Invaluable

by Holly J. Wood

  That little tidbit made me feel better. Maybe he wasn’t totally head over heels for her. Maybe they were just good friends.

  “Here we are,” Jason said.

  I looked through the window and admired the Matthews’ residence. It was a spacious, plantation-style house with two stories and a wraparound porch. The driveway was lined with tall trees, and I caught sight of an old barn in the backyard. Set against the pale pink sunset, the house looked like something out of a home magazine. It was so inviting that I couldn’t wait to see the inside.

  Jason opened the door and said, “I meant to tell you that you look really nice tonight. I mean, you always do, but especially tonight.” I smiled at the compliment and thanked him shyly. Apparently, the extra time and attention I’d spent on my wardrobe and makeup was paying off. “And don’t worry if you’re not a good bowler; nobody cares,” he added reassuringly.

  “Thanks. I’ve learned to laugh at myself, so it’s not so bad. How many people are coming tonight?”

  “I think there’ll be four couples: you and me, Luke and Whitney, Clark Sullivan and Becka Stanley, and Danny Johnson and Britney West.”

  Great. I was going to be the only sophomore, and to make matters worse, I didn’t know anyone personally besides Jason and Luke. I hoped some of the girls would be friendly. It was a well-known fact that many of the junior and senior girls resented it when guys their age asked out sophomores.

  We stepped on the front porch, and Jason rang the doorbell. Almost immediately, the front door swung open and a cute little girl with curly brown hair stood looking at us. She was eating a Popsicle, and I guessed her to be about eight years old. In between licks, she said, “Hi,” and continued to stare at us.

  Jason smiled at her. “Hey, Morgan. Is Luke home?”

  Without answering his question, she turned around and yelled, “Lu-uke! Your friends are heeere!”

  “Come on in! We’re in the family room.” Luke’s voice echoed from down the hall. We walked past Morgan as she closed the door and followed us down the hallway. I turned around and smiled at her, and she smiled back shyly. I noticed she had the same dimple in her left cheek that Luke had when he smiled—adorable!

  We walked into a large room with a beautiful fireplace and saw three other couples sitting on the cozy-looking couches. My heart sank when I realized we were the last ones to arrive. Luke and the girl who must have been Whitney were sitting closest to us and they both turned and smiled at us.

  “Hey, guys, it’s about time you showed up.” Luke stood and jokingly punched Jason in the shoulder.

  Jason laughed. “Sorry, I didn’t know we were running on such a tight schedule. Besides, it’s only a little after seven; I thought for sure Clark wouldn’t get here until seven thirty, at least.”

  Clark scoffed. “Whatever, Sorensen! I’m always on time—well, usually.” Everyone laughed, and I joined in, but I still felt uncomfortable not knowing everyone in the room.

  As if reading my mind, Jason announced, “Guys, this is Eliza.” Then he pointed around the room. “This is Luke, Whitney, Britney, Danny, Becka, and Clark.” Everyone said “Hi,” but I could feel Becka and Britney scrutinizing me, and the looks they were giving me were less than friendly. Danny had his arm around Britney, who was whispering something in his ear while she gave me a sidelong glance. I felt conspicuously out of place.

  “Come on, guys, let’s get going,” Luke said. “Whitney has to be home early, but we should still have time to bowl a couple of games.” The other couples stood up, discussing who would go in which car. Jason suggested that we ride with Luke and Whitney and that the other two couples take Danny’s car. That arrangement was fine with me since I was definitely intimidated by Britney and Becka’s glares.

  As we walked around the couch, I saw Morgan sitting on the floor, where she’d obviously been eavesdropping.

  “Hey, you little monkey!” Luke said when he saw her. She jumped up and tried to run away, but he caught her and tickled her mercilessly. She squealed and giggled in protest, which made the rest of us laugh. It was sweet to watch him interact with her. He was obviously a loving older brother, which I thought only made him more attractive. Luke finally let her down, gently swatting her on the rear before she took off like a shot down the hall.

  “Is she your only sibling?” Whitney asked him.

  “No, I have two older brothers. Skyler is married and going to medical school back East, and Tucker is serving a mission in Russia. Morgan is ten years younger than me. She’s spoiled rotten, but she’s a lot of fun to have around.”

  “I’m jealous. I’m the youngest in my family, and I always wanted a little sister,” Whitney said with a hint of longing.

  I had planned on not liking Whitney for obvious reasons, but being around her, it was hard not to like her. She was a genuinely nice person. She was shorter than I was, with strawberry blonde hair and a few freckles. I would have described her as cute rather than pretty, but she always seemed to have a smile on her face. It was easy to see why she had been voted senior class president.

  We pulled up to Lucky Lanes bowling alley and piled out. On the drive over, Jason had kept me too busy talking for me to eavesdrop on Luke and Whitney, but I’d heard enough to know that he hadn’t asked her to the dance yet. I hoped he would wait until he dropped her off to ask her. I was liking Whitney more and more, but I knew it would still hurt to see Luke dancing with someone else on prom night.

  In the bowling alley, we were greeted by disco strobe lights and loud music. “Cool, I didn’t know they did black-light bowling here,” Jason said. I looked around and immediately wished I hadn’t chosen to wear a white shirt. Under the black lights, it made me really stand out—and attention was the last thing I wanted when I tried to bowl.

  We made our way to the front desk where the other couples were waiting for us. I saw Britney turn to Becka and heard her whisper, “Wow, look at her shirt. It’s blinding me!” They both snickered. Pretending not to hear, I stepped a little closer to Jason, wishing he could shield me from their cutting looks and remarks.

  Our group was big enough that we decided to use two separate lanes, and I was grateful that we stayed in our same groups. That would put a little space between me and the two “evil stepsisters.”

  Jason paid for our games and handed me a pair of worn-out shoes with bright neon laces. He, Luke, Whitney, and I headed to our assigned lane. As luck would have it, the other couples had to use a lane a few rows away from us. I relaxed a little and focused on finding the lightest ball available. Jason came with me and after picking out a bright orange six-pound ball—which I was pretty sure was meant for kids—we racked the balls and began the game.

  Whitney went first and got a strike right away.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed and returned to her seat, where Luke was waiting to give her a high five. I smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, but inside my stomach was doing flip-flops. I’d secretly hoped that she’d join the “gutter-ball club” with me so I wouldn’t look like such a fool, but those hopes were dashed after the first frame.

  Luke went next and knocked down nine pins, acting disgusted that he hadn’t picked up the spare.

  Jason was up after Luke, and I tried to focus on his play, but I couldn’t keep the dread from rising at the thought that my turn was next. I heard Luke and Whitney cheer and quickly joined in when I realized Jason had gotten a strike as well. I gave him a high five and tried to act casual as I stood up to get my ball. I stuck my fingers in the holes that were a little too small (this was definitely a kid’s ball) and took a few steps down the lane.

  Hoping for the best, I swung the ball but accidentally let go of it too soon, causing it to fly backwards. I heard a small scream of surprise from Whitney and then laughter. My face instantly grew red-hot. I turned around slowly, and having no other alternative, I laughed too.

  “Is anybody hurt?” I asked as I retrieved the offending ball. They were all laughing too hard to answer, and from a few l
anes over I heard more guffaws.

  Clark yelled, “Hey! You’re supposed to throw the ball that way.” He pointed his arms toward the pins, which sent Britney and Becka into shrieks of laughter.

  I smiled and shrugged, then turned to Jason and said, “I warned you that I was terrible.” Looking at Luke and Whitney, I added, “You guys might want to back up a bit this time.”

  They laughed again, and Jason jumped to his feet. “Here, let me give you a few pointers.” He stood behind me, reaching up to hold his arm under mine. “Okay, let’s try it slowly. Bring your arm back, and then let it go right about . . . now.”

  I let the ball go and it rolled slowly down the lane, picking up four pins. I looked at Jason and smiled sheepishly. “Thanks. If you hadn’t stepped in, I might have accidentally killed someone!”

  He smiled back and for the first time I noticed how close to me he was standing. “My pleasure,” he said before he turned around and walked back to his seat.

  I noted with a twinge of frustration that I hadn’t felt anything special when he’d touched me—only gratitude that he was trying to help. I waited for the ball to come back and tried not to notice Luke and Whitney, who were chatting away happily. Why was it so hard to focus on Jason when Luke was around? I didn’t have a chance with Luke, while Jason was always so sweet and attentive. I was pretty sure he would be my boyfriend if I gave the word, so what was stopping me?

  I tried to focus my thoughts as I walked up to the lane again, and after remembering Jason’s tips, let the ball go. I couldn’t believe it when the ball glided smoothly down the lane and knocked down the rest of the pins. “No way!” I yelled in amazement as I heard the sound of cheering behind me.

  Jason beamed. “Good job, Eliza! See? All you needed were a few pointers.”

  Luke winked at me. “Pretty impressive, Liza Lou. I think that’s the fastest improvement I’ve ever seen.”

  My heart thrilled to hear him say my name—even if it was the nickname I hated—but I was surprised to see Jason throw a sharp glance over at Luke before he scooted a bit closer to me.

  The frames filled up quickly, and before I knew it, we had already played two games. Jason had the top score in the first game, but Luke came out on top in the second. Whitney came in a close third both times. I, of course, was always at the bottom. Still, I was proud of myself for getting only a few gutter balls, and at least I hadn’t seriously maimed anyone in the process.

  The other couples in our group were still bowling, so Luke said we’d meet them over at the Tasty Freeze later.

  As we drove away, the four of us joked about the wacky people who had bowled in the lane next to us. When we arrived at the ice cream parlor, I told Jason I needed to go wash my hands, which was really an excuse to check my makeup and make sure I still looked decent.

  After reapplying my lip gloss and running a comb through my hair, I headed out of the restroom and accidentally bumped into someone who’d been standing in the hall.

  “Oh, excuse me,” I apologized. The lighting was dim and it took me a second to realize who it was. Luke.

  “No problem. Are you having fun?”

  I tried to compose myself. “Yeah, it’s been really fun. I’ve decided bowling isn’t so bad after all.”

  He smiled, and then looked at me with a searching expression. “So, are you glad that Jason asked you out? He really likes you a lot. He talks about you all the time.”

  I felt like someone had sucked the air out of my lungs. I didn’t know what to say. All I could think about was that Luke was standing next to me and that we were alone in a dark hallway. The last thing I felt like discussing was how I felt about Jason.

  Luke watched me earnestly, waiting for my answer, and I suddenly wondered why he cared. Had Jason asked him to find out how I felt about him, or was Luke just making sure I wasn’t going to hurt his friend? I wasn’t sure how to respond, and I was surprisingly relieved to see Britney and Becka coming down the hall toward us.

  “What are you guys doing back here?” Britney asked suspiciously, while Becka cast me an accusatory glare.

  “Oh, I just wanted to wash my hands,” Luke answered with a dazzling smile that clearly distracted both girls. “They always feel nasty after touching a bowling ball.”

  Taking the opportunity for escape, I slid past them without looking back.

  I spotted Jason sitting in a large booth with his banana split and the fruit slushy I’d asked him to order for me. He waved and then moved over so I could sit by him. “Is this what you wanted?” he asked as I sat down.

  “Yeah, it looks great. But do you want to split this?” I stared helplessly at the monstrous cup before me.

  “No, thanks, I have all I can handle with this banana split. Besides, you could stand to eat a few more calories. What do you weigh—like, ninety pounds?”

  I gave him a withering look, ignoring his remark. Why were guys so clueless when it came to girls and their weight? Jason seemed to sense he’d stepped into troubled waters because we ate in silence until the rest of the group arrived.

  When Luke came back, he didn’t look at me, and I carefully avoided him as well.

  All eight of us managed to fit in the booth, and for a while the table buzzed with conversation. There were several minutes of constant chatter, followed by one of those strange pauses when everyone falls silent.

  Danny broke the silence by looking over at me and asking loudly, “So, Eliza, when are you gonna come watch Jason in action at one of our games?”

  I blushed as everyone turned to look at me. Was Jason trying to get his friends to help us get together or something? What was the deal?

  I took a sip of my slushy. “I don’t know. When’s the next game?”

  “It’s next Thursday, at home,” Danny said. “Maybe if you come, Sorensen will finally get his head in the game,” he added with a smirk.

  “No, if she comes he’ll be too distracted, and we’ll lose for sure!” Clark teased.

  “Whatever, you guys,” Jason snapped, embarrassed.

  I hoped to avoid answering Danny, but then Luke joined in. “Yeah, Eliza, I think Danny’s right. I think you’d be good luck for our team. Will you come?”

  He looked at me and there was something in his eyes that caused my heart to jump.

  Without hesitation, I answered, “Yes.”

  Jason shifted beside me and the spell was broken. “Oh, great. Now if we lose, Eliza’s going to feel responsible. Leave the poor girl alone!” he said, though I could tell from his expression that he liked the idea of my coming.

  I gave him a reassuring smile. “No, seriously, I think it would be fun to come to a game. I hear you guys are doing really well this year.”

  The conversation turned to soccer and lasted until we were ready to leave. We said a quick good-bye to the other two couples, but Britney and Becka didn’t even bother to acknowledge me as we left.

  Luke started his Jeep and pressed a few buttons on the CD player. No one spoke for a few minutes as we listened to the music. Then suddenly I felt an arm around my shoulder. I looked up at Jason, and his face was a little too close to mine for comfort.

  “I had a lot of fun tonight, did you?” he whispered into my ear.

  Turning my face forward, I nodded and said, “Mmm-hmmm.”

  What was happening here? I tried to think of a way to get out from under his arm without being too obvious. I liked Jason and didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but on the other hand, I wasn’t sure I was ready to be his girlfriend yet.

  I looked up to see Luke’s eyes glancing back at us in the rearview mirror. His expression was unreadable, but I felt despair washing through me. I was sure that it looked like Jason and I were a couple now and any miniscule chance I’d had of Luke liking me was history.

  Mercifully, Whitney asked Luke a question and diverted his attention. I wanted to cry. The evening had been going so well, but now I felt like a trapped rabbit. I realized with a sting that I’d allowed myself to
have too much hope—I’d read too much into Luke’s comments and looks. He was just watching out for Jason and making sure I wasn’t going to hurt him; that was the only reason he’d paid attention to me at all. Jason talks about you all the time, he’d said. How embarrassing! It probably drove him crazy hearing Jason talk his ear off about someone as silly and insignificant as me.

  “I’m really glad you’re coming to our game on Thursday,” Jason said. “Except now I’ll be nervous.”

  I tried to laugh. “Don’t be silly. Why would you be nervous? I’m sure you have lots of friends who come see you play.” I emphasized the word “friends,” and judging by the expression on his face, he seemed to catch my meaning.

  Looking a little concerned, he began to protest, “But you’re not just—”

  “Hey, Jason, if you want, we can swing by Eliza’s house and drop her off first instead of going all the way back to my place. That way she’ll make it home before curfew,” Luke cut in as he glanced back at us in the mirror again.

  “Sure. Yeah, I guess we’d better.” Jason sounded annoyed. He looked at me and added in a quieter tone, “But only because I promised your dad I’d have you back on time. You need to talk to him and try to get a later curfew.” He winked.

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh, believe me, I’ve tried! The man won’t budge an inch; it’s hopeless.”

  Luke seemed to have no problem finding my house, and in a few minutes we were parked at the curb where Jason’s car had been just hours ago. Luke jumped out and pushed the seat forward so Jason and I could climb out.

  Before getting out, I said, “Bye, Whitney. It was really nice to meet you.”

  She smiled sincerely. “Yeah! Maybe we can all hang out again sometime.”

  I accepted Jason’s hand that he’d extended to help me climb down. Luke was standing to the side of the door, so I looked up at him and said, “Thanks for the ride and everything. You have a really nice Jeep . . . and house.”

  Lame! Was that all I could say?

  He smiled that smile that put the gleam in his eyes. “Thanks. See you at the game on Thursday.”