Four times. Four times I called her, four times she didn't pick up. I left her a message, maybe two. Maybe three. Ok, it was four. Plus I texted a few times – no response there either.
It wasn't fair; she had to give me a chance to explain. There was no way I was going to let Red Plaid Skirt get away over Emma's big fat mouth. But how was I going to get her to listen? I didn't have any desire to accost her around her giggly friends at school.
I skipped school on Tuesday and spent the day at the café. I couldn't face the stares at school and I had a major social media war to fight. If my friends weren't ruthless enough, people I barely knew were posting memes on my Facebook wall that were more than a little insulting. I spent a good part of the morning deleting, replying, and ripping into people for being jerks.
It was a fucking nightmare.
By Wednesday I decided to face the music – mostly because the school called my parents and my phone was dangerously close to becoming a permanent fixture at my mom and dad's secret apartment getaway. The only thing worse than being tormented by my classmates all day was the thought of having no electronic escape machine for surfing porn.
I trudged into school, half-hoping everyone had forgotten about me. My entrance into the commons area revealed that the stares had subsided somewhat, but the chuckles and whispering had not. I avoided my friends' table altogether and went straight to English class. I was relieved to find that the first thing on the schedule after school announcements was an assembly.
Good. Not like I could concentrate on schoolwork right now anyways.
Ms. Ecclestein blabbed on about making sure to get ahead on our final term paper, turned on the monitor for announcements, and then led the way to the gym. The massive crowd of students clamoring loudly through the hallways was the perfect cover – not a single person paid any attention to me and my apparent Manslave reputation.
"Hey Teddy!" Oh shit. I turned around cautiously, quickening my step. It was Mike. "Dude, wait up, what the hell?"
"Sorry man, didn't hear ya," I lied when he caught up. I waited for the jabbing to start but Mike seemed to have found some sense of integrity.
"You wanna skip the assembly and go smoke a joint?"
I thought about it. It sounded like a great idea. But just then Red Plaid Skirt caught my eye and I knew I might not have another opportunity to snatch her away.
"Tempting, Mike, but I think they're gonna talk about basketball tryouts at the assembly. I can't miss that – I've got a shot at varsity this year."
"Holy shit, really? Damn, I guess I'd better go too then."
Damnit. I was hoping he'd leave so I could pursue my target.
We filed into the gym and found a spot on the edge of the bleachers. I kept Athena in my sight, unwilling to give her a chance to melt into the crowd. The noise started to die down as the music teacher stepped up to the mic and started singing the alma mater. Most everyone joined in, only some of the students in-tune, and I was surprised to find that Mike was one of them. When the song ended, I couldn't resist.
"You're a natural choir boy, man. You know, you could have a shot if you became a eunich."
He just glared and I laughed. Mike the Choir Boy. It was perfect. The Principal rattled off some announcements and then finally the Head Basketball Coach stepped up to the microphone.
"As many of you know, basketball tryouts are coming up. We had a huge turnout last year and we have double the number of incoming freshman so it's going to be competitive. I would suggest joining me and Coach Trussell in open gym after school to get yourselves warmed up for tryouts. We'll be here Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for two hours running drills and putting together small practice teams. Anyone can come – this is not the official tryout – but plan on bringing your best game."
He then dove into the details of the dates and times of tryouts. I didn't know if I'd be able to make any open gyms what with my rebellion-then-grounding schedule, but I definitely wouldn't be missing tryouts. I typed the info into my phone, my stomach starting to feel a little queasy. I thought I had a good chance – I'd played well the year before – but team sports definitely didn't run in the family. Between my mother's overall lack of coordination and my dad's tendency to beat the living shit out of anyone who posed a competitive threat…well, my genes were not on my side. But if there was anything I needed to help me deal with my parents, school, and the inevitable fucked-up girl messes I always seemed to be in, basketball was the best answer I'd ever come up with.
My worries abated when a blur of red crossed my vision, heading out the gym doors.
Athena!
"Gotta go drop the kids off at the pool, man," I whispered to Mike.
"Yeah, right," he said, glancing at the door shutting behind Athena. I jumped up and made my way down the bleachers and out the door.
I watched her enter the girl's bathroom and leaned against the wall next to the exit. It seemed she was in there forever – I was starting to notice my hands wrinkle. When she finally came into view, I didn't waste any time. I grabbed her arm – gently, knowing this was a soft spot for her – and looked around. I didn't want to talk to her in the middle of the hallway where students could catch us.
"Teddy, what the hell – " she tried to pull away but I wasn't having it. That pissed off look came over her face but I didn't care. She was going to hear me out one way or another. I grasped the handle to the janitor's closet and shoved her in, closing the door behind us.
"Teddy, for fuck's sake, let me out!" she screamed.
"Keep your voice down!" We scuffled for a minute while I tried to keep her from the door handle. Finally I grabbed a broomstick and shoved her up against the wall. "You're not leaving until you talk to me."
"You're scaring me, Teddy," she wheezed in a small voice. I stepped back immediately, dropping the broomstick.
"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be an ass, I'm just – these rumors are driving me crazy and you won't return my calls. If you want to leave that's fine, but I had to at least try."
She reached for the door handle, but didn't leave. She turned back and sighed. "I don't know why I'm doing this, but you have two minutes to say what you need to say. And you should feel lucky about it because I've never given the benefit of the doubt to someone who's fucked around with me like you just did."
The light from the crack in the door shone right over her blazing eyes. She was pissed. More pissed than the time I smacked her with the gym door. I decided I'd better talk fast.
"This bullshit Emma's been spreading around about me – it isn't true. I don't even know what she's talking about. She said she was just pissed off and that's why she spread the rumor."
Athena leaned against the wall, seeming to be deep in thought. "That's not why I didn't answer your calls. I don't care about the rumor."
I jerked my head back in surprise. "What?"
She hesitated. "Look there's certain things you don't need to know about me right away, okay. The rumor doesn't bother me. Not at all, actually. I just…I have this thing about relationships – I shy away from them. Big time. They've always ended badly for me."
"Jesus, Athena, I'm not trying to get you into bed, I just want you to talk to me."
"I know it's just, after we almost kissed the other night…" she shrugged. "The rumor was just an excuse. The reason I wasn't talking to you was because I was afraid."
She looked defeated. But I couldn't help feeling incredibly relieved. I suddenly didn't give a damn what anyone else thought – if Athena was okay with the rumor, it didn't matter.
"Look, I feel shitty that you're scared, but…I'm glad you're not mad at me."
"Why would I be mad at you? You're one of the sweetest guys I've ever met. And I don't usually like nice guys."
She shyly tucked her hair behind her ear. It popped back out and I reached over to put it back in place before she could correct it.
"So what are you scared of?" I stepped in closer, the light from the hallway still illuminating her amazing green eyes, and the heat of her presence making it hard to think straight.
Her breath caught – good. She wants me like I want her.
"You," she whispered.
"Why?"
She shrugged.
I leaned in. "Does this scare you?"
She nodded. "A little."
"It scares me too." She took a deep breath as I reached over to play with her fingers. "That's why I like it."
She angled her head up towards mine and that rebellious hair snuck out from behind her ear again. Not enjoying the way it was blocking my view, I slowly tucked it back again, smiling. "You hair doesn't want to stay in place; it keeps taunting me."
She shook her head and grinned coyly. "That's because it knows what I want - "
Without another thought, I pulled her lips to mine, kissing her slow and deep. Her hands ran up my arms and neck and into my hair sending chills straight to my dick. I pulled my pelvis back and pushed her against the wall with my chest, hoping not to embarrass her with my instant arousal. I kept one hand on her face, playing in her hair, and let the other slide down to her petit waist, poking my finger just underneath her shirt to caress her soft tan skin.
She moaned into my mouth, prompting me to pull her to me with greater desperation. The kiss could've lasted forever – I wanted it to. Good Lord, I did not want to stop. Her lips felt so warm and perfect against mine. But just as I was preparing to make an attempt at her tasty little tongue, the sound of the assembly leaving the gym filled my ears.
I forced myself to pull away, my head still in a fog. "We definitely don't want to be caught leaving this closet in front of the whole school."
She giggled. "We could just make out until they all go back to class."
Oh God, I love that idea.
I had to put forth an extra special effort to push thoughts of her humping me on the floor of the broom closet from my mind so I could figure out how to open the door. I could see students passing the commons area down the hall, but none of them had wandered our direction yet. We quickly slipped out, shutting the door behind us. I kissed her forehead, lingering for a moment, then linked my fingers in hers and walked her to class.
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