The Unchosen Path

“Would you go out with me, Melissa?”

It was a simple question… but it came from the most unexpected person.

Chad was a good friend of my older brother, and on the varsity football team. The position he played was a linebacker… whatever that was. I’m not familiar with sports terms.

He was on the shorter side, but still taller than I was and stocky. Chad’s dark hair created beautiful loose curls as it grew out, and his grayish-blue eyes could make any girl melt. And that’s what they did. 

As a person Chad was very sweet, but he was definitely a player with a bad boy reputation. There was always a different girl on his arm every week, and it usually consisted of a cheerleader or the like. So why exactly was he asking me out?

My long red hair stretched down to almost the lower half of my frail body. I was the shy girl who never spoke to anyone; blending into the background of the hallways as I walked between classes. Guys didn’t know I existed. Especially not anyone from the football team – even if they were friends with my brother. So why was Chad asking me out?

There had been rumors spreading amongst my small circle of friends that Chad had been crushing on me for a while, but was afraid to ask me out because of his friendship with my brother.

I never really liked Chad in that way. He hung around my house a lot growing up, but he was always just Danny’s friend. Nothing more.

My confused thoughts scrambled through my head as I tried to process the question for entirely too long.

“Hello?” 

Coming down from my thoughts I found Chad still standing in front of me, waving his hand in my face nervously. “Sorry…” I quickly apologized, “…I’m just a little confused. You want to date…me?”

The expression on my face must have been more of disgust than confusion as I watched Chad slowly take a step back. His round face dropping at my accidental vocal tone.

“I’ve liked you for a while, Melissa. I just thought it would be nice to hang out without Danny around. But if you don’t want to…”

“No!” I stopped him a little too aggressively.

“Sorry…” I apologized again. “Your question just caught me off guard, that’s all.”

Chad returned my gaze again – the look in his eyes was a mixture of sadness and hope.

“I'm baking cupcakes tomorrow for the bake sale on Friday. Would you like to come over and help?” Suddenly I was the nervous one.

“Sure. We have a team meeting right after school though. I could be there around four. Does that work?”

“Perfect!” I exclaimed. “See you tomorrow at four.” 

I watched Chad’s face light up, and he gave me a small smile before turning the other way and heading into his classroom that was right next to mine.

The next day flew by faster than I could process and before I knew it the final bell was ringing, letting out school for the day. 

As I walked the few blocks home, my heart began racing as I quickly began feeling nervous about this afternoon. Was baking cupcakes for the school bake sale technically a date? Or was it just something friends did? What would we talk about? Football? I didn’t know anything about sports – that conversation would be short lived.

I prepped the kitchen after finishing the single homework assignment I had for the day and watched as the clock ticked away. It suddenly felt like four o’clock was going to take forever to get here.

Zoning out on my thoughts again, I jumped upon hearing the front door open and Danny walking through the door followed by Chad.     

“We are so going to beat North Side High this weekend!" Danny said, excitedly as he exchanged a quick fist bump with Chad. “Oh Hey, Melissa. What are you doing?”

My brother was always oblivious to the scenes around him.

“I signed up to bake cupcakes for Friday’s bake sale. Chad said he was going to help me so I was just waiting for you guys to get home.”

Danny glanced between us, a concerned expression furrowing his brow. “Oh… well… when you guys are done, send Chad my way. I want to show him the new video game I just got.”

“Okay.” I nodded.

Squinting questioningly at the two of us, my brother turned and headed upstairs to his room.

“Shall we get started?” Chad turned to me, a soft smile on his face.

The next two hours we spent mostly quiet, focusing on the cupcakes. Breaking the silence only to laugh as I spilled numerous ingredients on myself, leading Chad to joke about my clumsiness. I have to admit though… those two hours – although it was mostly silent – were two of the happiest hours of my life.

It gave me a whole new perspective on Chad, and to be honest I liked it.

After that day, Chad and I slowly over time became a couple. High school sweethearts. We went to every dance together. I started going to all his football games…which I think annoyed my brother a little as I never went because he played. Over time we became that gross couple in school who were always showing too much PDA in the hallways.

By the end of the year, we had become so infatuated with one another, that I cried harder than I ever thought I could as I watched Danny and Chad cross the stage at graduation. Chad would now be going off to college and I would be stuck in high school for another year without him.

I was disgustingly depressed about it.

Chad always had a plan to make me feel better though. The football team’s captain had planned a big party for after graduation, and Chad brought me along with him. What better way was there to forget about life for a bit than a party?

Pulling into the massive driveway, I realized the entire school was at this party. It was also obvious that there were no adults in sight either. Beer cans already littered the front yard, and the party had just begun. 

We could hear the music cranking before we even stepped out of the car. High school kids clad in wet bathing suits ran through the open gate from the backyard, spraying one another with super soakers. 

I had been to a few parties since I began dating Chad, but nothing more than a few kids smoking pot in their parents’ basement on a Friday night. Of course, I wasn't one to partake in the recreational activity, but I enjoyed spending time with Chad and his friends. 

Over the next few hours we played party games, danced and splashed around in the pool, having the time of our lives. As the night began to wind down, I watched as some kids began passing around joints and what looked to be pills and other drugs.

“Chad, I think we should go.” I whispered to my boyfriend who I suddenly realized wreaked of alcohol.

He was drunk.

“Come on, babe. Have some fun!” 

To my utter surprise, I stood motionless as I watched Chad pop multiple little colored pills into his mouth before taking a swig of the beer he had in his hand.      

I tried to stop the tears that began streaming down my face as I continued watching Chad put more and more drugs and alcohol into his system. 

After only a few minutes, I felt like I couldn't breathe and headed towards the gate to get away from the crowd to cry in peace.

Throwing myself onto the front steps, I had only been sitting there for a moment when I saw my brother pull into the driveway, his girlfriend Courtney riding shotgun.

“Melissa?” Danny called out as he opened the passenger door for Courtney.

I waved, slightly embarrassed for my brother to find me like this.

“What's wrong?” Courtney asked as she and my brother caught up to me.

“It’s…” that was all I could get out before Tim, the team captain came running to the front of the house, panic stricken.

“Melissa! Oh, Danny thank God. It's Chad. He passed out and we can't wake him up. He's not breathing!”

Danny and I shared a quick glance before following Tim to the back of the house where we found Chad unconscious on the side of the pool, blood spilling out of his mouth.

There was no stopping the scream that escaped my mouth as my brother tried his hardest to hold me back while we waited for paramedics to arrive.

Only an hour later I watched as my boyfriend was zipped up into a black body bag and lifted into the back of the coroner’s car.

I screamed until my vocal cords could no longer handle it and I collapsed, exhausted in my brothers’ arms. He carried me all the way to his car where I promptly passed out; my body limp as it became numb.

Instead of replaying all my happy thoughts with Chad, my mind went straight to a black screen where it remained until I woke up the next morning.

“Hello?”

I jumped at the sound of Chads voice, and realized I was still in the hallway at my high school.

Breathing slowly through the lump that had formed in my throat, it quickly became evident that none of those events actually happened.

"Sorry…” I apologized, swallowing hard. "Got lost in my thoughts.” I laughed.

“It's okay.” Chad chuckled back, nervously. "So… will you go out with me?”

Knowing the feelings that Chad had for me, it made it difficult to turn him down. But I knew right now, I couldn't mentally handle the secret life that Chad undoubtedly led after school hours.

“I'm flattered, Chad…really. But I think I would just like to remain friends for now. Is that okay?”

The pain from the rejection was obvious on Chads face and it broke my heart to see him that way, but I knew it was the right decision.

“Of course!” he responded through a side smile.

We exchanged a quick hug, and in wanting to save him from any embarrassment, I changed the subject.

“Hey, so Danny got this new game last night, he said he was going to beat your butt in it tonight. Will I see you at my house after school?”

“No way is he beating me! I'll smash him to the ground before he gets the chance.” Chad protested louder than he meant to.

“So is that a yes?” I asked through giggles.

“Yes…see you after school.” Chad smiled as he walked into his classroom.