I shake my head slightly. It’s not like me to ogle guys that are just standing there, minding their own business. Not that I’ve ever seen a guy this hot, like, ever. So I excuse myself, because someone who looks like that…how can you not stare? And drool. At least I’m not surreptitiously taking pics of him with my phone like the junior misses are doing over there.
I put Hot Guy out of my head as I open the door to Taco Bill’s. Ahh, the salsa and cooking ground beef hits me like a savory slap to the face. I look around the brightly colored restaurant and note that it is indeed crowded. Damn, looks like all the booths are taken. I wonder if Matt is here yet?
I exchange quick hellos with a few people from school while I look for my boyfriend. Some of the guys give me overly enthusiastic greetings, and I attribute this to the pink shirt. I shouldn’t have worn it. I hate when people look at me, and I know they’re looking at me because I see them out of the corner of my eye. I never know what to do with my hands when I’m the center of attention. I end up clasping them nervously in front of me. I know not to fold my arms over my chest because that just brings more interest to where I don’t want it.
“Violet!”
I hear Matt’s voice calling me. Relieved, I head toward the back of Taco Bill’s, toward his voice. There he is, and yes, he has a booth!
“Hi,” I say gratefully, sliding into the bench opposite of him.
Wait, should I have hugged him? I half stand uncertainly, but Matt makes no move towards me, so I just sit back down again.
He looks good, cuter than I remember. Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder? Oh, look at that. He’s wearing his holey pirate shirt and faded cargo shorts. I guess some of us didn’t feel the need to dress up for our reunion .
Matt is no Mr. Gorgeous, but he’s cute in his own normal boy way, with his wavy auburn hair, sparkling blue eyes, and laidback grin. Matt is one of those guys that everyone likes because he’s so easygoing and funny, always ready with a joke and a smile.
He’s not smiling now. “Wow, Violet, you look really great,” he says, staring at my boobs.
Huh. I bet he won’t notice my hair color change. “Thanks,” I say. I put his gift box on the table and reach for a menu. I always read the menu, though I don’t know why. I order the same enchilada dish I do every time I come here. “Did you order yet?”
“Nah, I’m just going to have a Coke.” He gestures to the half empty drink in front of him. “Is that a present for me? Looks too small to be a hula girl,” he jokes.
“I thought about getting you one of those things for your dashboard, but I thought it might distract too much from driving.”
Something’s not quite right here. There’s a funny tension to Matt, and when he’s not looking at my chest, he’s looking out the window, or scanning the restaurant as if searching for someone.
“How was your summer?” I ask carefully.
He shrugs slightly and plays with the straw in his Coke, stirring it around a little before taking a drink. “Same old thing. I was stuck here, and nothing much was going on. But what about you? You’re the one that was in freaking Hawaii. How was it? I mean, you weren’t stuck working in your grandma’s bakery all summer, were you?”
It’s my turn to shrug. “We went to the beach, did some hiking. It was fun, but we were mostly busy working. So nothing too exciting.”
“Huh.” He makes a funny chuckling sound and runs a hand through his wavy hair. “You didn’t get together with some hot surfer dude, did you?”
I stare at him. He has a funny pained smirk on his face. A huge pit of dread opens up in my stomach. Oh, my God. He hooked up with some college skank. Look at his face. The guilty sign is flashing in neon on his forehead.
“What’s going on, Matt?” I say, and I’m fighting hard to make my voice stay casual and composed.
Matt fidgets in his seat and flicks a quick glance at my face. “What do you mean?”
I don’t say anything for a moment. I have to work up the courage to ask this next question, because once it’s out there, it will change everything, I just know it.
“Did you hook up with someone?”
Long silence. In that moment, my heart falls off a cliff because I know it’s true. I don’t even need to look into his guilty bastard eyes for confirmation. I can’t breathe. I’m in shock. I can’t believe this is happening. How could I not be prepared for something like this? When the mice are away, the cats will play, right? Did I get that backwards? Oh, who cares.
“It’s not what you think.” Matt suddenly rushes to fill the silence. “It’s…let me explain…”