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This was happening.
And I couldn’t breathe.
The women looked at me with kind eyes and welcomed me to the center. But I didn’t need their kindness. If they’d just let me go back home now, I’d be fine.
Yeah,of course, I was sad. I’d just lost someone very important to me. Couldn’t they all simplyback offand let me deal with it in my own way?
“Well, I sure am glad you decided to join us today, Damien,” one of the women told me, smiling brightly.
I glanced at her miserably, only to stop cold and blink twice.
Because she had dimples, and they were…dimplingright at me. Like magic. Or diamonds. Or magic diamonds that put spells on boys who didn’t want to attend counseling.
I had no idea dimples could make a stomach churn with such mad adoration before, not untilshesmiled.
“I’m just over the moon about how many kids showed up for our very first day,” the beautiful, young dimpled woman was saying. “Makes me wish we’d gotten this place opened ages ago.”
“Yes, ma’am…” I think I answered, too busy falling into those bottomless pits of love that dented in her perfect cheeks to pay attention to a word that was being said otherwise.
“I think that’s all we need, sir,” the other woman told Dad as she gathered the forms he’d just filled out and tucked them into a crisp new file. “Madisyn here can take Damien in and show him to his new group, if he’s ready.”
Madisyn? Wasthatthe name of my dimple goddess? I liked it. Madisyn was the perfect name for the perfect girl.
She made my life complete by flashing those dimples yet again and holding out a hand for me to take. “Are you ready, Damien?”
And that was it; I didn’t care if she had to be at least fifteen years older than me, I was going to marry this woman someday.
I took her soft, waiting fingers, and the world was awesome.
“Bye, kiddo,” Dad called after me. “I’ll be right here waiting for you when you get out.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said, waving at him dismissively over my shoulder without even glancing back. I was too busy gaping up at the face of an angel, hoping she’d smile again.
And when she did, my face went hot and happy.
We went through a doorway and then another, finally entering some kind of wide, open community space with tiled floors and white walls. It was separated into five areas, each containing a massive circle of folding chairs with big signs standing in front of each section.
Madisyn steered me toward the circle labeledAges 10-12.
“Here we go, hun,” she said in her perfect, sugary sweet voice. “This is your group. I just know you’re gonna love it.” Then she ruffled my hair. “Sit wherever you like, and your guidance counselor will be over in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, alright?”
When I nodded, mumbling, “Yes, ma’am,” she patted my shoulder.
“Great. You take care now, Damien.” And with that, she turned to stroll off, leaving me there alone.
My dreamy smile fell flat as I watched her abandon me, and that’s when I realized she’d just been a decoy this whole time, distracting me with her pretty dimples and then dropping me flat.
And now I didn’t have herormy dad.
Panic slithered over my skin in a rush. I turned stiffly to face mygroupand saw the blond boy sitting in the circle by himself.
He glanced up, making eye contact, and then straightened in his chair as ifrelievedto see me.
A kindred spirit, my heart seemed to whisper, so I shuffled uneasily forward. His gaze lit hopefully, and if I were more of a courageous, outgoing kind of person I would’ve gone over and sat directly beside him to introduce myself. But I wasn’t, so I slumped into a chair on the opposite half of the circle, and there, we eyed each other curiously.
I think he was opening his mouth to say something when another voice broke into our moment. “Hey, this is the group for ten to twelve-year-olds, right?”
Blondie and I glanced over to find two moreboys approaching.
