alone in the designated area. He passed the minutes he sat there trying to paste together his shredded memory from last night. But as hard as he tried, he simply couldn’t remember anything.
“What are you doing here?” Jenny stood above him.
He stood and tried to casually fold his hands together. But just like when he first met her, she still made him tremble. “Do . . . um . . . do you have time to talk?”
She glanced behind her shoulder and sighed, but those gorgeous brown eyes of hers were liquid compassion. “Come on. Not here.” She took his elbow and guided him out a side door.
They stood under the overhang of the building. A brownish green haze hovered over the schoolyard. It was definitely going to storm. Jenny looked up at the sky. “Good call not to have recess outside today.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Why are you here?”
“I just wanted to . . . I’m not sure. I just needed to see you.”
“Why?”
Mick stared at his tennis shoes. Words were hard to come by.
“Aaron told me he told you,” she said softly. The wind blew her blonde hair back from her face. “Said you didn’t take it too well.”
“I didn’t.”
“You shouldn’t be angry with him, you know,” Jenny said. “He loves you. I wish you knew how much.”
“I’m not here to talk about Aaron,” Mick finally said. He was at least a foot taller than she, and he’d liked the idea of how easily he could protect her. Glancing up, he noticed a few curious eyeballs staring from a classroom window. One little girl stuck her tongue out.
Jenny was now staring at her own feet. “Then why are you here? I don’t understand.”
“To . . . to, uh . . . to see if you would . . .”
“Would what?”
“Give me a second chance.”
A surprised laugh escaped her lips, and her eyes formed perfect circles. “Oh, Mick. Please, don’t—”
“Just hear me out, okay? Please hear me out.”
Jenny pressed her lips together but didn’t look at him. Instead she engaged her hands. For the first time, Mick noticed the ring. It was a diamond solitaire. A large one. He could never afford anything that nice.
She stuck her hands in her pockets. “I’m listening.”
“Just . . . just give me another chance.”
“Mick, what are you—?”
“I’m not the better man. I know that. But you didn’t give me a chance. I could’ve proved to you, shown you—”
She held up her hands. “Wait. Don’t insinuate that I didn’t give you a chance. One, we were all wrong for each other. Two, you hadn’t called me in a week when your brother called.”
“I know,” Mick said, swiping at the sweat that dampened his hairline. “That was an awful mistake. I was just playing that stupid game everybody plays. I mean, it wasn’t even a game, really. It was just stupidity. I had feelings for you, and I thought I wasn’t good enough for you, and then I realized that I wanted to try to be good enough for you.”
“Aaron and I are meant to be together,” Jenny said, the firmness in her voice straightening her posture. She looked him in the eye. “You and I are not.”
“But wasn’t there something there? I mean, can you deny that?”
“I won’t deny it. There was attraction. Maybe even deeper than that.”
“A lot deeper than that!”
“But I should’ve never dated you in the first place. Our lifestyle choices are at different ends of the spectrum. I compromised my beliefs for you, and that scared me.”
Angry words wanted their chance at attention, but Mick held his tongue. Getting angry at Jenny was not going to help matters. “I was going to change.”
Jenny closed her eyes at the statement. “That’s absurd. People don’t change for other people.”
“I would’ve. You just didn’t give me a chance. I’m trying to get my life under control.”
“I know,” she said, touching his arm lightly. “I know that. You’re a good man. You don’t give yourself enough credit. You make poor
“What are you doing here?” Jenny stood above him.
He stood and tried to casually fold his hands together. But just like when he first met her, she still made him tremble. “Do . . . um . . . do you have time to talk?”
She glanced behind her shoulder and sighed, but those gorgeous brown eyes of hers were liquid compassion. “Come on. Not here.” She took his elbow and guided him out a side door.
They stood under the overhang of the building. A brownish green haze hovered over the schoolyard. It was definitely going to storm. Jenny looked up at the sky. “Good call not to have recess outside today.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Why are you here?”
“I just wanted to . . . I’m not sure. I just needed to see you.”
“Why?”
Mick stared at his tennis shoes. Words were hard to come by.
“Aaron told me he told you,” she said softly. The wind blew her blonde hair back from her face. “Said you didn’t take it too well.”
“I didn’t.”
“You shouldn’t be angry with him, you know,” Jenny said. “He loves you. I wish you knew how much.”
“I’m not here to talk about Aaron,” Mick finally said. He was at least a foot taller than she, and he’d liked the idea of how easily he could protect her. Glancing up, he noticed a few curious eyeballs staring from a classroom window. One little girl stuck her tongue out.
Jenny was now staring at her own feet. “Then why are you here? I don’t understand.”
“To . . . to, uh . . . to see if you would . . .”
“Would what?”
“Give me a second chance.”
A surprised laugh escaped her lips, and her eyes formed perfect circles. “Oh, Mick. Please, don’t—”
“Just hear me out, okay? Please hear me out.”
Jenny pressed her lips together but didn’t look at him. Instead she engaged her hands. For the first time, Mick noticed the ring. It was a diamond solitaire. A large one. He could never afford anything that nice.
She stuck her hands in her pockets. “I’m listening.”
“Just . . . just give me another chance.”
“Mick, what are you—?”
“I’m not the better man. I know that. But you didn’t give me a chance. I could’ve proved to you, shown you—”
She held up her hands. “Wait. Don’t insinuate that I didn’t give you a chance. One, we were all wrong for each other. Two, you hadn’t called me in a week when your brother called.”
“I know,” Mick said, swiping at the sweat that dampened his hairline. “That was an awful mistake. I was just playing that stupid game everybody plays. I mean, it wasn’t even a game, really. It was just stupidity. I had feelings for you, and I thought I wasn’t good enough for you, and then I realized that I wanted to try to be good enough for you.”
“Aaron and I are meant to be together,” Jenny said, the firmness in her voice straightening her posture. She looked him in the eye. “You and I are not.”
“But wasn’t there something there? I mean, can you deny that?”
“I won’t deny it. There was attraction. Maybe even deeper than that.”
“A lot deeper than that!”
“But I should’ve never dated you in the first place. Our lifestyle choices are at different ends of the spectrum. I compromised my beliefs for you, and that scared me.”
Angry words wanted their chance at attention, but Mick held his tongue. Getting angry at Jenny was not going to help matters. “I was going to change.”
Jenny closed her eyes at the statement. “That’s absurd. People don’t change for other people.”
“I would’ve. You just didn’t give me a chance. I’m trying to get my life under control.”
“I know,” she said, touching his arm lightly. “I know that. You’re a good man. You don’t give yourself enough credit. You make poor
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