�Better Than Best� Chapter 13: Saying Goodbye

I was in the middle on an egg roll when someone�s cell phone rang. Groaning, we all checked our phone, secretly hoping it wasn�t us. I looked down at mine. A vaguely familiar number was lighting up the screen. I answered it.

�Jenna here.�

�Jen? Is that really you? Damn, how long has it been?� a guy�s voice said. I recognized the voice but couldn�t place it.

�Um, who is this?� I asked.

�Dahling, it�s me,� the voice said.

�It�s who?� I asked again, still not sure who it was.

�You really don�t know who this is? Wow, it must�ve been longer than I thought,� the guy paused. �It�s Matt.�

A light bulb clicked over my head. Nah, it couldn�t be Matt. I hadn�t talked to him in years. Not since I had moved away from Las Vegas. Come to think of it, we hadn�t talked that much before that either.

�Matthew Hall? Is that who it is?� I asked.

�Who else would it be?� Matt replied.

�I don�t know why you�re calling all of a sudden because we don�t even know each other,� I said catching Dan�s eye.

�Who?� he mouthed at me.

I waved him off. Matt still hadn�t answered my comment.

�About that,� Matt started to say.

�About what? I never got up enough courage to talk to you in high school and you never made any attempt to talk to me either. What is there to say now?�

�I wanted to talk to you. I really did. I guess I was as scared as you were,� Matt�s voice was distant.

�You wanted to talk to me? I was a freshman when you were a junior! What would a junior what with a freshman?� my voice rose. I didn�t want to bring up my past.

�I know how many football games you went to. I know that you stayed after and watched as the players walked out. I know that you almost said something to me many times. I know all that,� Matt said.

I wanted to see his face. The reaction, the emotions, anything that would tell me why he had made this call.

My lip trembled. �Matt? How do you know?�

�I was watching you,� he said.

I almost dropped the phone. All the times that I had gone to the games just to see him, the times that I had sat closer to him at lunch than I should have, the times I stood near him before school, he was watching. This was the guy that my friends had laughed at me for. He was the guy everyone wanted to get with and now he was calling me. There had to be more to it.

�Matt, I�m sorry we never got to know each other back then. I wish we could get to know each other now, but I�m part of O-Town and I can�t do this. Not now,� a single tear slipped down my cheek.

All the words I had wanted to say back then were being thrown away. I couldn�t go back. As much as I wanted it then, it meant nothing to me now. Dan brushed the tear off my cheek. I smiled at him. He was who I was now.

�Okay, Jenna. I just wanted you to know,� Matt said. �Goodbye Jenna. Maybe someday we can be together.�

�I don�t think so. Goodbye Matt. Thanks for calling,� I hung up the phone and tears streamed down my face.

Ashley�s fork stopped half way to his mouth. �Whoa Jenna. Who was that?�

�Someone from my past,� I dried my eyes on my napkin.

�Is everything okay?� Jacob asked.

�Yeah. It is now,� I finished off the egg roll.

�What did they want?� Trevor asked.

�To say goodbye,� I avoided their eyes.

Dan took my hand in his lap. �Jenna, we�re here for you. Anything you need, we�ll get it for you.�

�No, really, I�m fine. Let�s get out of here,� I got up and we left.

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