AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That was all anybody thought I was good for and all they ever wanted to talk to me about. I was popular but for a singular purpose.
“Yeah, I’m ready. Hey, do you know Julia Jacobs?”
“Yeah, dude. Everybody knows Julia. She’s hot but really weird. Why?”
Hot but weird. Maybe I would be throwing the first punch.
“Oh, nothin’. Does she park in our lot?”
I knew she was in the other lot but I asked a general question to fish for something more specific.
“No dude. She’s in Lot A. She has the spot across from Casey Wuthers.” He smiled. “Why? You thinkin’ about tackling that?”
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked seriously.
“Nothing. See you at practice.”
He knew I wasn’t going to play along. No wonder Jesse likes that guy so much. They share a one track mind. Jerk.
So, plan A was finding Jesse because he parked in the same lot and plan B was ‘running’ into Casey Wuthers, a girl I barely knew but was cool enough with that I could still approach her without it being weird. Honestly, all I wanted was a glimpse of Jules. One more glimpse to add to the millions I had already stolen but this time I needed to see her so it would give me the courage to do what I needed to later that day. The first time I would see her each day would send me hurdling into an anxiety attack. I figured if I saw her early enough, I could be as relaxed as possible by the time we had class together. I had about a million things I wanted to say to her, whether she would respond or not didn’t matter. I needed them off my chest, for my sanity’s sake.
The ironic part is I knew she searched for me too. That’s what killed me the most. It confused the heck out of me. I often caught her eyes on mine like they were that day in Chemistry but she would always make herself appear distracted immediately after. She cracked me up. I was never in control enough to do anything like that. I think she got a small kick out of torturing me but that was okay. Her pretend frostiness was just another thing I liked about her. She was feisty.
I cut through the school toward Jules’ lot. Her car was there. I searched around but Jesse was running late, as usual, and Casey Wuthers’ car was there but she wasn’t. Well, crud. While searching for someone else, anyone that I may have even had the slightest acquaintance with, I caught Jules walking through the parking lot toward me and for reasons beyond my control I found my feet carrying me forward. I was close enough that words came out of their own accord, providing me with an involuntary plan C.
“Jules?” I confidently asked, seconds from collapsing.
She didn’t respond.
“Julia?” I nearly shouted.
She walked right past me and I, against my better judgment, followed suit. Before I could reach her she was already through the doors. I picked up my pace, tossed open the school’s double doors and raced into the hall. When the doors opened, the air spilling in from the outside tossed her hair about her face and carried that honeysuckle-orange scent rolling towards me. I recovered from the fragrant punch and when I caught up with her dug my hands into my pockets to keep from seizing her in my arms. The last thing I wanted was an electric shock to spook her away from me again. I wound my way around the other students in the crowded hall, leaned over her shoulder and spoke closely into her ear.
“Jules, can I talk to you?”
Goosebumps rose on the flesh of her neck. I had gotten her attention. Though she didn’t confirm it with that pouty bottom lip, I had definitely caught her attention. She stopped at her locker and began to spin its dial. Alright, two can play at this game.
“Jules,” I sighed, casually leaning my shoulder against the locker next to hers. I kept my hands in my pockets for safekeeping. “Seeing that you won’t talk to me, I guess I’ll talk to you. I want to know what we’re going to do about what happened in the hall outside Mrs. Kitt’s class, and inside her class, and every time we’ve seen each other since? I’m dying here.” I pulled my hands from my pockets and ran them through my hair but put them back, just in case. “I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I dream about you all day. Against my will, you’ve polluted my thoughts.”
She turned, wide eyed, angry and mouth agape. Just the effect I wanted.
“I never said I didn’t like it,” I amended with a smile.
She turned back to her locker.
“I know you’re feeling the same things,” I continued.
She rolled her eyes.
“I can tell I affect you Jules. You can’t hide it.”
“You do not,” she finally spoke.
And her voice was like velvet. I almost melted into a puddle onto the floor.
“I know I do. You’ve restarted the combination to your locker seven times Jules.”
Her fingers dropped from the dial, she raised her head and stared straight ahead.
