Hold Me Too Tight (previously Angel of Music; ON HOLD)

Chapter Three

I toss Sugar half of a piece of my peanut butter toast as I'm eating. Mom is gone when I wake up. There's a note on the counter that reads:

Have a good day at school, sweetie! And don't forget to take Jonathan with you.

I think Mom enjoys the thought of me having a friend. That is if you could say that Jonathan and I are friends.

Jonathan waits for me outside. My jaw drops. He's looking dangerously hot in a blue plaid button-down shirt and ripped jeans. Aside from that, he's leaning against a brand new Hyundai Camaro. It's strikingly blue with custom painted racing stripes.

"What is this?" I ask, shrugging my backpack strap onto my shoulder.

"My car," Jonathan laughs, raising an eye brow, "I figured if you're going to be showing me around all day, the least I could do is give you a ride."

"This car is insane!" I exclaim, running two hands along its' exterior.

"Too much?"

I shake my head. Jonathan opens the passenger door for me before starting up the engine. On the inside, there's an insane stereo system and leather seats. It even has that new car smell! I point him in the right direction for school and sit back in the seat.

"So," he says with one hand on the steering wheel, "your mom tells me you don't have many friends." It comes out more as a question, rather than a statement.

I look at him in disbelief, "She said that?"

He looks away. He thinks he's offended me.

I shrug, "Well, it's true."

"Why?" he asks, meeting my eyes, "You seem nice enough to me."

"People are judgmental."

Jonathan nods in agreement. I hasten to change the subject, "What about you, huh? Why did you move here?" I ask, adding, "Turn left at the stoplight."

He smiles at me and checks his rearview mirror as he merges into the turning lane, "It's not my choice, really. My dad got a new job out here, and it was a better offer than back home." Jonathan speaks as if living here isn't his home now. Isn't it all the same wherever you go? Apparently not to him; he seems to miss his old life. "Soon as I finish up high school, I'm moving out west, though," he continues.

"Out west?" I ask.

"Yeah," he smiles, "it's less crowded."

I can't help but smile at him. Jonathan has this strange effect that makes you feel like you've known him for years--like you can talk about anything. It feels good.

"You're eighteen," I say. It's not a question.

"Eighteen going on twenty-five," Jonathan laughs, "Seems like it anyway."

We pull into the school parking lot. Fortunately, there's an empty spot not far from the entrance, and we take it. Jonathan opens my door for me again and it makes me smile.

I ask to see his schedule. We only have first period and lunch together, which means I'll barely be making it to any of my classes today. "Alright," I say, "Anatomy is down the science hall. Obviously. We have that together."

He smiles, "Good."

He holds the front door open for me and we walk in. People are staring. They're staring, but not at me. I don't blame them, I would stare too. Natalie Hopkins notices him first--Jonathan, the tall, tan, hot boy at my side. I feel sort of special, being able to lead him around all day. Although, I'm not so sure it makes him look all that good.

"They're staring at you," I say quietly.

Jonathan smiles and bends at the waist to whisper in my ear. "How do you know? Maybe they're staring at you."

He makes me smile, but I shake my head. "Well," he adds, "they're probably just staring at my colossal-sized nose." He winks, flicking his perfect nose with his index finger.

We make our way down the science hall. The staring doesn't cease when Mr. Palmer introduces Jonathan in front of the class. He's assigned as Sarah Wilder's partner, the girl sitting at the table with the only open seat. Sarah is kind of geeky with her huge glasses and small nose, and she always has a cold, but I admit I'm jealous of her right now. She gets Jonathan all to herself for a whole seventy-five minutes each day. Then again, I remember, he is my neighbor.

Jonathan is so sweet. When he sits down, he flashes Sarah one of his million dollar smiles as he introduces himself and he makes her blush. Most people don't like Sarah; at least we have that in common.

Jonathan smiles at me from across the room as Mr. Palmer begins instructions for a lab assignment. My lab partner is named Will Matthews, and I don't really like him. He doesn't really talk much nor do anything for that matter, so I usually end up doing all of the work. It's annoying really, but he intimidates me, so I don't complain.

I watch closely as Natalie Hopkins approaches Jonathan at his table. I can't hear what she's saying as she leans over to him, twirling and tossing her hair seductively. He smiles and murmurs something back, but his voice is too low for me to hear. She scribbles something on his paper in purple pen and turns to leave as he drops his head to the lab again.

Oh no, I think to myself. Am I going to lose my only friend to Natalie Hopkins? I mean, Natalie is much hotter than I am, and much more confident too. I wouldn't blame him if after today he never wanted to speak to me again. It's social suicide, really, being friends with a girl like me. Sooner or later he will realize that too.

As the pairs begin to finish up their labs and class begins to wind down, Jonathan makes his way over towards me. He smiles and says, "Not a very eventful class period."

"Seems like it was," I motion to Natalie.

He hardly looks in her direction.

The bells rings and I walk him to his second period, AP History. "Advanced Placement classes, Jonathan?" I ask as we make our way down the hall that reads Social Studies and History.

"Yeah," he says, "I ran out of classes to sign up for. So I started going AP."

Wow, I thought. He has kindness, beauty, and brains? What a catch. He makes me smile.

"You will like Mr. McCrackin," I assure him, "He's pretty laid-back."

"Good," he nods. I turn to leave, but he stops me. "Meet me," Jonathan says, "for lunch later. Will you?"

"Of course," I say and it's the truth.

I feel really bad for not wanting to meet him. I should have given him the chance before jumping to things. My second period is two hours long. It's Honors English. I like the class overall, but sitting in the same chair, in the same room, with the same people for two hours gets really tedious and tiresome. I wonder if Jonathan will be able to find his third period alone. I don't have third period because of Honors English. It's kind of nice in a way.

We work on plurals and subjects for a half hour, and then the rest of the class period is ours to finish research, which I am most especially thankful for. The computers at school are ten years newer than my vintage relic at home, and they move much faster as well. My argumentative paper is on drinking and driving and I finish up my research within the hour. I'm exhausted, I realize as I sit there, and the last ending moments of class feel like an eternity.