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Excuse the mistakes

Picture on the side is Reed -->

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In hindsight, having a horror movie marathon on a Tuesday night was probably a bad decision on my part.

As I sat at the stiff, uncomfortable desk, staring at the blank German quiz in front of me, I cursed my addiction to Wes Craven. The small bit of studying I had done the day before, after I’d gotten home from school, had vanished. So, I was now left to scramble for the meanings of nonsensical German idioms.

I sighed and looked up from the page, and I glanced over at my best friend, Maya, who sat next to me. She was apparently already done with the quiz, and was now working on the math homework that’d I’d bullshitted my way through.

It wasn’t that I was stupid; Maya was just a genius. We were both in accelerated classes, but school came naturally to Maya; whereas, I had to work. When we first met, I thought she was just some obnoxious, know-it-all. Now that I’ve gotten to know her, I can honestly say that Maya does know it all, but she’s really nice about it.

Suddenly, Mrs. Grant, my German teacher, announced that there was seven minutes left in the class period. I set my jaw, and then I went through the multiple-choice section, giving my best guesses. For the short answer, I referenced the multiple-choice. Ms. Grant was a chill teacher, and she allowed test corrections, so I’d be able to take the test home after she graded it to make revisions.

The bell rang just as I finished writing the answer to the last question, and I let out a sigh as I flexed my cramping hand. Mrs. Grant collected my quiz, and I slung my backpack over my shoulder.

“So,” Maya said, coming up next to me as we filed out of the classroom, “How do you think you did?”

“Fantastic,” I muttered, not meeting Maya’s light hazel eyes. When I fibbed, I couldn’t look someone in the eye. It was like they were staring into my soul, and then, I had no choice but to tell the truth.

Too bad my bad habit gave me away.

“You didn’t study, did you?” Maya asked, though it wasn’t an actual question, and I could tell she was rolling her eyes.

“I did study, actually,” I replied defensively as we reached my locker. “I might’ve just not gone to bed until two or three in the morning,” I added sheepishly as I opened my locker.

When Maya didn’t scold me for being an idiot, or even reply at all, I frowned since that was her usual response. When I looked up to see what was going on, Maya wasn’t even paying attention to me. Instead, she was focusing on something somewhere down the hallway.

“Maya?” I said, waving my hand in front of her face while snapping my fingers, “Earth to Maya!”

“Why is he so hot?” Maya moaned longingly, and she slumped against the lockers. “I mean, he’s just so…hot!”

“Who?” I asked, craning my neck to see which boy Maya was talking about. The girl had a new crush every couple of days, so it was hard to keep track. I, on the other hand, had a matchmaker for a mother. I’d been on more first dates than most of the females in my school, including teachers. I’d had more than my fair share of guys, and I was confident in saying how much I hated going on dates with them.

When I saw who Maya was gawking at, I rolled my eyes and slammed my locker shut. “Seriously, Maya?” I asked, grabbing her wrist and dragging her down the hall towards the cafeteria.

“What?” Maya replied, her focus returning. “How can you look at Parker Hunt and not think he’s a god on earth?” she demanded, yanking her wrist out of my grasp and crossing her arms over her chest in a childlike pout.

“Because he’s an ass,” I stated simply, and Maya flicked her honey blonde hair over her shoulder in frustration. “Besides,” I continued, shrugging my shoulders, “he’s dating that Triss chick.”

“The one with the tramp stamp?” Maya asked, and I nodded. Maya muttered something under her breath about Triss being a skank, and I chuckled in amusement.

If I was being honest with myself, and just myself because Maya didn’t need to know this, Parker Hunt was indeed pretty attractive. He’d done a modeling campaign last year for a jeans company, but because Parker was the embodiment of a stereotypical bad boy, he didn’t become a full time model. I guess he was trying to appear cool, like he didn’t need material things.

It worked, and the whole school knew of his dominant, man-whore side. However, instead of this information warning girls that he was just in it to get in their pants, Parker got laid more than ever and was not afraid to have it known. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d cheated on Triss a couple of times.

As Maya and I entered the cafeteria, we slipped into the lunch line. After purchasing a can of Snapple and a grilled cheese, I followed Maya to our usual table in the middle of the lunch room. We plopped down next to each other, and within five minutes, the rest of our lunch gang started to join us.

“What up, bitches?” Gage, our openly gay friend, asked as he settled down across from us and pulled out a homemade lunch.

I noticed a slight twinkle coming from his earlobes and asked, “did you get your ears pierced?”

“Uh-huh,” Gage replied, grinning. His fingers went up to feel the small studs, and he said, “I’m going for an edgier, sort of dark and mysterious look.”

“You look more like a Backstreet Boy,” I said flatly. Gage gasped and started to pout, and Maya slapped me on the arm.

“Reed’s just surfing the crimson wave this week,” she said, stretching out her hand to cover Gage’s. “We both think your earrings are hot.” Maya glared at me, and I sighed and nodded in agreement.

“Hey, guys,” Lissie, the final member of our lunch bunch, said as she took a seat next to Gage. “What are we talking about?”

“My new piercings,” Gage replied, gesturing towards his ears, “What do you think, Babe?”

“You look like you belong in a boy band,” Lissie commented after a moment of thinking, and Gage’s jaw dropped in disappointment. Maya jerked her leg, and judging from the look on her face, it had made contact with Lissie’s shin.

“I-I-I mean,” Lissie said, quickly grabbing his arm affectionately, “a boy band that must get laid a lot… by other guys…” Her voice trailed off, and she gave Gage an awkward smile.

“Fuck you guys,” he said, taking a bite from his sandwich, “You’re all single, so your opinions are invalid… expect for Maya’s, because she’s a sweetie.” Maya fist pumped in the air, and I rolled my eyes as I took a swig of my Snapple.

*

“Mom?”

I shut the front door of my house behind me as I entered the front hall, and I tucked my car keys into the back pocket of my jeans. I shook my hair out of my face and padded down the hallway to the living room, where I dumped my backpack on a sofa.

Then, I walked into the kitchen, where I found my mom standing with her back to me. “Hey, Mom,” I said, grabbing a can of root beer out of the refrigerator.

“How are you?” she asked without turning around.

“I’m fine,” I replied, shrugging. “School was boring as usual, but I got an A on my history quiz.”

“Good, good,” my mom said, nodding her head, “I’m glad you’re recovering quickly.”

“What?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows, “Mom, what are you talking about?”

“Reed, is that you?” my mom asked, turning around quickly. It was then that I noticed the Bluetooth in her ear, and I realized she’d been talking to someone else the entire time. I sighed and rolled my eyes, and I started to walk out of the kitchen.

I heard my mom hurriedly say that she had to go, and then there was the sound of her heels clicking against the floor as she came after me. “Reed, honey, wait! I need to talk to you!”

“About what?” I asked, and I didn’t stop to talk to her. Instead, I grabbed my backpack and started up the stairs towards my room, since I had a lot of homework to get done for tomorrow. Also, my Netflix account was calling me.

“I was talking to Lorraine today,” my mom said, referring to one of her lady friends. “Apparently, her nephew, who is your age, is coming into town to stay with her for a couple of months. His name is Jace, and I have some pictures that show just how handsome he is.”

“Mom, you have to be kidding me,” I moaned, pushing into my room. My beagle puppy, Gus, was fast asleep on his dog bed in the corner of the room, and he barely stirred at my entrance. When he was awake, Gus was as energetic as they came. However, when he was asleep, a train blowing through my room wouldn’t wake him up.

I climbed onto my bed and looked at her with an annoyed expression. “I really don’t need you to set me up on dates. I can find a guy perfectly fine on my own.”

“See, you say that,” my mom said, talking animatedly with her hands, “but I haven’t seen one guy around here other than Gage and that Brandon guy.”

I winced at his name.

Brandon was my ex-boyfriend, and the only boyfriend I’d ever had. Little did my mom know, I’d actually lost my virginity to him. We’d dated for a little over six months, and I’d gotten drunk at a party… and things happened. The next morning, I’d woken up in just a bra and underwear next to a completely naked Brandon with whipped cream smeared across his nipple.

I don’t even want to think about what happened that night.

Things went south quickly after that, and I’d dumped him after realizing that he didn’t really care too much about me. It was more of a fun relationship, since he wasn’t even close to being my first love.

“Where’s Thomas?” I asked, trying to change the subject. “Usually he’s home from school before me.”

Thomas was my ten-year-old, adopted little brother. Nine years ago, when I was eight, my mom found out she couldn’t have any more kids. However, that didn’t stop my mom. She adopted the then six-month-old Thomas from an unwed, teenage mom.

We were pretty close, since he was my first sibling, and I loved him like he was my brother by blood. I was proud to say that Thomas looked up to me; he even wrote a report about me, calling me the person he admired most.

Yes, I do have a copy of the report tucked away in my desk. What can I say? That boy turns me into a big pile of emotional mush.

“Thomas went to the batting cages with your dad,” my mom stated, “Now, stop trying to change the subject.”

I clenched my jaw and tried to keep myself from saying something I’d regret later. “Mom,” I said finally, locking eye contact with her, “I need to do homework, and I am really not in the mood to discuss guys with you.”

“Fine,” she quipped, waving a hand dismissively, “Jace won’t be here for a couple months, so you have a while to think about the offer.” Then, before I could protest, my mom turned on her heel and pranced out of my room.

I watched her go, speechless, and after a moment, I threw my hands up in the air and let out a sound of frustration. I got up and scooped Gus into my arms. I scratched his ears as I thought about the confusion that usually followed after a conversation with my mom.

She could be incredibly thick sometimes, and she was bad at reading my unspoken messages. Yet, my mom was dynamite when it came to setting people up who weren’t related to her.

No, I don’t understand it either, and I’ve given up trying. 

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So.... what do ya'll think so far?

I have literally had the majority of this chapter written all week, but things have been so hectic I haven't had the chance to sit down and finish it. I'm getting foot surgery next Tuesday, so I'm trying to get ahead in my classes...

Also, thanks for getting this story on the what's hot list! It means a lot!

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