His Blue ✓

6| Don't do emotions

     Time out.

     "No way." I cut her off. "If I go I'm not going to be with those hooligans."

     Fern makes a pouty face. "But it's right beside of the Band stands. We play good music, and you and I could chat in-between songs!"

     I sigh. "We'll see."

     After my rejection of the student section, Fern continues to babble about Band and their show.

     She says something about how they do dance moves during a drum break, but I'm not paying attention. I'm too busy thinking about Anson.

     I wonder to myself if his father ever watches him play in any games.

     I hope he does, for Anson's sake.

     Finally Fern huffs at me. "Indie, are you even listening to me?"

     Uhhh....

     I shake my head honestly. "Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."

     "If you're not keeping up with my band lingo, I can dumb it down." She offers.

     That won't be necessary.

     "I think I can keep up if I try."

     She smiles and starts talking again. When the bell finally rings to signal that lunch is over, I head off to sixth period and then after that, seventh.

     I smile at Ms. Meacham and open my book to the lesson we're on for the day. Anson saunters through the door as soon as I've found the right page in my textbook and smiles at me.

     Wow- a genuine smile? Confusion prickles in my chest.

     "Sup, Blue?" His confident and deep voice whispers as he takes a seat next to me. I shrug, and he smirks. At the same time, Fern walks in and spots Anson. Her face lights up.

     She whispers to me as soon as he's focused on something else, "hey- I forgot to ask how work went yesterday."

     I frown. "Why do you ask?"

     She smirks. "Because someone," she looks at an unsuspecting Anson, "asked me 500 questions after school about you. Luckily for him, football practice got cancelled yesterday and he had free time."

     "What?"

     She nods slyly. "That's what I was thinking."

     I sigh and shake my head. "What did he ask?"

       "Oh just the usual, where you work, when you work. That kind of thing. The real question is why?" Her sly smile makes me want to immediately spill my secrets.

    I hold back.

      "We're just partners in first period. He wanted to chat all about that, and then apologize about the book incident." I tell bits and pieces of the truth.

     Fern doesn't need the whole story. It doesn't matter.

     She looks dissatisfied by my answer, but shrugs and focuses on my face. "Whatever you say."

      I'm sorry, but if I tell Fern about Anson taking me to the park, she'll ask a ton of questions.

     "You know, you should come to watch me in band practice for a few minutes. All the football guys train outside in the practice field next to us. A lot of times they're shirtless." Fern smiles a wider and more evil grin.