Cheers, Mathletes, and Touchdowns

Cheers, Mathletes, and Touchdowns Part Fifteen

A/N: Yeah, another chapter up tonight. It seems like I will not be able to put up the third chapter tonight because its not finished yet. Happy reading.

 

Meredith Andrews’ ‘You are not Alone’

I suggested we take a walk back home since neither of us had a car. I would have had Val pick us up but walking seemed a bit more romantic.

“Ok,” I started, thinking we had exhausted every not boring topic both of us knew extensively about, which wasn’t much if I could say so myself, “let’s play a game,” I suggested.

It was almost getting dark and even though I was still carrying my book bag, Josh was holding the math text for me.

“What game?” Josh inquired.

“One for one,” I said.

“I don’t get it,” he complained.

I sighed. I really didn’t know how the real name of the game but it wasn’t that difficult to explain.

“You tell me something I don’t know about you, and I tell you something you don’t know about me,” I explained.

“Great,” Josh enthused, “You start.”

“That’s not fair, I brought up the game.”

Josh smiled mischievously, “My reason exactly.”

I shrugged and kicked a stone on the sidewalk, “Alright, cool,” I conceded, looking up at him, “I have an IQ of 138.”

“Whoa,” Josh said, “As incredible as that is, it is not really a secret you’ve not told anyone.”

I got him there. “My Mom, Val, Ben, Damian, the Principal, and Mr. Lacrosse know. It’s not exactly a secret.”

“Yeah, but you are supposed to tell something no one knows about you,” Josh observed.

“No,” I objected, “I’m supposed to tell something you don’t know about me.”

“Nice save,” Josh commented, smiling and nodding.

“It’s your turn now,” I told him.

“I don’t like blondes,” he said.

I smiled even though I wondered why. Everybody seemed to like blonde girls. It was even said that they have all the fun. “That’s a nice and valuable piece of information. May I ask why?” I inquired.

“We are not playing twenty questions here,” he sensibly observed, “It’s your turn.”

“Alright,” I agreed, letting the question drop, “I have a very weird taste in music.”

“Weird,how?”

“We are not playing twenty questions here, mister,” I reminded him.

 He raised his hands in surrender, “Nice way to turn the tables,” he observed.

“I’m really good,” I volunteered. “However, I meant that I love sad and angry songs. I mix it all up in my playlists and do a shuffle whenever I play them.”

“May I ask why?” Josh asked carefully.

“It helps me concentrate whenever I’m studying. I don’t understand why, but I’ve discovered that I achieve a lot more when I have ‘Life for Rent’, ‘Save You’ or ‘Diary of Jane’ playing.”

“That’s not really weird. I really don’t like the regular same-old Hip-Hop/Rap/R n B sometimes,” Josh assured me.

“Did you just take your turn?” I asked.

Josh laughed, “Maybe, who cares?”

I looked at my feet and smiled again.

“I really wish you’d look beyond the motive for the invite and go to that party,” Josh said quietly.

“Why?”

“Because it’s probably your last chance to have so much fun while still in High School,” Josh reasoned.

I sighed, “I was thinking of talking to my Mom when I got home today, and asking her opinion.”

“That’s good; I really recommend you do that.”

I looked up and noticed we were almost at my house. I could even see my Mom’s car parked outside in the driveway. I slowed and came to a stop at the edge of the drive as Josh did the same. I slowly turned to face him. He handed me my textbook and said, “I guess this is it, then.”

“Yeah, we are here,” I said. “Thanks for lunch and the walk.”

He made a bow, “You are welcome. I really wish we could do more, though.”

“It was fine,” I hastily assured him.

“You know, there’s one thing I’ve not told you,” Josh started.

“What is that?” I asked, a bit curious.

His voice dropped to barely above a whisper, “I think I really like you.”

Whoa. I felt a very fierce blush rising on my cheek. “Thanks,” I said, coyly.

“And I would really like to kiss you now,” he said and lifted my chin.

I felt very giddy with happiness and I blushed again as I managed to get out, “I would really like that, too.”

He smiled as he lowered his head and his lips covered mine in the gentlest way possible, just as the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the horizon and the sky went a bit dark. I dropped the Math textbook as both of my hands crept around his neck just as his own touched the nape of my neck, and my lips started moving in sync with his. It was perfect. I understood how Liz felt in that episode of Roswell when she saw stars every time she kissed Max. Whether it was a few seconds, minutes, or hours later when he pulled away, I couldn’t tell. I was still reeling from the exquisite tenderness of my first kiss.

I opened my eyes and looked into his eyes, shyly at first and then a bit more boldly when he dared me to hold his gaze. His lips curved into a smile and I could feel my own face relaxing and pulling into a smile at the sides.

“Thanks,” he said, and made me wonder what he was thanking me for. There wasn’t even any tongue in the kiss.

I broke his gaze and replied, “No, thank you.”

“See you in school tomorrow,” he said and I stepped back and waved at him as I made my way into my house where I could finally make out my Mom silhouetted against the living room drapes. She belonged to a very nosy breed. I didn’t have to look back to know that Josh was still standing in my driveway and was watching me walk away.