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Chapter 8
Matt
I practically tiptoe into school when it starts back up. It’s like I’m walking on eggshells, afraid one wrong step and everything I’ve created my four years in high school will crumble under my feet. One wrong look and Izzy will tell everyone about me, and everything people thought they knew about me; starting varsity wide-receiver who also took all-state honors this year, senior class president, this year’s homecoming king; all of that and one word from Izzy and it’d all mean diddly-squat. I’d be Woodbridge’s own cosplaying nerd.
I hate to even say it like that, because I know I’m a nerd. I like nerds. I like nerdy things. But that’s not the reputation I’ve created these past four years. With only a few more months of school, I’m so close to the end, and now it could all go up in smoke.
After first period, and Yvette hounding me all morning about not bringing her back a souvenir, I make my way to my second class.
“Yo, Matt!” Carter calls out, Lucas next to him.
“How was the Big Apple, man?” Lucas asks.
It’s a simple and totally innocent question. But the comic convention was called Big Apple PopCon. Red flags immediately shoot up.
“What do you mean?”
Lucas glances at Carter, raising an eyebrow, before looking back at me. “Um … New York. You went, right?”
“Oh, yeah.” I let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, late flight back last night. Didn’t get much sleep.” Which is true. I didn’t get much sleep last night, but it wasn’t because I had a late flight.
“That sucks,” Carter says. “You meeting up with us at lunch?”
“Yeah, for sure.”
Carter looks over at Lucas. “You should come over, man. I’m sure McCormick is still a douche. I don’t know how you take it still.”
“Yeah.” Lucas shrugs.
Neither of us knows why Lucas hasn’t ventured over and sat with us. We both assumed it was because of his crush on Jen, but the more time passes, the more I didn’t think he had a crush on her. He’s liked girls in the past and had no problem asking them out, so maybe it was something else. I don’t have much time to think about it though as Izzy walks by, catching my attention.
“Hey, I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
Carter turns around and sees who I’m looking at. “All right, man.” He gives me a confident smile.
I’d like to tell him it’s not what he thinks, but I don’t really have time for that, and what else would I tell him it’s about.
“Izzy,” I call over to her in a loud whisper. Why the hell am I whispering?
“Hey, Matt.” She smiles and waves as if she never saw me this weekend.
“Hey,” I repeat, walking next to her. She shoots me a weird look - I’m sure wondering what I’m doing. I’m wondering the same thing. “Um, anyways, about this weekend.”
“Don’t worry.” She waves me off. “It’s all good.”
“It’s all good?”
“Yes.” She giggles. “Matt, you don’t want me to say anything, so I won’t.”
“Seriously?”
She stops walking and turns to me. “Why would I?”
“I don’t know.” I run a hand through my hair, feeling a little better, but only a little. “I mean, you put a lot of stuff in your videos. Maybe you got, like, freedom of the press rights or something.”
“You watch my channel?” She raises an eyebrow and smiles.
“Well, I mean … yeah. Sometimes. I just–”
