Stuck on You, 11: Relief.
Andrew Jackson.
“So, you’re in this tutoring thing with Jenny?” Thomas James asked on a Monday afternoon during football, I mean as the American call it, soccer training.
I was getting irritated by this guy. Not because he kept on asking me questions about Jenny, but the fact as if he can get Jenny just like that under his so-called-charming trance.
I don’t know why I was being all defensive. After all, I just started school for only less than 3 weeks. But then again, Jenny is my friend, so why not?
“Yeah.” I said, “Why?”
We were told by coach to just warm up, since it was the first week of practice. I’ve been dribbling since practice started and unfortunately for me, Thomas decided to follow me around as if he was my tail.
Bastard.
“Nothing.” He said, flashing his pearly whites. Oooookay. “Do you guys know each other?”
I threw my head back and laughed, “I’m new here, mate, remember?”
Thomas laughed. “Right. Forgot about that.” A few seconds passed then he asked, ”So, how’s New York for you so far?” I was relieved that he changed the subject.
“Alright, so far.” I told him.
“Better than London?”
It took me awhile to reply, “So far, not really.”
I shook my head and started kicking the ball. Not long after that Thomas asked, “Do you think Jenny would like, go out with me, if I asked?”
I stopped kicking the ball and gritted my teeth, “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her? I’m not her best friend.”
“Alright, cupcakes! Till our next practice, hit the showers!” Coach called out.
And for the first time ever during my 10 years of football practice, I was relieved.
***
That afternoon, it was almost 2pm, I headed straight to Brooklyn Primary School.
I wasn’t surprised when Jenny was there first. The classroom empty, the kids were not inside yet. It was light as the sun shone through the classroom windows, reflecting the classroom’s colourful painted walls. Origamis of different animals were hung above the ceiling.
Jenny looked up at me while holding a stack of papers and gave me a smile, “Hello.”
I closed the door behind me, “Hi.”
“You’re early.” She said. “The kids are outside.”
“Yeah, I saw them play outside.”
She laughed, “I was thinking, we’ll ask them individually on what their weakness on math is. Then we could help them with it.”
I thought about it and, “I like the idea. Sure, why not?”
“Thought you would.” She said then said, “Since when are you so nice to me?”
I laughed, “Dunno.”
“I liked it better when we bicker.” She winked.
I gave her a small smile, “Fine. If you put it that way, Thomas James asked me about you during football practice.”
She stopped arranging the papers and looked up at me, “Really?”
I felt a pang and said, “Really. It was annoying as hell.”
She laughed, “You exaggerate a lot.”
“That’s me.” I told her, “You want help with that?”
“Naaah. I’m alright. Just help me give these out to the kids once they get in, okay?”
“Sure.”
“So…” She started, “What did Thomas ask about?”
I shook my head and forced a laugh, “Just sort out the papers, Shay.”
She gave me a grin that made her face look brighter and clucked her tongue out to me and continued doing so.
I looked out the classroom window to see the sun shining in the middle of the sky and let out a huge sigh that I couldn’t hear through the noise of the classroom door, opening and a dozen footsteps going around the classroom, a sign that I should start helping out kids because I promised to.
