by Sarah Tork
“Something important?” James sneered.
“No, not anymore.” I pressed delete on ‘Tiger’ and tucked my phone back into my bag. James shook his head and smirked.
CHAPTER 11
Mr. Doors looked relieved when the bell finally rang.
“No homework tonight!” he shouted enthusiastically.
Everyone shouted back their approval.
Thank God! I did not feel like doing homework on the first day back. I flipped my notebook closed and tucked it in my bag. The last hour had been interesting. Besides the obvious: James sitting next to me, making weird grunting noises randomly during the lesson. Whatever he was trying to do, I did my best to ignore him. I focused on the front, making sure my line of vision never wandered to my right even when some of his grunts were beginning to sound suggestive towards the end of class. My head shook thinking about it. I didn’t know where his mind wandered off to after our little spat but somehow he’d decided that grunting was more effective than using words.
Boys.
Maybe he’s borderline stupid? I envisioned myself shrugging like I honestly didn’t know whether or not he actually was ‘stupid’. The image made me want to laugh. I turned to the window and tried to hold it in but few quiet chuckles spilled out.
“What’s so funny?”
I stopped laughing.
Shit! He’s still sitting beside me! I took a moment to breathe out the last of the amusing image and slowly turned back to face him.
“It’s nothing,” I said calmly. I hoped he believed me.
He looked at me warily.
Okay, he doesn’t believe me.
Screw it.
“Okay, it’s not nothing.” I grinned and stood up with my backpack, pausing in front of his desk with my back to him. “I was thinking that maybe you might be a little bit stupid.”
I sped from the room before he had a chance to reply. I didn’t even get to see his reaction but I just called him stupid, so I was sure it wasn’t going to be good.
What was I thinking? Do I have a death wish? I grimaced as I shuffled around the crowded hallway making my way to my next class.
*~*~*
After two more classes, it was finally time for my favorite period of the day.
Lunch!
Oh yeah. I was starving.
My stomach had begun grumbling a little too loudly during last period, loud enough that the person next to me began laughing from the volume.
That was so embarrassing! I was going to have to hide some snacks in my bag to eat on the way to school if Mom kept giving me that twiggy breakfast.
I headed to the bathroom before meeting Jenna in the cafeteria.
“Donna! Nuh-ungh!” A barrage of girls shot into the bathroom, giggling loudly as I shut the door to my stall.
I paused with my back against the door, deciding to eavesdrop when I heard who might be involved in this intellectual conversation.
Donna.
“He’s so cute!”
“So cute!”
“Too cute!”
“He’s mine!”
“Uh oh! The predator’s been unleashed!”
“Donna’s out on the hunt ladies, so back off!”
Who are they talking about it? My heart began beating faster.
I didn’t move a muscle as they shuffled in front of the mirror, fixing their hair and makeup. I turned around to peek through the gap between the stall door and the wall. I could only see Donna leaning into the mirror, applying mascara and puckering her lips at her reflection.
“James is so mine!” Donna said with firm determination.
James! But he’s…mine? I worried, my anxiety levels shooting up.
The door to the bathroom opened again and the girls giggled their way out with more cheesy lines about how Donna was unstoppable and other puke-worthy shit like that.
Should I punch her? I really want to hit her! My fists clenched against the hard surface of the stall door as a sickening feeling expanded from the core of my stomach to the edge of my throat.
Calm down! I urged myself, breathing in and out slowly.
Why was I upset?
If Donna wanted to go for James, who the hell was I to stop her?
It wasn’t like I’d be a match against her anyways.
She was one of the hot chicks, according to the crowds of boys that stopped and stared whenever she was around. No one stopped and stared at me – unless I had a mustard stain on my shirt.
I finished my business in the bathroom and headed to the cafeteria. By the time I entered, there was no line at the cafeteria restaurant. That wasn’t good. It meant everything good was taken and I’d be stuck with whatever nobody wanted.
Salad and water.
Well at least I won’t have to lie to Mom about what I ate.
I scanned the room for Jenna before getting my food. My heart jumped when I noticed James sitting with a group of baseball caps and Donna’s crew scattered amongst them.
That’s just great, she’s already hard at work! I grated my teeth when I saw Donna scoot closer to James. My fists clenched when I saw him cock his neck and smile at her.
Asshole!
I made myself turn away. Staring like a stalker psycho was not a good look for me. I quickly scanned the rest of the room and thankfully spotted Jenna sitting at a table with some of her swim team members.
“Dude?” Jenna muttered, concerned, as I sat down across from her.
I dropped my backpack to the ground and turned to her.
“What?” I asked warily.
She leaned closer and hissed in my ear,
“Why is your face red?”
I touched my face; I felt a little warm.
“I’m just hungry. I barely got to eat anything this morning; Mom gave me this weird cereal that tasted like sticks and I think she mixed my milk with water,” I explained, hoping she’d buy the excuse.
“Shit!” Jenna exclaimed. “Go get something to eat,” she ordered, motioning to the restaurant.
I got up and headed to the empty restaurant. Suddenly, I was hit by the realization that my hunger pains were going to act up again, maybe by end of next period once I used up the last of my energy.
I walked up to the sliding door fridge and debated the selection of salads. Caesar or House?
As I contemplated the difficult choice, a hard body softly nudged my side, startling me.
“Hey – Wait your turn!” I yelped. I twisted my head to see a muscular arm practically bursting out of a blue sleeve. I followed the path of muscles to the asshole’s face.
James! I blinked when my eyes met his amused green ones.
I should have known it was him; the rudeness was definitely up his alley. I quickly turned back to the salad selection, slid opened the door, and pulled out a house salad. I ignored him and walked to the counter with the dressing selection.
“I didn’t take you for a coward,” he said to my back.
“How am I a coward?” I responded. I picked up a packet of Italian dressing and turned to face him. He was leaning against the railing, arms folded across his chest.
“You insult me then run away like a scared little girl,” he sneered.
“I was going to be late for my next class,” I replied, trying to sound rational.
“Right!”
He didn’t believe me.
I didn’t care.
“Believe what you want!” I stretched out my arm in emphasis and his eyes followed my arm to the salad in my hand.
“Still on that diet?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked quietly. I did not want anyone to hear I was on a diet. It was embarrassing enough that he knew.
“You told me last time we – you know – spent time together. The fight with your parents.”
“Yes, I’m still on a diet.” I informed him.
“That’s ridiculous,” James said. “You don’t need to be on a diet.”
“Oh yeah.” I said.
&nbs
p; He nodded. “Yeah. You look good to me.”
“I can die happy then,” I sneered.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me into his embrace.
“What are you doing? We’re at school!” I exclaimed.
“Relax,” he murmured. “No one can see. Everyone already came through, you came late.”
“What do you want from me?” I cringed.
“Can’t you see that I like you?” He pressed.
“Really? Well you could have fooled me.” I tried to pull away from him, but he held me tightly.
“I’m telling the truth,” he said urgently.
“And I’m telling you that the damage is already done,” I explained. “Two weeks went by and there wasn’t one word from you.”
His eyes widened. “That wasn’t my fault, my phone was damaged. I had to get a new one.”
I snorted. “Still using that line, huh?”
“I’m telling the truth!” He exclaimed.
“You’re not!” I stared him dead in the eye and yanked my arm out of his hold. I walked back to the fridge and put back my salad. I wasn’t hungry anymore.
I exited the restaurant, leaving him alone.
What a liar!
My blood boiled.
I could feel it burning every inch of my body.
I knew my face was turning red.
Jenna would be even more suspicious.
I grabbed my cheeks and rubbed them, hoping to send some signal to my brain to calm down. Jenna didn’t notice when I slid back onto the bench; she was deep in conversation with the girl on her right about the proper way to swim a breaststroke. My stomach grumbled loud enough for me to hear. I was hungry, but I felt too nauseous to even considering eating anything.
What the hell did he want from me?
If he actually liked me, why was he always making things difficult?
“What the hell happened to you?” Jenna whispered.
I didn’t look at her, instead turning my head back to the restaurant. James was walking out; his friends were hollering at him to get his ass back to the table and settle whatever they were debating, probably some baseball statistics. He held out a chocolate milk to show them what he’d been up to.
He hadn’t even gone in there to talk to me; it was only convenient that I happened to be in there too. He really just wanted chocolate milk. I watched him slide into his seat; he glanced up and scanned the room, stopping when he saw me. He scowled at me. I shook my head at him.
“Who are you looking at?” Jenna asked loudly.
“Chocolate milk!” I muttered in disbelief.
“Chocolate milk?” Jenna repeated sounding confused.
I broke the connection and turned my back on him.
I took a deep breath.
“I’m not feeling too good. It’s too noisy in here; it’s giving me a headache.” I got off the bench and lifted my bag off the ground.
“Where are you going?” Jenna looked concerned.
“To the library. It’s quiet. I need quiet right now.”
Jenna nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you next period though, right?”
“Yeah, see you there.” I walked out of the cafeteria, feeling his green eyes stare.
The silence was golden when I walked into the library. I wandered toward the back where the study nooks were hidden behind the stacks of books and plopped down in the one furthest from the entrance. I put my bag on the table and rested my head against it, closing my eyes. With the help of the air conditioning and the quiet bliss the library offered, I was cooling down.
My bag vibrated as my phone received a new message.
Can’t be James, apparently he doesn’t have my number anymore! I swiped the screen and checked the message.
New message from: Mom!
Damn!
Mom: What did you choose for lunch? Please Annabelle! I hope you were responsible!
She’d be happy to know that I didn’t eat anything bad. But if I told her I ate nothing, then there’d be hell to pay for putting my body in ‘starvation mode.’ Curse all those pamphlets from the nutritionist’s office.
I texted her back:
Annabelle: I ate salad. Happy?
There, that should ease her blood pressure.
That was fast; she must have been hovering around her phone, waiting for my response.
Mom: Thank you!!!!
I tapped out of the messages and slid my phone back into my bag, resuming my previous position.
This is nice! I enjoyed the silence immensely. The library was so quiet; I could hear the front entrance open and people walking about inside. The sound of someone walking through the stacks caught my attention, but I didn’t bother opening my eyes. It had nothing to do with me.
Then I heard those same footsteps come to a halt.
Right behind me.
What now?! I was beginning to get irritated. I’d come in here for some peace and quiet, which was a hard to get that when whoever was behind me wouldn’t shut up.
What, is he lost? I wondered, waiting to hear the person move away. I tucked my face further into my bag, trying to hide from the light. I heard the Lost Boy walk over to the study nook closest to mine and drop a bag on the desk then he dragged the chair…towards me.
What!
My eyes snapped open and I lifted my head off my bag to see what was going on. The first thing I saw was blue. My eyes began adjusting to the light and I saw the blue was a t-shirt on a guy’s strong body as he dragged the chair over to me.
I blinked a few times; maybe I wasn’t seeing things right.
James?
He positioned the chair next to mine and sat down with a small, satisfied smile on his face. I stared at him wide-eyed and he stared back. It looked like he wanted to grin but tried to hold it back.
It was several seconds before I broke the silence.
“Is there something I can do for you?” I asked him quietly. I was tired and emotionally drained long past the point of having the energy to fight him. Whatever this was going to be, it was going to end quickly so I could return to my nap.
That’s probably what he’s counting on: my lack of energy.
He leaned in and whispered, “Why do you love giving me shit all the time?”
“Really? That’s why you came all the way here, to ask me that?”
“You love to ride my ass don’t you? I can do nothing right with you,” he exclaimed.
“That’s because you’re an asshole,” I replied calmly.
“And you keep insulting me! But, unlike you, I don’t hold it against you for days.”
“Whatever. Are you done?” I asked. “I don’t have the energy for you right now. Any last thoughts before you leave me alone?”
His lip twitched.
“Yeah, there’s something else.”
“Well, be quick about it,” I sighed. “I’ve only got fifteen minutes left to nap.”
James’ hands jerked out suddenly and latched onto my face, pulling me towards him.
“What!” I hissed at him.
He closed the distance between us and pressed his lips against mine. The last two weeks without me were showing; his lips moved hungrily across mine as if the time apart had been difficult for him, too.
Pull back, Annabelle – Like now! My mind commanded my body.
My body gave my mind the finger.
Well, screw you too then. He’s going to hurt you again and you know it!
I wrapped my arms around him and pressed into him more. James let go of my face, wrapping his hands around my waist and pulling me from my chair into his lap, sidesaddle.
Are you crazy?! My mind screamed, incredibly shocked at my body’s irrational behavior. What happened to erasing him from your life?!
My body replied: Can’t talk now, kissing.
He deepened his kiss, moving rapidly. It was like he was starving and I was the juicy hamburger that had become too tempting to turn away from.
A louder than necessary moan escape
d his lips as we separated for a second to catch our breaths.
The Librarian! I panicked. If we got caught, we’d be in big trouble. But instead of stopping this crazy thing we were doing, I tightened my hold on him. He tightened his arms, pulling me against his chest. I felt his hands creep up and graze the side of my boob.
Slap him! My mind screamed.
I should have but I kept going, kissing him as he massaged my sides. It felt too good. I knew we needed to stop before it went any further; we were still at school.
I pulled back reluctantly and rested my forehead against his.
Mine, I dared to think as I tried to control my breathing.
James leaned into my neck and whispered breathlessly,
“You feel so good.”
He began kissing my neck. I tilted my head to the side to give him better access. As we shuffled around, kissing each other’s necks, a small amount of space opened up between us and I could feel steam escape.
Why did that always happen?
The bell rang.
Wow, fifteen minutes gone.
It didn’t feel that long, only five at most. I pulled away. His hands didn’t let go of me as I got off him. They slowly released as I moved back to my chair. I shouldered my bag and noticed his black Miami Marlins baseball cap was on the ground. I picked it up and held it out to him.
He didn’t take it from me, leaning his head down instead.
He wanted me to put it on?
His wild hair was all over the place. That was all me, my fault. My hands had been all through his hair while we’d been busy. He still looked good, messy hair and all.
This was different. We weren’t caught up in each other’s arms yet for some reason it seemed more intimate.
Just do it! Don’t be embarrassed, he told you he likes you.
I took a step so that I was right beside him. He sat quietly, looking completely relaxed. I ran my fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp. His head leaned back, eyes closed. I smoothed back his hair and put his cap on the way he liked – or at least the way I’d seen it on him – backwards.
I spun around and ran through the stacks. I could hear him grab his own bag and, before I exited the stacks, his hand was on my shoulder, stopping me easily.