starstruck

freddie

Freddie hasn't been in contact with Elena for three weeks. 

Yes, three weeks.

She's sure that this is overkill. Freddie gets that lying about writing Elena a song was a bit rude, yes, but does that really merit a month long isolation?

Maybe to Elena, Freddie thinks bitterly.

Whatever, Freddie doesn't really care. Elena can do what she wants. She has a million friends and losing one is probably like dropping a grain of rice on the ground when eating stir fry. It's really no biggie. 

Somewhere, in the recesses of her mind, Freddie gets how wrong that is. She registers how completely different her feelings are than what she'd rather have them be.  What's she's forcing them to be. 

Oops.

Currently, she's in English, staring at the back of James' head. He reminds her of Elena, despite the complete irony in that statement. 

Occasionally,  James stretches back to check the time, and Freddie can see a bit of his face. 

In those moments, it's very hard not to ask him out right then and there. As her (slightly obnoxious) mother would say, he's quite a catch. 

Taking him out on  a date would also piss off Elena, so that's a bonus. Freddie loves pissing people off. 

When the teacher passes out an excerpt of The Great Gabsty to annotate, Freddie makes her strike. She taps the tops of James' shirt. He turns around, smiling with teeth that are crooked, but also very white. 

"Hey, would you, uh," Freddie didn't think this through. At all. It is much easier to plan revenge when it's not staring at you through the face of a very cute boy. 

"Yeah?" 

Her heart rings in her ears. The dude that sits across from them is watching, sitting on the edge of his seat.

"Would you, uh, crap, sorry," she takes a deep breath, "wanna meet me somewhere? Like the diner, um down the street. I hear they have good kolaches."

What the fuck- good kolaches?

There is a terrifying moment when he is processing her words and his face goes blank. Then James nods and says, "Yeah, Thursday after school good?"

Freddie thinks Thursday is her new favorite day.

"Yep."

"Cool. See you" He leans over his paper, leaving Freddie with nothing to look at except the freckle on his neck. Her heart is still pumping at thirty miles an hour. The adrenaline hit her hard.

All in all, Freddie feels rather accomplished.

Two days later, she's awkwardly sitting in a booth wearing eyeshadow stolen from her mother and sweat pants without a stain on the thigh. 

She's really invested in this date.

James hasn't shown up, and Freddie is worried that he's stood her up, like on TV shows where the hot guy says yes to pestering girls just so he can get them off his back. Was she really that pestering? Did she ask for too much?

The waitress comes up, a tall woman with a Russian accent and a liking towards flowery perfume. She makes the air taste like Bath and Body Works. 

"You ordering?"

Freddie shakes her head and looks out the window. James is nowhere to be seen, and the Russian lady leaves, murmuring sounds of distaste under her breath. 

It takes James thirty two more minutes to make it to their booth. He says he was in tutoring. Freddie nods, a little annoyed, but just a little.

"So, you struggling in math?" She's making small talk. Freddie hates small talk. 

He bobs his head up and down, drinking a swig of the soda the waitress brought for him. It's Pepsi, the Most Disgusting Drink Ever. Freddie hates soda. 

"Yeah, but I hear you're pretty good at it." 

Freddie smiles, "Oh, yeah? Where?" It's nice to imagine that (secretly) he's been watching her, thinking about her more than one would about a classmate.

"Elena. Where else?" He sips more (repelling) Pepsi as Freddie's heart falls into her stomach. She should've figured. 

"Yeah, I guess. We haven't talked much lately, though."

There is a twinkle in his eye, laughter on his lips. James is starting to really annoy her. "I know. Who do you think Elena texts about it? I swear, it's Freddie this and Freddie that all day long."

Elena had mentioned she and James were friends. Apparently, however, not to what extent. 

The waitress comes back, two menus in hand and a satisfied smile on her face. Freddie sneezes upon impact. 

Subtly waving a hand in front of his nose, James orders a hamburger and a side of fries. Freddie sticks with the kolaches, partly because the perfume makes her lightheaded, and partly because she wasn't kidding about how good they are. 

When she's gone, James opens his mouth, but Freddie stops him. "Look, I didn't bring you here to talk about Elena. Can we just, uh, move on to other subjects? Like the weather. I love the rain."

It is sunny outside with a high of 86. Freddie's want for The Sweet Release of Death increases just a little. 

"Wait, I thought the whole point of us doing this was to talk about Elena? I mean there's really no other reason both of us would meet up, except-" Freddie mentally congratulates James for realizing, ten minutes in, that they are on a date. 

"Oh."

Freddie nods and looks at the table. Where's a smelly Russian waitress when you need her? 

"Well, I'm flattered, really." Freddie looks up, her attention piqued.

"But I can't take you up on the offer." Freddie turns her eyes back down to her lap. Never mind. 

She's not upset James doesn't like her, to be 100 percent honest. She is more embarrassed that she ever thought he could have feelings for her. Being wrong, although her specialty, is a very non enjoyable feeling. 

"Why?" Her curiosity always gets the better of her.

"Well, Elena, obviously. She'd never forgive me. It'd be pretty shitty of me to do to her, to date you and all." This lights a small fire in Freddie's stomach. Elena seems to be able to control Freddie's life, even when they aren't on speaking terms. 

"Why the hell does her opinion matter? This involves her, in, like, no way whatsoever." James looks at her over his glass of Pepsi, his eyes large and reproachful.

"The fuck, Freddie? You have no idea? Elena is a freaking open book." Freddie stays silent. They listen for a few moments to the couple in the booth behind them, laughing over some joke. 

The girl giggles.

"I mean, you'd at least think that you'd catch on once you sang her that love song, and you know, she stopped talking to you? Why do you think she did that? Come on, dude. You're 37 in our class and you're probably the most oblivious person I know."

"No offense," he adds as an afterthought. 

Freddie really just wants to now how he knows her class ranking.

"How'd you know I'm 37?"

"Elena told me. She thinks you're amazing." James is now talking like Freddie is a toddler and needs people to speak slower so she can understand. 

"Why does she think that?"  Freddie overhears more laughter from the woman in the booth behind her.

James sighs, resuming normal speech patterns. 

"Because she's had a crush on you like all year. Seriously."