Remember that open mind I told you to keep? Well you can close it now. You'll find out why... just like Jeanette will.
*******
Her first dance.
With her boyfriend…
She actually had a boyfriend…
A slow… swaying love song playing in the background…
Her arms lightly draped over his neck…
His hands wrapped snuggly around her waist...
Her head resting on his shoulder as they drifted through the seemingly empty gym…
Tingles running up and down her spine as he held her close…
The moment so perfect she never wanted to end…
Looking up and gazing into his brilliant, ongoing deep blue eyes…
Simon?
"Hey, Jen"
Jeanette shook her head, looking up quickly. She suddenly became aware of the herds of young teens moving rapidly around her. The blinking blue and red lights scattering from the ceiling, casting shadows in all directions... The pounding, beating music surging through her body, shaking floor…
"Jen?" Jay asked again. "You ok?"
Jeanette nodded, offering him a small smile. Where was her head?
He took her hand, sending shivers up and down her spine. "You look great," Jay whispered in her ear, tingles erupting through her. "You're beautiful."
Jeanette's eyes lit up when he said it, her heart skipped a beat, her chest suddenly felt tight and heavy. It was a different feeling… when he said it… it was like… it was like she was the center of the universe… and all the people around her… were just small stars, twinkling about. She'd never felt that way before… How could a guy… just a guy… say… three simple words… and make her feel on top of it all?
"Do you want to dance?" he asked her in a hushed whisper.
Jeanette shivered, slowly willing herself to nod. She wanted to faint… but she didn't. Her legs shook as he guided her out and away from her sisters… towards the dance floor… She caught a glance at Brittany and Alvin just before they disappeared out her site.
His arms slipped around her waist, drawing her to him like sponge to water. He stood there, holding her, his arms wrapped around her. She nestled close before pulling her away, and twirling her around. She spun on her foot into him. They swayed, their bodies moving back and forth to the beat of the latest Carey Moore song.
He held her close, whispering sweet, alluring lullabies into her ear. He pulled her away again, spinning her just as the song switch to a quiet, slow song. Jay took her hands again and they danced… they swayed... she soared…
Her thoughts were mush. All there was, was here and now. Nothing else mattered. She was so close to him she could hear his heart beat quaking in his chest. Every once in awhile he let his fingers catch her hair, brushing it out of her eyes…
She couldn't help but think… if things were like this… from now on… if her entire life or at least the rest of her Jr. High career… was like this from now on… it would be ok… better than ok… great…wonderful… amazing…
Amazing… whenever she thought of that word now… she could help but think of Simon… When he looked at her… when he said that… he could… he could have said she was pretty. That she looked ok. That she looked great. But… he didn't. He had said she looked… amazing… Webster could tell you that amazing meant something different that simply pretty. It meant… astonishing, astounding, remarkable, mind-boggling. Simon though she was mind-boggling.
*****
They swayed… back and forth… Their arms resting on each other's shoulders. Brittany sighed, letting her head slowly fall, resting on Alvin's right shoulder. He inhaled, closing his arms tightly around her waist, pulling her close.
Brittany let in a gradual silent breath before slowly letting it out. Right here… forever… right here… she never wanted him to leave. She never wanted this to end. When they were like this… she and Alvin… when they weren't fighting over something stupid… when they had these completely silent and blissful moments… when he was holding her like this… when she was so close to him… she felt heavy and light at the same time…untouchable.
He made her feel like this… he made her feel like this every day… and how did she repay him? Brittany grimaced as she replayed that evening in her mind. He had done exactly what she asked… and maybe… maybe… just maybe she had asked for a lot… and maybe, just this one time… she was willing… for him… to admit her mistake… for him.
"Alvin" Brittany whispered.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"I… I'm sorry…" she said. "About before… I mean."
"Before?" Alvin asked.
"The flowers… I was…"
Alvin lifted his head up to meet her eyes, his arms still wrapped at her waist, her hands still clutching his shoulders. "Rude?" he asked. "Selfish, bratty, ungrateful-"
"I get it" Brittany huffed."I'm sorry"
"You should be." Alvin muttered. "I went through all that trouble… and all you did was complain"
"I'm trying to apologize. If you'd shut up for a minute I could finish" She muttered. Her steps halted. She took a deep breath and stood up straight, looking directly into his eyes. "I am sorry Alvin. Really… I am… I know I can be…"
"A pain"
"Don't help" She said, quickly hushing him. " But… your… I… I guess… I appreciate you ok? Really." Brittany took another deep breath. "I do."
Alvin grinned. "And why wouldn't you?"
Brittany smiled. "And… I guess… I promise I'll try not to be so bossy. And… and… give you more credit and all…" Brittany said, rolling her eyes. "And… maybe… you're not such a completely awful boyfriend."
Alvin smirked. "Try amazing, wonderful, awesome, and don't forget my dashing good looks" He told her.
"Don't get too full of yourself" Brittany murmured, pulling him back to her. "I guess it's too late for that…"
"But I can try" he whispered, leaning in so their foreheads were touching, resting against each other.
"Thank you" Brittany whispered back. "For being there"
They leaned in even further, tilting their heads just so… until their lips were only inches apart. Then a kiss… soft… sweet… Brittany sighed again, letting her head slowly fall against his shoulder…
"Did I tell you I liked your dress?" Alvin asked.
"Not yet" Brittany answered.
"Well I do." Alvin whispered. "A lot… you look-"
"Stunning?" Brittany asked. "Exquisite, gorgeous, striking…"
"Yeah, that. "Alvin said. "And a lot more."
*****
Just a few yards away Eleanor and Theodore stood together… holding each other in their arms… their feet moving back and forth to the beat of the music as the song changed again. Their hands pulled apart when the song picked up as they continued to sway.
"You really do look great" Theodore said in a quite voice.
"Thanks, Theodore." Eleanor said, and then smiled. "What are you thinking about?"
Theodore smiled back. He was happy… that she knew him this well… that she was so considerate "I'm worried about Simon…" Theodore admitted.
"Me too" Eleanor agreed. "But Jeanette… likes Jay."
"That's what Simon said" Theodore groaned.
Eleanor giggled. "Why don't you go talk to him?"
"I- I have. " Theodore said. "Alvin's been giving him advice too."
"Alvin?"
"That's what I thought at first too…" Theodore admitted. "But he's been really nice."
They didn't say anything for a few more beats of the song… Theodore sighed. He was worried about Simon. How it must feel to really truly like someone… and not have that person return your feelings? What would he do if that ever happened to him and Eleanor? What if they actually stopped talking to each other and telling each other things?
"Eleanor?" Theodore asked.
"Yes?"
"I'm glad… I don't know how Simon feels." he whispered.
"What?" she asked. "Why is that?"
"Because…" Theodore said. "I don't want to know what it feels like not to have you around…"
The song changed again to a slow number… they drifted back together. Holding hands… swaying to the music.
"And I don't want you to find out" Eleanor whispered. "As long we're honest with each other… there shouldn't be a problem."
"Yeah," Theodore nodded.
*****
Jeanette's head rested on his shoulder, his arms hugged her close. Her eyes were shut, her mind stuck in some kind of dream world. It was like she was floating ….this couldn't really be happening… it was impossible… it was too good to be true…
"You're beautiful. You know that right?" Jay whispered to her.
… lying flat out on a cloud… floating… wind rippling though her…
"I'm glad… I'm glad I met you" he went on.
…She was a bubble… weightless… happy… slow moving… drifting… Nothing could touch her…
"But… Jen… there's… there's something I need to tell you…" Jay said.
She was happy… so… so… so happy…
"Something… really important…"
Jeanette opened her eyes that she had absent mindedly shut and smiled. They drifted pasted Jay … through the massive crowds… surprisingly finding Simon in the swarm. He turned… and somehow caught her…
"You have to understand… that I really do like you…"
They watched each other… it was only a second… maybe two…
"But I… I did something…"
Jeanette blinked, her eyes snapping but to Jay. Her ears were open, listening fully now. "Did something." she repeated.
"Yeah… and… I…"
"What?" She asked. "What is it?"
"I… I-"
"Hey!" a voice shouted from across the room. "Yo! Jay!"
Jeanette quickly looked up at the boy who was crossing the room, looking directly at her boyfriend. She… she knew him… Captain of the football team, track and field star… Dark brown, almost black hair… wide, wicked, deep brown eyes with specs of gold… tall, broad, thin waist…
Before Jeanette could figure out what was happening… Jay was pulling away from her… reaching out… slapping hands with Greg.
"Dude! It's after eight!" Greg was saying. "You did it man! I didn't think you could!"
Jeanette swallowed, her eyes widened. "Did? Did what?" she asked. Was this what he had been talking about?
"Jay?" she asked, aloud.
Jay smiled softly, laughing at something Greg was saying. He wasn't listening to her. Why wasn't he listening to her? What was happening? She didn't understand. What was happening?
"You won the bet man! Dude! You must have been suffering!!" Greg went on.
What bet? What were they talking about?
"Oh my God man. Look at her face!" A girl exclaimed.
Jeanette looked up and to her left, following the sound of the voice. Michelle Tanner. Tall, blonde… she was wearing an incredibly short, sleeveless pink dress with a giant bow tied around the waist… she didn't talk to Jeanette really… they barely saw each other in school… what was going on?
"Priceless" echoed a girl standing beside Michelle.
"Jay." Jeanette said again.
"She doesn't know?" asked a boy's voice…. she turned to face him. Michael Turner. A jock… another jock. How long had he been there?
"Dude, I thought you said she was smart." Michael laughed.
"She didn't think it was serious did she?" Keisha Morgan asked. She was in Jeanette's mathematics class… she got mostly D's…
Jeanette took a deep breath. Where did all these people come from?
"Jay." Jeanette said. "What- what's going on?"
"Tell her" Keisha said.
"Yeah, Jay" Michael Turner urged. "Tell her."
Jay looked down at her, prompted by his peers. "It was… a bet Jen…" he said slowly. He looked up… and he was smiling… laughing… he was laughing… What was so funny? "They bet me… to go out with you."
"Wha-what?" Jeanette asked.
She couldn't breathe…. she seriously couldn't breathe… this had to be a joke. This was a joke. This wasn't real. But, no. She could tell by their faces… this was all too real. And it was a joke… but the joke… was on her. She wanted to run, but there was no way out… they had formed a circle directly around her…
"Why?" she asked finally, in a quiet voice. "Why me?"
"Because," One of the boys smirked, she couldn't remember his name. She didn't care. "You were the ugliest, clumsiest, dorkiest girl we could find… "
**********
So what did you think?
Still think Jay and Jeanette are cute? X_X
Do you have any idea how hard it's been for me to keep making them look adorable when I knew THIS was coming...
Poor Jen. :(
Oh and CLIFF HANGER!!! man, I always wanted to say that!!