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Chapter Five
The Dream of the Ruthless Ideal
The next day, at school, Jules and I walked through the halls hand in hand as always and squashed all the rumors Taylor Williams had worked so hard to start.
“Let’s go to the rock bridge again tonight. There’s something I need to talk to you about,” I said.
“Uh oh,” she fretted.
“It’s serious, but not bad serious,” I said trying to pacify any anxiety.
“Whatever you say,” she laughed.
I kissed her at the door to her Art class and as it closed behind her I caught a glimpse of a disappointed Taylor. I shook my head and rolled my eyes while I walked to my U.S. History class with Coach Miles. I was glad I had history first because Jesse was in that class and I needed to apologize. It’s not that I didn’t mean what I had said during lunch, only that I shouldn’t have done it in such a public manner.
“Hey Jesse,” I said softly.
He nodded, avoiding eye contact, staring toward a depressing vinyl tile.
“Listen,” I began, “I want to apologize for blowing up on you yesterday, dude. I......”
But before I could finish, he cut me off, “Elliott, I need you to break up with Julia Jacobs.”A small smile curved at his lips, his eyes still plastered to the floor.
He said it so matter-a-factly, so blasé, so ‘can you believe this weather we’re having? Isn’t it a doozy?’. I thought he was joking at first. I even began to laugh a little but the narrow eyed expression he burrowed through me gave me a tiny prickling sensation in my stomach and told me just how wrong I was to assume so, told me he wasn’t joking, that he was one hundred percent serious.
“What?” I asked.
“I need you and Julia to no longer be together. Is that clearer?”
His tone was soft and unnerving. I hardly recognized it.
“Crystal,” I breathed, “Jesse, are you insane?”
That wasn’t rhetoric. I was sincerely concerned. He only ignored me.
“Stop playing Jesse. Come on.”
“I’m not playing,” a stone faced Jesse said, “I am genuine. You must break up with her.”
“I must?”
“Must.”
“And if I said no?” I laughed nervously, still trying to feel out the situation.
“You won’t say no.”
“Well, I’m saying no.”
He snorted. “Let’s just say, if you don’t, you’ll force me to do something......drastic.”
“Be careful, Jesse,” I said through gritted teeth.
“After you so carelessly let me take her out, I decided that I want her and I think you should give her to me.”
“You’ve decided that you want her? And you expect me to give her to you?” The ridiculousness of it was mind boggling to me. It was so ludicrous that I foolishly didn’t even feel that threatened, more concerned with his mental health.
“Yes, I like her legs.” He chuckled, “She has absolutely no interest in me at all and I’ve never run across that before.” The ego. “I feel challenged and to be honest with you I need a challenge. I’m so bored. Granted, she’s sort of chatty but I’m sure I could remedy that.”
