"Have you completed your chemistry assignment?" David asked, making me look up from my notes. He was sitting across from me at the table. Tim was sitting next to him and working on his own assignment. We were at the school's library during our study period as usual.
"Yeah," I hummed, and David grinned.
"Great! Can I look at it? I'm having some problems with the last question," he asked, and I agreed, looking through my bag that was sitting next to my chair before handing him my notebook when I pulled it out of my backpack.
David thanked me before taking my note, and I noticed Tim look over at him before turning his gaze away when David turned to face him briefly. I chuckled, shaking my head as I returned my focus to my own work. They had been acting odd lately, and I concluded in my mind that David had probably asked Tim out and they were in that awkward waiting period where Tim had to 'think about it.'
A small frown made its way to my face when I suddenly thought of Jay. He seemed to be less anxious now, and he wasn't oddly absent from school anymore. I saw him in the hallway with his goons earlier today, but he looked exhausted, and he hardly pestered anyone anymore. I wondered if he had settled things with his parents and if he had maybe come out to his friends, but that seemed unlikely. He seemed to be doing damage control when I last spoke to him, so it was logical that he didn't want anyone to know.
When lunch was over I headed to chemistry class with David He seemed a lot more cheerful — hopeful. The rest of the school day passed, and I waved David and Tim off at the school building's door before turning and heading for the study hall. I had a project to catch up on, and Wyatt had promised to come and pick me up afterward.
The study hall was mostly empty. There were a few people serving detention that were scattered about the place here and there too. I pretty much minded my own business and worked on my assignments, so I was surprised to hear someone pulling the chair beside me. I looked up from my work, and my eyes widened when I saw who it was.
"Don't look at me like that," Jay sighed before settling down on the wooden chair. I frowned, realizing he hadn't brought any books with him and that he was out of the school uniform. I looked away, turning my attention back to my books.
"Don't you have practice?" I asked, turning back to face me. He turned to me a bit, his brown eyes piercing my darker ones.
"What do you care?" he asked in a low voice as a frown took form on his face.
"Well, I mean, you chose to sit here when..." trailed off, motioning towards the other empty chairs and tables around us.
He let out a sigh, bending a bit as he covered his face with his palms. "I guess I wanted to vent to someone who knew about — you know." He sat up, shrugging. "I took permission from the coach to get some fresh air. I just—" he left his sentence unfished and sighed again.
Biting my bottom lip, I drummed on the wooden table with the end of my pen. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't good with emotional stuff, so I just didn't say anything in response.
"About that person."
"What?" I asked, blinking before looking back at Jay. His dirty blonde hair was a mess, and I watched as he pushed his bands back before folding his hands on the table.
"That Wyatt person. What did he do right that I didn't?" Jay asked, narrowing his gaze at me.
A lot of things. I said in my head, but I didn't have the guts to say them out loud just in case Jay was in the mood to smash my head into the wooden table we were sitting by. I mean, I could probably fight him head-on—I have fought him head-on, but my ma didn't want me to get into trouble, and the school, in general, was shit at being fair in those kinds of situations.
I shrugged. "Well, for starters he didn't do anything. We just hung out and it happened organically, I guess," I muttered as Jay frowned in apparent confusion.
"Organically?" his frown deepened with the question he asked out loud. "What? What does that mean?"
"That means, well, he didn't do what you did. He wasn't demanding, and we became friends first," I replied, and Jays just rolled his eyes at my words before looking away. He rubbed his eyes with the base of his palms, sitting straight so that he wasn't slouching on the uncomfortable chair anymore.
"I'm sure you're used to getting what you want when you want it, but that's not how relationships work," I continued, and he just used the tip of his index finger to trace over the scribbling and compass marks on the table.
"Well, what should I have done?" he said, turning to look at me. "If I had let things happen 'organically' would you have liked me?"
"I—err..." I trailed as I looked away. Wyatt's hair, pale skin, lean body, and blue eyes filled my mind. I felt my cheeks warm up at my thoughts, and to answer Jay's question — no, probably not.
"To be honest, no," I said with a shrug of my shoulders. "And that's another thing, sometimes you'll never get what you want even if you try as hard as you can," I added.
Jay's lips formed a thin line before he made to rest his head on the table. He looked exhausted, so when he slept off I hadn't been surprised. He looked rather peaceful in his sleep, and a lot less menacing than when he was awake. I shook my head, turning back to my work. I had to finish my homework before Wyatt comes over to pick me up.
*
Message from: David.
Antonio!
Guess what.
FRI, 4:52 PM.
I rolled my eyes, cursing under my breath after I read the text. Wyatt laughed beside me. He had probably heard the small curse I let out. We were in his car, and he was driving us back home. He had come to pick me up from school a few minutes ago. I had shaken Jay awake by the shoulder before leaving, and he had even gotten to see a glimpse of Wyatt since he had been waiting by the study room's door.
Message to: David.
What?
FRI, 4:53 PM.
I sent it, and it got read right after before David's typing bar popped up.
Message from: David.
Tim said he'll watch a movie with me!
Typing...
I know this is a pity date, but I'll try my best to make sure he has fun.
Typing...
I mean, I know I don't look like you, but I know I'm decent-looking. Tim and I also have the same interests, so we'll get along. I think he thinks I'm fun to be around. He laughs at my jokes.
FRI, 4:55 PM.
I frowned. My looks. Everyone kept mentioning my looks, but I didn't think I looked the way most people described it. I mean, I wasn't ugly — average at best. I was cute with freckles and bit bouncy hair like David either, so I don't know what he was going on about.
"It would have been inappropriate to say this before, but since we're together now I think I can," Wyatt had said as he'd stared at me. We had been hanging out in his room that evening, lying next to each other, face to face. "You're good-looking, like really good-looking. You're hot."
The memory of that day still made me blush from time to time. I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts. I then looked down at David's text and made to reply to it.
Message to: David.
Oh, that'd great!
Typing...
Can I ask you a question?
FRI, 5:00 PM.
Message from: David.
Sure.
FRI, 5:01 PM.
Message to: David.
What do you mean by: "I know I don't look like you."?
FR, 5:02 PM.
Message from: David.
You're good-looking, you're REALLY good-looking.
FRI, 5:03 PM.
David sent. I frowned at his reply, making to type up a response.
Message to: David.
But no one has ever liked me until recently — Tim, and it's probably because I kicked Jay and his goon's butts.
FRI, 5:05 PM.
Message from: David.
Ah, a lot of girls like you, you're just dense.
FRI, 5:06 PM.
Message to: David.
Shut up.
FRI, 5:07 PM.
Message from: David.
We're texting each other, you idiot.
FRI, 5:08 PM.
I rolled my eyes, putting my phone away before looking at Wyatt who was humming softly as he drove. I smiled, looking down at my lap as my cheeks began to grow warm. I would probably follow him up to his room, or he would come to mine. We would talk and one of us would reach out to the other to kiss. My smile became wider as I thought about it. Having him as my boyfriend made me so happy.