"She's going to go through my things once she's disposed of the body and find my old action figures I promised to throw away," he muttered, standing up as he began to pace the room.
"Okay, this is enough." I stood up and grabbed Porter's shoulders and shook them as fiercely as I could. He wasn't a huge guy, but he was still a lot taller than me so the action altogether wasn't the easiest. "Get yourself together, man," I shouted. "Tell us what the hell is going on."
Porter's glazed over eyes focused on me. "Last week I was so distracted with writing our history paper that I totally forgot we had a test in physics. We got it back today, and there's no way my mom isn't going to murder me for the grade I got."
Ty rolled his eyes. "What, an A minus or a B plus? I got a C and that was even unexpected. One low A or B won't kill you man. She'll understand."
"I got an F. A fifty three percent to be exact," he admitted.
Wow, I thought. That was something I thought I'd never hear Porter say. "No way, dude, I got a higher grade than you on the test," Ty laughed.
Once again, that was something I never thought I'd hear. "I'm sure she'll be upset for like a day or two and get over it. Maybe you can retake the test?"
Porter shook his head. "I already asked—begged. It's a no. And the last time I got a B on a test she wouldn't look at me for a week. This is disastrous."
"You know what's disastrous," I said. "The fact that I'm meeting with Jack in an hour at Ally's Bistro and I have no idea what I'm going to say."
Ty threw his arm over my shoulder and gave me an assuring squeeze. "It's good that he wants to talk, right?"
"The last time we talked I may have blown up on him. I don't know, guys, tell me what to do. What does this mean in guy world? He said he wanted to talk."
"Then he wants to talk," Porter told me, sounding slightly calmer.
"I mean, sometimes guys say that when they're about to break up with a girl, but seeing that you're already broken up..."
Great, I thought. Could this be Jack's way of finally breaking off all ties he had with me? Or maybe he was finally going to tell me why he broke things off in the first place. At least I'd finally have closure.
But I was still hopeful. If he was upset about the idea of me being with another guy, that meant he still cared. And that meant we still had a chance.
"How are things with Emily?" I asked, hoping a change of subject would distract me.
Ty shrugged his shoulders, playing it cool. "I think all is good. I mean we're not back together so to say, but—"
"But you're banging again," Porter finished for him.
I laughed. "That would be a yes."
Ty reached over and lugged Porter in the shoulder. "You're just jealous cuz I'm getting some action and all you're getting is fifty three percents on physics exams."
"That was a bit harsh."
"Ya think," Porter said, crossing his arms as a disappointed look came over his face. "I just want to spend the rest of the hour thinking about anything else. No doubt my mom has already checked the grade book and is waiting for me at home."
"Yeah, and probably with a chainsaw or an axe. But hey, like you said, burning your body in the woods may be a cleaner and easier disposal method," Ty replied.
I rolled my eyes. "Ty, stop teasing him, and Porter, stop freaking out. You'll be fine, and she might not even know about it."
"Oh, come on, you're being so hypocritical. You're just as nervous for your little meet up with Jack. You've been biting your nails all class period."
"Maybe they taste good."
Ty laughed. "Oh yeah, I'm sure they do."
"Excuse me, but is there something you three would like to share with the class?"
All three of us looked up at the sound of the teacher's voice. She was standing at the front of the class with her arms crossed over her chest, and an unimpressed expression plastered across her face. We'd been in lab all class, but she must have had something to say to the entire class and we hadn't noticed. I looked across the room at Jack, who was sitting with his legs propped up on his lab table, his eyes glued to me.
Geesh, I hoped he hadn't heard Porter talking about our meet up. "Actually we were just talking about how wonderful it is to be here every single day," Ty said with a dazzling smile.
"Would you like to stay after class and be here a little longer?" the teacher replied.
A few students chuckled, and Ty sunk back into his seat. "No," he grumbled.
"Then I suggest you keep your mouth closed when I'm speaking to the class."
All three of us took the teacher's warning seriously. Even though I kept my mouth shut, I didn't attempt to pay attention. My brain was so riddled with different thoughts and worries that I didn't even notice when the bell rang, or the fact that Jack was standing behind my lab table, waiting patiently as I stared off into space.
"Danny, are you okay?"
Porter's voice pulled me out of my trance, and I shot up from my seat, unknowingly stepping on Jack's feet and falling back into him. Thankfully, he caught me and I didn't have to be embarrassed about falling on my ass in front of my ex.
All I had to be embarrassed about was being a total clutz.
"I'm an idiot," I told him as I gathered my things.
He smiled. "Nope, just clumsy like always. But I don't mind catching you."
I tried not to let Jack's dazzling smile and gorgeous blue eyes distract me from the fact that I was still upset with him, but it was hard when he looked at me the way he was. "Don't look at me like that," I told him as we walked out of the room together and in the direction of the parking lot.
"Like what?"
I sighed. "I don't know. Just don't look at me like that."
"I didn't think I was looking at you in any particular way," he told me.
"Yes you were. You know, with your eyes and you smile and your stupid dimples."
"Oh, with my eyes? Is that any different than when Ty or Porter look at you?" he asked, clearly amused with my crappy attempt at explaining myself.
"There's a gleam in your eyes, that's all."
"Well, maybe I'm happy to see you."
Jack reached down and intertwined our fingers together as he led us toward his car. I looked down at our hands, unable to process exactly what was happening.
Was he holding my hand?
I was so busy being distracted by his simple gesture that I didn't realize we were stepping down from the curb, and this time when I fell, he wasn't quick enough to catch me.
"Ouch," I said, my knees throbbing from the impact of the cement.
Jack helped me off the ground as I brushed off the little speckles of dirt and rocks that had pressed into my hands. "I think you may have gotten more clumsy since the last time we spoke."
"Oh, you mean when I was tackled into a pool by a large, football playing idiot? I'm not sure you can blame clumsiness on that," I said with a snort.
Jack laughed. "I missed you, Danny."
I've missed you too.