In Her Shoes

Chapter 13: Suspicions...

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess," he says at last, rustling his hand through his already messed up hair, "I usually don't let people see me in this state but..." he shrugged, "you a friend of Anna's?" 

Duh. 

"Mm-hm," I mutter. "We sorta just met. How long have you two.....known each other?" I struggled with the words. 

"Um...probably five days...going on a week now. We met in Econ and we just clicked." he chuckled. "she's a great friend."  

"So you two are...." 

"Oh no. My girlfriend's name is Jenni. Anna's just a friend." 

Mm-hmm. 

"Actually, I was tried to introduce her to my friend, Jesse? Yeah but...that didn't work out too well..." 

"You tried to do what?!" I cant even process his words. I being pranked. "Well.." I say trying to recover, "why didnt you?" 

He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Well I'm sure you heard that my friend's kinda an ass." 

Oh. So even he thought so. 

"Um...I've heard...stories..." 

"Its okay, you can say it. Everyone else does. And he could be, at times; but he hadn't always been that way...." 

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" 

"Nothing," he mumbled sadly to himself, "its a long story and one I don't feel like telling right now." He snorted, "and then he had the nerve to think I was trying to steal her away? I would never...." he sunk back on the bench in distraught.

"God, people say that he's an ass but that's only because they haven't met me..here I am trying to help him...trying to get him away from that bitch Shenise who uses him anyway, and I fail so miserably with that that he thinks I'm trying to steal her! I love Jenni! I'm a shit of a friend," he mumbled again, assuming the hopeless position he was in when we first entered: slouching, head between his knees and both hand in his hair; the look of absolute despair 

It was too much information at once she my mind to comprehend. Hook-up? Me? Anna? Shenise? I changed? I stood there like a dummy again not knowing what words to say of comfort and trying to comprehend even more new information.  

Finally I made my way over to the bench and sat a few inches away from him. What should I do? What should I ask? "Um..its okay...I'm sure he'll understand..." 

Damn right I'll understand. This shit is freakin' complicated! 

"Besides," I added with a nervous chuckle, "he's a king. He's Jesse Anderson. No one uses Jesse Anderson. He's all anyone ever needs, and he's all everyone ever wants." 

He looked at me and squinted his eyes suspiciously, "That's exactly what he always says..." 

Shit. 

"Hey you know you're eyes..." 

I quickly looked down at my hands, "Uh...contacts..." 

"Oh..." he sighed disapointedly, "yeah well apparently everyone but Shenise. She used him for rides and stuff and to make Aaron jealous." 

"Aaron!" No way. No freakin' way. 

"Yup. So enough about us. What about you? Anna tells me you've been bullied." 

Double shit. "The girl I told you about", huh? 

I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Uh...yeah, sorta...just..the jock jerks are..bored with life I guess.." 

He chuckled, "bored with life? Boy would they love to hear that." I turned quickly to him to plead him not to tell them but he simply laughed softly, "don't worry, mums the word." 

I sigh in relief but try to blow it off, "Oh yeah, I wasn't worried." 

He was giving me that needle-point dimpled smile. Oh no. what was he up to now? "Oh I know," he answered non-chalantly, "so..what time will you be back to normal?" 

What? 

I stared at him and he seemed to be searching my face carefully. Before either one of us could speak Anna barged back in with the milk. "Back you two! Sorry it took so long that line was crazy!" 

"Oh its fine, Anna," Aiden assured her warmly. I was still staring at him trying to decide if he had really asked me that double-meaning question or if I had just imagined it. After a few minutes of happy cookie eating and milk dipping I figured I had just imagined it. 

"So," Anna said turning to me, "You're going to eat lunch with us now?" It was a demand, but I was welcome to refuse. 

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah definitely. Nothing else to do." 

"Great," she beamed. She then touched Aiden's knee," and Jesse will eat with us when he gets better, too."  

He shrugged, "maybe," he said around a mouthful of cookie. "That's completely up to him, though.." I thought I felt a sideways glance at me but when I looked over he was concentrating on dipping his cookie in his glass of milk.  

Weird. 

When the bell rang signifying the end of lunch I was happy and miserable at the same time. Happy to get away from this awkwardness, and miserable to face more jock torment. 

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That was Chapter 13 and I hope you enjoyed it!! :) 

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