Boy in a Band (A Morgan Mallory story) by Lisa Loomis Read Free Book Online

me. When we arrived at the O’Conner’s, Mathew did not seem to be around, and I was too shy to ask about his whereabouts, and it seemed no one was offering. Pat, Sara, Sam, and I played tag until dark out in their yard. When Ann called us in for dinner, I still hadn’t seen Mathew.
    “Where’s Mathew?” mom finally asked.
                  Thank you I said to myself and waited for Ann to answer.
    “He’s at a friend’s playing guitar. They’ve formed a sort of band, I understand.”
                  “Oh,” mom said.
                  “It’s cute,” Ann said. “He’s the leader of the band. He enjoys it. Keeps him busy, I guess.”
                  I could feel my disappointment smash all the butterflies. My sense of wonder and joy about being at the O’Conner’s vanished. After dinner we all helped clear the table, the adults got an after-dinner drink and turned on a movie. It was a sad movie and now all I wanted to do was go home. Mathew showed up towards the end. Seeing we were watching a movie, he waved hello and headed to the kitchen. I could hear him get into the refrigerator, then dishes and glasses clinking. I wanted to go out and see him, talk to him, but I thought it would appear strange. When the movie was over, Mathew had disappeared.
     
                  We were sitting cross-legged, Indian style, on the platform in the oak tree when Gayle asked me how dinner with Mathew had gone. I snorted and stubbed out the cigarette we had shared.
    “Dinner was good. Not seeing Mathew was bad.”
    “I thought you went to his house?” Gayle questioned.
                  “We did, but he wasn’t home. I was so, so bummed.”
                  “Shoot, you were looking forward to seeing him.”
                  “I know, and instead I got to play tag with his brother and sister and watch a movie with his parents,” I complained.
                  Gayle laughed, it was low and slow.
    “No shit?”
                  “Yeah, no shit,” I answered with a scowl.
                  “Where was he?”
                  “Playing guitar somewhere else,” I said perturbed.
                  I picked at the filter of the cigarette pulling the fibers apart and throwing them over the edge of the platform.
                  “He knew you were coming, right?”
                  “I would think,” I said sarcastically.
                  The thought sort of jabbed at my heart, that he knew I was coming, but went out anyways. Gayle had posed the question I didn’t want to consider.
                  “When he came home, we were all watching a movie. He poked his head in, waved, then disappeared. I wanted to follow him so bad, but I would have looked like an idiot leaving mid-movie. Like I was chasing him, when I hardly know him. Man, he is so cute,” I said and sighed.
                  “I think you have a crush on him, girl,” she said, pushing my arm, causing me to fall to the side.
                  “No, I don’t think so,” I said, falsely protesting.
                  “Oh yeah, oh yeah,” she taunted.
                  I wondered if this is what a crush felt like, it had to be. He was in my thoughts constantly.
    “What about Alex?” I said , trying to give her grief back.
                  “Nothing there. He’s okay, but I don’t have it for him. That one night was sort of a freak thing, too much Boone's Farm.”
                  I laughed. Gayle shifted and stretched her legs straight out in front of her.
                  “Get your mom to have the O’Conner’s over so I can meet this Mathew,” she said.
                  “I need to be seeing him first. A whole lot more of him,” I pouted.
                  “Okay,