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A thump against the table dragged me back to the present. Jake grinned as he dropped into the chair next to me and slid a book over.
“I thought you had science or something this period?”
“I did, but I swapped it for Study Hall,” he smirked. “Got the go ahead this morning, but I had to go pick up the slip beforehand.”
“So now we have two classes together?”
“Imagine that,” he said, then tapped the book. “I read that yesterday. You’re going to love it.”
It was an alternate history. I flipped it over and read the back. “I heard about this. I just hadn’t had a chance to read it yet.”
“Now you have to.” He bent to the side and pulled another book out. “I got book two. Figured we can just go in tandem?”
Not unusual for us. “Okay…”
He cracked his book open, and I glanced at my backpack. I should be doing homework, but I didn’t have that much, and this sounded good. Opening mine, I started reading. The hour flew by. Just before the bell, Jake said, “See you in AP Euro.”
I chuckled. Outside the library, we went our separate ways. Instead of reading the alt history books in AP Euro, Jake pulled out the first round of study cards and quizzed me. Then I hit him with mine. We were betting number of answers with M&Ms, I scored way more than he did the first round, but he damn near took all of mine in the second.
Toward the end of the period, Jake glanced at the clock then at me. “You really want to date?”
“Is that really so hard to believe?”
“No,” he said slowly. “I wanted to ask you out freshman year. I did ask you out.”
“When?”
“Wow,” Jake mouthed the word, and then shook his head slowly. “You really don’t remember?”
“No,” I said slowly. “We’ve been hanging out and doing things…” We had for years.
“Yep. I asked you out to the movies, just you and me, and you laughed. Then teased me about picking on you. After that, the only time you went to movies was if it was all of us. Friend-zoned from the beginning.”
Friend-zoned.
“Jake, I didn’t—you never said you were asking me out, out.”
“Didn’t think I had to,” he said.
“But you’ve dated…”
“Who?” Jake raised his eyebrows. “I go out with girls, sure. Sometimes they ask me, sometimes I ask them. But that’s pretty much go to a party, go to a movie, maybe make out, and then I’m on the phone with you. You’re the one I want to see every day.”
Heat swamped the back of my neck.
First Bubba.
Now Jake?
“So you want to date? I’m in. Just to be clear—I want to take you out, Frankie. You and me. If I get to make out with you? Even better.”
The bell rang and he grinned.
“And now we get to go discuss homework with the boys.” He stood up and grabbed my backpack. “Want me to carry this for you?”
“I got it,” I said slowly, but he helped me put it on. As we left the classroom, though, he caught my hand and interlocked our fingers.
The last time I held Jake’s hand was when they dragged me to a horror movie triple feature. At the time, I’d nearly broken his hand and ended up hiding under his jacket for most of the first and half of the second movie.
