Everyone around me is screaming, clapping, whooping, and whistling. After all, our JV football team did just score the first touchdown. The score for the second game of the season is 6-0 in the first three minutes of the game. Wait, make that 8-0.
Ever since school started, I thought I was over the weird feeling I got when he came around. I hadn’t seen him much over the summer as our lives had taken over our schedules. We hardly talked because of the fact he had gotten his phone taken away for getting completely wasted early on in the summer. While drunk, he did stuff with a girl from our school that he shouldn’t have, and of course, he blamed the drinks. If he hadn’t been at the party, it wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
“Hey,” says a very familiar voice from behind me. Without even turning around I can tell who it is. The boy I spend all day and every night dreaming about. The one that I snuck my phone to bed for, the one who had me completely won over. It was Jake.
I turned to look at him. Since it had been a while since I had seen him, I was sort of shocked by how different he looked. Believe me when I say it was a good different… Very good. He’d grown taller, lost his baby cheeks, his hair had grown out a little, but his eyes were the same brown eyes that I had fallen for back in June. Not to mention that heart stopping smile. Oh, and did I mention his killer abs? Yeah, those are a definite plus.
“What do you want?” Wow… That was a good one! Let’s just scare the boy away! Idiot.
“Gosh Riley,” he said, “Why do you always have to act so mean to me whenever we’re around other people?”
“Because if I’m not they’ll think we’re… ya know… Dating.”
“And that’s bad because…..” he drowned off.
“I’m a good girl.” I replied.
“Don’t tell me,” he said with a harsh laugh, “You’re still ticked over the whole party thing.”
“Psh…. No….”
“You are the worst liar I think I have ever met.” He chuckled. I started walking away, and just started to realize how cold it really was. Obviously he didn’t take the hint that I was walking AWAY from him, because he followed me, talking the whole way.
“You know, it’s just sad that you never like anyone. Seeing as so many guys would love the chance to date such a pretty, sweet, caring girl like you. And even though you act so tough, I know you care about one of them for sure, but what I can’t figure out is why you won’t just give in and let someone care about you for once. I mean, yeah, you dad never really gave you the chance to learn to trust guys, but we aren’t all like him Riley. You need to give me- I mean us guys, a chance to show you that we aren’t all stupid buttheads like your dad was.”
“Will you please just shut it? First of all, I am not pretty. Secondly, I only know of one guy that likes me in a more than friends way. Thridly….” I paused. I really couldn’t think of another good reason. “Yeah that’s all I got.”
“You are blind as a bat!” He laughed. “But you’re right about the first part. You aren’t pretty.”
Ouch. “Point Pro-“
“You’re beautiful.”
“Oh you are hopeless!!” It took all I had not to smile, so I masked it by smacking myself on the forehead with the palm of my hand.
“Maybe,” he says with a grin, “but I’m right. Anyway, I have to go, but I do have a game tomorrow after school… If you want to come.”
“Eh, I’ll think about it. I need to check my schedule and make sure I don’t have anything else. Plus I have an English paper due… Soon…” Just tell him you’ll be there!! That paper isn’t due for two weeks, and it would only take you 20 minutes to write.
“Sure you do. See ya Riley.” Says Jake as he walks away.
Smooth Riley, smooth.
That night I laid in my bed, the evening with Jake replaying through my mind. I just can’t bring myself to trust guys after my dad leaving. Maybe I need to just start over. You know, pretend that maybe not all guys are like my dad. They might not all hurt me, and leave me like he did. Sometimes it’s just so hard to understand why I can’t accept the fact that someone might actually care about me. Even crazier is the thought that people actually think I’m pretty, or as Jake says, beautiful. Someone as cool and popular as Jake could do so much better than dorky old me. Aren’t jocks supposed to date cheerleaders? I am most definitely not a cheerleader. So many questions and not enough answers! What am I supposed to do?!
Finally, after fighting for what seemed like forever, I fell into a fitful sleep, my dreams pagued by the all too familiar face of Jake Green.
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