Chapter 5: Give It A Shot

- - - - - - - - - - - - - JC POV - - - - - - - - - - -

I rushed to get my books and papers into my bag and headed out of the classroom to meet up with Robbie. We were going to go off campus for lunch that day. I guess this new school wasn’t so shabby after all. As I made my way down the hall, I noticed how different the kids here were. So into their cliques and their material items and all that. I mean it’s at every school, but this school had a different vibe to it. As I was contemplating on the school and it’s pupils, I walked passed that blonde girl I had met the day before, Kelly, or whatever the heck her name was. She flashed me a dirty look as she eyed me down. I laughed in my head and shot her a smile. It was girls like her who caused the drama in high school, and I had learned to brush it off. I made it to my locker, threw in my pile of educational material and walked to the indoor patio to meet up with Robbie. I walked by a couple making out, only to see that Tyler kid, smooching on that blondie. I walked through the glass doors and into the patio and began screening the room for my new friend. I looked around the room and my eyes met with some of the kids hanging out in the patio. Some of the boys in my other classes smiled; I smiled back. I guess Robbie hadn’t finished up at her locker yet, so I took a seat at a table and waited for her.
“Baby, you know that I miss you, I just wanna kiss you,” started playing and I looked at the caller ID. Robbie was calling.
“Robs! Where you at?” I asked excitedly.
“I’m coming, sorry, I had to run to the library real quick,” she replied.
“Got cha. See you in a few,” and with that, I hung up. I put on my oversized shades and pulled up my cardigan. I felt good that day. I looked nice, got all my work done, and was about to go out to lunch with a companion. As I was waiting, I started to think about Mrs. Edward’s class and how Tyler tried talking, better word, flirting with me. “Maybe that’s why she gave me that look today,” I said to myself.
Suddenly, a “who gave you a look?” was heard from me behind me. I turned around to see Robbie standing tall, Starbuck’s card in hand.
“I’ll tell you when we get to lunch,” I said, getting back up. “Let’s go, I’m excited!”
“Okay, okay, lets!” she added and we walked to the senior parking lot of the school. I looked through my bag and found my keys.
“We’re driving?” Robbie asked excitedly.
“DUH! You think we’re going to walk? Psht,” I said, unlocking my car. Robbie looked at the black Lincoln MKZ and smiled.
“You have a nice car, dang!” she exclaimed.
“Thanks! My mom gave me this one when she got the car of her dreams,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not all that bad,” I added with a laugh. We both slid in and drove off to Starbuck’s.

I bit into my tuna salad sandwich and smiled at Robbie. “Dude, I owe you for taking me out to lunch,” I said. She smiled and took a sip of her Strawberry Frapp.
“Don’t sweat it, thanks for the ride. NOW SPILL!” she exclaimed. I looked around innocently.
“Spill what?” I said, with a mouth full of sandwich, so she wouldn’t understand. My plan turned out horribly and we both ended up laughing our butts off in the quiet coffee shop.
“Fine, fine, fine,” I started off. “Tyler was trying to flirt with me today. Like a lot. And then after that, that girl, Kelly gave me this nasty look.”
“That girl has some issues. But on the flip side, this guy seems to be interested in you,” she said with a sly smile. I looked at her and then at my drink.
“I mean he’s cute, but I don’t want to get into it with the popular kids, you know?” I said, sighing. “I’ve been through this before, so I’m trying to stay away from it all.”
“I get that, but if he’s into you, he’s into you. Embrace it!” I laughed and nodded, maybe Robbie was right. I mean he was really cute, but I didn’t need another batch of drama in my life, especially senior year.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - TYLER POV - - - - - - - - - - -

Swooosh went the hoop as I made the shot. With all the emotions built up in me, I was surprised I’d get the ball through the hoop at all. “Run the ball back to the free throw line,” Jake yelled from across the court. It was just me and him balling at lunch, everyone else was either having lunch or getting their new jerseys made. I dribbled the ball to the free throw line, aimed, and shot. I missed. I tried again, missed again.
“Dude, what’s up?” Jake asked, running up to me, breathing hard.
“It’s nothing,” I said bluntly, missing some more shots. It was starting to piss me off that I had missed almost 6 shots in a row.
“You’re really out of it, bro. What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” I repeated.
“I know what’s eating you, it’s that JC girl, isn’t it?” he asked picking up the ball, from another shot I had missed. I darted my eyes at him, thoughts rushing to my head as to how he knew too. I mean we were both joking around about her earlier that day, but that couldn’t give away that I was growing interest in the girl.
“Am I right or am I right?” he asked.
“You are, but how did you know?” I questioned.
He looked around and finally managed to say, “Shane was talking about it.” I wasn’t surprised. First he tells Kelly what I told him, now Jake. I felt the level of trust for him beginning to decrease.
“So what’s going on?” he asked. I looked at him and sighed.
“I don’t know, man. She’s just stuck in my head. I don’t know why I’m attracted to her so much,” I finally managed to let out.
“She’s hot, that’s why you’re attracted to her,” he started, with a smile, “Does she know you feel her like that?”
“Naw..cause the whole Kelly thing, and, its, it’s complicated,” I said.
“Oh, okay. Too complicated for Jake? C’mon.”
I sighed and looked at him, “did you notice that she doesn’t even try to talk to me like all the other girls in this school?”
“Yeah, I noticed. Well..” he trailed off, “she’s definitely different. She doesn’t even talk to you in Edward’s class? you guys sit right next to each other, I’m pretty sure she'd say something.”
“She says stuff here and there, but only if I say something first. I guess she saw Kelly staring at her in Edwards,” I mentioned.
“I don’t know what it was, bro, but I guess you’re so used to having the ladies on you, or having them say yes and fall for you just like that and now that you’ve come across a girl who isn’t like that, you’re questioning yourself,” he said, lifting his arms up and shooting the ball through the hoop.  I stared at the ball, as it fell to the ground and rolled over to us. Jake was right. Every girl I had dated since high school, fell for me immediately. They just threw themselves on me, I didn’t have to do much but flash a smile or make a hoop or just look good that day.
“You’re right, man,” I said looking at him.
He laughed and passed the ball to me, “you just got to make the effort this time.” I walked to the free throw line, aimed, and watched the ball make it through the hoop. After the entire period, I made a shot. The shot and Jake’s statement made the weight on my shoulders disappear.
“Let’s get outta here,” Jake said, throwing the ball into the basket.
“Let’s,” I said, following him out of the door. We both walked down the hall, talked about the play offs, the party and some of the other events coming up.
“I don’t know which hotel I’m staying at for the play offs,” I said, looking over at Jake. He nudged me and looked straight ahead.
“What?” I asked. He nudged me harder and darted his eyes ahead of him. I turned my head and saw what he saw. JC was walking down the same hallway we were in with her friend, ready to walk past us any second. I brushed off the nerves and calmed down.
“Hey, JC,” I said with a smile as she walked towards us. She looked at us with a half smile and walked right past us. I turned around in confusion, and then looked at Jake. I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know,” Jake said, “but that sucked.”
I didn’t get it, this time she didn’t even say a word. I sighed and shook hands with Jake and walked to my locker, trying to clear my mind of the day’s events.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - JC POV - - - - - - - - - - -

I walked back to my locker after having lunch with Robbie and grabbed my books for the next class. It was a pain carrying all these books to all these classes, but I had to deal. I felt as if no one but Robbie made an effort to become my friend here. Well there was Tyler too..but it didn’t mean anything to me. I had to keep my mind straight, to make sure I didn’t like him and get into the sticky web of high school drama. I sighed and took a minute to keep my composure. I grabbed all my books and closed my locker. I raised my tote back onto my shoulder and started walking the empty hall ways of the school, trying to clear my mind. I thought about all the fun I had, whipping through the dirt at the motocross tracks. That was the only place where nothing mattered to me. Too bad I couldn’t be shredding dirt all day, everyday. That was a little too unrealistic. I pulled out my phone and skimmed through my texts and looked up to see someone smiling at me, and calling out, “HEY JC! Come here!” I squinted my eyes and made out the guy that was standing with Tyler when I walked past earlier. He ran up to me, catching his breath.
“I have to talk to you,” he said.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I asked, confused as hell.
“Oh yeah, my bad. I’m Jake, I’m in your science class?”
I took a minute to figure it out. “Ah yes, I remember you.”
“I was just wondering if I could talk to you real quick?” he asked, smiling.
“Well..sure, what about?” I asked, grasping my books.
“You’re familiar with Tyler right? Right,” he said nodding. “Anyways, well..he’s starting to grow a thing for you.”
I looked at him blankly, “a thing for me?” I asked, shocked, confused, and freaked out all at the same time.
“Yeah, a thing for you. I guess you can say he's starting to like you, why don’t you ever talk to him?” he asked.
“I do talk to him.”
“Uh, you sure about that? I’m remembering earlier, you didn’t when he said hi.”
I sighed and stared at the ground for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to say. “Hey, wait a minute. I don’t even know you, how am I supposed to talk to you about this, anyways?”
He laughed lightly and looked back at me, “I know we don’t know each other, but you have to see how you’re affecting this kid. C’mon, just talk to him?”
I held onto my books tighter, so they wouldn’t fall out of my arms and looked at Jake, who was smiling back at me, ”Listen, I don’t know..it’s complicated, you wouldn’t get it.”
“Try me.”
“I would but I just met you, I’m not going to spill everything about myself,” I said, starting to get a little tense. Was this another joke, or was it for real? And even if it was real, I didn’t want to deal with any one’s sneak remarks or deal with that other chick.
“Is it cause you’re afraid, or you’re just too good for him?”
“It has nothing to do with being afraid, and I don’t think I’m better than anyone. It’s just stuff that happen--wait a sec, doesn’t he already have a girl? That blondie in our science class whose always on him in the morning,” I said, raising an eyebrow. I had him, he couldn’t possibly have a way to get me to talk after that one. I looked into his soft blue eyes, questioning him with mine.
“That’s def. not his girlfriend,” he started, “she wants him, but he doesn’t want her. Long story.”
Of course, this kid wasn’t going to give up, so I took into consideration what he was saying.
“So why won’t you talk to him?”
“I don’t know,” I said, trying to brush all this off. I didn’t owe this kid an explanation or anything.
“He’s a cool kid once you get to know him,” he added. “But I guess you won’t ever know that because you won’t give it a chance. I tried though, thanks anyways,” he said, getting ready to walk off. I started to think about everything he said and flashbacks of Tyler trying to talk to me and when he defended me with his friend were racing through my head.
“Wait,” I called out. He stopped and turned around. “I’ll tell you why not.”
He walked back and looked at me, “Alright, spill.”
“He’s the star athlete of this school, one of the popular kids, am I right? I’ve been in situations with the popular guys and it never turned out right. I’m not trying to throw myself into another episode of  BS, alright? Are you happy now?” I asked, sighing and looking around. He looked back at me and nodded his head.
“I understand that, but those were other guys, at different schools, in a different place. This is here and now. Just give it a shot,” he said, and it felt as if all his words had an impact on everything that had happened in the past. I thought about it for a little bit and looked back at him.
“I’ll think about it,” I said, finally.
“That’s all I’m asking. Damn, you’re a stubborn one,” he said laughing. “So where are you headed?”
I stared at my math books and back at him, “Math, in the 4th wing.”
“I’m heading over there too, let’s go. Don’t wanna be late!”
I looked at him and laughed. This kid was good at persuading people. “Alright, alright, let’s get out of here,” and with that we both walked into the 4th wing, with our talk lingering in the air. 

Reviews

[megitron]

I'm really enjoying this story, I just wish there was more! Can't wait to see where Tyler and JC are headed.

[Kelley]

Am I the only one reading your story Zee? I think it a great story!!!!
Why arnt more people reading this???

Anyway I love where your going with this and chomping at the bit to read the next part.
Thanks for sharing.
Kelley