Prelude to an Invitation
October 30
Soon!
Austin closed his phone, looking around the courtyard as it cleared of students and not really seeing it. Early morning text sessions with Princeton Girl were now commonplace. They talked all the time. His lunch hours and free periods were now spent in the library - to the dismay of his friends. During breaks at practice, he sent her notes; he couldn't take his mind off her.
Over the last few weeks, they'd begun talking more and more, taking every free moment to send each other notes. She invaded his dreams - a faceless young woman with an indistinct voice. The writer in him had been pushed beyond the limit and there were poem after poem on his hard drive at home about her; poems no one would likely never see.
Unless their meeting happened soon, his father and his friends were going to start noticing a drop in his effectiveness on the field - barring the slip from this past Friday of course. That slip, however, had been fortunate in its own way and given him a chance to spend a virtual weekend getting to know Princeton Girl better than he already did.
Princeton Girl invaded his thoughts at the oddest of times; during practice, in the shower, at work - she was constantly saying things that stuck in his head or challenged him to think beyond his comfort zone. She forced him to consider things about himself he hadn't given much thought to in the past - to see the him he wanted to be in another light.
If any of his friends had known about his obsession, they'd probably call him infatuated; Austin was starting to suspect it went deeper than that, but he'd never know if he couldn't convince her to meet him... and he still hadn't found the right way to ask her to be his date on Friday.
"Dude, there you are; we're going to be late!"
Raising one hand in acknowledgment, Austin stood, pocketing his phone and knowing he wouldn't hear back from her again until the free period before lunch at the very least. Every day it was getting harder and harder to fit himself back into the mold he was able to escape during the late night discussions with Princeton Girl.
Fear, however, was a powerful motivator. He had no desire to get into an argument with his father about 'The Plan' that he'd been following as long as he could remember. USC Football practically had a locker emblazoned with the name "A. Ames" in permanent ink, his father and grandfather both having played and having made it clear that Austin was expected to follow in their footsteps - and be happy about it.
He'd tried, he really had. He'd worked his tail off to ensure he not only made starting quarterback, but team Captain; he'd gone the extra mile, practicing on his weekends and training to ensure he was in top physical shape. Throwing the ball with his friends whenever possible, working on his scrambling to stay out of the pocket - or in it; all of it...and all of it had been for nothing.
He was playing a game he didn't love because his father had insisted he stick with it through pee wee and through the years. Never - when he'd shown the slightest bit of interest in another sport - had his father encouraged him the way he did for football. Austin had been luck to be a naturally gifted athlete - he could likely have played just about any sport - and excelled in his gym classes, but the focus had always been football.
Slipping into his first class of the morning, Austin glanced at the clock and mentally calculated how long before he would be able to text Princeton Girl again - or, better yet, get her online in the library. Looking out the window, he idly tapped his fingers on the counter top of his lab station, pondering the meaning of her last text.
Soon!
What was soon to her?
"Mister Ames."
Austin snapped out of his absent minded stare and turned towards the front of the class.
"Yes Professor Rothman?"
"Was there something you'd like to share with the class?"
If he hadn't been so used to being the center of attention, Austin might have reacted differently. As it was, he simply shrugged and gave the answer that was not only the most likely, but the most expected. "No, sir. Just thinking about the game against the Lancers this Friday."
There was a rousing cheer from some of his classmates and a slap on the shoulder from David - and Professor Rothman turned back to the chalk board to resume his lesson. Austin, for his part, tried to focus. Except Princeton Girl's last message kept reverberating around in his head.
Soon!
Soon wasn't soon enough, in his opinion; maybe he should just try and surprise her, convince her to meet him before school - except he didn't want that. He wanted their meeting to be someplace where they didn't feel obligated to spend time with one another if they weren't compatible. Yeah right - as if they wouldn't be.
After spending the better part of two months - a time in which he'd become obsessed and infatuated with her - there was no way they weren't. Princeton Girl knew him. She knew what he was underneath and what he wasn't and she knew it without having seen him at all. Appearances, as he knew, could be deceiving - and the more he considered it, the more he knew it to be true. He wasn't what he appeared to be, he doubted she was either.
His smile went unnoticed by his classmates, wiped away only by the sound of the bell indicating he'd missed a good portion of his Biology class and day dreamed it away. Collecting his things, he moved into the hallway towards his next class, considering the circumstances surrounding himself and Princeton Girl.
Of course, with his luck of late, the girl at the other end of the keyboard would be a football groupie and swoon the moment she met him in person. He'd gathered she was athletic but he hoped she wasn't a groupie; disappointment would be inevitable on both their parts.
Good sense reared its head as he entered his English class - the only topic capable of riveting him enough to push Princeton Girl to the back of his mind for a while - and he shook his head at his own paranoia.
If she were a groupie, she'd have reacted much differently when he'd mentioned USC football. Instead, he remembered that she hadn't even mentioned it beyond asking politely - as least he guessed it was politely. Their conversation had been more focused on personal dreams than any actual one dream or series of.
Free period arrived and Austin settled himself in the chair that had become so familiar over the last few weeks, placing his books on the table at his left elbow as he logged into the computer. The Librarian walked by, giving him a smile of welcome, before disappearing back to her office. There were several other students already at various terminals but this wasn't the only location in the school where kids could connect.
If it had been, he suspected he'd have met his chat partner long before now.
He logged into his account and pulled up the word processor for getting a head start on the essay that was due on Friday and waited. Five minutes later, the alert he was expecting appeared. Opening the chat window, he sent her an inquiry.
Nomad609: How's your day so far?
PrincetonGirl818: Yech. Work, raging stepmom and cool kids who can't get over themselves. Ever feel like you don't belong?
Did he ever. More and more it was becoming obvious that he didn't fit in with his group of friends, not just because he had different goals and dreams, but because he didn't find amusement in a lot of the same things they did anymore. They envied him; he wished they'd grow up and show some maturity - like Princeton girl.
Nomad609: Absolutely. I can be surrounded by a sea of people and still feel all alone. Then I think of you.
PrincetonGirl818: Hey Nomad, do you think we've ever met?
Nomad609: I dunno, our school has over 3500 kids.
PrincetonGirl818: Well that narrows it down.
He laughed softly, the tilt of his lips cautiously neutral lest someone take an interest in what he was doing. There were risks to chatting with her at school, but they were risks he was willing to take.
Nomad609: Well, at least I can eliminate all the guys. You're... not a guy, right? Because if you are, I'll kick your butt.
PrincetonGirl818: I am not a guy.
In all the things she'd said to him so far, Austin wondered if he'd ever felt the kind of relief he did at that moment.
Nomad609: Just checking. You don't talk like any guy I know.
PrincetonGirl818: I will take that as a compliment.
Nomad609: How'd you do on your Chemistry test?
PrincetonGirl818: Same as always. You?
Nomad609: Same here. I think my dad was expecting me to just forget about my grades all together - my marks keep surprising him.
PrincetonGirl818: Rough morning?
Nomad609: USC talk; he's pulling in favors to ensure he gets what he wants - me on the team
PrincetonGirl818: He must be pretty influential to do that.
She was close, but Austin wasn't quite ready to give up a detail like that to identify himself - not when he had every intention of using Friday and the Homecoming Dance as a means to meet her.
Nomad609: He sure likes to think so.
PrincetonGirl818: Other than dad issues, how's your day so far?
Nomad609: Good... though I might fail my biology class
PrincetonGirl818: Professor Rothman giving you a hard time?
Nomad609: It's my own fault - you're too tempting of a distraction.
PrincetonGirl818: Just think, when we do meet, you can stop thinking about me.
Nomad609: Unlikely. You have a knack for making me think if I want to or not.
Free period and the lunch hour passed far too quickly for Austin's liking, ending their conversation prematurely in his opinion. Every time he talked to her, the shorter the conversations felt. It wasn't that they didn't talk about anything, it was more that they talked about so much, he didn't notice the passing of time.
She worked tonight; he had practice. Later, when she was finished and online at her regular time, he would have to find some way to broach the topic of the Homecoming Dance and convince her to meet him. He had a few hours to figure it out and was confident he would; it was just a matter of picking the right words so she understood just how much he needed to meet her.
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That night he got his chance. Like usual, Princeton Girl logged on at nine and, as usual, time flew by as they chatted back and forth. Five hours passed as if in a heartbeat before he finally found the right way to phrase his invitation - and a way that didn't obligate her to go with him, but to stay with him if she chose once she arrived.
Before she logged off, he didn't receive a reply but someone he knew he'd planted a suggestion she likely wouldn't be able to resist.
The Homecoming dance was the perfect set up and not being obligated to be his date the perfect out. She'd meet him; he knew she would, the question now simply remained as to who she was exactly. Would he know her? Was she someone he'd already met or was she someone he'd never encountered before?
The mystery was about to be solved and, despite the knowledge that he'd meet her the following night, Austin knew he'd sleep fitfully and she'd be invading his dreams again. Unable to help himself, he'd be trying to picture her, what she'd be wearing - how she'd sound.
He was in for a long night.
