Post by laurcat on Dec 31, 2012 0:04:48 GMT -5
I walked to school the next morning with Kita and Cherrie, whose houses were right by mine. I was a grey Tuesday, the clouds rolling in like the wispy smoke of an extinguished candle. The prospect of rain did not shake my cozy mood. While Kita and Cherrie talked about cool-looking photographs of lightning they had found, I let my mind obsess over Jansen. Jansen Jamison, with the black hair and bright blue eyes.
Once inside the school, we all headed to Ms. Needleman’s classroom and took our seats in the back. The only people there were a watchful Jena and Macy, who was scribbling away in a journal. Once she caught sight of us, the corners of Jena’s mouth jerked into a smile, and she went to kneel next to our decks.
Looking at me with a grin, she said, “You told my brother he has pretty eyes.”
Kita and Cherrie’s eyes grew big, as did mine.
“You did?” Kita’s brown irises shone with excitement.
I began to pull the large collar of my Striped School Dress over my face.
Cherrie yanked it back into place. “Wow, you have some nerve! Way to go!”
Jena laughed. “He said to tell you ‘thank you’.”
I couldn’t hide my smile from my friends, and they all laughed. I tried to defend myself. “What’s the big deal? I liked his eyes, so I said so.”
“Well, you also like him,” Cherrie corrected me.
Jena gave a worried smile. “You’re right, it’s not too big of a deal, but I know who would turn it into that.”
Kita’s smile vanished, and a solemn expression took its place. “That’s right. What would Kara do if she found out?”
“I wouldn’t think she’d do anything,” Cherrie commented.
“Probably not,” Jena agreed, “But if things work out in Allegra’s favor, which I think they will, then she could have a problem.”
My heart had leapt when Jena said, ‘which I think they will’.
“That sounds very possible. But do you really think things will work out for me?”
“Oh, yeah. Jansen said you were pretty cool, and that you had a good taste in sodas.”
Just as my heartbeat picked up, BEST walked in. Kita and Cherrie saw them too, but did not need to alert
Jena.
“Hey, Jena! We need to talk to you!” Lydia called, but by some miracle, the bell rang.
Jena tried to avoid talking to the clique during any free time by making it look like she was busy conversing with us, but she finally obliged during tutorials. We watched as Kara chatted animatedly with her, and wondered what they were talking about. The answer came as soon as Jena sat down with us at lunch.
“So what did they-” Kita began.
“Jansen.” Jena grinned, taking us by surprise.
“What is it?” Cherrie asked.
Jena shook her head, still smiling. “She-Are you ready for this?” After we all nodded, she laughed and said, “She told me she was going to ask him out today!”
Cherrie slapped her hand to her mouth, and Kita laughed.
“It’s funny because I know she doesn’t have a chance. I just hope she won’t try and blackmail me into telling everyone he asked her out and she turned him down.” Jena took a bite of her chicken sandwich. “They’re coming over again today, which is when she’s going to ask him. Could possibly be the last time, too. You guys can come later, just like yesterday.” Seeing the thoughtful look on my face, Jena changed her tone to a gentle one. “Don’t worry, Allegra, he would never consider dating a girl like that.”
The rest of the day passed by quickly, and Kita, Cherrie, and I said our good-byes to Jena. It had rained around fifth and sixth period, and we took turns splashing in little puddles as we walked home. Like that morning, my mind was on Jansen, but it was no longer a secret.
“You guys would be Allansen…Or Jallegra,” Kita told me.
Cherrie’s eyes lit up. “You could honeymoon on Iceland and stay in an ice hotel! You could go visit that volcano, and you could see puffin colonies!”
After about five minutes, we arrived at our houses and awaited Jena’s next call. To my surprise, she called me at five, and asked me to get Kita and Cherrie, since I lived next to them. As the three of us walked to Jena’s, we stopped thinking about Jansen and I’s honeymoon, and started wondering why Jena had called so early.
“Maybe Kara didn’t show up,” Kita proposed.
When we knocked on the Jamisons’ door, Jena answered. I could tell she was suppressing a smile. “Come in, guys. The potato chips are already on the table.”
Once seated, Cherrie took it upon herself to ask. “So why are we here so early?”
Jena grinned. “You know how Kara said she would ask my brother out today?” When we nodded, she continued, “Well that’s the first and only thing she did. She walked through the door applying tacky lipstick and asked me where Jansen was. I said ‘outside’, and she marched straight out. Her posse, of course, headed for the bathroom to do their makeup.”
Kita leaned closer as she always did when involved in a conversation. “Then what happened?”
Jena took a potato chip and smirked. “He shot her down. Straight down.”
“Ouch,” I said, wincing.
Cherrie gave a sad smile, as if she felt half-sorry for Kara. “He said no?”
“Oh, it was more than that. He spilled it all.”
Kit raised an eyebrow. “Spilled what?”
“The whole shi-bang. He told her what a bad person she was, and how looks hardly mattered to him. He told her she and her friends had bad attitudes, and that he knew they were only using me to get to him.” Jena widened her eyes, and then relaxed them. “She got mad. She took her friends and left. Pretty sure she hates me now.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” I had hoped Jena could have gotten out of the situation without drama.
“Don’t be, I can deal with it,” Jena smiled.
“Hey, your story gave me an idea. Can we go outside?”
“Good idea, Kita. We’ll go in the backyard. There are a few trees you can climb. I’ll even show you guys the exact spot Jansen turned Kara down.”
When Jena opened the door, my heart skipped. Jena grinned and turned to look at me. “Oh yeah, and Jansen’s out here, too.”
While Jena lead Cherrie to what was now a historic marker, Kita and I scaled a tree. It was a bit slippery, and we both laughed loudly when Kita lost her footing and freaked for a moment. I saw Jansen look over at us with interest.
As we continued to climb and finally stopped quite far up, we had both noticed that Jansen was looking our direction more frequently.
“Your direction,” Kita corrected me when I voiced this aloud, “I guess I’d better check out the spot of Kara’s downfall.” Kita winked and began to slide back down through the branches and make the impressive jump back to the ground.
Jansen began to walk over.
My heart was excited. I could barely hear Jansen asking if he could join me over its beating. I nodded. Or maybe it was my head involuntarily shaking like the rest of my body. Jansen climbed up the tree with ease, and sat himself where Kita had been.
“Hey, Allegra. I just thought I’d come talk to you. Is that cool?” His eyes were even brighter in the outdoors, where the sun enhanced their gleam.
“Oh, yeah,” I breathed. When I realized I sounded like I was dying, I pulled off a nice smile before it was too late.
Jansen first joked that it was nice to talk to a blonde girl who wasn’t a self-absorbed snob. When I seemed to appreciate him saying it, he went on.
“Jena says you’re really down-to-earth. I can tell you’re not full of yourself like Kara is.”
“That’s because I haven’t built myself up above everyone. I know my place and I know it’s not on a pedestal.”
Jansen gave a curious smile. “Those are really wise words.”
There was a bit of silence, and I could tell there was something on his mind.
“Do you really think I have pretty eyes?” He asked, nearly giving me a heart attack.
I was ransacking all of the clever particles in my brain for a quick and easy way to get out of it. I threw my thoughts around like cake batter in a mixing bowl. There had to be something to say, and- Gosh dang it, would my heart stop thumping?
I took a deep breath. “Yes.” There was no way to avoid the awkward.
Something happened. Jansen smiled. He looked up at me and said something. Something I could not bring myself to tell the others until the next day, after I had at least attempted to sort out my worries over what would lay ahead.
Once inside the school, we all headed to Ms. Needleman’s classroom and took our seats in the back. The only people there were a watchful Jena and Macy, who was scribbling away in a journal. Once she caught sight of us, the corners of Jena’s mouth jerked into a smile, and she went to kneel next to our decks.
Looking at me with a grin, she said, “You told my brother he has pretty eyes.”
Kita and Cherrie’s eyes grew big, as did mine.
“You did?” Kita’s brown irises shone with excitement.
I began to pull the large collar of my Striped School Dress over my face.
Cherrie yanked it back into place. “Wow, you have some nerve! Way to go!”
Jena laughed. “He said to tell you ‘thank you’.”
I couldn’t hide my smile from my friends, and they all laughed. I tried to defend myself. “What’s the big deal? I liked his eyes, so I said so.”
“Well, you also like him,” Cherrie corrected me.
Jena gave a worried smile. “You’re right, it’s not too big of a deal, but I know who would turn it into that.”
Kita’s smile vanished, and a solemn expression took its place. “That’s right. What would Kara do if she found out?”
“I wouldn’t think she’d do anything,” Cherrie commented.
“Probably not,” Jena agreed, “But if things work out in Allegra’s favor, which I think they will, then she could have a problem.”
My heart had leapt when Jena said, ‘which I think they will’.
“That sounds very possible. But do you really think things will work out for me?”
“Oh, yeah. Jansen said you were pretty cool, and that you had a good taste in sodas.”
Just as my heartbeat picked up, BEST walked in. Kita and Cherrie saw them too, but did not need to alert
Jena.
“Hey, Jena! We need to talk to you!” Lydia called, but by some miracle, the bell rang.
Jena tried to avoid talking to the clique during any free time by making it look like she was busy conversing with us, but she finally obliged during tutorials. We watched as Kara chatted animatedly with her, and wondered what they were talking about. The answer came as soon as Jena sat down with us at lunch.
“So what did they-” Kita began.
“Jansen.” Jena grinned, taking us by surprise.
“What is it?” Cherrie asked.
Jena shook her head, still smiling. “She-Are you ready for this?” After we all nodded, she laughed and said, “She told me she was going to ask him out today!”
Cherrie slapped her hand to her mouth, and Kita laughed.
“It’s funny because I know she doesn’t have a chance. I just hope she won’t try and blackmail me into telling everyone he asked her out and she turned him down.” Jena took a bite of her chicken sandwich. “They’re coming over again today, which is when she’s going to ask him. Could possibly be the last time, too. You guys can come later, just like yesterday.” Seeing the thoughtful look on my face, Jena changed her tone to a gentle one. “Don’t worry, Allegra, he would never consider dating a girl like that.”
The rest of the day passed by quickly, and Kita, Cherrie, and I said our good-byes to Jena. It had rained around fifth and sixth period, and we took turns splashing in little puddles as we walked home. Like that morning, my mind was on Jansen, but it was no longer a secret.
“You guys would be Allansen…Or Jallegra,” Kita told me.
Cherrie’s eyes lit up. “You could honeymoon on Iceland and stay in an ice hotel! You could go visit that volcano, and you could see puffin colonies!”
After about five minutes, we arrived at our houses and awaited Jena’s next call. To my surprise, she called me at five, and asked me to get Kita and Cherrie, since I lived next to them. As the three of us walked to Jena’s, we stopped thinking about Jansen and I’s honeymoon, and started wondering why Jena had called so early.
“Maybe Kara didn’t show up,” Kita proposed.
When we knocked on the Jamisons’ door, Jena answered. I could tell she was suppressing a smile. “Come in, guys. The potato chips are already on the table.”
Once seated, Cherrie took it upon herself to ask. “So why are we here so early?”
Jena grinned. “You know how Kara said she would ask my brother out today?” When we nodded, she continued, “Well that’s the first and only thing she did. She walked through the door applying tacky lipstick and asked me where Jansen was. I said ‘outside’, and she marched straight out. Her posse, of course, headed for the bathroom to do their makeup.”
Kita leaned closer as she always did when involved in a conversation. “Then what happened?”
Jena took a potato chip and smirked. “He shot her down. Straight down.”
“Ouch,” I said, wincing.
Cherrie gave a sad smile, as if she felt half-sorry for Kara. “He said no?”
“Oh, it was more than that. He spilled it all.”
Kit raised an eyebrow. “Spilled what?”
“The whole shi-bang. He told her what a bad person she was, and how looks hardly mattered to him. He told her she and her friends had bad attitudes, and that he knew they were only using me to get to him.” Jena widened her eyes, and then relaxed them. “She got mad. She took her friends and left. Pretty sure she hates me now.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” I had hoped Jena could have gotten out of the situation without drama.
“Don’t be, I can deal with it,” Jena smiled.
“Hey, your story gave me an idea. Can we go outside?”
“Good idea, Kita. We’ll go in the backyard. There are a few trees you can climb. I’ll even show you guys the exact spot Jansen turned Kara down.”
When Jena opened the door, my heart skipped. Jena grinned and turned to look at me. “Oh yeah, and Jansen’s out here, too.”
While Jena lead Cherrie to what was now a historic marker, Kita and I scaled a tree. It was a bit slippery, and we both laughed loudly when Kita lost her footing and freaked for a moment. I saw Jansen look over at us with interest.
As we continued to climb and finally stopped quite far up, we had both noticed that Jansen was looking our direction more frequently.
“Your direction,” Kita corrected me when I voiced this aloud, “I guess I’d better check out the spot of Kara’s downfall.” Kita winked and began to slide back down through the branches and make the impressive jump back to the ground.
Jansen began to walk over.
My heart was excited. I could barely hear Jansen asking if he could join me over its beating. I nodded. Or maybe it was my head involuntarily shaking like the rest of my body. Jansen climbed up the tree with ease, and sat himself where Kita had been.
“Hey, Allegra. I just thought I’d come talk to you. Is that cool?” His eyes were even brighter in the outdoors, where the sun enhanced their gleam.
“Oh, yeah,” I breathed. When I realized I sounded like I was dying, I pulled off a nice smile before it was too late.
Jansen first joked that it was nice to talk to a blonde girl who wasn’t a self-absorbed snob. When I seemed to appreciate him saying it, he went on.
“Jena says you’re really down-to-earth. I can tell you’re not full of yourself like Kara is.”
“That’s because I haven’t built myself up above everyone. I know my place and I know it’s not on a pedestal.”
Jansen gave a curious smile. “Those are really wise words.”
There was a bit of silence, and I could tell there was something on his mind.
“Do you really think I have pretty eyes?” He asked, nearly giving me a heart attack.
I was ransacking all of the clever particles in my brain for a quick and easy way to get out of it. I threw my thoughts around like cake batter in a mixing bowl. There had to be something to say, and- Gosh dang it, would my heart stop thumping?
I took a deep breath. “Yes.” There was no way to avoid the awkward.
Something happened. Jansen smiled. He looked up at me and said something. Something I could not bring myself to tell the others until the next day, after I had at least attempted to sort out my worries over what would lay ahead.
