Chapter 8

"Seriously, Jack. Concentrate. This is easy, I swear on my life," I say for about the millionth time today.

"Did I not already tell you that I hate math?" Jack asks, putting his face in his hands.

"Did I not already tell you that I don't care?" I ask, using the same tone he used.

Jack groans and slams his hands down on the desk. He grabs his pencil and proceeds to circle A,B,C, then D, A, B... So on so forth... For the rest of his assignment.

"Very mature," I say, sighing.

"Really, though. I'm done with this. I don't get it, I-"

"Maybe if you listened when I tried to teach you-"

"-am a retarded goldfish, I hate-"

"-then you might succeed in life, at some point-"

"-everything and I don't give a crap if I fail my math class."

"-and you should care because if you fail you'll have to come back here for summer school and get kicked off the basketball team."

Jack throws me a look and I raise my eyebrows. "It's true."

"Fine," Jack replies after a while. "But I hope you know that I think this is a waste of time. I could be napping, accomplishing at least something."

"You will understand this. And you will get at least a C on your finals. Because that would mean that I'm a super awesome tutor," I say, mostly for myself.

"You are," Jack says. I look at him in surprise. "I mean, it's not your fault you got some idiotic, aggressively attractive, basketball star, who is still, yet, very lazy in the classroom."

"True statement."

"This is where you're supposed to assure me I am wrong, that I am not a failure," Jack says.

"I promised my mother, once, that I would not tell a lie."

************************************

I try to bundle myself and hide from the cold in the jacket and scarf I am wearing. I watch as the lights turn red and begin walking across the street.

Suddenly I feel arms wrap around my waist and lift me up. I scream and thrash and look down and find Ray laughing at me.

"Could you not have waited until I was out of the road?" I yell down to him, trying to ignore the angry honking behind us. "Put me down!"

Ray runs across the street, still holding me, and enters the bookstore.

"I come, bearing a slightly angry Jordan!" Ray announces to the shop, which is completely empty except for Sheryl who is sitting at the counter.

I am set down and I wipe off my jeans. I try to glare at Ray. Note the word: try. Yes, I do burst out laughing. Why, oh why, does Ray always have to put me in a good mood, especially when I'm purposely trying to be angry?

"Hello, Jordan. Hello, Ray. Nice to see you here again," Sheryl says.

"You too, Sheryl," Ray says. Then he has a concerned look on his face. "Is it inappropriate to call you Sheryl? Should I call you ma'am or something?"

Sheryl lets out a short laugh. "Sheryl's fine, thanks. Unless you prefer to call me Swagalicious Mexican Lizard. That's good too."

"That's what I call her," I inform Ray.

"Sure thing, Swaggy Mexi-lizard," Ray says.

Sheryl and I both laugh, unable to contain it anymore.

Once I've calmed myself, I ask, "What should I do today?"

"Anything. No new books. I've got the counter. You can be friendly to the customers, if you'd like. I don't know," Sheryl says.

"I can keep you company!" Ray exclaims.

"Oh, yeah?" I ask. "Don't you have someplace to be?"

"Nah, I'm always bored." Ray walks away and sits in the cozy chair.

I smile a little in his direction and then walk to the back room because there is an amazing couch in there.

************************************

I hear someone approaching me, and I look over, when I feel a tap on my shoulder. Lizzie stands there, with a frown on her face.

"What is it, Liz?" I ask.

"There's a-" she starts, but she draws her eyebrows together in an angry scowl.

"There's a what?" I ask.

"There's a boy in my chair," Lizzie pouts.

I laugh and hold her hand to walk out of the back room with her. Sure enough, Ray is sitting in the same comfy chair that Lizzie sits in every single day, claiming it as hers.

I walk up very close to him, his eyes closed. I wink at Lizzie. Then I crouch over him, so there is literally a centimeter between our faces.

"What are you doing?!" I scream in his face.

Ray jolts up, eyes wide. He sees me right in front of him. I start laughing with Lizzie. I grab my aching stomach.

"You-your face... Priceless!" I say, between laughs.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," Ray says. "What do you need?"

"You're in my chair," Lizzie explains.

Ray opens his mouth, shocked and gets up, gesturing to Lizzie to sit down in his spot. She does, smiling contently and pulls out her book.

Ray and I walk towards the back room. I don't let him in there, because its supposed to be private and such. We sit, our backs against a wall, shoulders touching.

Ray sighs. I sigh. Ray sighs. I sigh. Ray sighs. I elbow him in the face.

"Ow, gosh," Ray says.

"Oh, sorry. Too high... Wasn't aiming for the face," I explain.

"I'm going to have to get surgery now. I'm going to be ugly for the rest of my life," Ray says, holding his eye with both hands.

"Sure that's not a pro? Might be an up, since your life was already headed in that direction," I say.

He scowls at me.

After a moment, Ray sighs again.

"No, sir. We are not doing this again," I say.

Ray just laughs. This guy is really a joy to be around. And no, that was not sarcastic. He really is something else. In a good way. Or maybe not. Maybe we're both just something else, in the bad way. Either way, he's pretty great.

I must have been staring at him a long time, since he says, "What?"

"Oh, sorry." I feel my face turning bright red. Darn blushing cheeks.

Ray laughs. "Your blushing makes me smile."

"I'm not blushing," I say too quickly.

Ray laughs again. "It's okay, really. I know it's hard to keep your eyes away from the attractive face." Ray gestures to his face in a rather dramatic matter, making the ugliest face possible in that moment.

************************************

"Glad you could come," Sierra says, jumping onto her bed alongside me.

"Hey, I am too. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," I say, laying myself on my back.

"Yeah, it's been a while. You seem... Busy," she winks.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, kicking her.

"It means, you and Ray are spending an awful lot of time together..."

"No, we are not dating."

"I never said you were."

"Then what?" I ask.

"You like him. I can see it," she says.

"No, I-"

"Don't lie to your best friend. I know everything," Sierra says, standing up. "Besides, you guys would be adorable."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well... I want potato chips," I say, not thinking of any clever comebacks. Sierra walks into her closet and tosses me a bag of Lays.

"Now tell me, what have you been up to with him?" Sierra asks, as I bust the bag open and stuff myself with the salty, heavenly chips.

"Not much, actually. Just hanging out. I Typed up my essay at his house," I say, laughing a little at the memory.

"You went to his house?" She asks. She drops her own bag of Sunchips on the floor.

"Yes. Shocker?"

"In his room?"

"Yes."

"Wow. That's... I am so proud of you," Sierra says.

"Why?" I ask, throwing another handful if chips into my mouth.

"I never thought the day would come when Jordan Green would step into a boys room who is not even related to her."

"Gee thanks," I say.

"Hey, you know just as much as I do that it is a shocker," Sierra says.

That is a fairly true statement. In in my Senior year and I have now only been on one guys room. I nod.

"Fair enough."

************************************

'Hey, want to come watch a movie with me?' -Ray

'What movie?'

'You'll see.' -Ray

'I will only come if you tell me.'

'The Ring.' -Ray

'???'

'Scary movie.'

'Fine, be there in ten.'

Surprisingly, I have always been a fan of scary movies. They're so thrilling and get you off your seat. I love the feeling. Also, I really do find myself wanting to spend some time with Ray.

When I arrive at Ray's house, I knock on the door and wait patiently. A girl who looks about my age answers the door. It isn't until I enter that I realize who it is.

Martha.