Don't Catch Me!

Chapter 9 - Falling

I had him?  Really?  Did I?

He laughed softly, possibly at my look of confusion, and kissed me before releasing me while muttering, “You’d better go before I do decide to keep you here.”

He laughed at my attempts to change his mind.  He ended up pushing me to the door then he brushed his stubble against my cheek and whispered in my ear, “Go kick arse, I love you.”

“I’d rather kick your arse!  I love you too.” I smiled at him but his face was pale and he looked slightly shocked.  But before I could read his expression he shut the door in my face.  Great.  Perfect.

“Some boyfriend you turned out to be!” I growled at the closed door.

School was as expected.  There were plenty of whispering and sly looks from the other girls and snide direct comments from Jessica’s group.  But I just smiled, turned my thoughts to the weekend and let my heart fly as I remembered his sultry looks. 

This weekend was certainly different to others.  With the groceries all away, Mum had driven us to the hospital.  I did notice that she was uncharacteristically silent.

“Are you going to warn Joel?” she had quietly asked as we approached the entrance. 

I just shrugged.  Joel was opening his mouth to phrase the question when it happened.  Sam grabbed me turning me and spinning me around so my legs flew out in an almost ‘aeroplane’ style.  He had done this for years.  When I was fifteen and he was nineteen it was cute.  But now?    

“How’s my girlfriend?” He had squashed his nose to mine as we both stood there dizzy, his arms now dropped to my waist with mine still around his shoulders.

“My girlfriend actually,” an annoyed muttering interrupted and I had turned to find Joel glaring. 

Sam had raised an eyebrow at me as I introduced Joel.  I laughed a soft laugh remembering how they had then squared off against each other, puffing their chests out and eyeing each other suspiciously.  I breathed another laugh, men!  Then the questions had started.  Joel fired questions at Sam and Sam, although initially surprised, was soon answering them with just as much quiet contempt.  I had never seen anything like it.  It was like a testosterone fuelled version of medical mastermind.   I didn’t even understand half the questions that Joel snarled through his clenched jaw, his eyes narrow and focused, and even less of the answers that Sam spat back at him.  Men, seriously!

Mum took my elbow, “While the boys are... getting to know each other, we have something to do,” and half an hour later a doctor was injecting me with a contraceptive.  Apparently Mum had checked on me when she came home only to find my bed empty and despite my pleas of innocence she proclaimed it necessary.

 “Hey?  Anyone home?” A hand waved in front of me bringing me back to the present day.

“What do you want Jessica?” I asked as I looked up from the lunch table where I had been daydreaming.

“I want you to take your grubby hands off my boyfriend.  He’s mine and ...”

“Jessica,” I interrupted with a sigh, “I am pretty sure he didn’t sell himself into slavery.  And if he’s your boyfriend then what’s his name?  Little details like that, surely the sort of things a girlfriend knows.”

Her mouth moved but sound was slow to come, “Do you know his name then?” she finally sneered back at me.

I just laughed a soft knowing chuckle at her, picked up my things and walked away.  Joel was right, I was the winner and Jessica knew it.  Given that he obviously wasn’t coming back to school, I wasn’t about to rub her face in it.  I would still be made to suffer, she would make sure of that, but hell, he was worth it.