Jason's POV
The only thing worse than being stuck in Sun City for the summer without my best buddy, Alex, is being stuck in Sun City for the summer and having to spend most of it with Catherine Moss. She's the person my guidance counselor assigned as my tutor. Don't get me wrong, the girl is cute as hell, but I have zero in common with her. And from what I remember, her nose is stuck so far up in the air I'm pretty sure it's in a different time zone.
Jesus. It's Catherine Moss.
Her reputation is that she is straight as an arrow. Again, no judging. I just like a bit more of an edge to the people I hang with. Besides, during freshman year, Alex and I "borrowed" my cousin's truck for the weekend and got caught. To our classmates the stunt elevated us to a weird sort of celebrity status, but that year in English class, Catherine had done a speech on the dangers of dereliction. Damn. Dangers of Dereliction. At the time I thought I was nowhere near her radar, but I'd been wrong. That day she was talking to me. I knew it. Everyone knew it. And of course, I'd acted like it didn't matter. I mean, who the heck cares about dereliction when you're fifteen? But the truth of it was that I didn't like being under her microscope. Didn't like the thought of her judging me
And yet here I was again. About to be analyzed and probably found wanting.
I pulled Dad's old rusted Chevy to the curb and cut the engine. It ran on for a bit, chugging and jerking as if it still had somewhere to go, and I made a mental note to tell him the carburetor was screwed.
I snorted. Mental note. What a joke.
It was the second Monday of June, and the disaster that had been my senior year was almost behind me. I had one more hurdle to jump, and I could finally call an end to the worst year of my life so far. All I had to do was pass my economics test and I could finally end this all and move on. I hoped that, with Catherine's help, I'd get it done.
I tapped the steering wheel, eyes on Catherine's house, and tried to remember the las time I'd had an actual conversation with her but came up with nothing.
That didn't mean it didn't happen. Sometimes my memory was a little hazy, and as I stared across the lawn, I gave up trying. What was the point? It's not as if I was going to chat her up about the new Gibson Les Paul's I'd seen online or the bush party everyone was talking about, the one in the woods behind the drive in.
I sighed and focused. Come on, Jay. Get your shit together.
Her house was white, and like everything else about Catherine Moss, it was picture perfect. There was the picket fence. The expertly trimmed hedge and the greenest grass I'd seen all summer. A miracle in itself considering our spring had been the driest in a long time. Heck, event he hanging baskets on her porch looked good: I wouldn't be surprised if they were fake.
Catherine Mosses place looked nothing like mine. Not that I lived in a dump or anything, but the grass had always been the least of my dad's worries and my mum didn't exactly have a green thumb.
I smiled for the first time today. God, my mum. She'd even managed to kill a plastic planter because she'd put it too close to the fireplace. It had been a fake poinsettia, and we'd woken up Christmas morning to find the red leaves melted all over the floor. My dad still kidded her about that one.
I groaned and closed my eyes, pushing back the long hair that fell over my brow. It was still early. Not even noon, and I was already tired. That familiar throb was there, just behind my eyes, and I prayed like hell a headache wasn't on the way.
They wiped me out, and it was exhausting trying to pretend I was fine when all I wanted to do was close my eyes and block everything out.
I heard a door slam shut and spied Catherine on the front porch.
Busted.
I threw open the car door and winced. My left knee got really banged up in the accident, and when I sat for too long it got stiff and sore. Grabbing my laptop, I walked around the car and pushed open the gate.
But Catherine was already headed my way, ponytail swinging behind her, a laptop case slung across her shoulders. She wore a white t-shirt that fit her the way a t-shirt was meant to fit a girl. Tight in all the right places. (Hey, just because I have brain damage does't mean I don't think like the normal boy. These are things I notice. Sue me.)
I stopped walking for a few reasons.
One. I'd forgotten how damn beautiful she was with her dark hair and green eyes.
Two. I had no idea why she was walking towards me as if we were supposed to be going somewhere. Were we supposed to be going somewhere? Was that something I had missed?
And three. Damn. The girl had great legs, so the fact that her cut-off denim shorts showed them off wasn't something I could ignore. And well, the t-shirt.
I took a moment to look her over. Like I said I'm a guy first.
I watch the blush creep up into her cheeks. Saw how she lifted her chin as if to say "F you". Pretty much killed whatever she had going on.
We'd never really clicked, she and I. Not since the sixth grade when I'd kissed her in a closet at Oliver Montana's house and told the entire class about it. I'd been pretty pumped. Heck, she was the girl all the boys liked, but she was also the girl who was hands off. Mayor's daughter and all.
Catherine had been mortified. That was the word I think sh'd used. She'd told me that she would never talk to me again. That she knew I was the kind of guy who would spread dirty gossip and that the only reason she'd kissed me in the first place was because of a stupid dare.
Oh, the tragedies of being a twelve-year-old. So other than the dereliction lecture, we'd pretty much had zero contact.
"Hey," I said.
She smoothed her hands down the front of her shorts and shifted her weight. "Hey, yourself."
A pause.
"You're late," she said, eyes narrowing a bit.
Huh. She wasn't gonna make this easy.
"Well, shit, Catherine. I didn't know we were punching a time clock or anything."
"Cat," she replied.
Confused, I opened my mouth and had to wait for a second for my brain to catch up. It did that from time to time, and I was always afraid the wrong words would come out. It made for awkward conversations sometimes, which sucked when trying to scrunch together some attitude. Some hint of the guy I used to be.
"What?" Good one. When in doubt, use only one word.
"Cat," she said again, this time a little softer. "I prefer Cat now."
"Oh," was all I managed to say.
For A few moments that was all we had. The sun. The sprinkler going crazy on either side of us (reason for the nice green grass). And silence.
"So I guess we're not studying here," I said, eyeing the house.
"No," she replied quickly, turning around as some young kid ran down the stairs and shrieked when he hit the water. She shook her head and yelled. "Billy! You better make sure you don't track mud into the house or Mum won't be happy. I'm-" She glanced back at me. We're headed to the library."
She didn't wait for her brother to answer.
Catherine Moss blew past me and headed straight for the car. She yanked on the door, we both winced at the sound the fried-out hinges made, and then she disappeared inside.
Her brother was drenched and still watching us, so I gave the kid a wave-he looked like he was around nine years old or so-and headed back to the Chevy.
The library it was.
I slid into the driver seat and tossed my laptop into the back. I was about to turn the key and rev the engine when Catherine-or rather, Cat-pushed a piece of gum in her mouth and inserted a pair of earbuds. I wasn't used to girls ignoring me.
That right there was my move. The best way to avoid conversation was always earbuds.I started the car, my eyes still on her, when suddenly she whipped her head up. Her cheeks were still pink.
"What?" she asked, eyes narrowed. Her attitude was all wrong. She was prickly as hell and nothing like the girl I remembered.
I shrugged and said nothing as I pulled out into the road. She seemed different somehow. Couldn't put my finger on it, but it seemed to me like I wasn't the only one who had changed over the last year or so.
We cruised a couple of blocks, and then I hung a right into Second avenue. The library was uptown past the town square. I'd just turned let into Freedom street when I caught sight of London Ryan and a dude I didn't recognize. The guy had his hand slung over her shoulders, and she was looking at him, offering her mouth up for a kiss.
Bailey is my ex-girlfriend, just one part of a shattered past that I'd failed to hold on to. I wasn't in love with her or anything-we'd never been about that-but I missed her. Or maybe I missed the Idea of her. Of having someone to hold on to.
Or maybe I just miss getting some action. It had been a while.
Catherine turned to follow my gaze, but she didn't say a word, and a few minutes later I pulled into the library parking lot.
I cut the engine and cleared my throat as it ran on for a bit and then sputtered to a stop.
She nodded towards the hood as she took out her earbuds.
"That doesn't sound too good."
"Don't worry. It's not going to explode or anything."
For a second her eyes lightened, and I swear there was a hint of a smile hiding in their depths. "No, but I bet your mileage is crap. You might want to get that carburetor fixed."
"That is probably the sexiest thing a girl has ever said to me." I was teasing. It's what I did. But as soon as the words left my mouth I winced, because man, could I sound more stupid?Her eyes widened slightly. "Well then I feel sorry for you, Jason Smith."
"Oh," I said, "And why is that?"
"If it's the sexiest thing you've ever heard, then obviously your reputation is overrated."
Huh.
She stepped out of the car, and it took me a couple of second to catch up.Well, that was unexpected.
.........................
Squeeeeeee!
God, my screaming is even starting to annoy me.
Anyway hope you liked that chapter.
Remember voting will make a little chocolate loving girl very happy.
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Today's poll is on animated sitcom shows.
Are you Team American Dad or Team Simpsons?
Because they are both awesome I would really like to hear which one is your favorite and why.
So Bye Crunchie's.
P.S. A shout out goes to the first person that can identify the company that makes the awesome chocolate's referenced above.