You're What I Want (Y.A Series Book 4)

by Sarah Tork

  “No problem, sprinkle toes. Anytime,” Annabelle said, fixing her ponytail.

  I stretched my arms out behind the bench. “So, now that I’m feeling better… why’d you skip History?”

  “Just some ish I dealt through, no biggie,” Annabelle answered, staring off in the distance. Even though the sun was slowly setting, it was still bright enough that I could see her face. She seemed conflicted.

  “You sure?” I asked.

  She gave me her signature reassuring smile. “Everything is all right. You’re the one going through something… not me. I’m fine.”

  Normal Jenna would have been worried.

  But right now, I wasn’t normal Jenna. I was selfish Jenna, and selfish Jenna was going to abuse this hundred-percent-attention thing Annabelle was giving, no matter what she might or might not be going through with… that guy, if it was even him this time.

  “When did I become this person?” I asked her, feeling nauseous. “Anna, you’re giving me advice and taking care of me. Our roles are reversed. You’re the protector and I’m the helpless idiot.”

  “Our roles aren’t reversed, trust me. Starting tomorrow, we’ll be back doing what we do best, me having panic attacks over the many stupid things I do, and you, the queen savior ready to take back her kingdom by kicking ass.”

  I grunted. “Old Jenna would have fallen to the ground and convulsed in shock at the mere sight, let alone description, of my current state.”

  Annabelle bumped her shoulder into mine. “No, she wouldn’t.”

  We sat in silence for a little bit, just what the doctor ordered again. But then I remembered Becky and what Tom had said about somebody saying stuff to her last weekend.

  “Do you know why Becky didn’t show up to school today?” I asked.

  Annabelle shook her head, looking perplexed. “I texted her last weekend, but she didn’t respond.”

  I sighed. “I hope she’s okay.”

  “Me too,” Annabelle added.

  *~*~*

  *JENNA*

  “So everything’s okay now?” Robby asked me while we video chatted after dinner.

  I leaned back in my chair and rested both my legs on top of my desk. “Trust me, bro, it’s better than it was yesterday. He was really sad. I got upset seeing him like that.”

  “Why didn’t you call me yesterday? Why didn’t Mom call me? How come I’m always the one left out on important family stuff?” My older brother grew frustrated as our conversation progressed to yesterday’s heart-wrenching situation. He had the night off, but by the look of his scowl, going to a bar with a few friends might not be a good idea. What if he got into a fight?

  “Because I wasn’t supposed to know either.” I sat up straighter. “You know they don’t like discussing money ish with us. Get over it, I have… kind of.”

  Robby exhaled his frustration. “Fine, whatever. I’ll give him a call right now and ask how he’s doing.”

  “Genius idea, bro. Dad will love hearing his shining chef kitchen star of a son’s voice. But it’s almost nine, so you better call now before his game show starts. You know Pops don’t like it when we interrupt him during Match This Card, or whatever it’s called.”

  “Got it,” Robby muttered and sat up straighter. “Oh, and by the way, thanks for telling me about your boyfriend. How long have you been lovebirds with Thomas Colleto again?”

  My eyes widened in horror. “How’d you find out?”

  “Facebook, duh.” Robby scoffed, shaking his head like I was stupid. “Don’t worry, I won’t spill your news to Mom and Dad, but we will be having an in-depth conversation about this guy. You’re lucky I just found out yesterday about your ‘relationship.’ I haven’t checked Facebook for at least a week.”

  “Fine, interrogate me all you want, but please don’t tell Mom and Dad. I’m waiting a little bit before I tell them.”

  “I won’t say a word, promise,” Robby said. “All right, talk to you later.”

  “All right, byeee.” I waved to him and the video screen went black.

  I closed my laptop and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. While I flossed, I heard Dad’s overjoyed reaction when he answered the phone and it was Robby.

  “My boy’s calling his old man, taking apart the big old M–I–A–M–I–I–I!” Dad hollered joyously.

  “What?” Mom screeched. “Mr. Genius, that’s not how you spell Miami.”

  “I know, woman!” Dad interjected. “It’s called exaggerating, hello!”

  “Whatever,” Mom hissed. “Don’t take too long talking to my son, he wants to talk to his momma too.”

  “Pshhhh, she dares take this phone from me. See what happens, Natalie,” Dad threatened comically. “Women, right son? Ha, can’t live with them, can’t talk on the phone in PEACE in front of them either. This is why I need a cell phone pronto.”

  “You can’t even operate the cordless phone without asking me questions. Besides, you broke the last one,” Mom announced in disbelief.

  The amount of times toothpaste foam spilled from my mouth as a result of laughing too hard at my parents’ back-and-forth was uncountable. They were still on the phone with Robby as I tucked myself in bed with my cell phone. Soon after I shut off my lights, it chimed with an incoming text that had me grinning like a fool.

  Tom: Miss you. Call that cheesy, I don’t care. You bring the cheese out of me.

  Jenna: That does not sound sanitary.

  Tom: Tell me you don’t miss me too… I dare you.

  Jenna: Cheesefest 2012, coming to a town near you. I like being near you… so take it for what it is.

  Tom: In simpler terms… You miss your man! Baby, I don’t blame you, I’m adorable.

  Jenna: Pshhh… cocky much?

  Tom: Learned from the best.

  Jenna: Me?

  Tom: Duh.

  Jenna: I’d tell you I was offended, but then that would a lie. I am cocky… and

  proud of it!!

  Tom: Truth.

  Jenna: You got that right. LOL.

  Tom: So… what’re you up to now?

  Jenna: Me nothing, I’m chilling in bed.

  Tom: In bed?

  Jenna: That’s what I wrote.

  Tom: That’s some image.

  Jenna: What are you doing now?

  Tom: I’m in bed too.

  Jenna: Well… that’s some image for me too.

  CHAPTER 15

  *JENNA*

  Tuesday November 13, 2012

  “Jenna Sabini, aka Swimstar, aka Ego Queen?”

  Halfway to class, someone called my name. I turned around and Coach was running towards me.

  “Yeah, Coach Latisha?”

  She stopped in front of me with a huge smile on her face. “Great news,” she said.

  My heart started beating faster. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s Brucey’s State University,” she sang with a grin on her face. “They’re coming.”

  My jaw dropped. “For who?”

  She grabbed my shoulder and shook it. “For you, Jenna.”

  “For me?” I screeched, slamming into a locker. “For me?”

  Coach Latisha fist-pumped. “This is it, Jenna. It’s time to get back in the game, stronger than ever.”

  I nodded, fist-pumping with her. “What is it gonna take, Coach? I’ll do anything to get this scholarship.”

  “They sent a telegram via Brucey’s U Delivery this morning with specific details on what you have to do,” she informed me, holding a box of chicken nuggets with BBQ sauce. “You can’t screw this up again. So eat your nuggets quickly, we’ve got to go to the pool right now, we can’t waste a second not training.”

  We ran to the change room where a swimsuit covered in neon-green and pink bows awaited me on a hanger outside my locker.

  “Look how beautiful that BSU swimsuit is, Jenna!” Coach beamed, pointing at it.

  I glanced at her in confusion. “That’s not from BSU, Coach.”

  “What a
re you talking about, of course it is. It’s an official BSU Spicy Mustard competition suit.” Coach took the hanger off my locker and threw it in my arms. “Now hurry up and change, we don’t have time.”

  I changed into the suit and joined her by the deep end.

  “In you go,” she squealed, pushing my shoulders. I fell backwards, smashing painfully into chlorinated water.

  My lungs filled with water as I swam up the glow-in–the-dark wall. When out, I held the edge and coughed. “Coach, why’d you push me?”

  “Because you need to be pushed.” Dressed in devil red, Latisha stood over me, looking down with black, soulless eyes. She lifted her foot over my face. “Now swim, loser.”

  “WAKE UP, ORLANDOOOOOO!”

  My eyes popped open to my clock radio blaring, “Good morning, good morning. Another beautiful day right here in….”

  My heart raced as I counted glowing stars to calm down. I slammed my radio off and stared at my alarm in dismay. Why’d I set my alarm to 6:00 a.m. again?

  *~*~*

  *JENNA*

  I was early for swim practice, which wasn’t unusual because my svelte self was always first in the change room during morning practices, which were only a couple of times a week.

  “You.”

  I would recognize that nasally, screechy, traitorous voice anywhere. It had a certain effect on blood temperature: normal to boiling in less than a second.

  I heard it’s a new record or something.

  My eyes met twinkling blues that had no reason to shine. Really, I was being serious… in fact, a lesson was in order.

  I sneered. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the person I’ve been looking forward to speaking with… or in much simpler terms, looking forward to annihilating in a humiliating fashion in front of the entire school.”

  Latisha pursed her baby-pink lip-glossed lips, looking like she just ate a dozen glazed donuts, but I knew she didn’t because the last time this girl ate carbs was probably pre-push-up bra, circa 2009.

  “I’m not trembling and I’m not scared of you either,” Latisha snarled, looking like a moron. “I thought you’d have known your place after I almost called you out yesterday.”

  I grunted a quick laugh. “And you’re all alone too; that’s very interesting.”

  The traitor had the nerve to take a step toward me. “I’m not scared of you, Jenna Sabini.”

  That was actually funny. So I laughed. “Your delusions, as always, Latisha, are hilarious. I wonder though, since there are no witnesses, what’s your vantage?”

  She looked like she wanted to say something, but to my shock she didn’t and took a huge breath instead. “I don’t have a vantage, I’m early for one reason.”

  I sneered, impatient at this troll. “And that’s what?”

  “To meet you. I know you like getting to practice early so I came early too,” Latisha said.

  She wanted a repeat of yesterday. Well, she was about to get a wake-up call. Yesterday was a one-time thing, and it was never going to happen again. “To meet me? Well, I’ve got news for you. If you think I’m going to let you talk crap to me and just walk away like you did yesterday, you are sadly mistaken. I want you to know a few things and then I want you to be scared for your—”

  “I’m sorry!” Latisha interrupted.

  My jaw dropped. “You’re… sorry?”

  “I’m sorry.” The words left Latisha again and I wanted to strangle her. It wasn’t fair. Here I was angry, ready to throttle her, and she was telling me she was… sorry? Like it made everything better.

  It didn’t.

  “Sorry’s not going to cut it, Latisha,” I told her and walked around her to enter the change room. “You’re not a good person.”

  She heard that for sure.

  She followed me inside. “I am a good person!”

  “No, you’re not.” I growled and opened my locker. “A good person doesn’t do the things you do. You need professional help.”

  Her eyes widened. “I need professional help? You walk these hallways like you’re some kind of queen athlete. You’re not nice either, far from it, actually.”

  Maybe she was right about that, but there was still a difference between us. “Nicer than you though. You really have stepped past as Donna’s simple-minded protégé.”

  “I’m nothing like her. Stop calling me that,” Latisha roared.

  I grabbed my towel out of my bag. “I won’t. You’re a monster. It’s only fitting.”

  With my suit in tow, I shut my locker and headed to a changing stall. Normally I’d have no shame in changing in front of my fellow teammates, but Latisha was no teammate.

  “You know what?” Latisha banged on the stall door. “I take my apology back!”

  I pulled my shirt off. “Good. I don’t want it anyways. It’s not like you meant it.”

  “I did mean it. I was sorry. But you make it so hard to apologize with that stupid laugh you do.”

  What?

  My stupid laugh.

  “My stupid laugh?” I repeated, still confused.

  “Yeah, your stupid laugh, like you’re smarter than everyone,” Latisha screeched. “You think people admire you? Wake up. Nobody admires you, there’re just people in this school who are scared of getting bit by your big teeth. You’re the monster.”

  She ran out of the change room before I snapped my practice suit on and rushed out to kick her ass, or at least slap her face. Mouthing off to me while I changed; if that wasn’t cowardly, I didn’t know what was.

  I was the first one in the pool, doing extra laps perfecting my freestyle. By the time my fellow swim team members made it to practice, my laps were completed, including what I did as a bonus. I glanced up at Coach, who stood off the deep end deck with her trusty clipboard. Gabe and Tina held hands behind her, struggling to disarm as they both swam in different speed lanes. Gabe was in the fast lane—the lane I used—and Tina did her laps in the slow lane—not since freshman year have I swum in the slow lane, three cheers for your girl!

  “You two!” Coach hissed at the swim team’s in-house love-dove couple. “Get to swimming, before I cut you both! Get serious, we’ve got a meet coming up soon. Enough with the hand holding on deck, too. Jesus Christ, you two have been seriously lacking in improvement lately. Gabe, you aren’t going to place if you keep up this work ethic. Tina… well, you… well… I’m sure you care about bringing in a good time for your relay heat, don’t you? This is important.”

  Everyone was looking. On the verge of hysteria, Tina’s face turned bright red. Gabe didn’t look any better, clearly affected by the scolding.

  “This is important too, Coach,” Tina cried, holding Gabe’s hand for dear life. “We love each other. Don’t tell us not to show the world.”

  Oh, my God.

  I dunked back down, hiding half my face in the pool. She did not just say that. I was mortified for her. Gabe certainly looked embarrassed, which was enough for him to peel his hand away from Tina, who whimpered like it pained her to be without his touch.

  God, if I ever acted like that, please… somebody kill me.

  Gabe jumped in the pool and got down to business, smashing a four-hundred-meter freestyle in a time I hadn’t seen from him since the beginning of senior year. He continued the effort, smashing his preferred meet races, a fifty-meter butterfly and a two-hundred-meter back crawl, making Coach smile as she logged his time. But honestly though, the way he swam was beautiful and his last mock heat during practice was epic amazeballs. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

  Practice came to an end, and I headed for the change room feeling really good. Unfortunately, not everyone felt like that. Tina lagged behind, awaiting confirmation from her man after their time apart that he was still her pookie bear and that he still loved her.

  Dear God….

  A few girls made their way ahead of me, taking both showers. Third in line, I waited and thought about everything that’d happened. As the line filled behind me, I real
ized Dana never even showed up for practice. Not cool.

  After I took my turn showering, Tina made her way inside the change room in tears, taking her spot at the end of the line. With a teary face, she glared at me as I wrapped my towel around my body. “Why were you ogling Gabe during practice, Jenna?”

  “What are you talking about?” I grimaced, taken aback by her accusation.

  “I saw you looking at him like that. What kind of loyalty is that, huh!” she accused loudly, looking like an angry tiger ready to pounce.

  My patience was already wearing thin thanks to what happened with Latisha this morning. No way José was I letting someone else take advantage of my kindness. Bull in china shop persona times a million: Commenced. “You’re crazy, borderline delusional. Everyone was watching him swim his practice run, Tina. I wasn’t looking at your coddled beefcake like that, nor have I ever. Get a clue; if anyone’s disloyal, it’s you.”

  *~*~*

  *JENNA*

  History was repeating itself, sort of. I was last out of class after the lunch bell rang. All I thought about en route to the cafeteria were numerous revenge plots in preparation for my arrival. Tina, Latisha, Donna, Stacey, Stacey Two… who else hated me? I needed mental strength. I needed to prepare my psyche in case any one of those idiots wanted to take the warrior on. Today wouldn’t be like yesterday, as Latisha learned earlier. Today, if I were messed with, there’d be no coming back…. The kindness was finito. Bring on the bloodbath.