The next day at school, at the cafeteria, Martin, Gabby and Joanie kept on rambling on about Mace Smith's party on Saturday. I didn't even know who Mace Smith was. But I didn't tell them that. They would have eaten me alive cause they always talked about him but, I never bothered to know who he was.
"I heard he's going to break up with Sophie at his party on Saturday.", Gabby said.
Poor Sophie.
"Are you going?", Martin asked me.
"I don't know yet." I shrugged.
I wasn't going. Parties weren't my thing and, like I said before, I did not know who Mace Smith is. I couldn't just go to a random person's house at night.
~~~~~~~
After lunch, Juan walked me to chemistry class. We weren't going to have chemistry or biology together this year. Which was a bummer cause we worked so well together last year. I just hoped my new partners were smart or at least co-operative.
The teacher assigned our partners to us. I was too busy rearranging the beakers on my table by size to hear the name of my partner. Not that it mattered. I really didn't care as long as I passed the class. I had made up my mind to do the whole experiment myself. I had already started mixing the chemicals and I was so focused on it that didn't even notice the tall guy standing next to me. He had brown hair, blue eyes that would make any girl fall in love instantly and cheek bones that could slice an apple. Okay maybe the apple thing is a little dramatic but it was true. And his eyes. Must be nice to have eyes that match the rest of you.
As I looked up to see him, his eyes widened in shock as he saw my green eyes. And that would have been okay if he didn't say what he said next.
"Whoa. Your contacts are really weird."
I wanted to slap the blue out of his dumb eyes. How dare he? This was middle school all over again. I could barely control my anger. I started breathing rapidly, my fists were opening and closing. I felt like I was about to explode. I guess he noticed cause he immediately apologised. That didn't help. If anything it made it worse.
"Whoa. I'm sorry I said anything. Your fashion choices are really your business. Okay?", he stupidly said.
"Fashion choices", I said quietly. "Fashion choices! Do you honestly think these bully magnets are a fashion choice?", I said pointing at my eyes. "What is wrong with you?"
"I'm sorry I..." I raised my hand to stop him from saying anything else.
"Just don't."
We had attracted the attention of the whole class and distracted our chemistry teacher, Miss Jayne's teaching and she wasn't in a particularly good mood that day.
"Miss Green, detention."
Detention? I had never gotten detention before. Blue eyes was so going to regret this.
"No. Miss Jayne it was all my fault.", Blue eyes said.
What the hell did he think he was doing?
"Okay. Detention for you too."
Arrrgh. Why am I so unlucky? Not only did I have to explain to my mother why I was going to be three hours late, I had to spend those three hours with a douche. Perfect. Just perfect.
~~~~~~~
"Green Miller has detention? Ooooh, good girl gone bad.", Joanie said in a weird singing tone laughing in the most annoying way possible.
"It's really not that funny", I said.
"What did you do?", Juan asked.
"I yelled at some dude in the middle of Miss Jayne's class."
"That's it?", Martin asked.
"Yup."
"You can't even be bad right.", Joanie said. I rolled my eyes at this. I really wasn't looking forward to spending my detention with that blue eyed douche bag.
I wasn't usually the grudge keeping type but, he insulted my whole existence. Okay, I know that was a little melodramatic but he brought back some memories I wanted gone. And that was not okay.
~~~~~~~
I got to detention really early. It was at the basketball court. I sat on the bleachers far away from Blue eyes. The teacher was really not in the mood to watch us so, he lied and said he was going to the bathroom. He didn't come back so, everyone just left. Everyone except Blue eyes and me cause, I already told my mother I was coming home three hours. So, I decided to read a book.
"Do you just carry that around with you?" Blue eyes asked. I just couldn't with this guy.
I ignored him cause I knew myself. The next words that would come out of my mouth would be so shocking he would never even think about me ever again. That was what happened any time I was really mad. But I wasn't going to do that.
Last time I did, the girl was so crushed that my mother had to give her family free pie for a year. I was grounded the entire year. I really didn't mean to. She didn't even say or do anything to hurt me. She was bullying someone else. I tried to ignore it but, when you know how bad being bullied feels you wouldn't want anyone to go through that. So, I went off on her. I pointed out every single thing wrong with her. That's how I figured out how clever I was with words. She cried so hard. Her parents did not like it at all. I was made to write an apology letter. The principal said since I was so good with words, I should put them to good use. So, any time I was mad I just stayed quiet. It wasn't worth it.
"Come on. You're still mad? Don't you think you're overreacting just a little?", Blue eyes said.
I ignored him again.
"Wow. Okay, fine. I'll be quiet."
Thank the Lord.
He was quiet for three minutes and thirty eight seconds. That's right. I timed it.
"But, you know what I don't understand?". Silence? "I don't understand why you were so mad. I mean I understand why you would be really upset but, you looked like you were about to kill me."
I didn't say word. I wasn't going to talk to this guy.
"Could you please just tell me what I said that was so wrong?"
Was this dude for real? There is no way he was serious. He insulted the one thing the entire school knew I was insecure about. The one thing I was bullied for. The one thing that kept me from having friends for all those years. I may have been a little dramatic but there is no way he was going to play dumb with me.
"Would you please just talk to me cause I'm feeling really guilty."
I swore if that dude said one more word.
"I'm really sorry okay."
That's all it took. I walked out of detention. He was still trying to make me talk and following me but, I didn't say a word.
I rode my bike to Juan's house cause I still had two hours left before I had to go home and I wasn't prepared to tell my mother how I ditched detention. When I got to Juan's house, he wasn't home so, I called him. He said he was at Martin's house. Great. Now I had no where to go.
I waited outside his house for a little while, then, I went to a coffee shop. The only coffee shop in town really. There was barely anyone there which was a good thing. I needed space to think and do my homework.
All my attention was on the work I was doing and I didn't notice three people sitting across the table from me. And guess who it was. That's right. Blue eyes and his entourage. He was every where. Who were those two guys with him anyway. And why were they eyeing me like I was a prize.
"What are you doing here?" I asked glaring at him.
"This is a public place we can come here anytime we want."
"I know that you idiot. I meant what are you doing here." I pointed around my table.
"There are a lot of empty tables so why the hell are you at this one?"
"Okay. Communication. That's good. Some harsh words were used but you're communicating. That's a good thing."
"Okay." I said packing my books and getting up. "You guys obviously followed me here and that will never not be creepy. And I have nothing good to say to you so bye."
"No. Wait.", He said running after me his friends following him.
"One more step and I'll scream.", I said turning to him. I was dead serious.
"Fine.", he said.
I rode my bike around town for the next half hour to make sure he didn't follow me and then went home.
When I got home my mother wasn't there. Ugh. I could have come home the whole time? But, Juan was there. He had left Martin's house when I called him but he couldn't tell me cause his phone was dead.
He's the best friend ever.
We went up to my room and I told him everything that happened. I expected him to be a little worried but he was furious. That was the first time I saw him mad. It was weird. I didn't like it.
"What kind of creep does that? Did you tell the police? What's his name?" he asked.
"I didn't tell the police and I don't know his name."
I wouldn't have told him even if I did. I really didn't understand why he was so mad.
"I'm staying here tonight.", he said. Without even asking me he took his phone and dialed his mum's number tell her.
Huh?
Before he could talk to her I took his phone and hung up on his mum.
"What the f*ck, Green.", he said.
"Firstly," I said holding up one finger. "Don't ever cuss at me again. Second, you can't just tell me you're staying at my house, you actually have to ask. You ever heard of the word please? What was that?"
"I'm sorry okay. I just... I can't sleep knowing there's a weird dude stalking the girl I...", he said. The girl he what? "Can I please sleep over?"
"Juan", I said grinning. "You know you don't have to ask. My house is your house."
He laughed. There was the Juan I knew.
We had a sleepover.
I remember the first sleepover Juan and I had. It was really awkward at first. My mother didn't really know him so she kept on checking on us by pretending to bring us snacks. I swear I had never eaten so much brownies and mini chicken pot pies in my life. My father found it very weird that I wanted to have a sleepover with a boy so, he made Juan see him. It was like Juan asked for my hand in marriage or something.
Our sleepover was nice tonight. We made some brownies, did each others nails, did facials then, we finally did what I wanted to do. Watch Stargirl. I'm beginning to see that I have a problem.
But, something was off when Juan bear hugged me. I couldn't quite place my finger on it. It was tighter, more possessive. I know it's weird but I had seen a hug like that before I just couldn't remember where.
I thought about it till it was time for us to sleep. We laid together on my bed and he hugged me the same way. That was weird. He usually just moved to the other side of the bed. I couldn't sleep. Something just wasn't right. Oh no.
I remembered where I saw the hug. I went to my parents room one night when I was little. I had had a bad dream. My father hugged my mother that way.
Oh Christ. Oh God. No no no no.
Juan had a crush on me.