Puck Cainly
The next few weeks pass in a blur.
It's the beginning of December, so the weather is especially bad today--it rains every five minutes, is windier than should be legal, and I'm freezing my ass off even as I jog to the car. Theo's parked closer than usual, in the driveway.
I glare at him for no real reason when i get in. He looks completely unaffected by the weather in a warm looking leather jacket over a grey sweater, jeans and boots. His hair is wind mussed, eyes calm and amused at my struggle to get into the car in one piece, and he's chewing on a stick of gum.
So on top of everything else, his breath smells good.
Sometimes I really, really hate him.
I tell him so.
"Good morning to you, too." he says dryly as he backs up to pull into Jesse's driveway.
I found out about his and Kyle's little 'fling' a few days after it started. It's supposed to be a secret but I guess Jesse couldn't help but gush.
And gush he did. And still does, even though him and Rebecca got into it about the fact that what they're doing is, you know...
Illegal.
Becca's always been big on the law. I, personally, see her as the future president of the U.S., or in the army (she has the death glare down). When she heard (because she happened to be sitting there when Jesse's self control cracked into a thousand little pieces and he started telling me things that I thought I'd never know about my best friend's older brother) she went off on what Caleb and I quietly like to call her goody-goody rant.
I don't see anything that wrong about it, even if I didn't want to know about Kyle's talented hands. To me, it's sort of a win-win. Jesse's stopped smacking my butt as often (Kyle doesn't share, he gleefully informed me. I really don't want to know. Honestly.) and as long as the kid's happy, right? The fact that I'd known Kyle for years helped.
Jesse came skipping out of the house, wearing bright purple boots, dark skinny jeans, a huge purple and white striped hoodie that I'm pretty sure belonged to Kyle at one point. A huge, bright yellow umbrella finishes the look.
He gracefully enters the car and chirps a chipper, "Morning Pucky, Theo."
I grunt. Theo nods. I personally think he has a soft spot for the kid.
"What's wrong, Pucky?" Jesse pouts. "You normally say 'good morning' back."
"He doesn't like the cold," Theo informs him, backing out of his driveway carefully.
"Oh."
"I'm not even going to ask how you know that." I mumble, even though the idea that Theo remembers my rant about cold weather makes me feel...good.
We sit in silence--Theo and I, Jesse chats about anything and everything--as we drive to Caleb's house. Before Theo can honk the horn, though, Rebecca comes jogging out of her house, scowling.
"I hate the winter." She grumps.
"Finally!" I exclaim. "Someone who can relate! Where's Caleb?"
"He was picked up by one his football buddies. Something about an early discussion or something. He didn't tell you?"
"I left my phone at home again." I say sheepishly.
Jesse interrupts the tongue lashing that I'm sure to get with a squeal. "Oh my gosh! Is that the new Gucci handbag?" he snatches up the weird looking purse thing that Becca's carrying on her. As they get into a discussion, I heave a sigh of relief. Theo smirks.
The discussion tapers off when we pull into school. I groan as Theo starts driving around--all of the parking spots close to the door are taken.
To my surprise, he pulls up at the front of the school. I look at him. "You can't park here."
"Obviously," he says dryly.
"Then why...?"
Rebecca huffs, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, boys. Puck, he's attempting to be chivalrous. You, oh clueless one, are slowly tearing that attempt down."
Jesse giggles.
I blush. "Oh. Well, thanks."
"Don't mention it." he grumbles. I'm starting to regret not just getting out of the car.
"I'll see you at lunch." 'Cause it's obvious that he's going to be late. The parking was that bad. I hesitate, looking around, but the windows are tinted and it's raining too hard for anyone to see anything.
Before I can talk myself out of it I lean forward and crush my lips to his, just for a second, before pulling back. The expression on his face is kind of worth it. "Bye."
And then I grab my backpack, and not-so-gracefully stumble out of the car into the pouring rain. Jesse giggles, coming up behind me, and before I can cover my ass or something that huge yellow umbrella's over my head.
"Thanks." I muster a grin, despite his knowing look. My own umbrella was mangled and somewhere under my bed.
Becca joins us and we jog out of he rain, with Jesse happily kicking and jumping in puddles that we pass. I roll my eyes, even I inwardly chuckle.
No one's out on the terrace and the doors are shut, probably because of the wind blowing he rain. We walk up the steps carefully and I open the door for them.
Jesse looks a me primly, letting Becca pass before strutting though. I sigh, fold up the yellow umbrella (I'm taller so he let me have it when we were sharing) and walk after them.
I instantly notice the atmosphere when we walk in: it's kind of dark, with the storm outside, but I can clearly see the gossip Clusters that are formed down the hall.
Clusters are a name that Becca and I came up with for groups of kids, discussing the latest scandal at Dartington. The latest pregnancy speculation. A teacher-student relationship, for the wishful thinkers. Jesse Garcia's arrival.
For the second time in my entire school career, heads turn and furiously whisper. Something in my stomach hits the soles of my feet.
“Is it me, or is everyone staring at us?” Rebecca murmurs to me, her voice low as we walk down the hallway.
I can’t really answer. The blood has frozen in my veins and sheer, bone chilling horror is slowly taking over. I watch as the girls giggle behind their hands and look, guys I’ve known for years throw looks of disgust.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Bex,” Jesse says airily, though I can hear underlying tension. “They’re not staring at us. They’re staring at me.” He clears his throat and then says, in a louder voice, “though I don’t exactly understand WHY.”
And then it happens.
The doors down the hallway that lead to the gym open, and the football team, in loud, obnoxious voices, exits, Caleb at the head. He’s talking to someone in a harsh voice, an angry vein in his neck sticking out as he argues.
Someone says something to him, and his head whips around to meet my eyes.
And the ugliest, nastiest, sneer that I’ve ever seen on his face comes on.
“You.”
He strides toward us in huge, sweaty, steps, and I can feel Rebecca’s nails dig into my arm—she’s too shocked to do anything, like me, because all I can think is oh my god oh my god oh my god he knows—
And he throws a punch…
…at Jesse.
Of course, Jesse's super ninja badass, so he ducks swiftly and Caleb's fist flies into a locker. The loud BANG! and shouted curse that follows snaps me out of the knee-weakening relief that I feel and I rush forward, even as Jesse deftly throws a punch of his own, even though he practically has to stand on his tiptoes to do it, and then they're suddenly a flurry of punches and people, previously Clusters are chanting 'Fight! Fight! Fight!'
I dive in and shove Caleb off of Jesse, while Rebecca tugs on his shirt. Caleb's bleeding and panting and flushed all over.
He shoves at me roughly. I'd be sprawled all over the ground if I wasn't prepared.
"Let me at him, Puck!" He roars, shoving at me, ears red and chest heaving. A few people back up quickly. "I'll kill him!"
"Calm the hell down!" I shove him back, staring at him. "What is your problem, dude?"
"He turned my brother gay!" He raves, waving his arms around. (Nothing's broken, then, but the blood gushing from some unknown place is kinda concerning.)
I blink. "Oh."
"Oh? Oh!? Aren't you just as mad as I am!?"
"Not really." I say, trying to lower Caleb's voice from Super Pissed Mode to Sort-Of Reasonable and wondering where the hell the teachers are, "considering that you can't just turn someone gay. They have to be willing."
"Are you insinuating--" Caleb uses big words when he's really pissed-- "that my brother was gay before he showed up!? Wait--" his angry look switches so fast that I have to blink. Now he looks absolutely horrified.
"Puck." His grip on my arms becomes almost painful, and I squirm uncomfortably. His voice is shaking, almost pleading. "Puck. Don't tell me he got to you too."
A deathly silence follows.
I look at my poor best friend. Caleb looks like he's just taken a soccer ball to the head (literally--that blood is totally nasty). His eyes are a bit wild and his hair's grown enough for him to anxiously run his hands through it.
I'm aware of everyone in that hallway waiting for my answer: friends, some teachers who are supposed to be breaking up the fight but are just as caught up as everyone else, kids that have helped my high school years be not-so-horrible.
I take a deep breath, lick my lips, and answer in a voice that I'm proud is completely and utterly strong, "No, he didn't."
The hands loosen. I hear a sigh from behind me: Rebecca or Jesse. Probably disappointment.
I look Caleb in the eye. "But Theo did."
There's a few moments where he gapes at me.
This is the part where a lesser me laughs, tells him it's a joke, then gangs up on Jesse.
I'm not going to be a lesser me today.
I think Caleb sees this, because he steps back, his hands curling into fists, jaw bunching and unbunching and eyes unbelieving. He rears his fist, suddenly, and I stand there, closing my eyes for the punch that I deserve.
When no punch comes, though, I open my eyes to Caleb's retreating, defeated form.
Somehow, that's worse than any blow.
*****
Aw, poor Pucky. I screw with him way too much ;(
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Picture of Rebecca ---->