I don’t know what they are saying, but I can tell by Dawson’s body language that he’s pissed. Aiden grabs Dawson’s hand and pulls it off his facemask then he shoves Dawson away. Dawson is just getting ready to throw himself back at Aiden when Jake steps in between them and appears to get in Dawson’s face. Then he pushes Dawson away from Aiden and over to the bench.
I run with the cheerleaders and the dance team to our assigned spots for the start of the second half, where I say a prayer that Aiden is right.
After we come off the field from our third quarter dance, Whitney is standing by the fence. She waves Peyton over. Who then waves me over.
I walk over thinking, Now, what?
Peyton runs back to the edge of the field as Whitney says, “Keatyn.”
“What did you need, Whitney?”
She sighs a big fake sigh. “This is kind of awkward, seeing as you were sitting at the table when I invited everyone, but you know that you’re not invited this weekend, right?”
Wow. She’s telling me this now. About an hour before we’re set to leave. She so planned this.
But I don’t care.
“I have no desire to spend a weekend with you, Whitney.”
“You know that he’s just using you. You’re just the flavor of the week. He and Rachel are hooking up this weekend. He’s been texting her all week. I’m just telling you that now, as a friend. I don’t want you to be all upset come Monday and embarrass yourself by trying to sit with us at lunch. That little ticket has been revoked too.” She stops, gives me a big fake smile, and then pats my hand sympathetically. “Okay. Good talk.”
The rest of the game I wrestle with what to do. I want to go home and find Vanessa. I want to tell Dawson what Whitney said. I want him to tell her that he likes me and that he doesn’t care what she thinks. I want him to stand up for me. I want him to commit social suicide for me.
But then I realize that we really haven’t talked about it. He didn’t actually invite me to go with him this weekend. He said he would go, but he and I haven’t talked about it once. I just assumed.
Does that mean it’s true? That he’s going to hook up with Rachel?
Has he really been texting her?
I want to fight Whitney. I really do. I want to tell her off in front of everyone. I want to wipe that smug little smile right off her bitch face.
But I can’t.
I have a much bigger battle to worry about.
After the game, I call Garrett to get an update. He doesn’t have much for me. He asks me to please sit tight tonight. Not do anything stupid and call him in the morning. That if she’s not back, he’ll meet me in New York and fly home with me.
I grab my bag. I was all packed and ready to leave right after the game. Whitney told everyone the limos would pick them up straight from the field house. I’m running late after talking to Garrett. I want to be able to talk to Dawson before he leaves. I’m still not sure what I’m going to say, but I want to at least talk to him.
As I come out of the door, I see one limo pull away and another with the door open. Whitney is standing outside it with Dawson standing next to her. Rachel is right behind him. I slide over into the bushes. I don’t want Whitney to see me standing here.
Dawson looks around for a minute. Whitney say a few words to him. He nods, then puts his hand in front of him allowing the ladies, Whitney and Rachel, to go first. He gets in the car behind them, the driver shuts the door, and they are off.
Now I know what it feels like to be excluded. To be the one that the bouncer puts the velvet rope in front of and says You’re not on the list.
It doesn’t really feel very good.
From behind me a voice whispers, “Why are we hiding in the bushes? And why did they just leave without you?”
I turn around and my boobs brush across Aiden's chest. I take a step back in shock and almost fall backwards over the bush. Strong arms reach out and grab me, keeping me upright. When he pulls me back toward him, I already have more tears in my eyes.
“Whitney told me right before the game was over that even though I was sitting there when she asked, that I wasn't invited. Then she said something nasty about me being Dawson’s flavor of the week and how he’s going to hook up with Rachel. I was going to cancel on him anyway. I have a car coming to pick me up at eight in the morning and then I'm going to New York. I guess Dawson is still mad at me about today. Or maybe Whitney is right and I am just the flavor of the week.”
Aiden still hasn't let go of me. He's listening very carefully to every word I say.
“You know, you're even beautiful when you cry,” he says as he brushes a few tears from my cheek.
I smile though my tears. “If this is the new and improved Aiden, I like him better already. I just don't get why Dawson would leave. He bought me a key-to-his-heart necklace a while ago. He says he really likes me. But then he does this? Just leaves? Is that what they do, Aiden? Is this just a game to them?”
Aiden scrunches his nose up. “It all seems kind of odd, especially after what he said to me at halftime.”
“He got mad you stopped to check on me, didn't he?”
“Yeah, he was pissed.”
“It was nice of you. So I'm pretty much exhausted. I can't wait to go to sleep.”