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“You can take an interest in her well being, do you?”
“Jealous?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Your hand tells me otherwise.”
She yanked her hand away.
“Come on Jules. I have absolutely no interest in her well being whatsoever, but if you gave her a black eye, then she’d attack you in retaliation and then I’d have to punch a girl for attacking you. I’d forever be known as that jerk who punched a girl. Plus, we’d both get detention, possibly suspension. I’m just not at all eager to spend the first few days I’m getting to know you again under adult supervision.”
“Really? Hmm. Maybe you do have ulterior motives.”
“Does it feel like I have ulterior motives?”
“No.”
“Then, come on!”
I dragged her to the three rectangular tables pushed together and ten of the guys from the team made room for us. We dragged two chairs together and sat at the end cap. Taylor and her idiot followers began to roll their eyes before we even sat down and immediately all five bent in to talk about us. The guys were, at first, pretty aloof, engrossed in a story of how David, our tight end, spent the summer on the coast of North Carolina with his aunt and all the girls that inhabited the beach there. When David was finished they all sat back in their seats and finally took note of us. Really, they took note of Jules.
“Well looky here Greg,” said David, slapping Greg on the shoulder, “Gray’s got himself a lunch date. Nice of you to finally join us Gray.”
They all laughed, including us.
“Shut up David,” I playfully joked back, “at least she’s a real person, unlike the ones you probably just made up from the summer at your aunt’s.”
“Ohhhhh!” All the guys chimed at once.
“Okay. Okay, Elliott!” Said David, his hands up as if surrendering. “Obviously your love life is something we’re not allowed to talk about and you,” he pointed to all the guys at the table, “I’ve got pictures. Just wait until tomorrow. I can’t wait to see you all fall to your knees at the hotness that was those girls. Just wait!”
“Oh, we’re not together,” said Jules unexpectedly.
I couldn’t believe she said that. My mouth fell slack and I felt the heat starting to creep into my cheeks. Another “Ohhhhh!” leaked out of the guys.
o;You make me feel like I’m flying Jules.”
“You make me feel like I’m falling Gray. The good kind. The ‘tip of the roller coaster before it plummets’ kind,” she said.
I could feel in my gut that she wanted me to ask myself over to her house but I didn’t give myself the opportunity. I needed to drag out the week so she’d feel obligated to come to my football game Friday. Something Jules never did. Also, the next day, I was determined to take her to Thatcher’s and that was going to be a task in and of itself. I peeled my hand away from the pleasant thrumming, seriously thought about grabbing her hand again, but willed myself away.
“Bye Jules! See you tomorrow,” I shouted as I ran off.
“Bye,” she said quietly, confused and waving her beautiful hand my way.
I ran as fast as I could to my truck in the other lot, leaving ribboned trails of Jules’ and my shared electricity behind me. Fireworks shot from my chest and hands, visible to only myself. I smoothly dodged around the crowded hallway of students and objects, dusting them with glimmering powdery dust. I never felt alive as I did in that moment, like I had sat in an emotionless body until I saw Jules that first day of school. Emotions pre-Jules barely registered in my thoughts. I let the light permeate the wind around me, raising effervescent fingers to the air, dropping shiny sparks of magnetic tensions and watched as they fizzled at the ground.
The drive home felt bittersweet. The electricity was fading without Jules around. I drove home to The Future Cast’s ‘Lovers March’ and blared the song out open windows, belting each word. I was a fool and loved every minute of it. I got home a little sooner than I usually did, ran up the hill to the house, and burst through our kitchen door, startling my mother.
“Elliott! What’s gotten into you son?”
“Sorry mama,” I said sheepishly, cautiously closing the door behind me. “I had a really good day at school today.”
“Oh really? Fix that little problem?”
She stood at the stove, one hand on her hip, stirring something in a pot.
“Yes ma’am,” I said, kissing her cheek and grabbing an apple before heading up the creaky stairs to my room.
