Jensen Strother and the Thirteen Stars

Chapter 1

Wednesday, August 4, 2011

[In Mr. Oberlin's very boring pre AP geometry class; SAVE ME!!]

Dear Listener,

            She confuses me. Is that really what being a teenage kid really is? Being confused and having hair grow in places you really rather it not...? Puberty I mean. I'm not trying to push you away with these VERY interesting details... More like bring you closer by getting all this ridiculous "personal" stuff out of the way. I don't really believe in personal. Naw, not anymore... Not since my cousin Idelle decided to play... that video of me in the shower at her twelfth birthday party three years ago. Let's just say since that video there is no such thing as personal in my life anymore.

            So back to the girl who confuses me. She sits there in front of me, tapping her pink Hello Kitty pen against the wooden desk over and over again, teasing me. It's like when chicks wear those really short-shorts that you know doesn't hide ANYTHING; the ones with the writing on the back of them. They say things like "KA-BOOM!" or "PHAT" or something like that, then, when they catch you simply trying to read what it says on there they suddenly think that you're trying to eye down their butts. I mean I know how... well accountable on my part that sounds but they are kinda setting their selves up to be stared at.

            The girl's name is Piper; Piper Lowes. She has long dark brown hair and her eyes are honestly the color of the Caribbean ocean waters. She's not the uber-popular head cheerleader of the school or anything. But she's not necessarily ignorable. Actually, I'd prefer it that way. If Piper were ignorable I might stand a chance at actually paying attention and getting an A in this pre AP class I'm taking. But nope. Not while Piper is around.

            She glances back at me. My heart goes all fish-out-of-water floppy in my chest and my palms suddenly got even more sweaty than usual when she was around. But then I kinda came back to earth when she'd asked me for a piece of paper. Just a piece of paper. Nothing like, "Hey, Jensen, can I have your number?" which would only make my whole YEAR, but I guess a piece of paper's always a nice start. I hand her the college ruled paper and before turning back around in her seat she hesitates and says, "You have really nice I's."

"Huh?" was the genius comeback I had for her. She likes my eyes?

"I like how you write your I's," she clarifies. "I might have to get lessons from you... to, you know, learn how to write like you. Last year in eighth grade I just loved how my friend Nadia wrote so I made her sit down and teach me to write like her."

"Okay..." I say unsurely. She turns hastily back around in her seat.

Man! That was wrong. I wasn't supposed to sit there and look like a dummy. She'd spoken to me for the first time since school had begun 3 weeks ago and all I could do was stare.

I run my hand through my hair, searching for something to say to her, before the opportunity for conversation had lingered from the air.

"I'll teach you."

Piper turns back around in her seat almost immediately. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'll-" The bell ring, cutting me off (typical). I continue while gathering my silver laptop and shoving it into my backpack; she did the same with her woodsy green colored one. "Yes. Tomorrow in the library. We can pretend like we're studying or something." She flashes a super bright, super cute smile at me. I almost forgot how to breathe for a second there.

"It's a date."

"It's a what?"

"Oh. Unless you're not okay with the idea-"

"No, I'm totally okay-"

"Good."

I thought it was pretty cool how we interrupted each other's sentences like that. Oh, jeez, that's what's wrong with me. I'm whipped like a fat, juicy cow ready to be turned into someone's medium rare T-bone steak. I like her too much. Gotta act cool about this, Jen...

"Well... see you tomorrow then," I mumble and then walked away without another word. Something told me that was also another wrong move.