Ride (h.s)

5

Jane

My mom placed a bowl of chopped salad while I set the table. Both my parents had arrived yesterday night to open the library so I could finish up my homework, and finally clean up my room. "Jamie was the cutest flower girl I swear you should have been there it was the best part of the wedding." She told me taking a seat across the table from me.

"You know I don't know Pete or Mary, I would have stuck out too much." Pete was my dad's cousin, never met him once. "Did Holden or Phoebe end up going?" I asked about my siblings.

My mom's favorite book was Catcher in The Rye. She named all of us after the characters. My brother was named Holden. My oldest sister was supposed to be another boy, but she came out a girl, my mom still named her Sunny. My second oldest sister was named Phoebe. And of course, I was Jane. Well, that was my nickname.

"Yeah, they went for a good hour and then left. How did the class go on Saturday, I completely forgot to ask?" She changed subjects.

"Oh hold on I have to show you guys something." I walked up to my bedroom and out of my bag I pulled out the resume for that guy Niall. I walked downstairs bumping into my dad who had just come in from the garage. "Dad, dinners ready," I told him.

"It better be meat all we ate in your sister's house was that vegan crap she calls food." He complained walking into the kitchen. He sat down and my mom placed a steak in front of him. "I love all my kids and every stupid decision they make, as long as they eat meat." He joked.

I handed the paper to my mom and she read through it. "Someone needs a job?" She asked more to herself. "We could use some extra hands hon." She told my dad.

"I thought that's why we have Jane?" He laughed.

"Yeah dad, thanks," I spoke sarcastically. "I mean you guys have been really busy with your projects lately, mom you've been making a lot of business at the farmers market selling your soaps and dad you've said you been too busy to help at the library anymore." They ate and looked at me to go on. "I love working there, but I need a little help."

"Well sweetpea, it's a good idea." My mom says. "We'll call him tomorrow morning and get you an assistant." She winked at me.

"Things were damn easier when your sister was here." My sister Phoebe left last year to Chicago to visit my siblings, met a guy, and now she lives with him. "Why the hell do they go and get married and start having kids? What's so great about having responsibilities?"

"Dad!" I slapped his shoulder at the same time my mom did.

"Charles!"

"Whatever at least we still have the good child." He patted my head taking another bite of his steak. "How did you manage the library by yourself without that volunteer?"

"Well, I had a friend help me move the tables and set up the whiteboard and coffee." I took a bite of food and my dad looked at me.

"Olivia?" He asked. Olivia had been to my house a few times, she even called my parents ma and pa.

"No my new friend Harry." Suddenly it got quiet. "What?"

"A boy?" My mom almost squealed. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"Why haven't you introduced us to your new boyfriend?" My dad joked.

"I just met him, he's not my boyfriend, you guys are embarrassing." My parents laughed and high fived. They always did that when they embarrassed me.

After dinner, I helped my mom clean the table while my dad went outside to take the trash out. "So this boy is new?"

"I just met him a week ago." She nodded listening. "I mean we hung out on Friday after class, and then he helped me on Saturday."

"That's all?" Something about my mom's tone sounded like she wanted to hear more details.

"He brought me food after and we had lunch outside of the library. He's just nice and-"

"Handsome?" My mom nudged me.

"Mom!" I groaned. "I mean yeah, he's kind of got a bad boy vibe coming from him. When we were having lunch some old lady came by after we closed, looked at him and asked why he would write all over himself." Harry had pushed his sleeves up and his full arms were on display.

"People have no manners." My mom shook her head.

I finished washing the dishes and went up to my room. Sitting on my desk was the drawing Harry made for me. I had laid it down and placed a book on it to flatten it out. I picked it up and took it to the other side of my bed to put up next to some other paintings I had.

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In class we had two assignments, one was in class and the other was due that Friday. During class, we had to write a speech and read it in front of everyone. I became nervous and my hands started shaking. "You alright?" Harry asked.

"I'm nervous," I admitted. The speech had to be about things we liked and didn't like about our selves. It could be written in any way, but it had to be read to the class. I had finished and now I was sitting there patiently waiting to be picked.

"Go first," Harry told me. "Believe me, once you go up there the nerves stop. Just look at me and Olivia. It'll be like your having a normal conversation."

"Alright time to present!" Professor Rodriguez clapped her hands together. "Any volunteers?" No one raised their hands for a few seconds. I took a deep breath and lifted my arm. "Oh, wonderful!"

I stood up and walked up to the front of the class. For a second I couldn't breathe. But I did exactly what Harry told me to do and before I knew it I was done and right on time.

"Let's have a round of applause for our only volunteer!" I smiled handing her my paper and walked back to my desk. Man, was he right I felt so much better. "Great job Jane, who's next?"

Harry raised his hand and walked up to the front and began speaking. He spoke in almost a poem and the last bit of it made me smile because he was looking directly at me.  "I've never been shy to express myself and it's something that is both my greatest and worst characteristic. Somedays I wish I could keep my hands to my side and my mouth shut, other days I'm glad I say what I feel. My temper has been my least favorite trait. It has caused me to lose friends and I wish it wasn't a part of me. But my favorite trait will always be doing whatever I set my mind to. I am fearless, and to some that's great. To me, it scares me, but it means I have strength. And that's a good thing to be scared about. It means I'm normal. And normal is a trait I've never felt. Thank you."

"That was very beautiful Harry." She took his paper and she looked at it. "You kept very good eye contact and spoke beautifully."

He thanked, her taking a seat and looked over at me. "You still nervous?"

I shook my head, yet my heart was racing. I think I was beginning to like him.

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Thanks for reading. Xx

-k