Lessons in Love

Chapter 27: "Stop chasing your tail like a dog."

I sped to the park as fast as I could, without being pulled over by a police officer. Which almost happened twice since the police were on high alert today for any weekend activity. I managed to slow my speed down just enough when I passed the cops that their radars didn’t say I was speeding. I shouldn’t be proud of that, but if it meant I got to Ali just a little bit fast I would take it.

I pulled into a spot and leaped out of my car as fast as I could. I could feel anger and fear spreading through me as I ran into the park and scanned for Ali’s brown hair. I attempted to run in multiple directions at a time because I didn’t know exactly where they were. I was about to take off in a random direction when I heard my phone go off.

“Hello?” I asked breathlessly.

“You look like you’re trying to split yourself in half like the guy from X-men who could make multiples of himself.” Sara said without a sense of humor in her tone.

“You can see me?” I asked turning in circles trying to see her.

“Yes, I can see you. If you would stop chasing your tail like a dog, you would be able to see me too.”

I stopped spinning just enough so that I was able to see the area in detail, but no matter where I looked I couldn’t see Sara. I felt myself trip over my feet as I continued to spin.

“Careful, you’ll trip.” Sara said as I started to stumble.

“Where are you?”

“Not having fun anymore Jace? That hurts my feelings.” Sara said sarcastically. I could imagine her leaning her head back in an over exaggerated pain with no emotion on her face.

“Why are you doing this? Where’s Ali?!”

“You’re worried about Ali? You think I’d be talking to you if Ali was in trouble? What the hell kind of friend to you think I am?” Sara asked, obviously insulted at my assertion that she would let Ali be alone when she needed her friends the most.

“Sara, I’m sorry, but…”

“But nothing. If you had been paying any attention you would see that I’m sitting on the park bench about ten feet away from you. You would see Ali telling off Cassandra and you would see Taylor acting like a body guard.” She said in a rude tone, but I couldn’t blame her I had just insulted her. So she would be a little sour toward me for a while.

I turned around, slowly this time until I saw Sara’s umber hair falling over the park bench and Taylor standing with her arms crossed, like a body guard. Occasionally, Taylor would look to her left and then look at Sara, who was relaxing on the bench. I walked over without saying another word to Sara on the phone, even though she was still talking to me on the phone.

I hung up the phone as I approached Taylor and Sara, causing Sara to scoff as she looked at the phone to see if I hung up.

“He hung up on me.” Sara said with a pout on her lips.

“Gee, I wonder why.” Taylor said sarcastically.

“It’s not my fault he was acting like a crazy person.”

“You were rude, like overly.”

“He was spinning like a dog chasing his tail!” Sara asserted as I stopped behind her and saw Ali and Cassandra going at it across the field.

“What are you two doing over here while Ali is over there with Cassandra?” I asked, interrupting their conversation.

“You think we want to be?” Taylor asked rudely. “I’d rather be over there with Ali, but she won’t let us.”