Freaks of Greenfield High

Freaks of Greenfield High (Chapter 17)

Freaks of Greenfield High

By Maree Anderson

Chapter Seventeen

"What took you so long?" Caro's gaze was glued to her precious new phone. "Gahhh! How the heck do you turn the predictive text off on this thing?" She stabbed a few more random buttons.

"Jay." Tyler cleared his throat and tried again. "You look—"

Jay tried not to react to the stunned expression on his face. She sucked in a deep breath and held it, letting it out ever so slowly when the O of his mouth stretched into a smile.

"Got it." Caro finally glanced up from her phone. "Hey, you look amazing!" she blurted, seconds before Tyler gave his final verdict—the word no girl wanted to hear in relation to her appearance: "Nice."

An awkward silence descended. Jay shifted from one foot to the other, illogically discomfited at being the center of attention. Vulnerable, despite having applied a physical mask of cosmetics to hide behind.

Tyler stared at her.

Hot-cold shivers scuttled up and down Jay's spine, goosing her skin. She'd made a huge mistake. If this was his reaction, what would all the other kids think? What would they do when they saw her like this? What would they say?

She must have looked like she was about to bolt because Tyler grabbed her arm. "Sorry 'bout the dorky compliment. I wasn't expecting you to— You caught me by surprise, is all." He bent to kiss her cheek. "You look wonderful."

Jay's breath caught in her throat and all she managed was a breathy, "Thanks."

"Can we come in?" He didn't wait for a response. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her inside. She couldn't even be annoyed with him because her legs had turned to Jell-O and without some physical prompting, she might have zoned out and stayed put, basking in the warmth of his admiration.

The apartment was now almost empty. The bookcases were gone, as was all the furniture except for a stereo system, and the two trestle tables Jay had pushed against one wall, groaning with an assortment of sodas and snack food. She'd scattered numerous large cushions and beanbags around the outskirts of the room. For decorations, she had crisscrossed the ceiling with strings of colored lights.

She pulled herself together, flicked a switch and the room lit up, flashing like some psychedelic fairyland. "What d'you think?"

"Outstanding!"

Caro gave her a hug and Jay had to hold herself still, tensing her muscles against the need to cling and seek comfort.

"It's gonna be some party," Caro said. "What can we do?"

"iPod's on the bench," Jay told her. "Why don't you check out the playlist and test the speakers?"

"Sweet!" With a flick of her skirt, Caro sauntered off.

Jay was as alone with Tyler as she'd ever be this evening, given fifty or so kids would be showing up in a half-hour. She bit her lip, feeling awkward. But from somewhere—some emotional reservoir she'd never before needed to tap into—she found the courage to show Tyler how she felt. She captured his face with gentle fingers. Gentle or not, she gave him no choice but to tip his face downward to meet hers. She pressed her lips to his, and her eyelids drifted shut as she savored him.

His hands clamped her upper arms, hesitated, and then tensed to push her away. She was far stronger than he. It was her choice that she broke the kiss and stepped away, not his. And her heart felt like it had shattered into a trillion tiny pieces and would never be whole again.