Know this... love is not weakness or strength: it's a curse. What you choose to do with your curse and how you choose to use it, though, is entirely up to you—but it took them ten years to figure this out—and by the time they did... it was too far too late.
Chapter One: View of Two Sophomores
He stumbled forward on his shaky and sore legs. Jazz runs. Why did the band director have to put jazz runs into the performance? Maybe the Color Guard could handle that sort of thing—after all, they've been training for that dancing-stuff the entire summer—but he was a bandie. A saxophone player at that! He shouldn't be out there dancing around on the football field during halftime. Leave that to the guardies; they're better at it anyway.
He spared a glance over at the group of girls laughing and yelling as they stretched on the lush emerald grass beside the practice field. Amid the flexible guardie girls there were two guardie boys. He held a decent amount of respect for the guard guys; after all, he didn't have the guts to run around in spandex in front of the entire student body. This wasn't about the entire Color Guard, though; this was about one guardie girl in particular his gaze treated itself to. However, he was unprepared for her to turn around and catch his eyes scrutinizing her body as if she were some sort of contortionist. He had hoped she would face the other direction again and ignore the fact he was staring right at her, yet her eyes remained locked with his until he finally gave up and turned away, pretending as though he had never looked over there in the first place.
During Band Camp, she had confessed to him that she felt attracted to him and wanted to date him. Unfortunately, she was one of his best friends and he wouldn't risk their friendship over her raging teenage hormones. He shook his head back and forth before taking a sip of water, hearing the band director call out that they had five minutes before they were to be back out on the practice field. It wasn't worth it; her friendship was too valuable. He wouldn't get involved with her, and though it pained him to see her so unhappy, he convinced himself it was the only way to salvage their friendship. He saw the guard collecting their flags, screaming to each other that "Guardies aren't allowed to be the last ones on the field." He closed his water bottle and let out an exaggerated sigh. That was as sure a sign as any that the five minute mark was approaching.
"Hey, Gabe!" a familiar voice called him.
He turned around to face his red-haired friend Shawn. The boy had a grin on his face that stretched from ear-to-ear. Gabe guessed it had something to do with the girl he'd been trying to hook up with ever since Band Camp several weeks ago. "What's up, Shawn?"
Shawn was shorter than Gabe by about six inches, yet he was the one hefting the giant, heavy white tuba. "Well, you know Homecoming Dance is coming up at the end of this week, right?"
"Right?" Gabe confirmed, not knowing where his friend was going with that thought.
The two began making their way back out onto the field. Some people ran passed them, others chose to take it slow getting back to their spots, and others still were sitting down at the sidelines with their instruments beside them. "I was thinking... maybe I should ask Riley Moore to the dance! It's perfect! What do you think? Good, right?"
Gabe placed a hand to his chin thoughtfully, "It's worth a shot, I guess. Worst thing she could say is 'no'."
Shawn laughed, "And why would she say that?"
Gabe shrugged. "I'm not saying she will," He paused a moment and said a little quieter, "I'm just saying that it's a possibility and you need to keep that in mind and not be disappointed if she does say "no", that's all."
His friend clapped him on the back. "If you say so—Oh! Looks like Handshue's getting ready to start! C'mon! Let's hurry up!"
Gabe didn't particularly wish to return to his set on the field... it was too close to her. He didn't want to see the smile that always made him smile back, or her intriguing stance; foot turned out, back arched, chin raised toward the endless blue above, and a flag clasped in her hand that was angled toward the ground. He didn't want to be reminded of how it made her body look as though it had been sculpted by Michaelangelo himself. He furrowed his brow and turned his back on her. Gabe refused to allow her to become a distraction. She was a good friend and just another guardie—nothing else.
Handshue instructed "Jeremy" in the drum line to start off the Marching Band. "One... two... one, two, ready and—"
The drums kicked off and the Color Guard was on the move. The colorful blue and silver flags sprung into the air. Gabe marked time and played the notes he had fought so hard to memorize, only to be mesmerized by the starry flags and the girls that carried them. He was able to break out of his trance just as the band began moving. His brow furrowed once more and he found himself blocking out the rest of his surroundings; solely concentrating on the task at hand. The music carried his mind away for the remainder of band practice. He hardly even noticed when the field commanders had released them for the day.
It didn't dawn on him that band was over until she started heading in his direction. "Gabriel!"
He had to come up with a diversion, quick. He had been making his best efforts to avoid her at all costs. He had no desire to be slapped for having told her weeks ago that he wouldn't date her. She said his name again, this time louder. She was obviously trying to get his attention. He saw Shawn walking back toward the school building and called after him. "Shawn! Hey! Wait up!"
He decided to take a small risk and glance behind him. She had turned away and was packing up her flags. She didn't look as though she was conversing with anyone else. Sorry, Jens... it's better this way...
•• ••
Gabe successfully stashed his instrument away in the band room. Shawn had ditched him to find Riley, asking Gabe to "wish him luck" as he did so. Gabe lifted his backpack onto his shoulders. Feeling the heavy weight of the bag, he remembered the amount of homework he had been assigned for the night. He sighed, deciding he would probably do some of it while he waited on his older brother to finish up with Cross Country practice.
He walked out of the school and immediately began heading for the shade of a tree down by the area where all the parents would be picking up their kids. His brother would know to find him there. Gabe tossed his bag onto the ground carelessly and unzipped it, pulling a thick Geometry book out along with a notebook and his planner that recited the assigned math. He took a seat leaning against the base of the sturdy maple tree, and enjoyed a light breeze passing by as it rustled the green leaves above his head. Really he wasn't one for the hot weather. With another sigh, he resigned to attempting his Geometry homework. He had made it through seventeen-and-a-half problems before the red-head plopped down beside him.
He looked up from proofs for a moment to greet his friend. "So, how'd it go?"
Shawn just shook his head and covered his face with his hands. Gabe could only guess what that meant, but trying to stay positive he asked, "C'mon, what did she say?"
Gabe was surprised when Shawn removed his hands to reveal his brown orbs sending him a death glare. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know... how long have you known?"
"What?"
"How long have you known?" Shawn repeated irritably, his anger rising.
Gabe's face wore a perplexed expression. He literally had no idea what Shawn was referring to. Had his conversation with Riley really gone that badly? "Known about what? You're not making any sense, Shawn. Did she say "yes"?"
"Of course not!" Shawn said in an almost accusing tone to his platinum blonde friend, "She said "no" she won't date me because she likes you!"
She liked him? How could that be? He'd never really even talked with her before. It didn't matter. At the moment, his first and foremost problem was Shawn. "How was I supposed to know?"
"Well, you were giving me all that talk about how she might say "no"! Then what does she do? She says "no"! So you know what, go right on ahead and ask her to the dance! Quite obviously you're the one she wants to take her! Go on, go! You go ask her!" Shawn ordered with his arms crossed and his face contorted strangely from his fury.
Gabe closed his Geometry book with a loud FUWAP! "Fine. You want me to go ask her? Fine."
He stood up from his position on the ground and stalked across the school yard. He quickly changed his expression to a calmer one as she came into view. "Hey, Riley."
She was with a few of her friends, a girl with wild, frizzy brunette hair, and another with long golden blonde hair that was completely straight. Gabe stared intensely at the dark chocolate orbs that stared up at him. "Uh... um, yes?"
Her friends giggled a little bit, and Gabe shifted his weight uncomfortably. He couldn't believe he was about to ask this girl he knew nothing about to go to the Homecoming Dance with him. "Well, I... uh... wanted to know if—if you weren't busy or going with someone else—if you might... want to go with me to the dance this weekend?"
Her face seemed to suddenly turn a bright shade of scarlet, "Oh! Well, I-I don't think I'm busy. Sure! I'd love to go with you to the dance."
"Meet me out front at... hm... 6:45, then, okay?"
"S-sure!"
"Cool. See ya there."
He strode away triumphantly, listening to her chat excitedly with her friends behind his back. He laughed internally. Girls were really funny sometimes. Gabe sat back down beside Shawn. He looked at Gabe with a crestfallen face, "And?"
"I'm meeting her out front of the school at 6:45." He reached for his math book, seeing his friend looking rather somber, "What? You told me to go and ask her."
"I know... but... I kind of wish I hadn't said that." His attitude over the topic seemed to change abruptly, "I guess I'll get over it, though... she didn't like me anyway... not into curly hair, I suppose."
Shawn tried a feeble smile, and Gabe politely smiled back. There wasn't anything he could do for his friend. Gabe didn't know why he had gained the sudden impulse to go and ask Riley to the dance. That was extremely uncharacteristic of him. He guessed it more or less had to do with his own situation more than anything. He had been conflicted over whether it would be wise to ask Jen or not, but now that he had asked Riley he wouldn't have to worry about asking Jen or hurting her feelings. If he knew Jen, he knew she would understand. She was pretty lax about these kinds of things. His stream of thoughts was interrupted by a familiar panting. "H-huuu... you ready to go?"
Gabe and Shawn both looked up at the older boy standing in the sunlight without a shirt. His usually milky torso seemed to have a red-tone to it and was covered in a sheen of fresh sweat. Gabe stuffed his homework back into his backpack. "Well, see ya later, Shawn?"
"Yeah." His friend replied.
As Gabe stood, his eyes had somehow found her. She wasn't looking at him, but he had been stunned by her presence. Her ponytail had become loose and messy, and her face was slightly red from all the hard effort she had put out on the field. He guessed that she had to be hot, considering she had decided to wear a black t-shirt to practice. He turned around toward his brother. If anyone caught him staring at her, he knew they would start poking their noses where they weren't welcome, and he couldn't have that happening.
He and his brother walked to the beat-up Ford Escort together in silence, the only sound between them being the light tapping of their shoes meeting the pavement. It wasn't unnatural for the two brothers to not speak, almost as if it was part of an unwritten oath between them. Rule 1: Never acknowledge the existence of your brother if any form of affection is involved and Rule 2: Don't speak to one another unless it is absolutely necessary. Those were really the only unspoken rules they needed to reside together without constant bickering. Though, more often than not, he still saw his older brother as nothing more than a complete jerk.
Gabe tossed his black bag into the trunk and hopped into the car, slamming the door shut. His brother turned the key in the ignition port and the engine immediately roared to life. As the vehicle backed out of its parking space, Gabe noticed that his brother hadn't bothered putting his shirt back on. Normally, he wouldn't have cared, but the air conditioner was blowing the putrid stench of high school body odor into the back seat—where he was sitting. He had considered rolling a window down, but cast the thought aside knowing his brother would only yell at him if he did.
"Cool air feel nice?"
It took him a moment to realize that someone had been asking him a question. It was easier to believe that he had just been hallucinating rather than his brother actually speaking with him. However, when his brother adjusted the rear-view mirror to peer at Gabe with his inquisitive blue eyes, he knew he was expected to reply. "Uh, yeah... Thanks."
"Good." There was a pause before he continued, "So... who's that girl?"
"What?"
"The one you were staring at—from the Flag Core." He added, trying to pry the information from his younger sibling.
Gabe felt a sudden sense of claustrophobia being trapped and interrogated inside the tiny moving automobile. His brother was a devious, evil master-mind. That much was certain. Hopefully he was the only one who had taken notice of his staring habit; he only wanted to have to dodge this set of questions once. "Why do you care?" Gabe countered defensively, "You've never taken an interest in the girls I chose to look at before."
His brother shrugged, right hand on the steering wheel and the other leaning on the window-sill and holding his head lazily. "Never saw reason to before."
"What? You're not thinking of dumping Elizabeth for her?"
He chuckled, "No. I don't fancy the Color Guard girls in the slightest, and I'll have you know that I happen to like my current girlfriend, thanks."
Gabe glowered at the mirror, hoping his brother would see his reflection, "So then why even bring it up, Nolan?"
The driver sighed as he came to a red stoplight. He looked down at his equally red chest, making a mental note to put on more sunscreen next time so he didn't end up looking like a tomato after every practice. He twisted in his seat, trying to get a good look at his younger brother. "Because... maybe you should ask her to the dance?"
"And maybe you should stay out of my business!" He retorted icily, "If you must know, she's just a friend and I've already asked someone else to go with me to the dance."
Nolan seemed slightly surprised, but didn't comment on Gabe's date. A loud horn blared from one of the many cars waiting impatiently behind his, signaling that the light had changed green. The senior snickered as he turned around in his seat to face the road, saying, "You don't stare at friends with bedroom eyes."
On that note, he left his baby brother to think and the wall of silence created by the unspoken rules was restored.
•• ••
Her life was like a videogame in the sense that it was full of obstacles and problems that needed solving. She pushed her way through the hordes of teenagers clustered at the school exit. Her five-foot-four height made it a little challenging to be seen by the other students, but just because she was on the smaller side of average didn't mean she couldn't knock them all to the floor if she wanted to. If her life were a videogame she would just shoot them all with a laser beam and clear a path for herself. Of course, if life were a videogame, she would probably have to do that and run around with huge pixilated boobs in a skimpy, skin-tight outfit that chafed. It was a good thing life wasn't completely like a videogame. She wasn't exiting the building just yet, anyway. Her destination was the band hallway, and since she couldn't zap everyone out of the way, getting there unscathed would be a mite tricky.
She weaved and bobbed her way past the groups of people just standing around yelling to one another and eventually she was able to find her way to the band hall doors. She gave a short sigh of relief before pushing against the doors with all her strength; their weight never ceased to surprise her. This would be where she drank her magic strength-increasing potion and kicked the door down, but there were no potions like that in the real world. She pushed on the door harder and it flew open. Obstacle number one: cleared. Jen: 1, Universe: 0.
Very few people were roaming this hall. Jen wondered why for a moment before she remembered that the band's schedule was slightly different from the guard's today... or at least... she thought it was. Mentally, Jen quickly ran through her practice schedule. She was supposed to get changed and then join her fellow guardies for practice out on the field to learn some new show work. The band was supposed to join them out there around four o'clock. They would probably run-through the fourth segment in five-set intervals and then do a complete run-through of both the first and second segments, maybe even the third. She guessed that practice would most-likely end sometime between six-thirty and seven o'clock. The squeaking of her worn converse shoes on the tiled floor echoed off the nearly barren walls of the band hallway.
The band room doors were at the very end of the hallway. A window looking into the guard room was on the left near the end of the hall. She peered through the window, noticing the lights inside were turned off. There wasn't anybody inside and the door leading into the room was shut. Slightly confused, Jen attempted to twist the doorknob only to find it stiff and locked. "Damn it! You've gotta be kidding me!" she swore loudly, not caring who was listening.
It seemed the universe had just gained a point against her. She sighed heavily, trying to figure out how she was supposed to get into the guard room without a key. She continued down to the end of the hallway and entered the band room. The room was large and spacious with a high ceiling and a navy blue, carpeted floor. She dropped her book bag into one of the many blue chairs before knocking on the band director's office door. She knew for a fact that he had a key. She had only spoken with him a handful of times, but she knew his name and recognized his lined face, earned from dealing with teenagers for several frustrating years, when he answered the door.
"Yes?"
"Hi, um... I was... uh, just wondering if you could, maybe, unlock the guard room for me?" She asked, hoping she didn't sound like she was stuttering.
"Sure." He replied to her.
She followed him back to the guard room and he dug through one of his pockets for a jumbled up clinking noise. Producing a set of numerous keys, he pulled a golden one out of the mess and unlocked the room for her. "Uh, thank you!"
"Yeah." He mumbled and retreated back into the band room, adjusting the hat on his graying head of hair.
She was the only guardie there at the moment, so she guessed that she could do whatever she wanted there for the time being. The guard room wasn't very big. Half of it was filled by flag bags and baskets of junk that no one cared to claim, and the other half was taken up by a piano that had been turned into the Color Guard's personal trophy display for the awards they had accumulated over the years. Three large windows were placed in this room; one on each wall, two looking out at the hallway, and one depicting the tiny practice room that was used for tutoring sometimes. There were three shelves on the sole windowless wall cluttered with stereos, silks, electrical tape, speakers, and a few bags of aged candy that should have been thrown away a long time ago. The room was a comfortable size for one or two—maybe even three people, but with twenty-one Color Guard members, their schoolbags, and all their other random belongings the room would get quite cramped.
Jen climbed the shelves, looking for what was known to the Color Guard as the "Tackle Box". She idly wondered where all the other guard members were. Once she spotted the box, she unlatched it. Inside were various beauty products and first aid utensils. She dug through the unorganized mess until her fingers grabbed an eye shadow compact. She closed the box and jumped down from the shelves, which weren't really meant to support the weight of a person. She opened the compact and removed the brush from inside, walking over to the light switch. It was strange and required a certain key, but the guardies weren't stupid, they found a way to rig the lights. Jen inserted the handle of the brush into the slot and with a quick upward flick the room lit up. She smiled to herself, it was the first time she had ever had to use that trick. She was pleased to know it worked for her just as well, if not better, than her superior guardies. Mission accomplished, point for Jen!
"Barry is gonna be so pissed! I—Oh, Jen! Hey, wha—?" The girl looked around at the guard room, surprised to see the floor for a change, "Uh, where is everyone? Don't tell me we don't have practice today."
"Well, I think we're not supposed to be here until four... maybe. I mean, that's when the bandies are all supposed to get here." Jen replied with a shrug.
She stomped her foot against the ground, "Dammit! Now what am I supposed to do for an hour?" She made a disgruntled noise and tossed her bag into the room aimlessly.
She followed her bag to where it had made its crash landing amongst all the other things piled up against the wall. Digging through her bag, she asked, "Hey, do you wanna go get changed with me? I don't want to go by myself."
Jen wasn't prepared for her to ask her that question. Considering she would have to get changed for guard at some point anyway, she decided she might as well go with her fellow rookie. "Sure. Lemme go get my stuff. I left it in the band room."
"'Kay, hurry up."
Jen felt better knowing she wasn't the only guardie who didn't know all the details. She passed through the band doors and found a few bandies talking about pooling their money together to go get smoothies before practice. Jen was greeted by her friends Laura Navarum, Emily Brinks, and Natalie Easter. She smiled and told them she would be back in a few minutes; telling them she had to go get changed. "Hey, will you guys keep an eye on my stuff?" she asked.
"Sure." Laura replied.
"Thanks."
With that, Jen grabbed her practice clothes and walked back to the guard room to collect her friend. The two girls strolled in silent harmony together through the hall. Jen had made it halfway up before noticing that her friend had stopped walking with her. "What are you doing?"
"We should use this bathroom here to change in. The other bathrooms are probably full of track girls." She informed Jen, motioning toward one of the private band bathrooms. "Plus, I don't wanna walk all that way just to change my clothes."
Jen instinctively looked at the sign beside the bathroom door on her right. Women. "Kaleigh, that's the boys' bathroom! What if we get caught? We can just—"
"No one's gonna see us! Nobody's here! Besides, the girls' bathroom is locked and we're not really using the boys' restroom. We're just changing in here. No biggie. We're just gonna borrow it for a few minutes. C'mon!" She pushed open the door and Jen, though reluctant, followed behind her.
In the dimly lit boys' lavatory, there was one large stall, complete with magazine stand, one sink, and a mirror above the sink. Kaleigh went into the stall, and began stripping off her clothes. Jen stayed outside the stall and locked the bathroom door. She didn't want some guy to come down the hallway, decide he needed to take a piss, and then walk in on the two of them changing... mainly her, because Kaleigh was at least hidden by the stall. Jen took off her shoes and started to disrobe herself, starting with her jeans. Of course, her foot got stuck in one of the pant legs and she lost her balance, slamming herself against the stall door for support. The force of her fall, however, was more than the door could take and it flew open, causing her to trip over herself until she crashed into the magazine stand, which inadvertently toppled onto her and magazines scattered across the floor. The brunette freshman, in pink soffees and a blue and green bra, laughed loudly.
Jen sat there on the dirty tiles of the bathroom floor. Her pants were only half off, and the magazine stand was around her head. Kaleigh was still laughing as she started to pick up a couple of the magazines. Jen couldn't help it, she began laughing, too. She was such a klutz. The universe had gained another point in the epic war. Jen gingerly got up. She was positive that she had just added several bruises to her already impressive collection. Kaleigh told her she'd pick everything up if Jen just shut the stall door again. Jen gladly took her up on that offer. She closed the door for Kaleigh and tried to pull on her grey pajama shorts without a similar problem. She didn't need to change her green shirt, so she hurried to tie her black guard shoes onto her feet. She looked at her messy tendrils of red streaked, blonde hair in the mirror. It looked terrible. She solved that by pulling it up into a quick ponytail. As if anyone cared what her ponytail looked like.
Kaleigh came out of the stall and teased Jen a bit before unlocking the bathroom door; she was still laughing loudly. Jen was laughing pretty loudly as well, that is, until she saw him looking right at her less than five feet away. She could see it on his face, the "What the hell were you doing in there?" look. She had frozen in place, in the middle of the band hallway. "What were you—? You know what, never mind, I don't wanna know."
"W-well, I-I mean, it—it's not what it looks like! I—" Jen's plea was interrupted by Kaleigh, who grabbed her arm and pulled her into the guard room.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? You, just, like, stopped."
Jen's face was completely red from embarrassment and her eyes seemed to stare off into some far away, distant land of fear and astonishment. Kaleigh couldn't figure out what had just happened. "No, really, what's wrong?"
"Oh my God, you seriously don't know, Kaleigh?" Jen asked incredulously.
She had told Kaleigh about him a couple of times... in fact, practically the whole Color Guard knew about him. Kaleigh looked blank for a moment before her face lit up with sudden realization, "Oh! Wait, that was him? That's the guy you like?"
"Yes..."
"Oh, shit."
"Uh, yeah, ya think?" She swayed her head from side to side, "He's gonna think I'm a total freak now! I knew something bad was gonna happen! I knew we were gonna get caught, I just knew it! And I told you!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know he'd be standing right there when we opened the door?"
Jen sighed, deciding it was silly and not worth getting upset over. She laughed it off and told herself she would just have to "play it cool" as if nothing happened. Kaleigh announced that she was bored and was going to go find someone to bother. Jen told her to go have fun with that, then she bent down and picked up her jeans where they had fallen on the floor after Kaleigh dragged her in this room. As an after-thought, Jen mentally kicked herself for not saying something wittier to Gabe. She supposed it didn't matter, there was nothing she could do about her stupidity at this point. Jen sighed as she folded the pants up and walked into the band room. Laura, Emily, and Natalie were still in the room, and her black backpack covered in multi-colored stars was right where she left it. She stuffed her jeans into the bag. It looked like it was about to explode.
Emily sat down beside Jen. Her pretty green eyes looked concerned. "Hey, are you all right?"
"Fine. Why?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess you just don't look like yourself today."
"It's my crazy hair! It won't obey me!" She laughed at her own joke, and then gave a heavy exhale, "No... I just... I really like this guy, but he doesn't like me that way, I guess... typical. Whatever. That's all."
Laura furrowed her brows. It was obvious she was thinking. "Wait, who do you like?"
"Uhm... Gabe Galloway?"
"Awe's" rotated around the circle of sophomores. Jen had heard that too many times. Why was it that every time she told someone she liked him she always received the same reaction? Natalie wasn't a particularly close friend of Jen's, but she asked, "Have you told him you liked him?"
"Yeah, back in August. But... like I said... I just don't think he likes me that way."
Laura apologized, "I'm sorry, that sucks."
"Isn't he going to the dance with some freshman-girl from the clarinet section?" Natalie asked, looking at Laura for confirmation.
"How would I know? I'm not a clarinet!"
Emily put a finger to her chin thoughtfully, "I think Natalie's right. Some girl... Riley... Riley... gah! Riley-something that starts with an M!"
Jen thought back to that morning. Kaitlyn Holmes, coincidentally her Geometry teacher's daughter, had come into their Acting class complaining about some guy breaking "Man Code". Jen hadn't heard the entire conversation between the freshmen, Jamie and Kaitlyn, but she had heard that it was a clarinet girl. She had also overheard that apparently the guy had broken Man Code because his friend had already asked the girl out and she refused, but then he asked her out and she accepted. Jen was too tired in the mornings to really care much about bandie gossip, but she did catch the name of the clarinet player. "Riley Moore?" Jen asked, the carpet-fibers suddenly becoming interesting to her.
"Yeah! That was her name!" Emily exclaimed.
"You know her?" Natalie asked, slightly interested.
Jen shook her head, "No. I actually have no idea who she is. I overheard some freshmen gossiping about it this morning. One of them was a trumpet. I didn't know they were talking about Gabe, though. I guess they kept going on about how he broke Man Code or something."
"Who was talking about him?" Emily asked, being a trumpet player herself, she was curious to know.
"Kaitlyn Holmes and her friend, Jamie Westfall."
"Hmm..."
Jen spared a glance at the clock. It was almost four. She stood up, telling her friends she hoped their pal, Timmy, got back with their smoothies soon or else they wouldn't get to enjoy them. She hefted her obese backpack onto her shoulders with a grunt and waved good-bye to her friends. Jen hurried to drop her things off in the guard room and grab her flag bag. She figured she'd better grab her equipment before the room got too crowded. When she stepped into the room she saw that guardies Olivia and Faith had the same idea. Jen smiled, "Oh hey, guys!"
Faith responded with a smile of her own, complete with braces, "Hey, Jennette."
She was quite fragile-looking for being a sophomore. Her hair was a pretty pale blonde, and her eyes were some foreign shade of hazel hidden behind red-rimmed glasses. Several random freckles were splattered on her pale skin beneath her eyes. She was an inch or two shorter than Jen, but that didn't really matter. "You wanna come with me down to the field?" Jen had directed the question at both girls.
This time the dark-haired, copper-toned freshman, Olivia spoke in her gentle voice, "Nah. I still have to get changed."
Faith nodded vigorously, almost knocking her glasses off her face, "Me, too."
"Okay," Jen shrugged, grabbing her flag bag, "I'll see you guys down there, then."
Just beyond the guard room was a tiny alcove of a hallway that led to the outside. She turned the corner and pushed open the doors. The bright sunlight blinded her momentarily, and her face was met with its warmth. After she had fully regained her sight and began her long strides along the cement walkway leading to the field, she saw him coming at her with ever-gaining speed. She stopped, thinking maybe it was just her, but she quickly learned that it was not as he continued approaching rapidly. She waved to him, hoping it didn't seem awkward. "Uh, hey, Gabe." She said with what she knew had to be a weird, little smile.
He stopped six inches from her. Considering that he had been avoiding her for the past several weeks, this action seemed increasingly strange to her. Needless to say, she was completely speechless. Jen had thought that maybe he had been avoiding her because he was angry with her for some unknown reason. She had even consulted some of his friends about it, but even that couldn't have prepared her for this untimely situation. What could he be up to?
This was the first time in weeks that he had paid any attention to her! The thought made her heart skip a beat and she quickly reminded herself that this situation should not be occurring at all. Trying to remain calm and not read too much into Gabe's unusual behavior, Jen's mind raced for a plausible explanation as to why this would be happening to her. Maybe she was just in his way or something? She stared up into the orbs of winter. Never before had she liked a guy with eyes the same color as her own, but there was something about his icy eyes that caught her in a hypnotic trance and left her unable to escape.
She broke out of her daze as she suddenly found herself caught between his two strong arms; her guard bag forgotten, as it dropped to the ground with a loud metal CLANK that reverberated off the brick walls of the school building. Her mind had stopped completely. She was in total shock. Was she dreaming? Was this some kind of fantasy? Surely not. It was too real. She could feel his heart thrumming, and she could feel hers leaping against her rib cage. How long did he hold her—two minutes? Five minutes? Four seconds? She didn't know. All she knew was nothing could ruin this moment for her. Like lightning, it struck her, as she stood there in the safety of his arms, just how much she liked him. She could feel his breath on her neck, and the words were whispered so only she would hear them, "See... I'm not mad at you."
She was too preoccupied for the timebeing to concern herself with the question of which friend had betrayed her trust and told Gabe her theory. A second longer and he released her, taking a step back and smiling. Then he left just as abruptly as he had arrived. She stood there, still stunned. What had just happened? The Boss Level… and she failed.
Final Score: Jen 2: Universe 15,000,001.
~TR~