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“What’s up Jesse?” I said, throwing a subtle nod toward Jules.
“Hey Julia”, he said sweetly, eyeing her strangely.
She ignored him and enthusiastically greeted him like she did with everyone, sweet and sunnily.
Jesse was icy cold to Jules but had recently ceased being outright mean to her. I didn’t quite get Jesse. I was starting to believe something was seriously wrong with him. His behavior was so erratic.
“So?” He asked again.
“Oh, I wondered why you had a bandage on your neck during the game. Is that why you skipped school today?”
“Hell yeah it is! Don’t say anything to my mom, though, she doesn’t know.”
“How the heck are you gonna’ keep something like that away from your mom dude?” I asked in disbelief. “Wear turtlenecks?”
The entire table laughed.
“No,” he said disdainfully. “I’ll break it to her eventually man, just not right now. I’m not doing so hot in my classes and I don’t want to give her extra fuel. Know what I’m sayin’?”
It pissed him off that I called him out like that. Not even a buttoned up shirt with a tie could cover the thing it was so graphic and it practically reached his chin but I’m betting that Jesse wasn’t on the fast track to becoming a CPA so it didn’t bother me if it didn’t bother him, to each their own.
“I do,” I said trying not to appear judgmental.
Jesse was always really sensitive about the things that made him look badly and he didn’t respond well when you ‘put his neck on the chopping block’, as he’d say, so I learned to just keep my mouth shut, most of the time.
“So Julia,” Jesse said, turning toward Jules. He kept an eye on me but eventually turned his focus on Jules.
I almost fell over in my chair. I couldn’t believe he was talking to her and by his own volition.
“Yes, Jesse?” She asked, wide eyed.
He leaned in to Jules, causing her to lean back a bit uncomfortably, and rested his forearm on the back of her chair. I threw him the dirtiest look but he ignored me.
“I was thinking, since you and my boy here seem to be such a sure thing, that you and I should get to know one another better.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah, maybe I could take you to a movie sometime and we can shoot the shit.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. I did not like where this was going. “I’d be coming too right?”
“Nope,” Jesse said, never breaking his gaze on Jules.
I opened my mouth to object but Jules silenced me with a smile.
“Uh, no, it’s okay Elliott. Jesse, I think that’s a wonderful idea. I think you and I started out on the wrong foot.”
“Over my dead body,” I said.
“That can be arranged,” he smiled.
“Come on Jesse. You can’t take my girl out. Isn’t that like a rule or something?”
“What? You don’t trust me?” He asked, doe eyed.
“Nope.”
Jesse laughed darkly toward the tile on the floor before raising his head to speak.
