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I left my room and headed down the back stairwell to the kitchen to put my mom’s phone back on her charger. I finished my homework, ate dinner, talked and laughed with my parents, even played with Maddy before I forced my tired feet up the stairs and plunged into my sheets.
“Today was a good day,” I understated. “A very good day.”
The next day, we were barely able to speak during second period because Mrs. Kitt was on to us. Mrs. Jacobs’ best friend. Enough said. When class was finally over, I nervously walked two paces behind Jules toward the door. Mrs. Kitt was watching us very closely now and we tried to act as inconspicuously as possible.
“Stupid town and their stupid gossip. I know she’s just itchin’ to call my mom,” Jules whispered under her breath to me once we reached the end of the hall.
“Let’s go to Thatcher’s after school, avoid prying eyes,” I said joining her side.
She stopped short and I took a step back to join her. For a long time, she hesitated.
“Please say yes. Don’t make me beg you Jules,” I pleaded with a smile.
“Okay,” she leaned in and whispered back.
I could feel her warm breath on my neck when she leaned in to my ear and shuddered at the tingle it gave me. She never knew it, but in that moment I about said ‘screw it’, but when I was close to dropping my bag and books and sweeping her into my arms to kiss her, Mrs. Kitt walked by.
“You going to lunch kids?” she asked, eyeing us gingerly.
You’ve just been saved Julia Jacobs.
We walked to lunch and entered the cafeteria doors. As the daily custom now, all eyes shot our way.
“Wanna’ sit with me and Jesse and the rest of the team? A change of pace?” I asked.
“Absolutely not,” she laughed.
“Why not? They don’t bite.”
“Yeah, but I might.”
“Oh whatever Jules. Come on. You might like them.”
“Yeah, the guys would probably be polite, but the cheerleaders won’t. They hate my guts.”
“I don’t think so Jules. You’re imagining things.”
“No, I’m not, but if you really want me to, then I will, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Just pay attention to how Taylor Williams and her comrades act toward me.”
“What did she do?” I asked, finally feeling safe enough about us to pry.
I knew how awful Taylor Williams could be. Over the summer, she called me like fifty times to see if I wanted to go to the movies but I was about as interested in that as a cat is in his bath. She was foul. A true sociopath. She constantly gossiped, was cruel to people who she thought were beneath her and was about as intelligent as the lemming she so eloquently emulated.
“Don’t you remember that awful fight we got in to last year in art class?” She asked in disbelief.
“No,” I honestly said.
Whenever Taylor’s name was brought up around me I’d phase out, uninterested.
“Well Taylor accidentally,” she finger quoted, “poured an entire can of blue paint on the piece I was working on for my final project. It also got all over me but when I got up from my stool, dripping in paint, she started to apologize. I thought it was an accident until I saw her wink at me behind Mr. Stewart’s back and all her little followers started laughing at me.
So, of course, that’s when I snapped. I had spent over thirty hours on that painting. I started to confront her but Mr. Stewart stopped me and sent me to the Principal's office. I almost got suspended because of her.”
“Jules, I had no idea. Don’t tell me any more stories of her being mean to you. It makes my blood boil. How about this? Let’s just stay at the far end of the table with the guys, away from the girls.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Of course you’re not Jules. I only suggested it because I was afraid for Taylor Williams.”
