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“It sounds like you had a really shitty day,” Ash says. I almost scold him for being Captain Obvious, but hold my tongue as Chastity sniffles and nods.
“The absolute worst,” she whispers. I feel like we’ve accidentally made a huge stride, and I thank God that Ash found his empathetic side today. I love him, but sometimes he has the emotional capacity of a turnip.
Ash slowly lets go, and Chastity looks a bit more relaxed. It’s amazing what a really good hug can do for you.
“It’s late, can I walk you home?” I ask softly.
Nodding, she gifts me a real smile as Ash turns and grabs her bag so he can give it to her.
I offer her my hand, and when she takes it, I feel ten feet tall. There’s something about this girl that’s incredibly special.
The walk back to her grandmother’s apartment is uneventful, and I catch myself wishing she lived in the dormitories, which are closer to me.
“Can you do something for me, beautiful?” I ask her, mesmerized by her eyes.
“I can try?” she answers honestly. I like that she takes her time to answer, and doesn’t respond with something she thinks I want to hear.
“Take care of yourself. Do you think you can do that for me? I get the feeling you’ve had a lot of changes happen over the last few weeks, and it’s easy to let your needs slip when you’re overwhelmed.”
Chastity stares at me, her breathing even, a smile on her lips. I’m starting to freak out and worry that I said something wrong when she says, “Jonas, can I hug you?”
I swear, my heart swells with emotion when I hear her say that. “God, yes, please,” I rasp. I don’t easily accept my emotions. I'm usually raging when any of them poke out, but she’s different. I step into her bubble and hug her hard. She gives a small giggle, but as the silence continues, I realize we are both scared to break the moment between us. “I love hugs, and will always be willing to give you one,” I tell her.
It’s true, too. If it makes her feel better, I don’t care who is around. Saying goodbye, I take my time walking back.
To my surprise, Sister Mary is wandering the walkways, and I give her a gentle smile. I’m feeling really good, so even though I tend to avoid her, I stop to talk to her when she waves at me.
“The choir has a few spots open, and I’m in recruiting mode,” she says with a big smile.
I haven’t sang since my mom died, and I know the Sisters know that.
Frowning, I wait to see where she’s going with this. She can’t possibly be asking me to join the choir.
“Jonas, have you thought about what extra curricular you're going to take?” she presses. “You know you have to join an extracurricular, right? My notes say you haven’t committed to something outside of football.” My stomach twists and I grimace at her words. There’s no way I can sing in the choir. I’ll hyperventilate, pass out, and take half the group down with me.
No, the choir is definitely in better shape without me.
“No, I can't sing, but I was looking at a woodworking class,” I tell her, trying to make sure I sound enthusiastic. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know the first thing about woodworking. Maybe it’s a bullshit class like underwater basket weaving.
“Oh yes, Father Levi runs that group. The students seem to love it. That's a great choice.” She gives me a big smile, pats my arm then leaves me.
I hate that I just lied to a nun, but I lost a lot the day my mother was murdered. I lost the rest of my childhood, music, and my father stopped being the reliable man I’ve always known. My family may not be as bad as Ash’s, but there’s a lot of darkness in my past.
BASTIAN
I’m really nervous. I keep seeing Chastity in classes, and in the hallway, and I feel as if I should apologize to her. Even though I feel like she should be mine, it doesn’t make it so. I shouldn’t have gone after Ash the way I did just because he kissed her. Although I will not apologize for being angry, she was hurt and upset by it.
Watching her walk in front of me in the courtyard, I race forward to catch her before Latin class. I want to talk to her, and I don’t want an audience.
“Chastity,” I call out, ignoring everyone else around us.
She is wearing her blazer today because it’s cold, and she turns with a smile.
“Hi,” she says softly. She always seems to be scared to make her mark on the world, and I want to show her she should.
“I wanted to walk you to class today, and to apologize for being so hot and cold with you,” I begin. She nods and I take a deep breath to explain. “I thought you were ghosting me, that you didn’t want to have lunch with me. You were gone for so long when you went to talk to your grandmother, but then you said you didn’t even ask her.”
Chastity looks over at me, eyes wide as we walk to class. “No, of course I wasn’t blowing you off! I really didn’t get the chance to talk to her, and instead, I heard something that upset me, so I was out of it when I saw you. I didn’t mean to brush you aside. You’ve always been so nice to me, and I treasure that. I didn’t know why you were mad at me.”
