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“Audrey, what are you doing here?”
“I needed to see you.” I looked around at the garage. The big man was still working nearby on the van. “Is there someplace we can talk?”
Hesitation entered his eyes, but he exhaled loudly and nodded his head.
“Allen, I’m going for my break,” he yelled.
I followed him out of the garage and around the building. He walked about fifty yards into the rows of junk cars and then stopped in front of an old Toyota pickup. The windshield was cracked, but the cab looked to be in pretty good order. Opening the driver’s side door, he nodded his head for me to get in. I went to climb through, accidentally brushing up against his shoulder. The thrill that went through my body nearly destroyed me.
As quickly as I could, I slid to the other side to make room for him. He sat, leaving at least two feet of empty space between us. Shutting the door, he cut off the chill of the wintery breeze that had me shivering in my oversized sweater.
“Audrey, I don’t think—”
“Wait, I have to do this before I chicken out,” I said, gritting my teeth. “Please, l
et me say what I’ve come here to say and then you can order me to leave and never come back. You at least owe me that.”
He frowned and then nodded his head, his gaze glued to my face. I hated seeing the sadness in his eyes. I would’ve given anything in that moment to see that stupid lopsided grin of his once again. Anything at all.
“As you know, the last time we talked, it didn’t go so well,” I began, looking down at my hands. “I was so hurt that I tried to back out of the song. Told Mrs. Banks I wanted to quit, but she wouldn’t let me. So I went to your house and Ally told me you’d left to go live with your dad. You didn’t even say goodbye.”
Collin shifted in his seat. I glanced over at him to see his eyes closed, pain wracking his face.
“And at first, I hated you for it. For everything you said to me that night. You accused me of being scared. You told me that I was only concerned with everyone else’s happiness. I thought you were totally just being a jerk, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized you were right.”
“I had no right to say those things to you,” he said in a low voice. He opened his eyes to look at me. “No right.”
“Maybe.” I tilted my head to the side. “But you also said that neither of us could ever change. And I’m here to tell you that you were wrong about that.”
His eyes narrowed in confusion. I slid closer to him, my voice steadying.
“Since you left, I’ve sat down with my parents and told them everything. I told my dad why I was so angry with him. I told my mom that I’d only joined the cheerleading team to make her happy. I laid it all out and I finally realized, I’m not scared anymore.”
He blinked at the gear shift between us, his jaw working. I couldn’t help but wish at that moment that I could touch his face, run my fingers through his messy hair. He’d hurt me so bad, but my body still responded to him. It still craved him.
“I’m not going to sit here and argue with you about everything you said.” I chewed on my inner cheek, wishing he’d react so that I could get a feel for what he was thinking. Any blip would’ve helped. “But I just had to tell you that the Collin Preston I knew was far from broken. Sure he has scars, but he’s a good guy. A decent guy. A guy who loves his foster family and loves his dad, no matter how much crap he’s been through. And no matter what he says, he was my friend and I miss him.”
He looked up at me just then, his eyes red. Tension lined the muscles of his face and he looked about ready to bolt out the driver’s side door. I smiled sadly at him, knowing that I couldn’t force him to see what I saw. Collin didn’t see much potential in himself, but to me, he could be anything. He had so much talent, on and off the field. Not to mention, a confidence that could be unnerving, and a solidly good heart.
“Anyway, the last reason I’m here is to invite you back to Rock Valley High on Friday for the centennial celebration.” I dug a flyer for the event out of my back pocket and handed the folded paper to him. He slowly unfolded it and stared down at the wrinkled page. “Please come. I want you to be there. It would mean a lot to me.”
He pressed his lips together, but didn’t give any sign of whether he would show up. I tried not to let that get to me. I’d done everything I could. Now, the ball was in his court.
I turned the door handle, but couldn’t get it to open. Pressing against it with my shoulder, I grunted and tried to force it. No luck. So much for my dramatic exit.
I glanced over at Collin, my face warming. “I think I’m trapped.”
“That door’s broken,” he said, a hint of a grin on his lips. “You have to come out this way.”
He slid out the door and I followed after him, hardly daring to look him in the eyes. I’d said a lot just now and my head was still processing it all. Collin had been so quiet, it was unnerving.
When I finally stepped out of the cab, I glanced up at him to find him watching me with an intense expression in his eyes which made my stomach drop right to the ground.
“Audrey...” He swallowed and his face turned red.
“Will you come on Friday?” I whispered. “I want you to see my performance. Please say yes.”
“I don’t know if I can...”
