Cheers, Mathletes, and Touchdowns

Cheers, Mathletes, and Touchdowns Part Two

Alexi

There was something really tiring about girls usually caught up in their own worlds to notice anyone else. Samantha was so serious it was tiring work to distract her long enough to ensure I didn't have to work on the problems in front of me.

After about fifteen minutes of trying to make sense of what looked like nonsense to me, I gave up and focused on ensuring I didn't have to go through that torture anymore. Luckily for me, I found out that it was easy enough to make her laugh, I just had to get the right topic. Although I kinda almost blew it when I complained about crazy scientists.

What would happen tomorrow if I met her in the hallway? We both knew my part in solving impossible questions was just for today. Would we ignore each other the same way we had always or would she at least say hi, and not feel high and mighty the way she and her fellow bookish people were about her ability to get a college scholarship based on the contents on their brains and not on physical ability like us jocks. I don't get it sometimes, we are the jocks, we rule the school and yet those nobody geeks could wither us with a look since they barely said anything to anyone. Thank God I wasn't a person that much for planning. I'll see what she does first before I react but at least I have to get her home today and finish what I started.

I could tell she was surprised when I dropped her off at her house without asking for directions, not even once. Even though we had never actually been on super-friendly terms, there had been a time when we were all innocent children without rank or hate towards anyone.

I pulled up on her street and heard her say goodbye as she opened the door and got out.

"Thanks for the ride," she said, glancing at her shoes as she said so.

I nodded.

"Okay, I had better get going. Thanks for the food."

I nodded again.

"I don't really expect you to read those textbooks but if you ever need help with your school work, you can come to me."

I nodded again.

"That is, if you want to."

I didn't, and I knew I wouldn't want to but I nodded again.

"Okay," she said finally looking up, "Its Bye-Bye now, I guess."

I nodded yet again and smiled, "Bye."

It was her turn to nod as she turned and went into her house, glancing back to see me pulling back into the road and raised her hand as I turned and went in the opposite direction.

Now that detention was over, I had to face the second problem, April. I would let her know I wasn't actually mad at her since I had shown her how much how much I disapproved of her calling me in class.

I headed for her house where her friend, Shelley, opened the door.

She frowned at me and closed the door a bit leaving it halfway open. I knew she didn't actually like me, though the reason why is beyond me. Her name was so fitting, it was like she had this impenetrable shell around her, closing her off from the world. The way she behaved made me wonder sometimes why she wasn't a goth. But again, I wasn't fooled since I know from first-hand experience that she had the sharpest tongue in Stephens County High.

"Hi," I said.

She nodded.

"Is April in?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, its her house and I came to see her, not look into your face." I said harshly, emphasizing the word 'your'.

"Oh." She said simply.

"So, can I see her?"

"No." she said and moved to close the door. I don't know what her problem was. April was the one who made me sit through over ninety minutes of math and I was here about to apologize, and still treated like I was the one at fault.

I heard footsteps moving towards the door and my suspicions were confirmed when a voice said, "Shelley, who's there?"

"Nobody," Came Shelley's reply.

"Just tell them my parents are not in and they'll go away."

"Don't worry, I got it covered." Shelley replied, glaring at me.

"Okay, the movie's about to start." April said as she went back inside.

"What's your problem," I asked her.

"What's your problem?" she threw right back at me.

"You are my problem, because I have no reason to be here apologizing for something your friend did, and yet here I am with you treating me this."

Shelley raised her head a bit higher. "Well, I am in charge here and I say you cant talk to April, not today, not tomorrow, not ever."

I laughed. "Newsflash, she's cheerleader captain, I'm basketball captain, we practice together. You are just going to give yourself spastic intestines if you continue being bitter like this." I informed her.

"You are just an arrogant toad. You strut around like you own the blasted school, not caring who you hurt in the process. I may not be April or one of those girls who are too blind to see that there are actually other better guys than you at school, but the innocent like me suffer because girls like April are our friends. I'm about to see TITANIC now. Do you know how many blasted times I've seen the movie?"

All this over a movie?

"You are not talking to her again because I will not let you. You've broken her heart too many times to count and I am never watching another scene of TITANIC in my life again if it means personally engaging you in a physical fight."

This was new. I knew April liked me but breaking her heart, that was just taking it too far. She could have any guy and here was her friend ensuring I didn't forgive her for putting me in detention if it meant I would never talk to her again.

"Has it occurred to you that the only way to un-break her obviously broken heart is to talk to her and see if we can work something out?" I asked her.

"Till when? Till the next girl comes along?" Shelley asked.

This will be the second time I was questioning the order of things. April was prime babe and her heart was breaking? I would never understand Stephen County.

"okay, I'm sorry. But let me talk to her. I'll--" I was cut off by April dashing to the door and shouting "Shelley, Shelley!"

"Shelley, I saw Alexi's truck outside." She got to the door. "He came for me." She sounded so excited it actually broke my heart to know she had been pining for me. April threw the door open and Shelley glared at het as she looked up at me and went silent.

"Hi," she managed weakly.

"Well, hi." I replied.

"Oh, come in," she said giving Shelley a warning look.

I nodded and smiled giving Shelley a smug look as April led the way inside.