The heavy soundes of panting came from not only my lips but those of my teammates as we huddled on the field. Today would be my fifth day of detention, the early morning Tuesday breeze not doing much for our overstimulated bodies from our morning practice.
Couch blew his whistle to catch our attention as he stood with a shit eating grin as he always does when he sees he worked us half the death. "Good job boys! Hit the showers you smell like burnt ice cream cones."
A few players grumbled as he said this but I simply chuckled along with Tyson. Couch was an interesting man to say the least, terrible with speeches and definitely was the most awkward man on the planet unless it had anything to do with football. Despite that he was the most genuine and loyal man who had our backs to the end and we all knew it no matter how hard he pushed us.
The showers were as they normally were, bunch of idiots spitting nonsense about who fucked who and making sexual jokes to each other. It was already 7:40AM by the time we finished up and first period would start soon at 7:55. To early to say the least. Tyson and I made our way out of the locker room into the halls toward our actual lockers to fill our bags with our books.
"Did you hear Clark? He said Betsy had sex with Joseph and after she left his house went to sleep with Pete. That's wild man, think she'll take a swig at me?" Tyson opened his locker as he said this. My face scrunched up as I fake gagged.
"For one it's Clark so he's probably full of shit and two even if it is true, which it probably isn't, I don't think sleeping with someone who has no problem hopping between people is wise dipshit." I shut my locker as I zipped up my bag looking over at him as I now leaned against it.
"Okay but She's hot dude." This time Scott appeared from Tysons left side butting into our conversation but we never minded.
As they began to talk about Betsy I got lost in my own thoughts as my eyes landed on the paint covered hoodie I've grown to seeing after school. The last few days of detention we didn't speak much- well he didn't speak much I know I can talk for days but he was keen on listening to me which I appreciated it made the time pass. The conversation we did have was actually nice and had nothing to do with who was with who or the latest scandals or had to do with picking on the loner kids. It was honestly kind of refreshing.
The only thing that irked me was he didn't talk much. I don't know why it bothered me so much, I figured it's only because everyone wants to speak to me not to be a conceited asshole but it was true. I made friends easily even though I kept my circle small but he was different. He didn't seek my attention or try to pry into my life. I had been trying to keep conversation everyday but he normally only let out a sentence every once in a while. He was shy and timid I realized and never really met my eyes but it only intrigued me.
I hadn't noticed I was staring until the bright shade of green met my eyes. His eyes widened slightly before quickly averting my gaze as I did the same, swallowing thickly at being caught staring unintentionally.
"Jackass did you hear what I was saying?" My hand instinctively came up and swatted Tyson in the back of the head at the nickname, his head shooting forward as he winced.
"Ow you fucking prick what was that for?" He exclaimed in distress, rubbing at the spot.
"For calling me jackass." I grumbled, as he finally closed his locker. The three of us began our way down the hall toward our classes.
"Fair enough, did you hear me say that Scott and I want to come over tonight?" Scott was peering over Tyson's shoulder to look at me for confirmation. I shrugged my shoulders with a smile as I responded with a "sure."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My leg was bouncing by the time third period bell rang to indicate fourth period. I rushed my things together to meet my friends by the lockers to make our way to the art class. I was leaned against the lockers as their obnoxious loud voices boomed from down the hall. Eyes followed us everywhere we went and it was no different today as they made it to their own, with smiles to match my mine.
"Jackson!" My head turned to the sound of my name being called by a familiar feminine voice. My smile faltering slightly before staying as it had been before, bright.
Summer and I on Sunday night had got into an argument. We had been getting hot and heavy during a make-out session and when she began to tug on my jeans I had stopped her which made her go into a fit. I had explained it wasn't because I didn't want to have sex with her, because I did, it was just that we had agreed to go slow and I wasn't feeling entirely up for it. I was no virgin, I had sex with many girls in the past but I didn't want summer and I to just be sex, its normally how all my relationships went. I wanted something more than sex for once. Still, she threw a fit and demanded if she wasn't enough for me and I understood her insecurity and reassured her but I didn't like the feeling of her pressuring me in the moment so it ended with her leaving my house upset and we hadn't talked since the incident.
She came up to me matching me with her own smile as she wrapped her arms around my neck, my own going around her waist as she nuzzled against my neck. "I missed you baby." She whispered against me as she placed a soft kiss there.
I hummed lowly to this, the nervous feeling returning but I brushed it off, it shouldn't be a big deal. "I missed you too summer." She giggled as she lifted her face from my neck to look at me, placing a soft kiss on my lips. The taste of strawberries invading my privacy as I kept my face from scrunching. I really should tell her that I had the taste of strawberry chapstick.
"If you two could stop dry humping in the hallway so we can get to art that would be amazing." Scott drawled out sarcastically as he shut his locker. Summer began to form a response but my eyes caught site of a familiar green that I felt watching us from down the hall. He didn't look away immediately much to my surprise but instead kept his lips pursed together before turning his attention away and back down to the ground as he hurried off in the direction we would about to head too.
We made our way to the art room, taking our usual seats settling in. I leaned my chin against my palm waiting for the demon teacher to arrive as the class bickered amongst themselves.
"Hey jackass, I never asked you how detention is going with the freak show." Tysons words took me out of my trance as I looked over at his with an eyebrow raised.
"The freak show? I wasn't aware you had detention with me."
"Haha very funny asswipe, I meant paint boy." I sighed quietly. I knew who be was talking about and normally I wouldn't mind if my friends or anyone really mentioned someone else in a low manor because it simply wasn't my problem but it felt almost weird having someone call Oliver that.
"He's not a freak show for one, I don't really know him he doesn't really talk but he listens." I shrugged as I responded but my eyes slightly widened as I cut him off before he could reply. "Wait, how do you know he's here after school?"
Tyson rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his seat with an obvious look, "Dude everyone knows he's here after school, he's Coach Jensons son, remember? The adopted one? He waits for couch to be done so they can go home together." My eyes widened as it looked over at the boy painting across the room.
Oliver Jenson. The shock was written on my face as the words were settling in. When I asked the first day of detention why he was still here he had said he liked it here but did he just not want to tell him that he was waiting for his coach? Why?
"You're so dumb Jackson, coach introduced us to him freshman year briefly." Scott chimed in with a chuckle.
"Oh." Was all that left my lips as my gaze stayed on the boy covered in newly fresh chalk. His cheek was smeared with a navy blue, his hair in a light dust of purple and my mind briefly wondered how he was so messy with his work but his paintings that Jackson had sneaked a peek into seeing were infact beautiful.
"I mean you could score a few points into coaches good side but I wouldn't be caught talking to him, he's weird." My eyebrows furrowed slightly as he said this, irritation slipping with my next words before I could stop myself.
"How would you know?"
The two of them looked mildly surprised at my words. Tyson lifted his hands in surrender with a chuckle as I tore my gaze away from the painter to look at them.
"I was just sayin man, who you wanna be friends with isn't my problem."
Damn right it isn't. Even as the demon spawn entered the classroom catching everyone's attention, mine was in my own thoughts. For some reason the need to be friends with Oliver was prominent in my mind, the need to tear down his walls and know him as a person versus the words of others. I wanted to paint my own picture of who Oliver Jenson was and I was going to build up the colors to do just that.