jayus (n.)
a joke so unfunny and poorly told that you can't help but laugh
* * *
FOLLOWING Environmental Science, I had Spanish class with Ethan. I only managed to embarrass myself by mispronouncing words, so that had to count for something. When the forty minutes of tortura no deseada were over, he escorted me to the cafeteria for lunch.
"So, how's your first day going?" Ethan asked, filling the silence.
"Okay, except for the fact that my Environmental Science teacher already hates me."
"Who is it?"
"Mr. Richards." Just saying his name left a bitter taste on my tongue. The next eight months in his class would be a lot of fun, that's for sure.
He grimaced. "I have his class last period. My friend Eli likes to call him 'Dick.'"
"Seems like a common nickname. The kid next to me called him that, too," I mused, not feeling bad for Mr. Dick at all. With that attitude, he deserved it.
We approached the table Aubrey and Delaney were at. Ethan scooted a chair next to Aubrey's and proceeded to make out with her. Delaney puckered her lips and made kissing noises to mock them.
I chuckled and took the empty seat next to her.
"So Charlotte, how do you like Haven Beach so far?" Delaney asked, ignoring the sloshy kissing noises as she unpacked her lunch.
"It seems nice, I guess. I haven't seen anything but Ethan's house." I hoped to get the chance to explore soon, and maybe see the beach. We didn't see it on the drive to school, which seemed odd to me. The house must have been farther from the beach than I initially thought.
Aubrey elbowed Ethan. "Babe, why haven't you shown her around yet?"
"I will later today," he hissed, rubbing his side. "Maybe after football."
She smiled kindly at me before giving him an apology kiss.
A tall, Hispanic guy with curly hair and tanned skin approached our table. He eyed me up and down with a lazy smirk before setting his tray next to me. In a blink of an eye, a heavy arm was thrown over my shoulder. "So this is your cousin, man?"
I shrugged his arm off. "Yes. I'm Charlotte," I answered for Ethan. I always hated it when people talked about me like I wasn't sitting right there. How hard was it to just ask me?
"Well, sweetheart, I'm Benjamin, but you can call me Benny," he flirted, reading over to toy with a brown lock of my hair. "And I will be calling you Char. Hope that's okay, gorgeous."
"Ben, knock it off," Ethan scolded. "She's not going to be one of your fuck-toys. My cousin is off-limits. You hear that?"
"Babe, be nice," Aubrey chastised softly.
"Who's off-limits?" A familiar voice said from behind me. I turned around and saw the attractive brown-haired boy from Environmental Science.
A smile involuntarily took over my face. If he was sitting here, Ethan had to be friends with him. Maybe I didn't already ruin my chances, after all.
"My cousin, Charlotte," Ethan said, pointing at me with his fork. "I guess she's off-limits to you too, not that there's anything to worry about."
My smile faltered. What did Ethan mean? Did the hot boy already have a girlfriend? Or was he gay? Both would be a shame because I selfishly (and weirdly) wanted him all to myself. I just met the guy—this was crazy.
"Ahh, the mysterious cousin. I thought you looked familiar earlier," he mused as he sat down across from me.
"You met Eli already?" Delaney asked me curiously.
Eli. So that's his name. Hmm, I like it.
"I sat next to him in Environmental."
"Yep, Mr. Dick's class," Eli added.
Ben snickered like an immature twelve-year-old. "That never gets old."
Delaney rolled her eyes and aggressively stabbed a strawberry with her fork. "And you wonder why nobody ever wants to date you," she muttered. "You have the maturity of a monkey."
"And you can't forget those terrible pick-up lines," Ethan added, earning another harsh nudge from his girlfriend. I was starting to feel bad for his poor ribs.
"Hey, those are amazing lines," he protested, turning to face me. "Hey Char, do you have a band-aid?"
"Nope," I said, taking a small bite of my turkey sandwich.
"That sucks. I just skinned my knee falling for you," he smirked.
"How charming," I deadpanned.
"Come on, that was funny."
"Not really," Ethan interjected, stealing a chip from Aubrey.
Ben looked around the table, seeking a new subject. He zoned in on Delaney and her leftover pancakes. "So, you like pancakes, D?"
"Obviously, you idiot." She tossed a strawberry at him.
He caught it mid-air and wiggled his eyebrows. "Well, how 'bout IHOP on that ass?"
"Seriously, Ben, you're going to get arrested for sexual harassment someday. That's not even funny," Aubrey lectured.
Everyone else nodded in agreement. I thought it was kinda funny, but I nodded along, too. What was so offensive about a joke to a friend that was all in good fun?
Ben shrugged. "Suit yourselves. I—for one—think my humor is top-notch." He reached into his backpack and pulled out a box of raisins. Just as I thought he was about to move on to something else, he faced me again. "Hey, baby. Wanna raisin?"
Delaney rolled her eyes. "Nobody wants your disgusting raisins."
"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Charlotte. Maybe if you improve that attitude, you can be next. So, Char, do you want a raisin?"
"Sure?" I reached to grab one.
He dramatically spilled them on the floor. "Oops. There aren't any left. How 'bout a date instead?"
I was unable to contain my laughter this time. I think I even saw Eli crack a smile.
"See, she thinks I'm funny!" he proclaimed triumphantly. "I like you already."
"It was so unfunny it made me laugh," I corrected. There was a thin line between funny and unfunny, but there was still a difference.
"Sure, sweetheart," he drawled, slinging his arm around my shoulder once again. "Just keep telling yourself that."
I grimaced and slipped out of his grasp. Somebody needed to teach this boy about personal space.
"Ethan said you're from Chicago?" Eli asked.
"Yeah," I bobbed my head. "My mom and I moved here yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Delaney said in disbelief.
"Yesterday," I confirmed, rolling my eyes. "She wanted me to start school as soon as possible, so here I am. On a Friday."
"That's brutal," Ben whistled.
I shrugged modestly.
"Why Haven Beach?" Eli asked.
"A fresh start," I smiled tightly, not wanting to explain my fucked up situation. I didn't have the desire to think about the... traumatizing sight I saw. I already had the luxury of seeing it in my sleep for the past few days.
"So, I was planning on inviting everyone over to my place after the game next week. What do you guys think?" Delaney asked.
Out of the loop, I sat back and half-heartedly listened, content with being in the background. I never enjoyed being the center of attention, anyway.
* * *
An unknown number of minutes later, a bell rang to signal the end of lunch. All around me, students started to pack up their lunches and leave.
"Charlotte," a voice called out to me as I walked away from our table. Turning around, I saw Eli jogging up to me.
"Uh, hi." I awkwardly waved, regretting it as soon as my hand moved. I mean, who waved anymore?
"Hey, what class do you have? Do you need help figuring out how to get there?"
I was stunned by his sweetness for a second. "Yeah, uh, sure. That would be great. Thank you." My gaze flitted to my schedule. "I have Photography in A128."
"Oh, me too, actually. It's quicker to go that way." He turned around and pointed in the opposite direction.
I blushed. "Um, thanks. I'm terrible with directions."
"S'all good," he grinned. "I don't know why Ethan left you alone... That was kind of a dick move if you ask me."
I nodded, unsure of how he wanted me to respond. Would it be rude to call his friend—who also happened to be my cousin—a dick? I didn't want to risk being labeled a shit-talking bitch on my first day; I just found these nice people and wasn't going to let them slip through my fingers so easily.
On the way to class, I listened to Eli prattle on about football and Haven Beach. When we got there, he took a seat in the back as I took the opportunity to introduce myself to the teacher.
"Charlotte, come sit here," he announced as I was about to sit at an empty table in the front.
Stomach fluttering with a novel emotion, I made my way to his table. "Are you sure someone else won't want to sit here? I don't wanna take anyone's seat."
He waved me off. "It's your seat now. It's not like Aliyah owned it."
I reluctantly sat down. Hopefully, this 'Aliyah' wouldn't be mad.
"So, you like photography, too?" he asked.
"My mom thinks I'm a little obsessed. I take photos of almost everything," I admitted. "I actually covered three of the walls in my old room with them."
"That's really cool. My parents not-so-secretly think this class is a waste of my time."
"Why?"
"I coulda taken a study and spent it in the gym for extra football training. Obviously, I took this class instead," he shrugged, fiddling with the buttons on his camera. "My dad especially wants me to keep my focus on football. It's a recurring argument at my house."
"Is that what you want?"
"Yes and no," he answered after a pause. "I've always wanted to play in college and eventually the NFL. I love the sport—don't get me wrong—but I'm always at the gym or practice. I wanted one fun class."
"You're allowed that. You can't just do football 24/7," I reasoned. "My father worked 24/7, and look where it got him."
"Yeah, uh, Ethan told me about the divorce. I'm sorry." The genuineness in his voice surprised me. It was refreshing, even. I was expecting fake niceties and a swift change of subject.
"It's not a big deal. He didn't care about me, so why should I care about him?" It was easier said than done. If only there were an emotional switch I could turn off. That would surely make my life a hell of a lot easier.
"Well, for what it's worth, you seem pretty cool to me."
I shifted my head, and we locked eyes for a split second. "Thanks," I squeaked, face tomato red for the millionth time that day.
"Afternoon, class," the teacher said, essentially saving me. "Today, we're going to go over portrait techniques. Remember that you have ten photos due by class on Friday..."
Throughout class, I found myself paying more attention to Eli than the teacher. I snuck looks at him out of the corner of my eye and secretly tracked his movements. It seemed weird, but something about him was drawing me in like a magnet. No matter how much I tried to look away, I just couldn't help myself.
Evidently, he was conventionally attractive, but there was something else about him. Was it his charm? His easygoing attitude? His self-confidence? I couldn't put my finger on it. And I knew it would bother me until I found a concrete answer.
* * *
A/N: Thanks for reading chapter 5! Please leave a vote and comment if you are enjoying the book so far! I appreciate each and every interaction 💚
QOTC: What's your favorite color?
My Answer: I love a dusty rose/mauve shade. Neutral and soft tones are my absolute favorites.