Melody's Crush

Chapter 3

"Mom, really?" I asked with a tense voice. "I'm already stressed enough about it. Can we not go there right now?"

"Don't worry, Mom," Jake intervened as he buttered his toast a little too hard. His eyes stayed glued to the bread flattening the poor thing as he continued. "I plan to speak with Mr. Lloyd about switching with whoever picks Melody. So you won't have to worry about making room for anyone or who Melody sleeps with."

It was my turn to drop my mouth.

Did he just say who sleeps with me? In front of my mother?

"Well, thank you, Jake. That puts my mind at ease." She smiled at him lovingly and signed the permission slip, plopped the pen down and slid the paper over to me. "As long as it's Jake, I'm okay with it." She rose and headed for the door.

What did that mean? Was she saying she was okay if Jake slept with me?

But I really didn't care what she meant because every little nerve in my body rejoiced in happiness. Jake was going to ask Mr. Lloyd if he could... marry me! We were going to be husband and wife for the whole week!

All that wishing was finally going to pay off!

Jake glanced at me for a second, smiled a nervous smile before spooning oatmeal quickly into his face without making eye contact with me for the rest of breakfast.

As best as I could, I tried hiding my excitement. But my smile kept getting bigger and bigger until it was time to leave.

But it was soon deflated when Jake said he was driving his beamer to school. Something about the morning caused a change in him and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Like a reel, I replayed the morning's events over in my mind. At the stoplight, dawning struck and every cell in my body felt like it was on fire starting with my toes moving all the way up, concentrating in my cheeks.

He watched me dress this morning. Or rather... undress!

Holy crap! What the hell was I thinking undressing in front of him? Popping the side of my head, I tried dumping out of my ear the image of a very shocked Jake staring at my empty closet, his eyes fixated exactly where I exposed my Hello Kitty panties!

Omigod, I wanted to bury myself! How the hell was I going to face him today at school without turning every shade of red? I was already the color of a lobster.

The light changed and horns started blaring behind me. The drive from the light to the school took forever. As each mile passed, my foot lifted more and more off the gas pedal. By the time I pulled into the parking lot, the stang was barely crawling.

For the first time in my life, the thought of playing hooky crossed my mind.

Thank goodness today was a 'B' day which meant we didn't have health class. Even during lunch, I stayed far away from any place he could possibly be... such as the girl's bathroom stall.

Jake didn't show up the next morning at my window. For the life of me, I couldn't remember the last time he didn't join me for breakfast. Thank goodness my mom was sleeping in as she was scheduled for another long weekend shift at the hospital. Tiptoeing into the kitchen, I grabbed a granola bar and headed out the door, craning my neck to see if Jake was still home. But, his car was already gone.

He must have really been embarrassed, too. I mean, how would I have reacted if I saw him bent over in Spiderman undies? Closing my eyes, I tried for the life of me to erase the sudden image that flickered across my retinas. The sad part was that I actually liked the view.

Argh!

Frustrated, I headed for my car, alone, got in and pulled out my cell phone. The only reason I had one in the first place was to call my mom or text Jake... both were rare occasions. Mom wasn't allowed to take calls when on shift and Jake... well, he just wasn't the texting type of guy. But for some reason, I felt like I needed to send him a message.

After dragging my finger in a Z pattern across the touchscreen, the phone unlocked and my eyes looked at the little orange envelope at the bottom of the digital screen.

No messages.

Opening a new message box, I typed in Jake's screen name 'Brother From Another Mother.' The flashing cursor winked over and over waiting for me to type in letters. Finally, my thumbs moved and I was able to spell out... sorry.

Shaking my head, I backspaced until I was left again with a winking cursor begging me to type. Pushing the side button, the screen went dark as I tossed the sucker onto the passenger's side seat.

Why should I be sorry?

It's not like I told him to look. I mean, it's my room for God's sakes. What did he expect? That I change in the kitchen or something?

Determined not to let his lack of contact bother me any longer, I started the stang and headed to school.