Disclaimer: I own nothing except the character of Cindy, who is extremely interesting, no doubt. Deren, if you are reading this, you know what I am talking about. Yeah, so, none of the IaHB people are mine. Please don't forget to review.
Note: Major thanks to Darkchilde, Scarlet182 and IronPineappleBerrie for all of their awesome ideas. Thanks for your help, guys.
And here we go:
She rolled over in her bed and glanced at the alarm clock that sat quietly on her nightstand. 6:30 a.m., it read. She sighed and rolled back over to face the wall of her room.
She had awoken up just moments before and, soon, she knew, she'd have to get up and get ready for school. On this day, school held a bit more intrigue for her than on other days. Today, things would be different.
She smiled as she remembered the night before at his house. Yes, it had been a night of discoveries. She had discovered that perhaps he was more than a friend to her. And he had apparently felt the same because last night they had crossed over that imaginary boundary separating 'just friends' from 'significant others'. When he had kissed her, she had thought of nothing else except the moment that they had been frozen in. Nothing else had mattered.
She remembered how she had called her best friend, Val, when she had gotten home and told her all about what had happened. Val had been surprised and then overjoyed that it had happened. In fact, Val's exact words had been, "Wow. Well, it's about time." They had talked about it on the phone for such a long time. It surprised her that she and Val had talked about it for so long, as if they were a couple of sixth graders gossiping. Talking on the phone about boys had not been her style since...........well, never. But, with him it was different.
She wondered what it would be like when they saw each other today. Would they feel awkward as they had after the phone rang last night? Or would they fall into their normal easiness around each other? Everything was always easier with him around, she thought.
She smiled again and pushed her covers away from her before standing and making her way to the bathroom for a shower. For the first time in her life, she was actually excited about going to school.
.........................................................
He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as if he could see right through it into the sky above. He hadn't been asleep for hours now, as he had had too much on his mind. Something was bothering him, nagging at his mind, making him wonder if perhaps he had made a mistake.
Sure, he had wanted to kiss her. The night before, he had been almost too willing to cross the line of friendship. But, now that she wasn't only mere feet away from him and he could not smell the scent of her soap on her skin or feel the softness of her hair, he could think clearly.
Did he want this? Did he want her to be more to him than just a friend? Those were the questions that plagued his mind so that he could not even sleep.
He liked her, he really did. And he had thought that he had wanted to be more than friends. But, what would happen to their friendship, he wondered. What if we fight and break up? Then what?
He wondered if they would ever be able to go back to their original friendship if something happened to the new fragile relationship that had started the night before. He didn't want to lose her as a friend. They had known each other way too long for that. But, wouldn't these new feelings that they were having for each other put stress on their friendship?
He slowly pulled his mind from such melancholy thoughts and focused his eyes on the glowing red numbers of his alarm clock. 6:45 a.m., it read. He sighed. He knew he'd have to get up and get ready for school soon. Today, like every other day, he did not look forward to school. But, this time, it was for a different reason than usual.
......................................................
"So have you seen him here today, yet?" Val asked her best friend as they stood at their lockers.
"No, I don't think that he's here yet," Catie answered as she peered down the hallway towards Jamie's locker. The tall skinny person with dark hair, who usually slouched in front of his locker until the bell rang, was no where to be found. Catie couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Where was he, she wondered.
"Well," Val continued, shutting her locker, "I, for one, think that it is very cool that you two have finally become a couple."
"Yeah," Catie agreed absentmindedly as she scanned the crowded hallway for Jamie.
"I mean, it was so obvious that you two liked each other."
"Really?" Catie asked as she focused her attention back on Val.
"Oh yeah. Very obvious." Val said. "Hey look, there he is."
Catie followed Val's gaze until her own eyes fell upon Jamie making his way to his locker. The butterflies that had been threatening all morning, started fluttering around in her stomach. She swallowed hard and then realized that she was nervous. C'mon, she told herself, this is just Jamie. He's the same person as he was yesterday. But, deep down inside, she knew he was different to her now.
"Um Val, I'll talk to you later, okay?" Catie mumbled and then she was walking down the hallway towards Jamie.
Oh, she has it bad, Val thought as she watched her friend head towards Jamie. Real bad.
Jamie knew someone was right behind him and he didn't need to look behind him to know that it was Catie. He could just feel it. When she moved to stand next to him, he did not even look up from putting books in his locker. He still had not gotten everything cleared in his head yet about their relationship. The only thing he was semi-sure about what the fact that he did not know what he wanted.
"Hey," Catie said, waiting patiently for Jamie to turn his brown eyes towards her.
"Hey," Jamie answered back, throwing his history book in the bottom of his locker. He opened his bag and rummaged around inside as if he were looking for something.
Suddenly the butterfly feeling in Catie's stomach did not seem so wonderful anymore. What was this? It was unlike Jamie to ignore her as he was doing now. Usually, he at least smiled at her when she greeted him. But now, he acted as if the night before had never happened.
Just then the bell rang.
"Oh shoot," Jamie muttered as he threw the last book in his locker and slammed it shut. "I gotta go," he said to Catie as he started off down the hall. "I'll talk to you later."
"Okay," Catie said slowly, watching as Jamie disappeared in the sea of bodies floating down the hall towards their own homerooms. She shook her head in surprise and then set off towards her own homeroom.
.................................................
Jamie sighed as he hurried down the hall to his locker before the bell rang. So far that day, he had managed to avoid Catie as much as possible. He knew that she was hurt by the way he was acting and it tore him up inside. But he didn't know what else to do. It was a contradiction in terms, he knew. He didn't want to lose her, but he was afraid to get too close as well.
"James," a voice from behind him called and Jamie mentally groaned. Kenny, he thought silently. I do not need to deal with him right now.
Jamie turned around to find his friend Kenny jogging to catch up to him. Jamie slowed his pace until his friend got near.
"James," Kenny said again, in the arrogant voice of his. "I have been hearing rumors. Is it true that you and Catie are....a couple?"
Jamie hesitated. Why would Kenny care if he was with Catie? "Yeah," he answered slowly, "well, we kind of are."
Kenny laughed. "Aw, isn't that sweet? James and Catie forever. Are you going to carve that in a tree somewhere with a heart surrounding it?" He asked, his voice mocking.
"Kenny-," Jamie started, but Kenny cut him off. "Hey, will you name your first kid after me?" Kenny asked, sarcastically as he moved away from Jamie towards his own locker.
Jamie shook his head, his mood black with anger. Was that what he had to look forward to if he stayed with Catie? Teasing from Kenny. Kenny could be such a pain sometimes, Jamie knew. But, Kenny was still his friend and it occurred to Jamie that perhaps Kenny had a good point. After all, wasn't he, himself, questioning his relationship with Catie? Then along comes Kenny and voices exactly what Jamie feared. Everything would change between him and Catie if they stayed together. They would not be able to be the same people anymore. Wouldn't it be better if they just stayed friends?
Jamie opened his locker and threw his books inside. What was he going to do? He couldn't avoid Catie forever. But, he still didn't know what he wanted. And the unexpected attention from Kenny was not helping matters either.
Jamie pulled the French book out of his locker just as a voice beside him said, "Hey." Jamie looked up to see Tyler leaning against the locker next to Jamie's own.
"Val told me about you and Catie," Tyler said, smiling. "That's really cool."
"Is it?" Jamie snapped, a bit harsher than he had meant to.
The smile disappeared from Tyler's face quickly and he watched in silence as Jamie retrieved a notebook from his locker and then shut the door. Something was really wrong, Tyler could tell that much. He just wasn't sure if it was his place to get involved. "Um," he started slowly, watching as Jamie turned to face him, "is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything is just great," Jamie mumbled. Then he walked away, leaving a confused Tyler behind him.
................................................
"So, he just walked away?" Val asked as she unwrapped her sandwich from its baggie and then bit into it.
"Yeah, I think he has a lot on his mind or something," Tyler responded before taking a bite of his own sandwich.
The two sat in the cafeteria, at their own table. It was lunchtime and they were comparing notes on how they had seen their friends act strangely all day.
"You know," Val started, setting her sandwich down on its baggie. "Catie has been acting weird today too. She's been really quiet. And you know, I don't think I have see her with Jamie at all today."
Tyler shook his head. It was weird not to see Catie and Jamie together. They were always together as they walked through the halls to their classes. At least, they had been before today. Before they became a couple.
..................................................
"It's like he's mad at me or something."
"Well," Brianne started slowly, "have you talked to him about it?"
Catie shook her head, frustrated. "That's the thing. Every time I see him in the hall, he rushes off in the other direction, as if he's trying to avoid me."
"Don't worry Catie," Brianne started. "Jamie will come around. You guys have been friends forever. Nothing could change that."
"Yeah," Catie responded, unconvinced. Nothing could change their friendship except, perhaps what had happened the night before. Catie sighed. Had they made a mistake? Was that what this was about? Was Jamie regretting what had happened?
The bell rang, signaling the end of the period and Catie grudgingly headed for her next class. She just wanted the day to be over so that she could go home and not have to see Jamie anymore.
..............................................
Jamie sat at his desk, trying in vain to focus on his English book. It was his last class of the day and Jamie wanted nothing more than for it to be over with. He closed his eyes and willed the image of Catie to leave his brain. It seemed as if her face had been branded on his brain, though.
He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. How had things gotten so complicated, he wondered. At this time yesterday, he thought, Catie and I were just friends and everything was still fine. But now, he knew, everything was different. And, to Jamie, nothing was fine.
"Hey Jamie," a voice behind him whispered softly.
Jamie turned around in his desk to see the voice's owner. The girl behind him smiled sweetly, a lock of her blond hair falling into her eyes as she leaned forward in her desk. Jamie had known her since they were kids; her mother was good friends with his own. And the girl sitting behind him, Cindy, had always hung out with him and Catie.
"Do you know the answer to number five?" She asked, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief. Her eyes darted to where the teacher sat across the room, oblivious to the two students conversing over their worksheets. After seeing that they were in the clear, she looked back at Jamie.
Jamie shook his head and watched as Cindy sighed lightly in frustration. "This stuff is so stupid," she commented under her breath as she looked over her worksheet again.
"Yeah, well...." Jamie started, not knowing what to say. His mind was other places. On other people. People with soft dark hair......
"Hey, snap out of it." Cindy whispered, laughing.
Jamie realized that he had been daydreaming and he fought to refocus his attention on his friend. He hadn't meant to start thinking about Caite again. It was just that sometimes she had a way of appearing in his mind when he least expected it. Usually, Jamie didn't mind it too much. This time, though, he berated himself for allowing his thoughts to cloud his brain and make him miss what Cindy had said.
"Sorry kid," He replied, using the nickname that so many people had given her. She may have been the same age as Jamie and Caite, but she looked at least a couple years younger than that. The name had started out as a joke amongst their friends, but it had quickly become a nickname for the young girl.
As she usually did when he called her that, Cindy stuck out her tongue at him. Jamie smiled, his first time all day. "What I said was, how come Catie looks so down today?" She asked.
"What makes you think I'd know?" Jamie snapped, his mood suddenly darkened as he was reminded of Catie. Why does everyone think that I know all about her, anyway, he asked himself.
Cindy looked up at their teacher again, wondering if he had heard Jamie's quiet outburst. But, the teacher still sat blissfully unaware of their conversation. So, Cindy turned back to her friend, noting the dangerous look in his eyes. Whoa, she thought, what made him so mad?
"Well, I thought you and Catie were really close. I mean, Brianne told me..........It's no big deal, Jamie," Cindy said her brow furrowing in a mixture of confusion and concern. Yes, Brianne had told her about what had happened at Jamie's house the night before. And Brianne had gotten the story straight from Caite's lips. So, Cindy wondered, what was the problem? She had thought Jamie would be happy. Yet, he sat looking at her as if she had just suggested he sell his soul to the devil.
"What are you talking about?" He asked Cindy slowly.
"Jamie, you've been my friend for a long time now. So, why don't you stop tiptoeing around the issue and just tell me what is going on," Cindy returned. She was tired of this. Jamie and Catie were her two favorite people and it bothered her that things were not good between them. And it didn't take a genius to realize that things were not good between them.
Jamie looked at her in surprise and then he relaxed. He should have known that Cindy of all people would have been able to sense that something was wrong. She could always tell when something was wrong. And, in hindsight, he had to admit that perhaps he had wanted her to notice that something was wrong with him. Jamie knew that Cindy was the one person other than Caite that he could really talk to, without having to worry about her telling other people what he said.
"Jamie," Cindy said, her eyes pleading with his own for him to tell her what was the matter.
Jamie sighed. "It's not Catie," he breathed. "it's me. I mean, I like her. I really do. I'm just worried about.....stuff. You know, between us."
"Like what?" Cindy asked tentatively.
"Well,...." Jamie started, not knowing how to describe how he felt. "What happens if we break up? Will we still be able to be friends? I mean, I don't want to lose Caite as my friend or anything like that. And I think that if that was going to happen, I'd rather just stay friends with her."
"What?!?" Cindy asked, surprised.
"SHHHH!" Their teacher across the room had finally heard them.
Cindy leaned across her desk towards Jamie more and shook her head. "Sure, you run the risk of your relationship changing and all that, but do you really want to worry about that now? I mean, why worry about something that might never happen?"
"But--," Jamie started.
"No buts, Jamie, you and Catie have liked each other as more than friends for, like, ever now and I say it's about time that you guys got together. And if you throw away a perfectly good relationship just because you are paranoid, I'll be really disappointed in you, Jamie Waite!" Cindy looked at him with a hint of disgust in her voice. This was totally not the Jamie that she had grown up with. Since when did he have to worry about losing Catie, she thought. Didn't he know that he and Catie would probably always be together?
"You and Catie will probably get married and have tons of kids. The first one you'll name after me of course," Jamie smiled and Cindy continued, "and then you'll grow old together. So, shut up about losing Catie because it isn't going to happen. Period."
"But Kenny said----" Jamie protested.
Cindy scoffed. "Kenny is an idiot. I mean, why do you listen to him? And it's not like you to listen to what other people think, Jamie. You usually just do your own thing anyways. So, why do you care what Kenny thinks? The boy thinks that spray-painting his initials on water towers is cool. Talk about needing to get a hobby."
Jamie smiled again. Cindy had the peculiar talent of being able to get people to smile through their worries and troubles. And he had to admit, she had made him feel a bit better.
But,........well, he still had some misgivings about the situation. Jamie turned back around in his chair and tried again to focus his attention on his English textbook. I'll just tell Caite how I feel, he thought. I'll just tell her that we can't...........
The bell rang, making Jamie forget his thoughts as he grabbed his books and hurried towards the door. Cindy followed him out of the room, hoping that he would do the right thing.
...................................................
He turned the corner and saw her at her locker, talking with Val and Tyler. She looked beautiful just standing there casually, one arm resting on the bag that hung in her locker. He walked towards her and for just a few minutes, butterflies fluttered around in his stomach. Am I really that nervous, he thought, trying to laugh off his uneasiness. But, her knew that he was nervous. Very nervous. He knew that the next few minutes could either make or break their relationship.
She hadn't even heard him come up behind her until Val looked over her should at him. Then she had sensed him. She had always been able to sense when he was near. She turned slowly, not knowing what to expect.
Of course, what happened next, she would never have expected in a million years.
He didn't say a word, just allowed his hand to reach up and touch her hair. Man, it was soft. He smiled at her, that reckless little smile that she loved. She smiled back, her eyes daring him.
As if in slow motion, he leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. It felt just like it had the night before. Sweet. Simple. Perfect. His hand cupped her cheek and she placed her own hands on his arms.
How could I ever have doubted, he wondered and then he stopped thinking all together as he suddenly smelled the scent of her coconut shampoo.
"Whoa," Tyler said surprised as he watched Jamie and Jamie kiss right next to him.
"Yeah. I guess they made up," Val laughed.
Suddenly there was someone standing next to her. She turned to see Hank, flipping through the pages of his notebook. "Hey guys. I can't seem to find my notes for ma---......." Hank lost his words as he happened to look up and catch sight of Jamie and Catie, still kissing sweetly. "When did this happen?" Hank asked Val confused.
"Last night," Val responded, smiling broadly.
Hank chuckled. "Well, it's about time," he mumbled as Val handed him her math notebook.
Catie could have died happy right then and there. She knew her friends were standing right next to her, watching as Jamie kissed her. And she knew they were all grinning like monkeys on crack, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that things were good between her and Jamie again. Better than good, she corrected herself. They are fantastic.
Jamie pulled away from Catie slowly and looked deep into her eyes. He leaned his forehead against hers and said quietly, "I'm sorry I was being stupid today."
"I forgive you," Catie said, still trying to catch her breath and form coherent thoughts at the same time.
"It's just that we can't worry about what other people think of us together. It doesn't matter. And I won't worry about losing you or screwing up our friendship because it won't happen," Jamie said.
"Uh....yeah......right....You are totally right," Catie answered, not knowing where all of Jamie's revelations had suddenly come from.
"Good," Jamie said as he pulled away from her and grabbed her hand. "Then let's get out of here."
With lightning speed, Catie grabbed her bag out of her locker and slammed it shut. Then, hand in hand, Jamie and Catie walked down the hall totally oblivious to all that were around them.
Cindy leaned against the locker across the hallway and smiled. She had watched the whole episode play out before her. She had seen Jamie kiss Catie and she had seen Catie smile. Everything had worked out great. Boys, she thought as she watched Catie and Jamie disappear out the door, sometimes they just need to have it all spelled out for them. She shook her head, smiling as she turned around to her own locker, intent on getting her own bag out of her locker.
"Man!" Kenny said as he stopped next to Cindy at her locker. "Did you see that?" He asked her. "I mean, Jamie is soooooo whipped. Can you believe it?"
Cindy slammed her locker shut and looked towards Kenny, daggers in her eyes.
"Shut up, Kenny," she said and then started down the hallway towards the door.
The End
Whew! It's finally done! Okay, I hope you guys liked it. Please review and let me know what you thought.
Note: Major thanks to Darkchilde, Scarlet182 and IronPineappleBerrie for all of their awesome ideas. Thanks for your help, guys.
And here we go:
She rolled over in her bed and glanced at the alarm clock that sat quietly on her nightstand. 6:30 a.m., it read. She sighed and rolled back over to face the wall of her room.
She had awoken up just moments before and, soon, she knew, she'd have to get up and get ready for school. On this day, school held a bit more intrigue for her than on other days. Today, things would be different.
She smiled as she remembered the night before at his house. Yes, it had been a night of discoveries. She had discovered that perhaps he was more than a friend to her. And he had apparently felt the same because last night they had crossed over that imaginary boundary separating 'just friends' from 'significant others'. When he had kissed her, she had thought of nothing else except the moment that they had been frozen in. Nothing else had mattered.
She remembered how she had called her best friend, Val, when she had gotten home and told her all about what had happened. Val had been surprised and then overjoyed that it had happened. In fact, Val's exact words had been, "Wow. Well, it's about time." They had talked about it on the phone for such a long time. It surprised her that she and Val had talked about it for so long, as if they were a couple of sixth graders gossiping. Talking on the phone about boys had not been her style since...........well, never. But, with him it was different.
She wondered what it would be like when they saw each other today. Would they feel awkward as they had after the phone rang last night? Or would they fall into their normal easiness around each other? Everything was always easier with him around, she thought.
She smiled again and pushed her covers away from her before standing and making her way to the bathroom for a shower. For the first time in her life, she was actually excited about going to school.
.........................................................
He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as if he could see right through it into the sky above. He hadn't been asleep for hours now, as he had had too much on his mind. Something was bothering him, nagging at his mind, making him wonder if perhaps he had made a mistake.
Sure, he had wanted to kiss her. The night before, he had been almost too willing to cross the line of friendship. But, now that she wasn't only mere feet away from him and he could not smell the scent of her soap on her skin or feel the softness of her hair, he could think clearly.
Did he want this? Did he want her to be more to him than just a friend? Those were the questions that plagued his mind so that he could not even sleep.
He liked her, he really did. And he had thought that he had wanted to be more than friends. But, what would happen to their friendship, he wondered. What if we fight and break up? Then what?
He wondered if they would ever be able to go back to their original friendship if something happened to the new fragile relationship that had started the night before. He didn't want to lose her as a friend. They had known each other way too long for that. But, wouldn't these new feelings that they were having for each other put stress on their friendship?
He slowly pulled his mind from such melancholy thoughts and focused his eyes on the glowing red numbers of his alarm clock. 6:45 a.m., it read. He sighed. He knew he'd have to get up and get ready for school soon. Today, like every other day, he did not look forward to school. But, this time, it was for a different reason than usual.
......................................................
"So have you seen him here today, yet?" Val asked her best friend as they stood at their lockers.
"No, I don't think that he's here yet," Catie answered as she peered down the hallway towards Jamie's locker. The tall skinny person with dark hair, who usually slouched in front of his locker until the bell rang, was no where to be found. Catie couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Where was he, she wondered.
"Well," Val continued, shutting her locker, "I, for one, think that it is very cool that you two have finally become a couple."
"Yeah," Catie agreed absentmindedly as she scanned the crowded hallway for Jamie.
"I mean, it was so obvious that you two liked each other."
"Really?" Catie asked as she focused her attention back on Val.
"Oh yeah. Very obvious." Val said. "Hey look, there he is."
Catie followed Val's gaze until her own eyes fell upon Jamie making his way to his locker. The butterflies that had been threatening all morning, started fluttering around in her stomach. She swallowed hard and then realized that she was nervous. C'mon, she told herself, this is just Jamie. He's the same person as he was yesterday. But, deep down inside, she knew he was different to her now.
"Um Val, I'll talk to you later, okay?" Catie mumbled and then she was walking down the hallway towards Jamie.
Oh, she has it bad, Val thought as she watched her friend head towards Jamie. Real bad.
Jamie knew someone was right behind him and he didn't need to look behind him to know that it was Catie. He could just feel it. When she moved to stand next to him, he did not even look up from putting books in his locker. He still had not gotten everything cleared in his head yet about their relationship. The only thing he was semi-sure about what the fact that he did not know what he wanted.
"Hey," Catie said, waiting patiently for Jamie to turn his brown eyes towards her.
"Hey," Jamie answered back, throwing his history book in the bottom of his locker. He opened his bag and rummaged around inside as if he were looking for something.
Suddenly the butterfly feeling in Catie's stomach did not seem so wonderful anymore. What was this? It was unlike Jamie to ignore her as he was doing now. Usually, he at least smiled at her when she greeted him. But now, he acted as if the night before had never happened.
Just then the bell rang.
"Oh shoot," Jamie muttered as he threw the last book in his locker and slammed it shut. "I gotta go," he said to Catie as he started off down the hall. "I'll talk to you later."
"Okay," Catie said slowly, watching as Jamie disappeared in the sea of bodies floating down the hall towards their own homerooms. She shook her head in surprise and then set off towards her own homeroom.
.................................................
Jamie sighed as he hurried down the hall to his locker before the bell rang. So far that day, he had managed to avoid Catie as much as possible. He knew that she was hurt by the way he was acting and it tore him up inside. But he didn't know what else to do. It was a contradiction in terms, he knew. He didn't want to lose her, but he was afraid to get too close as well.
"James," a voice from behind him called and Jamie mentally groaned. Kenny, he thought silently. I do not need to deal with him right now.
Jamie turned around to find his friend Kenny jogging to catch up to him. Jamie slowed his pace until his friend got near.
"James," Kenny said again, in the arrogant voice of his. "I have been hearing rumors. Is it true that you and Catie are....a couple?"
Jamie hesitated. Why would Kenny care if he was with Catie? "Yeah," he answered slowly, "well, we kind of are."
Kenny laughed. "Aw, isn't that sweet? James and Catie forever. Are you going to carve that in a tree somewhere with a heart surrounding it?" He asked, his voice mocking.
"Kenny-," Jamie started, but Kenny cut him off. "Hey, will you name your first kid after me?" Kenny asked, sarcastically as he moved away from Jamie towards his own locker.
Jamie shook his head, his mood black with anger. Was that what he had to look forward to if he stayed with Catie? Teasing from Kenny. Kenny could be such a pain sometimes, Jamie knew. But, Kenny was still his friend and it occurred to Jamie that perhaps Kenny had a good point. After all, wasn't he, himself, questioning his relationship with Catie? Then along comes Kenny and voices exactly what Jamie feared. Everything would change between him and Catie if they stayed together. They would not be able to be the same people anymore. Wouldn't it be better if they just stayed friends?
Jamie opened his locker and threw his books inside. What was he going to do? He couldn't avoid Catie forever. But, he still didn't know what he wanted. And the unexpected attention from Kenny was not helping matters either.
Jamie pulled the French book out of his locker just as a voice beside him said, "Hey." Jamie looked up to see Tyler leaning against the locker next to Jamie's own.
"Val told me about you and Catie," Tyler said, smiling. "That's really cool."
"Is it?" Jamie snapped, a bit harsher than he had meant to.
The smile disappeared from Tyler's face quickly and he watched in silence as Jamie retrieved a notebook from his locker and then shut the door. Something was really wrong, Tyler could tell that much. He just wasn't sure if it was his place to get involved. "Um," he started slowly, watching as Jamie turned to face him, "is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything is just great," Jamie mumbled. Then he walked away, leaving a confused Tyler behind him.
................................................
"So, he just walked away?" Val asked as she unwrapped her sandwich from its baggie and then bit into it.
"Yeah, I think he has a lot on his mind or something," Tyler responded before taking a bite of his own sandwich.
The two sat in the cafeteria, at their own table. It was lunchtime and they were comparing notes on how they had seen their friends act strangely all day.
"You know," Val started, setting her sandwich down on its baggie. "Catie has been acting weird today too. She's been really quiet. And you know, I don't think I have see her with Jamie at all today."
Tyler shook his head. It was weird not to see Catie and Jamie together. They were always together as they walked through the halls to their classes. At least, they had been before today. Before they became a couple.
..................................................
"It's like he's mad at me or something."
"Well," Brianne started slowly, "have you talked to him about it?"
Catie shook her head, frustrated. "That's the thing. Every time I see him in the hall, he rushes off in the other direction, as if he's trying to avoid me."
"Don't worry Catie," Brianne started. "Jamie will come around. You guys have been friends forever. Nothing could change that."
"Yeah," Catie responded, unconvinced. Nothing could change their friendship except, perhaps what had happened the night before. Catie sighed. Had they made a mistake? Was that what this was about? Was Jamie regretting what had happened?
The bell rang, signaling the end of the period and Catie grudgingly headed for her next class. She just wanted the day to be over so that she could go home and not have to see Jamie anymore.
..............................................
Jamie sat at his desk, trying in vain to focus on his English book. It was his last class of the day and Jamie wanted nothing more than for it to be over with. He closed his eyes and willed the image of Catie to leave his brain. It seemed as if her face had been branded on his brain, though.
He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. How had things gotten so complicated, he wondered. At this time yesterday, he thought, Catie and I were just friends and everything was still fine. But now, he knew, everything was different. And, to Jamie, nothing was fine.
"Hey Jamie," a voice behind him whispered softly.
Jamie turned around in his desk to see the voice's owner. The girl behind him smiled sweetly, a lock of her blond hair falling into her eyes as she leaned forward in her desk. Jamie had known her since they were kids; her mother was good friends with his own. And the girl sitting behind him, Cindy, had always hung out with him and Catie.
"Do you know the answer to number five?" She asked, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief. Her eyes darted to where the teacher sat across the room, oblivious to the two students conversing over their worksheets. After seeing that they were in the clear, she looked back at Jamie.
Jamie shook his head and watched as Cindy sighed lightly in frustration. "This stuff is so stupid," she commented under her breath as she looked over her worksheet again.
"Yeah, well...." Jamie started, not knowing what to say. His mind was other places. On other people. People with soft dark hair......
"Hey, snap out of it." Cindy whispered, laughing.
Jamie realized that he had been daydreaming and he fought to refocus his attention on his friend. He hadn't meant to start thinking about Caite again. It was just that sometimes she had a way of appearing in his mind when he least expected it. Usually, Jamie didn't mind it too much. This time, though, he berated himself for allowing his thoughts to cloud his brain and make him miss what Cindy had said.
"Sorry kid," He replied, using the nickname that so many people had given her. She may have been the same age as Jamie and Caite, but she looked at least a couple years younger than that. The name had started out as a joke amongst their friends, but it had quickly become a nickname for the young girl.
As she usually did when he called her that, Cindy stuck out her tongue at him. Jamie smiled, his first time all day. "What I said was, how come Catie looks so down today?" She asked.
"What makes you think I'd know?" Jamie snapped, his mood suddenly darkened as he was reminded of Catie. Why does everyone think that I know all about her, anyway, he asked himself.
Cindy looked up at their teacher again, wondering if he had heard Jamie's quiet outburst. But, the teacher still sat blissfully unaware of their conversation. So, Cindy turned back to her friend, noting the dangerous look in his eyes. Whoa, she thought, what made him so mad?
"Well, I thought you and Catie were really close. I mean, Brianne told me..........It's no big deal, Jamie," Cindy said her brow furrowing in a mixture of confusion and concern. Yes, Brianne had told her about what had happened at Jamie's house the night before. And Brianne had gotten the story straight from Caite's lips. So, Cindy wondered, what was the problem? She had thought Jamie would be happy. Yet, he sat looking at her as if she had just suggested he sell his soul to the devil.
"What are you talking about?" He asked Cindy slowly.
"Jamie, you've been my friend for a long time now. So, why don't you stop tiptoeing around the issue and just tell me what is going on," Cindy returned. She was tired of this. Jamie and Catie were her two favorite people and it bothered her that things were not good between them. And it didn't take a genius to realize that things were not good between them.
Jamie looked at her in surprise and then he relaxed. He should have known that Cindy of all people would have been able to sense that something was wrong. She could always tell when something was wrong. And, in hindsight, he had to admit that perhaps he had wanted her to notice that something was wrong with him. Jamie knew that Cindy was the one person other than Caite that he could really talk to, without having to worry about her telling other people what he said.
"Jamie," Cindy said, her eyes pleading with his own for him to tell her what was the matter.
Jamie sighed. "It's not Catie," he breathed. "it's me. I mean, I like her. I really do. I'm just worried about.....stuff. You know, between us."
"Like what?" Cindy asked tentatively.
"Well,...." Jamie started, not knowing how to describe how he felt. "What happens if we break up? Will we still be able to be friends? I mean, I don't want to lose Caite as my friend or anything like that. And I think that if that was going to happen, I'd rather just stay friends with her."
"What?!?" Cindy asked, surprised.
"SHHHH!" Their teacher across the room had finally heard them.
Cindy leaned across her desk towards Jamie more and shook her head. "Sure, you run the risk of your relationship changing and all that, but do you really want to worry about that now? I mean, why worry about something that might never happen?"
"But--," Jamie started.
"No buts, Jamie, you and Catie have liked each other as more than friends for, like, ever now and I say it's about time that you guys got together. And if you throw away a perfectly good relationship just because you are paranoid, I'll be really disappointed in you, Jamie Waite!" Cindy looked at him with a hint of disgust in her voice. This was totally not the Jamie that she had grown up with. Since when did he have to worry about losing Catie, she thought. Didn't he know that he and Catie would probably always be together?
"You and Catie will probably get married and have tons of kids. The first one you'll name after me of course," Jamie smiled and Cindy continued, "and then you'll grow old together. So, shut up about losing Catie because it isn't going to happen. Period."
"But Kenny said----" Jamie protested.
Cindy scoffed. "Kenny is an idiot. I mean, why do you listen to him? And it's not like you to listen to what other people think, Jamie. You usually just do your own thing anyways. So, why do you care what Kenny thinks? The boy thinks that spray-painting his initials on water towers is cool. Talk about needing to get a hobby."
Jamie smiled again. Cindy had the peculiar talent of being able to get people to smile through their worries and troubles. And he had to admit, she had made him feel a bit better.
But,........well, he still had some misgivings about the situation. Jamie turned back around in his chair and tried again to focus his attention on his English textbook. I'll just tell Caite how I feel, he thought. I'll just tell her that we can't...........
The bell rang, making Jamie forget his thoughts as he grabbed his books and hurried towards the door. Cindy followed him out of the room, hoping that he would do the right thing.
...................................................
He turned the corner and saw her at her locker, talking with Val and Tyler. She looked beautiful just standing there casually, one arm resting on the bag that hung in her locker. He walked towards her and for just a few minutes, butterflies fluttered around in his stomach. Am I really that nervous, he thought, trying to laugh off his uneasiness. But, her knew that he was nervous. Very nervous. He knew that the next few minutes could either make or break their relationship.
She hadn't even heard him come up behind her until Val looked over her should at him. Then she had sensed him. She had always been able to sense when he was near. She turned slowly, not knowing what to expect.
Of course, what happened next, she would never have expected in a million years.
He didn't say a word, just allowed his hand to reach up and touch her hair. Man, it was soft. He smiled at her, that reckless little smile that she loved. She smiled back, her eyes daring him.
As if in slow motion, he leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. It felt just like it had the night before. Sweet. Simple. Perfect. His hand cupped her cheek and she placed her own hands on his arms.
How could I ever have doubted, he wondered and then he stopped thinking all together as he suddenly smelled the scent of her coconut shampoo.
"Whoa," Tyler said surprised as he watched Jamie and Jamie kiss right next to him.
"Yeah. I guess they made up," Val laughed.
Suddenly there was someone standing next to her. She turned to see Hank, flipping through the pages of his notebook. "Hey guys. I can't seem to find my notes for ma---......." Hank lost his words as he happened to look up and catch sight of Jamie and Catie, still kissing sweetly. "When did this happen?" Hank asked Val confused.
"Last night," Val responded, smiling broadly.
Hank chuckled. "Well, it's about time," he mumbled as Val handed him her math notebook.
Catie could have died happy right then and there. She knew her friends were standing right next to her, watching as Jamie kissed her. And she knew they were all grinning like monkeys on crack, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that things were good between her and Jamie again. Better than good, she corrected herself. They are fantastic.
Jamie pulled away from Catie slowly and looked deep into her eyes. He leaned his forehead against hers and said quietly, "I'm sorry I was being stupid today."
"I forgive you," Catie said, still trying to catch her breath and form coherent thoughts at the same time.
"It's just that we can't worry about what other people think of us together. It doesn't matter. And I won't worry about losing you or screwing up our friendship because it won't happen," Jamie said.
"Uh....yeah......right....You are totally right," Catie answered, not knowing where all of Jamie's revelations had suddenly come from.
"Good," Jamie said as he pulled away from her and grabbed her hand. "Then let's get out of here."
With lightning speed, Catie grabbed her bag out of her locker and slammed it shut. Then, hand in hand, Jamie and Catie walked down the hall totally oblivious to all that were around them.
Cindy leaned against the locker across the hallway and smiled. She had watched the whole episode play out before her. She had seen Jamie kiss Catie and she had seen Catie smile. Everything had worked out great. Boys, she thought as she watched Catie and Jamie disappear out the door, sometimes they just need to have it all spelled out for them. She shook her head, smiling as she turned around to her own locker, intent on getting her own bag out of her locker.
"Man!" Kenny said as he stopped next to Cindy at her locker. "Did you see that?" He asked her. "I mean, Jamie is soooooo whipped. Can you believe it?"
Cindy slammed her locker shut and looked towards Kenny, daggers in her eyes.
"Shut up, Kenny," she said and then started down the hallway towards the door.
The End
Whew! It's finally done! Okay, I hope you guys liked it. Please review and let me know what you thought.