27. BUBBLE BURST
I got to physics on Monday a little early before class because I wanted to talk to Joey and see how Patrick was doing. Patrick was usually there before class started, but he wasn’t there yet. I watched the door, waiting for either of them. The minutes ticked by after the first bell. Patrick came in just a couple minutes before class started.
“Hey, Patrick. How are you doing?”
He took a deep breath. “Okay.”
“Did you...uh…” I didn’t know how to ask if Patrick had broken up with Becca.
“Talk to Becca?” He nodded. “Yeah.”
“How did it go?” I asked carefully.
“Ehh.. I’ll tell you later.” He gazed downward and shook his head. The bell rang. “After school.”
“I have choir rehearsal.” I whispered as Mr. D started talking to the class.
“I have practice. Meet me outside the locker room after?” He replied quietly.
I nodded. I turned to look for Joey. I saw him as he rushed to his seat just after the bell rang. He kept his head down as he sat down. I guess I’ll have to catch him after class.
The first day back after a dance is always filled with everyone sharing their stories. Mr. D gave everyone two minutes to talk before starting on his lecture. Joey kept his head down and his mouth shut. I overhead a few people talk about what happened to Joey. I was glad that they focused more on him than on me. Two minutes was not enough time for Patrick to fill me in, but it was enough for me to let him know what my plans were.
“I’m going to try to talk to Joey today.” I told Patrick.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Patrick had a clearer memory about what happened than I did. The protective tone in his voice was strong. It worried me, but also made me realize how much I had to talk to Joey.
“I need to.”
“I’ll go with you.” I know that he wanted a distraction from his life, but I had to do this on my own.
“No.” I insisted. “I need to talk to him by myself.”
“Fine. But make sure you’re not alone with him.” It was clear that he disapproved of my idea, but not enough to really talk me out of it.
Mr. D called the class to order and started on his lecture. It was nice to focus on class work. Joey’s head didn’t move much during the class period. I wanted to talk to him right after class, but as soon as Mr. D dismissed the class, he was out the door.