A/N: Another story. . .but so far I'm pleased with my first chapter. Please
R and R!
Disclaimer: I don't own any IaHB characters, themes, or settings. "Learning To Breathe" is a song by Switchfoot that they own and I don't.
Title: Learning to Breathe
Summary: "You think I'm trying to avoid you!? If anything, I'm trying to stay near you longer! I'm not avoiding saying goodbye to you because I don't care about you! I'm avoiding it because you're going to be the hardest to say goodbye to!"
"I seriously don't understand why they had to invade Pearl Harbor," Caitie groaned, dropping her History book carelessly on the desk, "I hate History."
"Tell me about it," Val replied, closing her book. She was sprawled out across one of Caitie's twin beds, and Caitie was sitting at her desk.
Caitie turned to face her best friend and said, "I need a break from studying."
"So. . .how are you and Jamie?" Val asked as Caitie sat down opposite her on the other bed.
"We took a break to discuss Jamie?" Caitie rolled her eyes.
"Well it's obvious to, like, the entire world that you have a humongous crush on him."
Caitie turned bright red and defended, "No I don't! We're just friends!"
Val eyed her skeptically and said, "Come on, just admit it! You know you're crazy about him! And by the way, it's not a crime to like a guy. Especially one as hot as Jamie."
Caitie's mouth dropped. "You think Jamie's hot?"
"Well, no, but you do."
Caitie couldn't hold it back any longer, and she laughed, "Okay, fine, I like him. What's the big deal?"
Val squealed and said, "This is so awesome! I can totally fix you guys up!"
Caitie's expression turned serious as she said, "No! Don't! I mean. . .he won't like me back. And then our friendship will be ruined."
"Why won't he like you back? AND, since when has the point of liking someone been to make sure they like you back?"
"Since high school," Caitie said dryly. Sighing, Caitie continued, "No guy ever likes me. It's not specifically Jamie. I'm just that Goth girl in the corner slitting her wrists or whatever. I'd be lucky if one of the nerds noticed I existed."
"But Jamie's not just any guy! He's Jamie. Do you seroiusly think that he judges you like that? Besides, you guys are friends, therefore, he has to notice your existence in order to be friends."
Caitie noticed how she hadn't said that people didn't think of Caitie that way. She felt a twang of hurt in her heart, but didn't show it. "Oh well. It's only a 50/50 chance, and if he doesn't like me back, it'll be weird to hang around him. I don't want to damage our relationship."
"True, you don't want to damage it," Val agreed, "You just want to make it. . .how do I put it? More romantic?"
Caitie snorted and threw a pillow at Val. She quickly dodged it and sighed, "Caitie, any guy would be lucky to have you! Why can't people ever see themselves as someone besides the ugly or fat or whatever person in the mirror?"
"Are you calling me fat and ugly?" Caitie said in disbelief.
"No," Val rolled her eyes, "But everyone, no matter how pretty, or how skinny they are, always sees the negatives. People are so pessimistic about their own bodies. I don't think you're ugly or fat."
"Well, I know i'm not fat- but, my looks did inhereit some bad jeans in the family," Caitie admitted.
"Like I said, plenty of guys would be happy to have you as their girlfriend," Val repeated.
"Yeah, but Jamie's not just any guy; he's Jamie."
"Oh, well then, if its Jamie, that makes it totally different," Val said sarcastically.
Caitie laughed and replied, "It does, in a way. He won't like me back; I just know it. I'm not going to even try."
Val shook her head. "You're making a huge mistake."
Caitie raised her eyebrows, shrugged, and added to herself quietly, "The real mistake would be thinking any guy would go out with me."
Caitie pulled open the familiar door of the EMT station. She walked down the hall to the door of the common room. She pulled open that door, and then plopped down on the worn-out couch. Val, Tyler, Hank, and Jamie were sitting at each of their desks, but they weren't doing paperwork.
Val was speaking. "It's not an issue of what guys want! It's totally about women's rights!"
"Rights to study my babes," Hank grinned.
"Oh yeah," Tyler returned the grin, high-fiving Hank.
"Am I missing something?" Caitie asked cluelessly, looking at Jamie.
Before Jamie could reply, Val said, "We were discussing the rights of women to show off their body. I was saying that there shouldn't be any models because it totally discrimnates women! It makes us like objects for guys to touch and look at."
Jamie grinned stupidly and Caitie agreed, "I know! Guys treat women models like God or something."
Jamie's smile quickly faded as Caitie gave him the death stare. He cleared his throat and started jotting down things at his desk.
"But women are so. . ." Hank looked as if he was searching for words to say, "Uh!"
"I'm sure glad I'm uh. It's always been a dream of mine, you know," Caitie snorted sarcastically.
The comment caused the teens to laugh. "Oh yeah," Hank smiled.
"Shit," He then muttered, looking at his watch, "I'm late to pick up Tahirah. I gotta go-"
"If your paperwork isn't finished, you're not going anywhere," Brooke declared, entering the room.
"Uh, you know it's done," Hank quickly exited the room.
"Have it finished by tomorrow!" Brooke called after him, fully knowing he wasn't done.
Jamie groaned, "I don't want to do mine by tommorow! Why can't you do it for me?"
"Because," Brooke picked up Val's neat and finished stack, "I have a beach party to go to."
"Who's hosting it?" Val asked curiously, turning in her chair.
"Nicole- but half of the student body is coming. You all are welcome to go."
Val shrugged, "Maybe."
"I'm not really a party girl, I think i'll skip this time," Caitie said, shrugging.
"C'mon on- it'll be fun," Jamie sent Caitie one of his heartwarming smiles, "I'll take you."
Caitie couldn't say no. After all the years she and Jamie had been friends, his smile got her every time. If he had asked to kill her, and he had smiled, most likely she would have agreed.
"Fine. But if people get drunk and the cops come, I am fully blaming you James."
Val winked at Caitie before saying, "I think Jamie has a crush."
"Val!" Caitie hissed through gritted teeth.
Jamie blushed and before he could say anything, Val said, "Well, I'll leave now, since i'm obviously not Caitie's favorite person at the moment."
She smiled again at Caitie before leaving the building. Tyler quickly followed, nodding goodbye to everyone.
Jamie glanced at Caitie and then looked at his desk. He grabbed all his papers and his bookbag and said, "Uh, catch ya later."
He caught her gaze for a few seconds as he was walking out the door, but soon Caitie was left alone in the room with Brooke. "I think Val's got feelings mixed up. I think you're the one with the crush," Brooke said, noticing her eyes still focused on the spot where Jamie had left.
"So. . ." Caitie smiled.
"I think it's sweet," Brooke giggled, "And, you get to go to the party with him. Totally romantic. You should make a move on him."
Caitie's jaw dropped. "Did you turn into Val in the past 5 minutes? Since when has making moves been the highlight of going to a party with a guy?"
"I don't know. I just hear Val telling people that all the time."
Caitie laughed. "Well, I have to go. I'll probably talk to you tomorrow at the party. Bye!"
"Bye," Brooke replied. She watched the skinny, black-haired girl walk down the hall and leave the building.
A/N: Gosh that sucked. Review anyways. I'm off now to write my second chappie before i delete this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own any IaHB characters, themes, or settings. "Learning To Breathe" is a song by Switchfoot that they own and I don't.
Title: Learning to Breathe
Summary: "You think I'm trying to avoid you!? If anything, I'm trying to stay near you longer! I'm not avoiding saying goodbye to you because I don't care about you! I'm avoiding it because you're going to be the hardest to say goodbye to!"
"I seriously don't understand why they had to invade Pearl Harbor," Caitie groaned, dropping her History book carelessly on the desk, "I hate History."
"Tell me about it," Val replied, closing her book. She was sprawled out across one of Caitie's twin beds, and Caitie was sitting at her desk.
Caitie turned to face her best friend and said, "I need a break from studying."
"So. . .how are you and Jamie?" Val asked as Caitie sat down opposite her on the other bed.
"We took a break to discuss Jamie?" Caitie rolled her eyes.
"Well it's obvious to, like, the entire world that you have a humongous crush on him."
Caitie turned bright red and defended, "No I don't! We're just friends!"
Val eyed her skeptically and said, "Come on, just admit it! You know you're crazy about him! And by the way, it's not a crime to like a guy. Especially one as hot as Jamie."
Caitie's mouth dropped. "You think Jamie's hot?"
"Well, no, but you do."
Caitie couldn't hold it back any longer, and she laughed, "Okay, fine, I like him. What's the big deal?"
Val squealed and said, "This is so awesome! I can totally fix you guys up!"
Caitie's expression turned serious as she said, "No! Don't! I mean. . .he won't like me back. And then our friendship will be ruined."
"Why won't he like you back? AND, since when has the point of liking someone been to make sure they like you back?"
"Since high school," Caitie said dryly. Sighing, Caitie continued, "No guy ever likes me. It's not specifically Jamie. I'm just that Goth girl in the corner slitting her wrists or whatever. I'd be lucky if one of the nerds noticed I existed."
"But Jamie's not just any guy! He's Jamie. Do you seroiusly think that he judges you like that? Besides, you guys are friends, therefore, he has to notice your existence in order to be friends."
Caitie noticed how she hadn't said that people didn't think of Caitie that way. She felt a twang of hurt in her heart, but didn't show it. "Oh well. It's only a 50/50 chance, and if he doesn't like me back, it'll be weird to hang around him. I don't want to damage our relationship."
"True, you don't want to damage it," Val agreed, "You just want to make it. . .how do I put it? More romantic?"
Caitie snorted and threw a pillow at Val. She quickly dodged it and sighed, "Caitie, any guy would be lucky to have you! Why can't people ever see themselves as someone besides the ugly or fat or whatever person in the mirror?"
"Are you calling me fat and ugly?" Caitie said in disbelief.
"No," Val rolled her eyes, "But everyone, no matter how pretty, or how skinny they are, always sees the negatives. People are so pessimistic about their own bodies. I don't think you're ugly or fat."
"Well, I know i'm not fat- but, my looks did inhereit some bad jeans in the family," Caitie admitted.
"Like I said, plenty of guys would be happy to have you as their girlfriend," Val repeated.
"Yeah, but Jamie's not just any guy; he's Jamie."
"Oh, well then, if its Jamie, that makes it totally different," Val said sarcastically.
Caitie laughed and replied, "It does, in a way. He won't like me back; I just know it. I'm not going to even try."
Val shook her head. "You're making a huge mistake."
Caitie raised her eyebrows, shrugged, and added to herself quietly, "The real mistake would be thinking any guy would go out with me."
Caitie pulled open the familiar door of the EMT station. She walked down the hall to the door of the common room. She pulled open that door, and then plopped down on the worn-out couch. Val, Tyler, Hank, and Jamie were sitting at each of their desks, but they weren't doing paperwork.
Val was speaking. "It's not an issue of what guys want! It's totally about women's rights!"
"Rights to study my babes," Hank grinned.
"Oh yeah," Tyler returned the grin, high-fiving Hank.
"Am I missing something?" Caitie asked cluelessly, looking at Jamie.
Before Jamie could reply, Val said, "We were discussing the rights of women to show off their body. I was saying that there shouldn't be any models because it totally discrimnates women! It makes us like objects for guys to touch and look at."
Jamie grinned stupidly and Caitie agreed, "I know! Guys treat women models like God or something."
Jamie's smile quickly faded as Caitie gave him the death stare. He cleared his throat and started jotting down things at his desk.
"But women are so. . ." Hank looked as if he was searching for words to say, "Uh!"
"I'm sure glad I'm uh. It's always been a dream of mine, you know," Caitie snorted sarcastically.
The comment caused the teens to laugh. "Oh yeah," Hank smiled.
"Shit," He then muttered, looking at his watch, "I'm late to pick up Tahirah. I gotta go-"
"If your paperwork isn't finished, you're not going anywhere," Brooke declared, entering the room.
"Uh, you know it's done," Hank quickly exited the room.
"Have it finished by tomorrow!" Brooke called after him, fully knowing he wasn't done.
Jamie groaned, "I don't want to do mine by tommorow! Why can't you do it for me?"
"Because," Brooke picked up Val's neat and finished stack, "I have a beach party to go to."
"Who's hosting it?" Val asked curiously, turning in her chair.
"Nicole- but half of the student body is coming. You all are welcome to go."
Val shrugged, "Maybe."
"I'm not really a party girl, I think i'll skip this time," Caitie said, shrugging.
"C'mon on- it'll be fun," Jamie sent Caitie one of his heartwarming smiles, "I'll take you."
Caitie couldn't say no. After all the years she and Jamie had been friends, his smile got her every time. If he had asked to kill her, and he had smiled, most likely she would have agreed.
"Fine. But if people get drunk and the cops come, I am fully blaming you James."
Val winked at Caitie before saying, "I think Jamie has a crush."
"Val!" Caitie hissed through gritted teeth.
Jamie blushed and before he could say anything, Val said, "Well, I'll leave now, since i'm obviously not Caitie's favorite person at the moment."
She smiled again at Caitie before leaving the building. Tyler quickly followed, nodding goodbye to everyone.
Jamie glanced at Caitie and then looked at his desk. He grabbed all his papers and his bookbag and said, "Uh, catch ya later."
He caught her gaze for a few seconds as he was walking out the door, but soon Caitie was left alone in the room with Brooke. "I think Val's got feelings mixed up. I think you're the one with the crush," Brooke said, noticing her eyes still focused on the spot where Jamie had left.
"So. . ." Caitie smiled.
"I think it's sweet," Brooke giggled, "And, you get to go to the party with him. Totally romantic. You should make a move on him."
Caitie's jaw dropped. "Did you turn into Val in the past 5 minutes? Since when has making moves been the highlight of going to a party with a guy?"
"I don't know. I just hear Val telling people that all the time."
Caitie laughed. "Well, I have to go. I'll probably talk to you tomorrow at the party. Bye!"
"Bye," Brooke replied. She watched the skinny, black-haired girl walk down the hall and leave the building.
A/N: Gosh that sucked. Review anyways. I'm off now to write my second chappie before i delete this story.