| Saturday Night ~ Early November. . .
Rihanna's Loud album blasted from the stereo of the black Jeep Wrangler as all three girls were heading toward Frankie's to meet up with the guys for a triple date night. Michelle originally didn't want to go, but she eventually gave in from the constant begging from Riley and invited her best guy friend to meet them there. She knew Jay would be under Craig's arm all night, and she at least wanted someone to be with her in case things went sour between her and Javen.
Riley sighed as she nervously wrapped her arms around her unsettled stomach and slumped down in the front seat. Her nerves were slightly eased when she noticed the familiar scent on her jacket, instantly bringing forth memories of Mr. Jackson to mind. Since the last time she was in his presence, his scent continued to linger and she brought the collar of the jacket up to her nose, deeply inhaling as a small smile replaced her slight frown.
She felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned her head to see Michelle leaning her head in between the two front seats.
"You feeling okay?" She asked, and Riley hesitantly nodded.
"Yeah, just feeling a little nervous." Her faint smile remained as she sighed, slowly turning her head back toward the window. A knot formed in her stomach and she began to feel a little nauseous just thinking about the date that was quickly approaching. Her phone suddenly buzzed in her lap, startling her from her thoughts.
She glanced down and saw it was a text from Michelle. Opening her messages, it read, "Something to do with Javen?"
As she responded back, Jay pulled into the large, crowded parking lot of Frankie's and snatched up one of the closet parking spots she could get. Several groups of friends and families stood outside of the arcade building and throughout parts of the parking lot, bustling with activity. The loud rumbling of go-karts was heard nearby.
"Hey, I'm gonna get out and see if I can find them," Jay told them after she turned the engine off and removed her seat belt.
"You want us to go with you?" Riley asked but she shook her head.
"Nah, I'll be back." She assured, then got out of the car. They watched as she pressed her phone to her ear and disappeared between the row of cars.
Michelle climbed upfront and plopped down in the driver's seat. "What about Javen is bothering you?" She asked as she turned toward Riley, referring to the "Yes" text message she got back.
"Normally when I'm around someone I'm attracted to, I start to develop feelings over time. But with Javen, I just don't feel anything. Isn't that weird?" Riley asked.
Michelle stared out the windshield as she pondered silently for several seconds. "I don't think so. I'm sure there are going to be plenty of people that you'll be attracted to, but you also don't want to pursue anything with them. Don't worry too much about it."
"I'm trying not to," Riley said, feeling her heart beat nervously in her chest the more she thought about the date. "But I can tell he likes me, and I feel bad that I don't feel the same. I think it's because I like someone else."
Michelle raised an eyebrow, now fully intrigued. "And who is this someone else?"
"It's obvious." She softly chuckled, the scent from her jacket filling her nostrils again. She blushed from the memory of the hug that happened almost a week prior.
"Mr. Jackson, huh?" Michelle smirked. "Yeah, he's gorgeous. But in reality, you can't get with a teacher, Ri."
"I knooow." She drawled out, slumping down further in her seat and huffing out in disappointment. "But I just... I really like him. He's all I ever think about and he's one of the first people I look for when I get to school."
"Funny, I'm pretty sure he does the same. It's obvious he likes you, too." Michelle said, observing the small crowd out in front of Frankie's.
"How can you tell?"
Michelle slowly turned her gaze back toward Riley with a light laugh and both of her eyebrows raised. "Girl. You did not just ask me that."
"What? I honestly thought it was all just in my head." Riley said with a shrug.
She shook her head. "It's not. Believe me. It's clearly obvious Mr. Jackson feels some type of way about you. The hugs and the little coy smile on his face; his whole body language is practically screaming that man likes you. Don't make me bring up the football game again."
"I still can't believe that you think he did what he did."
"Ri, like I said I don't know what he did; all I know was that he looked like he was about to go toe-to-toe with his brother when he made that slick comment. Something went down." Michelle chuckled at the reminder. "I don't know, it might be possible for you guys to date."
"You think so?" She asked with a gleam of hope in her eyes, and Michelle shrugged.
"I was low-key kidding, but... maybe. That's if you two are willing to take that type of risk."
Riley bit the corner of her lip as she sat in contemplation. She felt the slight pulse of adrenaline pump through her veins at the mere thought of sneaking around. The fact that she would have the hottest teacher in the school wrapped around her finger developed a smirk upon her lips, and the possibility of going further than first base with him caused her to blush profusely. "I think I'm more than willing."
Michelle gave a short laugh. "Jay was right. Mr. Jackson is definitely bringing out another side in you that none of us has ever seen."
"Whatever." Riley sucked her teeth before softly laughed along. She sighed as the brief happiness died down. "The way I feel about Mr. Jackson is how I should feel about Javen. I mean he's cute, sweet- "
"He gives me a weird vibe," Michelle admitted, cutting Riley off. "I don't know why I guess it's just one of those feelings."
"What do you mean?"
She shrugged. "I feel something's off about him. I'm not sure what it is."
Riley was quiet for a few seconds as she thought. There were so many things she was balancing in her life right now and she felt like her mind was in disarray. If Mr. Jackson's flirtatious actions weren't tricks being played on her mind, then neither was that uneasy feeling that she sensed in the pit of her stomach.
"Honestly, M," Riley softly spoke, "after that lunch date with Javen not too long ago, I've been having this consistent nagging in my stomach lately whenever I talk to him or text him. I never feel that way around Mr. Jackson."
"It's your intuition." Michelle said, "Something isn't sitting right with Javen."
'Maybe it's sign.' Riley thought to herself while her eyes scanned the row of cars before landing on four figures heading toward the Jeep. "Oh, hell." She groaned, feeling her nervous symptoms return full force.
Michelle reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "You'll get through this. If he tries to bring up getting into a relationship, just be honest with him, okay?"
"Damn, Javen, I'm so sorry." Riley began to say with sarcasm, "I'll have to reject your offer because I'm more interested in jumping my Sex Ed teacher's bones than yours- ow!" She grimaced from Michelle's punch in the arm before belting out a laugh.
"You know exactly what I mean. Be honest, but not that honest."
"I know, I know, I was joking." She slowly breathed out, visibly swallowing the lump in her throat.
"Xavier and I will be nearby." Michelle reassured with a smile before getting out the car. Riley gradually followed suit and smiled small when Javen approached her.
"Hey, you." She said, returning the hug he immediately gave. He pulled back, bringing his hands to her waist and smiling close to her face.
"I swear you get more beautiful every time I see you." He complimented and she lightly blushed.
"So, are we going to stand out here in the middle of the parking lot hugging or go play some games?" Jay said, giving Javen the opportunity to grab Riley's hand.
She didn't reject his hold, but she'd rather keep to herself instead. She forced another small smile before averting her gaze and briefly looking over at Michelle to make sure she was close by as they all headed through the glass double doors.
Combination of laughter and conversations traveled through the large building of Frankie's, overwhelming the sounds of pinball machines and ticket dispensers. Javen dropped her hand and instead, placed an arm over her shoulder as they maneuvered through the moving obstacles of running children, groups of teens, and idling adults.
"What's first?" Javen asked Riley just before Jay spoke up.
"Laser tag!" She squealed in excitement, dragging Craig toward the dark room lit with a variety of neon colors. The other four closely followed suit, and each paired off with their dates, their gear flashing brightly.
After being given instructions and taken to another room full of obstacles to hide behind, a deep voice bellowed out through the room and immediately the games began. Laughter bounced off the walls and echoed, the stomping feet sounded equivalent to a stampede, and sounds of digital lasers being shot from the guns ensued.
Riley was the quickest out of everybody with Javen and Craig not too far behind. Her stamina was quite high, and she maneuvered through the obstacles with ease, sneaking up on the other couples who couldn't detect her until it was too late.
"Ry, that ain't fair! You got the advantage here!" Jay yelled across the room, dodging behind one of the walls to keep from being zapped.
She laughed. "What do you mean? Craig is an athlete! The only people who are at a real disadvantage is Michelle and Xavier!"
"You didn't have to come for us like that!" Michelle jested as she ran by them before she could be targeted.
Riley's laughter was cut short when she heard wheezing not far from where she was and turned to see red flashing in the corner. She squinted her eyes and realized it was Xavier.
"Are you alright?" Craig asked as he slowly descended the steps towards him.
He nodded with a small chuckle. "Yeah. Riley's right, though. This game isn't meant for people like me; I don't even like to walk to the mailbox."
"GAME OVER." The disembodied voice boomed over the room.
Craig helped Xavier up, then they all headed out of the room. Their score was listed on a TV screen by the door; Riley had the highest points and Craig came in second. For the next hour, the group went to different games around the building and rode on the go-karts outside for a while before heading back in for more games.
Though Javen hardly left her side, Riley still stood closer to Michelle and Xavier during the whole two hours. The bothersome feeling had returned after the lazer tag game and she couldn't shake it off. She wasn't trying to make it obvious, but she wasn't too discreet about it either. After a while, Javen went to sit down at one of the drink stations. The only employee there was busy tending to other customers to notice him.
"Hey, man." Craig greeted with a hand on Javen's shoulder after he walked up. "How's your date with Riley going?"
He grabbed a paper cup from a stack by a water cooler. He sat next to Javen after getting himself some water and a straw.
Javen simply shrugged and leaned against the wall. "It's okay. I feel like Riley's starting to distance herself from me, though." He watched as she goofed off and laugh with the other three, all taking turns playing whack-the-mole. "Anyway, how's your date going? You hit that yet?"
Javen gave him a cheeky smile as he playfully nudged him and Craig laughed, shaking his head.
"Nah, I haven't. She's actually making me work for it and I'll be lying if I said I wasn't turned on by that." Craig smiled, putting the straw to his lips and taking a sip of his water. "I like that about her, though. She's not like the majority of the girls at Ridge Blue."
"Hmm," Javen hummed his acknowledgment and placed his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. "What about Riley? Is she like the other girls or..?"
Craig scoffed. "Riley's definitely not like the others. She doesn't really pay guys any attention."
"So, what? She's into girls then?" Javen tittered and moved away from the seats. He and Craig began walking toward the small eatery, not far from the others.
"Not even that. Riley just keeps to herself and minds her business. You're the first guy I've seen her with since I've known her."
Javen sat on a counter stool and swiveled it around toward her direction. His eyes swept over her slim athletic frame and her long hair framing her beautiful face. "So, she doesn't sleep around at all?"
"Nah, Riley's more of a good girl type. She keeps her head in the books and hardly ever parties unless Jay drags her somewhere."
"I like that. I was starting to wonder if those type of girls had ceased to exist." Javen said. "I guess that also means she hasn't been with a guy yet."
Craig finished up the last of his water and tossed the paper cup into a nearby trash can before sitting next to Javen. "Doubt it, but don't think she'll give it up so easily."
"No, I believe it. As you said, she's not like the others so she's not so easy to break. I like a challenge." Javen swiftly turned in his chair once more when an employee finally approached him, and he asked for an order of fries. He turned back around as soon as he devoured a few. "So, once you're done with Jay, what's next?"
Craig shrugged, not entirely sure if that was what he was going to do. "The usual, I guess. Get another girl, woo her, bang her, and go on about my life."
Javen chuckled and nodded his head. "I might do the same, but I don't know. It's not often I get a girl to challenge me. I might keep her around for a bit."
The corner of Craig's lips slightly turned down as he watched the three girls converse just before Xavier started walking toward them to buy some milkshakes for the group.
Craig didn't know Riley as well as Jay and he didn't particularly get along with her, but he knew the reason why she wasn't so fond of him. He wasn't exactly comfortable with the fact that Javen had plans to use and dump her. He didn't see her as the type of girl that deserved that kind of treatment, not even Jay or Michelle for that matter. He began wondering if he should've chosen some other girls desperate enough to get down and dirty after the first date or dance.
At the same time, however, he enjoyed taking things a lot slower with Jay compared to rushing to sleep with a girl. Their late-night conversations on the phone and texts throughout the day didn't revolve around any sexual references. They talked about things they had in common and whatnot; it was exhilarating, and he was beginning to develop feelings for Jay. It kind of scared him since he couldn't recall the last time he felt this way about a girl.
"...I don't know, man." Craig finally said after a while, making sure Xavier wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation. "Riley can be a pain in the ass, but she deserves more than being used."
Javen barely paid him any mind as he couldn't take his eyes off her and Riley could sense he was staring at her. She turned to meet his eyes and felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze. Her smile was uneasy, and she quickly turned back around before separating from the girls to play a basketball game. It wasn't long before Javen was by her side again.
"You're any good at this game?" He asked her as she focused on the balls rolling out of the machine.
"Maybe a little. You?" She handed him a ball when he shrugged.
He tossed it and it bounced off the rim, rolling back down. Riley tried one after him and it swiftly went into the hoop. Javen looked on in shock as she kept making goal after goal.
"Wow." He mumbled. "You are pretty good at this."
She smirked and handed him the last ball. "Give it another try."
She stepped to the side while he stood in the center. Before he took the shot, she directed where and how to hold his arms. As soon as he tossed it, it swooshed right into the hoop.
"Nice." Riley smiled, grabbing the tickets that out the machine. "You're not so bad yourself."
"Well, I had a lovely girl helping me out," He said, then put an arm around her. She didn't push him off, so he took that as a good sign. "So, I was thinking that maybe we should do a date alone sometime next weekend. Are you busy?"
She bit her lip, wondering if she should lie. "Um..."
Her intuition still felt off, but she decided to give it one last try. It wouldn't hurt to see that maybe she would eventually develop feelings for him.
"Yeah, okay. Just tell me when and where."
Javen smiled. "Cool."