Stuck on You, 19: Suspicion.
Jenny Shay.
“Hey, Jennifer, wait up!” I heard someone call.
It took me about 5 seconds to respond back to whoever called my name. I was as sleepy as a girl who hadn’t slept for 10 years. If that was even possible, anyway.
Friday morning. Thank God the weekend is coming up. I swear I’m gonna sleep my ass off all day and and never, ever come out of my room.
I turned around, my droopy eyes widening, as I was looking into Thomas James’s sky blue eyes, and the soccer/basketball player himself standing in front of me.
“Hi.”
I could feel my cheeks flushing. I looked down and putting a strand of my front hair behind my right ear, “Hey.”
Thomas laughed, “Wow, you look horrible.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to hide a smile, “Don’t I always?”
Thomas looked stunned, “What? No, no! I mean, that’s not what I meant. I mean, you look amazing, as always but, you know, you just seem—”
“Depressed? Upset? Moody?” I suggested.
Thomas scratched his head, “Uh… yeah.”
I smiled a tired smile, “Just tired. Haven’t been sleeping properly these days. My sleeping schedule’s kinda messed up.”
“That explains it.” He said.
“Yep.” I said, “So, what’s up?”
“Oh, me? Nothing much. You?”
“Besides the fact that I have a fucked up sleeping schedule?” I smiled.
He returned my smile, “Besides the fact that you have a fucked up sleeping schedule.”
“Nothing much really. Isn’t the big game coming up soon?”
“What? Oh yeah. Two weeks from now. Don’t worry, though, the Eagles will kick ass!” He said with a wink, “as always.”
I laughed, “Then I’ll be surprised if you get your asses wiped off the court in 2 weeks’ time.”
“You want a bet?”
I grinned, “Are you for real?”
“Hell yeah.”
“You don’t wanna think twice about this? Just to warn you, I’m a master at these kind of things.”
He looked as if he was considering it and… “Yep. I’m sure.”
I crossed my arms, “Alright, what’d you have in mind?”
“If The Eagles win, which, I bet they will, since they’ve, we’ve never lost any games—”
I rolled my eyes.
“—you go out with me.” He finished.
Holy mother of pearl. DID I JUST FREAKING HEAR THAT RIGHT? Wait, WHAT?
“What?” I repeated, dumbfounded.
Thomas smiled, “If I win, you go out with me.”
“Like… a date?” I asked.
He shrugged, “If you want it to be.”
Okay, what the heck am I supposed to say? I barely even know the guy. After weeks we had that conversation in the cafeteria, NOW HE’S ASKING ME OUT? Boy, he be trippin’.
“I’ll think about it.” I said in a casual tone.
He laughed, “Alright, alright. Fair enough.”
I smiled, “And if I win…”
“Oh, right.” He smirked, “If you win?”
“If I win,” I repeated, “We’ll have a little one-on-one. Just the two of us.”
He scoffed, “Are you being for real?”
“Nope.”
“I bet I’ll kick your ass on the court.”
“I bet you I won’t.”
“Alright, you’re on.”
I smirked, “Best thing I’ve heard all day.”
***
“Thomas James asked you out on a date?!” Alexa shrieked.
“SHHHHHHHH!” I put my hand over her mouth, “Shut up! Don’t let anyone hear you, you loudspeaker!”
“Sorry, sorry.” Alexa said, “But are you serious? Thomas James? The Thomas James? He asked you out on a date?”
I shrugged, trying to hide my smile, “It’s not a date—”
“Yet.”
“—yet.” I said, “Right.”
“Omigod. After weeks—”
“I know!”
***
Rain. I hate the rain. Good thing I didn’t have to do any tutoring today. Since the BPS had to close the school down because of the nasty weather. Ugh. Why not our school too? At least I get to sleep for the whole freaking week.
I didn’t expect my dad to come and pick me up, so I spent the whole afternoon in the library after Alexa left, since she had to do something at home.
5pm. Closing time.
As I head my way to the parking lot, I heard someone say, “Shay.”
I turned around, surprised to find myself smiling on seeing Andrew. “Hey, you.”
He returned me with a smile, “What’re you doing here?”
I shrugged my shoulder to the library, “Homework. And I didn’t have a ride home, so yeah. Didn’t really expect my dad to come and pick me up. You?”
“Football training.” He replied.
“Football football or… football soccer?”
He smiled, “Soccer, Shay. I had ‘soccer’ training.” He said, using his two index fingers air quoting the word soccer.
I smiled.
He bit his lower lip. “You want me to send you home?”
For some reason I couldn’t move, my heart skipped a beat, my breath caught in my throat all at he same time. What the fuck is wrong with me?
“Uh… sure.” I replied coolly.
“Great, come on.”
“Thanks again, in advanced.” I told him as we made our way to the parking lot.
“No problem. Might as well get used to it, I bet this won’t be the last time I’m giving you a ride home, or… anywhere, even.”
I winked at him, “I hope you happen to have an umbrella with you, Andrew.”
“Oh, we don’t need an umbrella. We’ll just run.”
“What?” I laughed, “Won’t your car get wet?”
“Hey, that’s what butlers are for.”
“You’re sucha spoiled brat.”
“Watch it, wumman.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
“Do you wanna walk home?”
“Ha. Like you’d ever let me out of your sight.” I joked.
He looked at me, his brown eyes serious. “Right, come on then.”
***
“So, what’s this I hear about you and Thomas James going on a date?”
I almost choked, and I haven’t even turned 17 yet. “What?”
“Come on, one thing I’ve learned about here in America, and your school, is that rumors travel fast.”
“It’s nothing.” I told him immediately, “Just this lame bet we had. I didn’t even expect it.”
“Uhuh.”
“I’m serious!” I slapped his arm.
“Okay, okay!” He laughed, putting his hands up in surrender. “Just playing with you.”
I sighed, “Alright.”
“Alright, here we are. Home sweet home.” He said as he pulled in front of my apartment.
“Thanks again for the ride.” I said.
“No problem.” He said, “Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not really going on a date with Thomas, are you?”
I raised an eyebrow in suspicion, “I’m not really entirely sure, either. Why?”
He shook his head, “Nothing. Just asking. See you tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday.”
He winked, “Who knows I might bump into you or crash your place.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would.” He smirked, “See you, Shay.”
