I nod. As I back out, she presses the button to open the sunroof.
“It’s December, Sarah.” I laugh as she pouts.
She shrugs it off, pressing the button to close it before she starts messing with the buttons on the stereo and climate controls. “It’s still badass. Did your parents get it for you?”
I nod. It was a total shock. My dad is usually walking out the door when I wake up. Instead, when I went to leave, he and my mom were waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs with a set of keys. It took me a minute to realize I wasn’t dreaming the dark blue, four-door Jetta with a giant red bow on top parked in our driveway. My parents followed me outside. I managed to hug and thank my dad before he hurried off to work. I had gone to do the same for my mom, but she had already gone back inside the house.
On the way to school, I hit a drive thru Starbucks and get Sarah a scone and a latte.
She cups her drink in her hands, lifting it to her nose to smell it.
“You know you’re my favorite person ever.” Her chocolate eyes lock on mine.
I gulp. “I know.” She’s mine.
“And here you are, buying me breakfast on your birthday.”
“It’s no big deal,” I argue.
She nods. “It is a big deal. Promise me we’ll be best friends forever.”
I laugh. “Done.”
“Good.” She pulls a piece off of the scone and pops it into her mouth.
“This is really good. Want a bite?”
I open my mouth for to her feed me. She breaks off another small piece and sets it between my lips, her fingertips barely grazing them. My eyes widen. Shit. I’m getting turned on. It’s only a semi, so as long as I concentrate on other things, it’ll go back down.
“Can I take you out to the movies tonight for your birthday?”
I nod, not looking at her.
“Want another bite?”
I shake my head. Get it together, I tell myself. She’s your best friend, and it just isn’t going to happen. After I’ve parked, we walk in together at the entrance by the cafeteria, away from the bus drop off loop.
She elbows me to get my attention. “I’ll be your very best friend if you give me rides so I never, ever have to ride the bus again.”
I smirk at her. “You already are my very best friend. Got a better offer?”
I hold back a laugh when I see the look she gives me.
“William Price,” she says. “If I had a car, I would do it for you.”
I bump my shoulder into hers and laugh as it knocks her a couple steps away. She catches back up to me and flicks her leg up to kick my ass.
“Yes, I will give you rides,” I concede as we reach her locker.
She gives me a cheesy grin and shrugs off her coat. Underneath, she’s wearing one of my old hoodies. I poke my finger into a hole forming on the side. She smacks my hand away, laughing.
“You might have to retire this one.”
Her eyes are wide as they snap to mine. “But I love it.”
I chew on the side of my lip and shake my head at her. “You love my old UGA hoodie?”
She hugs herself and nods solemnly. She has most of the ones I’ve outgrown, and a couple I haven’t. They swim on her, but she doesn’t care. Neither do I. I like how she looks in them.
We head to my locker next, then split to go to our homerooms. We only have one class and the same lunch period this year. We picked the same electives, thinking we would end up together, but it hadn’t worked out. The one class we do have together is gym, which is second period. She waits for me after first period.
Her class is closer to the gym, so I meet her there every day and we walk together. The entrances to the locker rooms are on opposite sides of the gym. I veer off and go get changed. We meet back up in the gym, now sporting our Decatur P.E. uniforms: navy blue shorts and gray t-shirts. Our gym teacher walks out with an extension cord and a boombox.
“Who’s ready to dance?” he asks.
A collective groan is his response. Sarah is standing next to me. I glance down at her and lift my eyebrows. She nods. Assuming we’re allowed to pick our own partners, we’re set. Not that it matters. The first dance we learn is a line dance. Not my thing. I try and keep from laughing at Sarah, though. I’m somewhat getting it; she is not. Not even close. She just looks at me and grins, playing off her mistakes with style, busting out the macarena every once and a while.
Coach gives us five to go get water. We race, and she gets there first, but only because I let her win. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, little pieces falling out around her face. I feel pervy watching her lean over, mouth open as she drinks. She cups some water in her hand and lets it drip down the back of her neck.
“Close your mouth before you catch flies.” She laughs at me, flicking water in my direction.
I blink, clamping my mouth shut, and ease myself between her and the fountain. She huffs at me, but she was hogging the water and my throat is feeling especially parched. She waits for me, and we walk back to the center of the gym together. I glance at my watch. Only ten more minutes until we’re released to hit the showers. Coach sees me look at my watch then looks over at the line of kids still waiting to get water before releasing us early.
Sarah jogs off to the girls’ locker room while I stand transfixed watching her ass. Once she’s out of sight, I move. Our showers are cubicle-styled. If I wasn’t at school, I’d probably be rubbing one off right now.
I don’t know what my problem is. Just thinking about her is messing with my mind. It’s impossible to take a shower and not touch your dick. I purposely try to avoid lingering there because if anyone catches me I will never live it down. It just feels good, and it’s like my hands have a mind of their own.
I’m waiting for her. Her wet hair leaves spots on the shoulder of my hoodie. I love the way her conditioner smells, tropical, like mangos. A lot of girls at our school like the flowery smelling crap. I’m not a fan. I pause, waiting for her while she twists her hair up into a bun.
Lacrosse practice kicked my ass today. I fucking hate suicides, and coach had us do a ton. Sprint, then drop and do twenty pushups. Over and over again. I’m dragging as I head to shower and change. The guys are talking about some girl when I walk in. Bravo sees me and tells Todd to shut up. The vibe just seems weird.
“What’s up?” I ask.
Bravo just shakes his head and looks away.
I glance over at Todd and ask again.
He shrugs. “I was just wondering if anyone else saw what Sarah Miller was wearing today.”
Some guys snicker but stop when they see my glare. “Why would any of you care about what she was wearing?”
I’m thinking back to what she was wearing earlier. I’m pretty sure it was just jeans and a hoodie, my hoodie.
He leans in like he’s got a secret. “Her nipples were” is all he gets out before I punch him.
He goes down hard and holds his jaw while I get right in his face. “Not cool, man. You do not talk about her like that. Ever. Got me?”
“What’s going on here?” Coach booms, coming around the corner.
Bravo tugs me back. “Nothing, Coach, Todd just slipped and fell.” He looks at Todd. “Right, Todd?”
Todd looks up at me and nods. Coach tells him to ice his face and tells the rest of us to hit the showers. I’m pissed, fucking asshole talking about her like that, like it’s okay. It drives me crazy knowing other guys even think about her.
Sarah doesn’t seem to think of me as anything other than a friend. I know I’m attracted to her, but there is no way I’m making a move on her. I can’t risk ruining our friendship. She is the one constant in my life.
My parents are oblivious. I bombed a science test, and my teacher, Mr. Norman made me bring a copy of it home for one of them to sign. I put it on the kitchen counter, and it sat there for three days before I just scribbled my mom’s name and turned it back in.
This blonde girl at school has been flirting with me. I’m nervo
us about dating anyone, but she’s pretty and it’s not like I can ask Sarah out. Beginning of our junior year, I started dating this girl named Jen. She couldn’t handle my friendship with Sarah.
Looking back, I can see her point. It had to have felt bad that I’d rather spend time with Sarah than her. When she gave me the ultimatum of choosing between them, she wasn’t surprised when I didn’t pick her.
This blonde, Jessica, doesn’t seem to mind Sarah, so maybe it’s worth a shot. She’s in two of my classes. I only have lunch this year with Sarah. She doesn’t have a car so I still drive her to and from school. Today, when we get to school, Jessica is waiting for me by my locker.
Sarah gives me a look before turning in the other direction and heading off to her first period. I watch her walk away. I gnaw on my lip, hoping she isn’t annoyed at me.
When she turns the corner, I walk the rest of the way to my locker. “Hey,” I say, not really sure what she wants.
“Hi, Will.” She twirls a strand of her hair. “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out together this Friday?”
I look at her. It’s Wednesday. I’m trying to remember if I’m supposed to be doing anything that night. There’s a new movie Sarah wants to see, but we can always go see that on Saturday.
She’s looking at me, waiting for me to reply. “I guess. What’d you want to do?”
She purses her lips to the side, and I have to admit she’s pretty hot. She wears way more makeup than Sarah, and her clothes are tighter too. I’m not crazy about the makeup, but her legs look amazing. Sarah almost never wears dresses. The last time I think I saw her in one was her dad’s last birthday. We all went out to dinner at this Italian place.
“We could go to Java Monkey. I heard they have a band play on Fridays. Then we can hang out at my house. My parents are out of town.” She adds that last part quietly, looking up at me through her lashes.
Her house. I shut my locker and nod. “Sounds good. Do you want to meet there or—”
She doesn’t let me finish. She steps closer to me. “Why don’t you—” She presses her index finger into my chest. “Pick me up at seven.”
We have the same first period and walk to class together. When we get there, it sucks that her desk isn’t near mine. I like the attention. All through class, I watch her. A few times, she catches me. The last time she winks. That is hot. I tell Sarah about our date when we meet up for lunch.
Her mouth drops, and she crosses her arms over her chest. “I thought we were going to the movies.”
“Don’t be pissed. We can go Saturday.” I steal the apple from her tray.
She raises her eyebrow and steals a corner of my brownie.
“Hey.”
“Don’t hate, apple thief.” She points to my acquisition.
“I only wanted a bite,” I say before handing it back to her.
“So did I,” she returns, chomping into her apple.
Halfway through lunch, Sarah brings up Jessica. “So do you like her?”
I nervously chew on the side of my lip. “I don’t know. She seems cool.”
“What are you guys doing?”
“I’m not sure. I think we might go to Java Monkey and then hang out at her house.” I try and play it off like it’s not a big deal.
She starts coughing, and I thump her back. She catches her breath. “Sorry, a piece went down the wrong hole.” Her voice sounds rough. She clears her throat. “So will her parents be there?”
I shake my head. “She said they are going to be out of town.”
She looks down at her watch and jumps up. “I totally forgot. I have this thing. I have to go.” Her voice sounds different.
I look at her. “What thing? Where are you going?”
She already has her food piled up onto her tray and is pulling the straps of her backpack up her arms. “It’s nothing. I’ll see you after school.”
With that, she’s gone. What just happened?
I stare at the now empty seat across from me. We always eat lunch together. If she had something going on, she would have told me before.
I’m in a room full of people, but I suddenly feel isolated. I glance around. It feels weird eating by myself. There are a group of girls checking me out from the table next to ours. No thank you. I look down at my tray. I’ve officially lost my appetite. I stand, get all my stuff together, and leave the cafeteria.
Why do girls have to be so confusing? I walk to my locker and get my stuff for the next two periods. Jessica is in my next class. I’m actually looking forward to seeing her. I get there early since I already ran by my locker. I’m sitting when she walks in. She smiles when she sees me, like a really big happy smile.
I can’t help but smile back. Her seat isn’t next to me, but it’s close. She carries a messenger bag instead of a backpack and hangs it on the back of her chair. The bell hasn’t rung yet, so she walks over to me and half sits on my desk. Her ass is on my desk, right in front of me. I have to shift in my seat.
“Hi, Will.”
She’s wearing a button up shirt with a collar. There’s a little space between two of the buttons. Holy shit, I can see her bra and a sliver of her breast. Fuck, I’m hard. I slip my hand into my pocket and press my dick flat against me, tucking it under the waistband of my boxers.
“Hey, Jessica.” If she noticed my adjustment, she isn’t letting on.
“I’m really looking forward to hanging out on Friday.” God, the way she says ‘really’ makes my dick twitch.
I clear my throat. “Yeah, me too.” I just about groan.
The bell rings, and she slides off my desk and walks back over to hers, her hips rocking back and forth. I almost feel guilty for the thoughts racing through my brain. I barely hear what Mrs. Tunstall is saying or writing on the board. All I can see is Jessica’s white bra.
I blink when the bell rings. Jessica is waiting by her desk. I wonder if she’s waiting for me. When she falls into step next to me, I know she is. Life is weird. I hardly know this girl, and now I can’t stop thinking about her. She really seems to like me. It’s just odd that we never really talked before.
We pause outside the door. “Which way?” I hold my hands up, thumbs pointing in either direction down the hall. She points left.
I frown. “I’m heading that way.” I point right. My last period is almost across the hall, just a couple doors down.
She leans in and kisses my cheek. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
I tilt my head and watch her disappear into the sea of kids in the hallway before shaking my head and heading to my next class. I’ve been kissed before; I’ve even made out with a few girls. I just wasn’t expecting her to do that, so I think it’s hitting me harder.
I can’t stop thinking about Friday night. It hits me in class why I never really hung out with her before. She was dating this guy, Brice. He moved away at the beginning of the year.
After school, I meet Sarah at her locker. “Where’d you have to go at lunch?”
She’s looking for something, digging through a pile of papers that seems to be a permanent fixture at the bottom of her locker. It’s funny. From this angle she looks almost headless. I pull my camera out of my bag and snap her picture. She pops her head out and glares. My camera is still out so I’m caught. I stick my tongue out at her and snap another picture. “Give me angry.” I command.
Her mouth twitches, and I know she’s trying not to laugh. “What about studious? Give me studious.”
She raises one eyebrow. “Is this necessary?”
“Always.” I reply. “So what are you looking for?”
“I have a paper due on Monday, and I can’t find the handout that has the requirements on it.” She sounds frustrated and makes a halfhearted flip through the stack again.
“Just ask your teacher for another one.” It seems obvious.
“I can’t.” She groans, shutting her locker door and resting her forehead on it.
“Okay, drama, why not?” Her hair has f
allen forward. All thoughts of Jessica leave me as my fingers itch to tuck those loose strands behind her ear. She is so cute when she’s acting crazy, which happens a lot.
“Mr. Jones hates me.” She tilts her chin to the side, forehead still on her locker, but somehow the movement exposes her eye. “Hates me.”
I shake my head. “I’ll bite. Why does he hate you?”
She turns around, presses her back to her locker and slides down it until she’s sitting on the floor in front of it. She drops her head into her hands. It feels weird talking to her when she’s on the ground, and I’m standing so I sit down next to her.
She lifts her head and pouts. “I had a complete brainfart in class last week and couldn’t remember who wrote Hamlet.” She pauses to sniffle. “So he goes off on this rant about our generation being too focused on TV and the internet and that our brains are wasting away. He hates me.”
“I’m sure you could get a copy from someone in your class.”
She blinks at me. “Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll call Justin and get it from him.”
What? Justin who? She’s going to call some guy. I try and think of the Justins in our class and which one she might be talking about. I don’t know why it bugs me, but it does. Does she have his number already in her phone? Have they talked before?
“If he’s still here, you can get it before we leave.” I say, wanting to know who this guy is, and if she gets what she needs now, there will be no reason to call him later.
“Oh, I can just call him.” She says, smirking at me.
“It’s not a big deal. Or we can swing by his house on the way home.” What am I saying?
She crooks one eyebrow up at me. “It’s no big deal, Will. I don’t even know why I was so freaked out.”
I stand. She reaches her hand up to me, and I pull her up easily. Too easily, our chests bump, and she blushes, backing away. I have to stop thinking about her that way. She’s my best friend. She probably sees me as her brother.
Shit. Brian would kill if he knew what I was thinking about doing to his little sister right now. She’s just always so covered up, less during the summer and when we go to the pool and stuff. She doesn’t wear crazy baggy stuff either, except for when she wears my old hoodies, which she does a lot.
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