Hand Picked

Chapter One: Just Another Guy

Mrs. Whelkson lets out a sigh of relief. "Alright, then. I'll talk to you Friday."

"Good-bye."

I put the phone down gently on my dresser and pencil Jacob's name in on my calender. My mom peeks her head through the door and smiles at me. "Who was that?"

"Just Thomas Whelkson's mother. I'm seeing him Friday after school for dinner."

"Okay, dear. Is he a nice boy?"

"He play's football and he's going to UCLA next year. I"m sure he's perfectly pleasant, Mom."

She smiles and plants a gentle kiss on the top of my head. "That's nice. You'll let me know how it goes?"

"Of course."

"Okay. I'll let you get back to your homework."

She closes the door quietly and I stare after her. Sometimes i wish I had a normal life. Just once I want a real boyfriend to love me and be there for me.

Oh well. I can wait. Until then, I have to pick out my outfit for Friday. 

***

I ring the doorbell and shift onto my heels on the Whelkson's front porch Friday night at 7:05 sharp. The porch light flickers on and Jacob's eager face appears in the doorway. He opens the door and greets me with a soft kiss on the cheek. I give him the once-over: khakis and a nice polo with a purple tie. Classy.

Mrs. Whelkson appears around a corner and smiles warmly. "Hello! You must be Evelyn."

"Eve," I say, taking her outstretched in mine. She smiles knowingly at me as Jacob leads me outside and into his car. He holds the door for me like a perfect gentleman. As we pull out of the driveway, Jacob rolls down his window and loosens his tie a bit. 

"Sorry about her," he apologizes. "She's a bit controlling."

"She didn't come off that way at all!" i lie. If only he knew the truth.

Jacob shakes his head and runs a hand through his smooth hair. "Ever since Bev and I broke up, she's been all concerned about my self-esteem. It's ridiculous."

"I'm sure she's just worried about you."

Jacob doesn't answer. After a minute of silence, he turns on the radio and tries to make conversation again. "I was pretty surprised you asked me out the other day. I didn't even think you knew who I was."

"Of course! Who doesn't know who Jacob Whelkson is? You're the football star who's going to UCLA next year with a partial scholarship. You're the captain of the swim team and a member of the French Club."

He looks over, surprised. "Geez, stalker much?" Heat rises to my cheeks as I stammer out an apology. Jacob laughs and throws his arm lazily around my seat. "It's okay, I don't mind. Actually, it's kind of cute. Who knew I had my own personal fan club?"

"I'm not your fan club. My friend Marley was telling me about you last week. She said I should ask you out. In fact, and don't tell her I told you, but she thinks you're cute. Maybe you two should go out."

"But, aren't we going out right now?"

I shrug. "I'm just saying, if this doesn't work out, you still have options. You're prime boyfriend material, and most people are surprised you haven't dated anyone since Beverly. She's had, what, six boyfriends since you?"

"She has? Who?"

I look away. "That's not the point. All I'm saying is, lots of girls like you, and they'd go out with you. I never thought you'd say yes when I asked you out. You can have any girl you want."

He laughs and pulls into the restaraunt parking lot. It's a fancy French restaraunt in the heart of the city. Each car is parked by a vallet and we get in the slow line by the front door. "I really doubt that. Should we go?"

I nod and step out of the car. He doesn't hold the door for me this time. We walk together to the vallet who takes Jacob's keys and hands him a ticket. We are led to our table by the window and I wait for Jacob to pull my chair out for me. He doesn't. 

We chat about nothing, eat our appetizers and sip our soda quietly. As the main course arrives- mine is lobster with extra butter- I decide it's time to start work. "So, Jacob. I've never really noticed who you hang out with."

"Well, at school, I hang out with some of the football guys, like Mike and Otis. But out of school... I usually just chill with guys from the East District."

"East District? Isn't that the boarding school for troubled kids? Ones who got kicked out of their last schools?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So... I really don't think tha'ts a great idea. What is UCLA going to think if you get into trouble?"

He thinks about it for a minute before answering. "Well, I just won't get into trouble. There, problem solved."

"Um, okay. Does your mom know about these guys?"

"No way! I can't tell her that! It would break her heart and she's ground me for a year. She still thinks I'm friends with Trever Killner. As if, right? Remember when he had that breakdown in Chemistry? I'll bet Mom doesn't even know he transferred."

 "Yeah, right. But why don't you hang out with the jocks anymore?"

He munches on his scallops. "I don't know, they're just not my type of people. They're so loud and obnoxious. And they're total players. They've been with so many girls that it's turned into a competition: by the end of the year, whoever gets with the most girls gets some sort of party in their honor. It's ridiculous."

I nod, seeing my opening. "They sound barbaric."

"They are."

"But do you really think the East District guys are any better?"

Jacob glares at me. "At least those guys don't treat girls like they're nothing more than-"

"But do you know that?" I interrupt. "How do you know they're not there for doing something awful to their friends or their girlfriends?" Jacob doesn't answer, so I continue. "They could be horrible people, Jacob, and you would never know."

"Well, who am I supposed to hang out with, then, if you're so smart?"

I pretend to think. "What about the guys from your French club? Some are foreign exchange students, and I'll bet they could use a friend. At least for a year, and then you'll be gone and off to California."

Jacob thinks for a moment and then smiles. "Yeah, that's true. Thanks."

I smile. Easy as pie.

*****
And there you have it! I'm so excited for this story, i can't wait to write more! Expect another upload soon, guys! i hope you like the story so far, because i'm definitely continuing it! just like my arranged series, i'll be doing a comment question here, too, so leave a comment and you might get a dedication on the next chapter. Here's the question: If you had the opportunity to make big bucks just like Eve, would you do it? Anyway, have a Merry Christmas!

WRITE ON!
<3 SnazzyReader