Chapter 2: "Is he skipping?"

I walked down the school, aware of all the chatter around me, especially a bunch of loud mouths near the entrance.

"I heard Ryan was cheating on Jordan, like, the whole year they were dating!" I clench my teeth. Yeah, that was true, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

"What a douche!"

"Yeah, but look at Jordan. She doesn't look as bummed as she should be."

Why do guys gossip more than girls? Seriously, what was this? Who cared if we broke up? We were terrible together, anyway!

"Yeah, maybe she had a little extra someone on the side, too." My mouth gaped as I turned in that direction, but someone had already beat me.

Lucas Tarrone grabbed the culprit by his ears and knuckled his hair. "Ow!" Xavier cried out.

"Don't spread rumours, old lady!" he ordered, letting go of him. Xavier was frantically trying to save his spiky, gelled-up hair, but Luke had ruined it. I blinked, confused. What was Luke doing defending me?

"What? Why defend her?" Yeah, why Luke?

"Well, it's obvious she's not like that." When the guys and I stared at him like he'd grown an extra head, he frowned, trying to regain his dignity. "I mean, come on! She's such a prude...who'd want to be with her?" Of course. I shouldn't have expected any better.

"Well, I wouldn't mind," Will said darkly, eyes scanning the hallway.

At least three of them hit Will simultaneously. "What was that for?" he complained.

"She's untouchable," Luke said. I guess I was. I always helped out the people from the sports department, so it was like they felt they owed a debt to me, and were always hanging around me. It was uplifting, but annoying as hell.

"Yeah, especially to you, Tarrone," he teased.

"That's not it! She just doesn't appreciate my...exuberance towards her." Exuberance? Excuse me? Luke was annoying, there wasn't any other way to put it. I mean, I didn't hate the guy, he was just so bloody annoying. Our parents have been best friends since the beginning of time, and I was always hanging around his house, so I had to get used to his freakiness.

"Exuberance is a light way to put it," Joey said sarcastically.

"At least I touch her more than you!" he stuck out his tongue at all his football (soccer) buddies. I chuckled to myself, amused at his argument, still listening in as I walked past. 

"That sounded wrong," Will said.

He pouted and slouched against the wall. "Bottom line, quit with the trash talking." That was so nice of him, but goddammit Luke, I can handle myself.

"Does somebody have a little cruuuush?" Xander sang. Yeah, right. We're not compatible at all.

He snorted. "Yeah, right! We're not compatible at all." I scowled. Okay, that was admittedly weird, but still. We would be awful together.

"True...but still."

"'But still' what, Joey?"

"Nothing! Nothing. Chill out, due."

He shrugged it off and turned around, meeting my eyes. I jumped at the gigantic smile he put on when he spotted me. Oh God, no. Since I was single, he could hug me without looking like he was trying to "steal me."

He thought it was so fucking funny to get me all riled up. It wasn't my fault that I absolutely hated the spotlight and was uncomfortable touching people. Namely, Lucas.

"I'm going to go annoy her now!" he trilled, taking off down the hall, while skipping. Shit, shit, shit, no! Why me? Why did he always have to bother me?

"Is he skipping?" I heard Xavier ask.

A look of horror plastered over my face as he galloped towards me, looking like a hobbling horse. "Jordy-kins!" he sang loudly as he came near me. I attempted to dodge him, but he was too big. My body slammed with his and he squeezed me into a big hug, pushing all my breathing air out of me.

"For lord's sakes, do you have to do this every time you see me?" I hissed, trying to regain my breath.

"You should've gotten used to it by now, Jordy-kins!"

"Stop calling me Jordy-kins!" I snapped.

He beamed, clutching me to his body while I desperately tried to wriggle free.

"Let go of me, idiot!" I cried, feeling uncomfortable at the feel of his hands clasping me so tightly. Why wasn't I used to this? He did it every day. My face twisted in a horrified grimace as he peeked at me, a wide grin on his face.

"Jordy-kins!" he said happily, laughing delightedly. "You're so cute!"

"Shut up!" If he wasn't hugging me, I'd stomp my foot and punch him. I think he knew that, because he refused to let go, not letting me escape his strong embrace.

"Jordy," he said in his most serious voice, scaring me momentarily. He never used that tone with me. And when he did, it was serious.

"What?" I hissed.

"Do you mind if I kill Ryan?"

I stopped wriggling, and stilled in his arms, stunned by the sudden change of topic. "I don't care about him!" I argued. Why would he think that?

"I don't believe you," he said simply, infuriating me. "I think you still love him!"

"Bitch, you don't know anything!" I twisted in his grip, irritated beyond belief. How dare he assume things he didn't understand?

Bitch?" Luke repeated in amusement, then laughed, as though I wasn't just shaking from anger in his arms. "I'm natcho beyotch!"

"For fuck's sake, just shut up."

Generally, Luke keeping me captive wasn't an odd occurrence; everyone was used to it by now. Ryan, my old boyfriend, would always grab him by the collar if he saw Luke hug me and then Luke would dance away. I think he was quite adept at pissing off Ryan. Not me, though. He never got me angry, just annoyed. I didn't think it was possible to be mad at him, no matter his wanker-ish tendencies.

Now Ryan had no right to be mad, though. Luke adjusted me in his arms so that one arm was under my knees and the other was against my back so that I had to clutch his neck to not fall. He always did annoying things like that to make sure I would willingly touch him, and it was so annoying.

"You're completely over him?" he asked teasingly.

"Of course!" I said indignantly. "He's a bloody asshole!"

"So you're completely over him?" he confirmed.

"For fuck's sake, yes!" I shrieked. "How long does it take to get that through your fat head?"

He just chuckled, immune to my temper by now. "Then you wouldn't feel anything if I told you that Ryan was staring at us right now?" Ah shit.

"No!" I tried to deny, but my heartbeat quickened in the anticipation. I was disappointed. I thought I'd gotten over him, so why was I still so upset?

"Oh, hey, Ryan!" he called cheerfully.

As soon as Ryan's name left my mouth, my heart started beating faster than normal. My head shot up, but without looking around for him, I stuck her head into Luke's warm chest, hiding myself. Despite him being so annoying, Luke was always there for me.

I couldn't feel tears, but I didn't expect any, despite how upset I was. I never cried, ever. Even when Luke switched my shampoo for glue back in first grade I didn't cry. I just got him back by pinning his Toy Story underpants to the bulletin board in our classroom. It was sweet revenge, but I was lucky Luke was a good sport.

"I'm going to coach you!" Luke said, surprising me out of my thoughts.

I lifted her head the tiniest bit, suspicions crawling all over my face. Luke's plans never worked. I mean never. I'd learned my lesson the last time he convinced me to follow along, which ended up in me drunk off my ass, sleeping out in a meadow in nothing but a bra and jeans. "On what?"

"On how to get over a broken heart."

When disbelief replacing the suspicion, I finally succeeded in getting out of his hold. "I don't have a broken heart!" I argued, backing away slightly. I didn't, goddammit. Ryan wasn't good enough to break my heart. I hadn't been in love with him, what was Luke going on about? God, why was he so annoying?

He shrugged casually and put his hands in his pockets, looking at me with a concerned expression. "Maybe not completely broken, but just a little cracked, yeah?"

My eyebrows raised. "What do you care?"

An easy grin slid onto his face. "I don't, I'm just askin', Jordy-kins!"

"Don't call me that!" I fumed. Did I look like I belonged in a Care Bear workshop?

"And don't get off topic!" he sang, specifically to annoy me. Is his whole bloody life revolved around doing stuff I hate? It sure feels like it.

"What topic?" I folded my arms crossly and frowned at him entirely too cheerful face.

"I think you need a little coaching, angel."

"With what?"

"You seem inexperienced in this sort of thing. I could help you!"

"Oh please. You're never the one with the broken heart! You're always the one breaking hearts," I scoffed, brushing him off.

He wasn't deterred, in fact, he grin grew wider. "It's not my fault girls think I'm more attractive than covalent bonds!" he boasted arrogantly, causing me to roll my eyes and mutter, "freak."

"What's your ulterior motive?" I asked, instead of commenting. "Just 'cause I don't have a boyfriend, you think can be even more annoying?" It was something he would do.

"Angel, I wouldn't care--"

"If I had a boyfriend or not, I forgot," I interrupted, completing his sentence. Fortunately, it was one of the things I was able to annoy him with, and I took advantage of that fact as often as I could.

"Yeah, 'cause it's--"

"All the more challenge, yeah?" I paused when I heard a loud giggle, stopping me in the middle of my smugfest.

I looked over my shoulder and spotted the man of the moment, Ryan O'Neil, with a couple of girls hanging off his arms and a half smug and half defeated look on his face. I clenched my fists but then realised Luke was watching me carefully, so I tried to relax, but I couldn't stop the overwhelmingly pissed off look that my brain was channeling to my face. I don't remember ever being so mad.

"Why do you look so angry?" Luke whispered, bending down next to my ear, his breath tickling my neck.

By habit, my hand moved forward and pushed his face away hard. "Don't come so close to me!"

He grinned that Crest-commercial worthy grin of his. "Why not? Does it make you nervous?" He bent forward again and I grabbed his ear, dragging it down to my mouth level. And let me tell you, it was a long way down. I didn't even realise how much taller he was than me.

"You don't make me nervous, Tarrone!"

"Then do I make you sick?" he asked curiously.

I dropped his ear as if burned, a surprised look on my face as I realised something. "Of course not. The only person right now who makes me sick is that guy." I subtly gestured to Ryan and looked back up at him, eyebrows raised at his creepy wide smile.

"What do you mean, 'of course not'?" he trilled skipping around my body. "Do I 'of course not' annoy you, and do I 'of course' make you love me?"

I kicked his shin angrily. "Shut up, idiot! Why do you always twist around everything I say?" I scowled in a way that I hoped would cow him a little, but he just smirked like I was cute.

He then laughed hard, like I was some sort of amusing puppy who had just learned the concept of a toilet. "Oh, you're so cute, Jordy!"

I made a weird strangled-scream-thing in the back of my throat and kicked him again. By now, he was probably so used to it that it he couldn't feel it. That's what happens after seventeen years of knowing me.

"So much anger for a tiny body," he chuckled. "But seriously! I'm not joking. You want coaching?" Is he mental?

"Why would I need coaching on something so stupid?"

"Love is not stupid," he scolded me, wagging his finger like a child. "Getting over it makes it easy to move on."

"I've already moved on!" I argued, wanting him to shut his fat mouth. Honestly, he talked too much for his own good.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Look at him and tell me you're over him." He grabbed my wrist, his thumb covering my pulse point. I scowled, knowing what he was up to. As I glanced at Ryan, my pulse quickened with anger, and strangely, a tinge of sadness.

"I-I...how are you supposed to coach me?" I said angrily. I hated admitting he was right, but what was he going to do? His romantic advice was usually as helpful as a rubber crayon.

He winked. "Magic."

"Shut up!" This time, he was ready for my kick and moved out of the way. "I hope you know that I have no faith in you!" Because really, what could he do?

He just laughed again, that infuriating little shit. "You will!"

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Hallo everybody! I hope you enjoy the story so far! Thank you for reading!


P.S. That's Jordan! It's she gorgeous? I love Emmy Rossum, because she usually looks natural and she's really beautiful regardless, just like Jordan!