My Section Leader's Secrets

Chapter Twenty

I lay on the couch and grab my phone to look calm and catch my breath...bad idea! New Message: Jackson. My heart speeds up.

"Hey honey, we're home!" My mom shrills, clamping through the kitchen in her heels.

I shove my phone in my pocket and stand up. "Hey mom!" I'm clearly not as enthusiastic as she is.

"Ready?" She asks smiling.

"Yup, let's go!"

We get in the car and I realize I haven't seen Olivia. "Where's Liv-"

"I WANT TO GO TO APPLEBEE'S!!!!"

"Never mind." I mutter.

"We are going to Applebee's!" My mom doesn't even seem annoyed. I can only imagine what she would say if I said anything to Livy. Probably something along the lines of, "She's only six, Emily!" Blah blah blah.

We get about halfway to Applebee's when I remember Jackson's text. I pull my phone out and... Hey

*Slow clapping that gets really annoying, but it's okay because it's in my head.* Jackson Adams, everyone. Still the King of Texting.

There's no point in texting him back because I'm not allowed to text during dinner anyways. It's probably good to make him wait, make him think I'm not waiting for him to text me.

We go in and get a table for the three of us and order our drinks (water for me, sprite for Livy, some alcohol something for mom) and some chips and salsa.

I normally get chicken strips from everywhere we go, why try something else when something is so good? I always get crap for getting them like a five year old but hey, I get spaghetti at Big Boy!

We order our food and start eating the chips and salsa. I feel like my phone is burning a hole in my pocket. Don't think about Jackson, Jackson and his soft brown eyes. Jackson and his smooth dark hair. Jackson and... it crosses my mind that I really don't know anything about him except for appearance.

Hey Mr. Badboy, let me in!

Mom tries to engage in conversation, but I just give my normal short answers. Adults always get mad when you give short answers, but guess what makes kids mad, when you ask and then don't care.

There are those cool adults who really want to know what they ask, like my Aunt Natalie. On the other hand, there are people like Jeremy and mostly guys in general. They ask a question because they want to be nice, but then they cut you off or tune out.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people, especially Jeremy and other adult males, ask what I'm reading. It's not like you're going to know what my romance novels are! Or when you walk in the room and I'm clearly reading and you say "what's up?" I'm obviously milking a cow.

I'm jerked out of my thoughts by mom saying we're leaving. Right, time to go.

We get in the car and I text Jackson back, finally.

Hey. Because I'm super original too.

What's up

See, that's different because he can't see what I'm doing, so it's okay.

Just going home from eating. You?

Not a lot. Super talkative.

I decide to try an actual conversation. So how was your last band camp?

Good. Had some problems on the Friday.

Problems? What problems?

We pull in the driveway, I make some lame excuse to get out of whatever family fun was planned, and run upstairs to my room.

What happened? I'm getting more curious by the second.

Nothing. Don't worry about it.

He's the one who just brought it up.

You're the one who just brought it up.

Because you asked. I can see him making that annoyed face at me.

Oh just tell me! It's not like we have many secrets left between us!

Correction, we have many secrets left because Jackson is Mr. Mysterious.

When we came back from practice I had...issues from seeing something.

What kind of issues? I wonder.

Like hard issues.

Oh my lanta, he's telling me he was turned on. My face immediately flushes a bright pink.

Oh. Um. What caused that? I'm clearly uncomfortable now.

You bent over and picked up a poker chip.

My face burns hotter. What just happened?