NOTE: oh god..the guilt is eating me alive. I am SOOOO SO sorry for taking
this long to update. It was due to a lot of factors: 1) I'm back at college
and selling my soul to Organic Chemistry (that class is EVIL) 2) Major
writer's block (mainly trouble dealing with the whole Jubilee/Bobby
relationship. This is definitely the last story I'm using that couple in,
and 3) Laziness. But I am sincerely sorry, I know you all hate me by now
but if you can dredge up some forgiveness, please review! Thanks again to
all my wonderful, faithful reviewers.
Bobby stopped to catch his breath as he jogged the last half a block to school. It was 7:45, a whole fifteen minutes before school started. So what the heck was he doing here? Bobby thought scowling, as he remembered the warm bed he'd left. The answer to that question had to do with a certain quarterback who was currently finishing football practice. Jubilee hadn't said anything to him the night before, her usually vibrant blue eyes guarded and melancholy. All because of that idiot Duncan, Bobby thought, feeling a strange wave of anger and sadness wash over him.
He watched Duncan yell something to his friends and jog to the water cooler resting next to the track. Bobby set his lips grimly, and crossed the blacktop, his stride long and assured. He didn't even know what he would say to the arrogant quarterback, but he knew he had to do something. For Jubilee. For their friendship that over a mere three weeks had changed so dramatically. And for his own sudden confusion over his feelings for Jubilee.
"Bobby!" a girl's voice cooed loudly right into his ear. Bobby jumped, his blue eyes instantly going alert.
"Samantha, hey, how are you?" Bobby said, in a slightly distracted voice, his eyes still narrowed at Duncan. Samantha pouted.
"What's wrong? You don't sound that glad to see me," Samantha said, her eyes honing in on his face. Bobby was a little taken aback at the insistent sound of her voice. He'd always found it appealing before .but somehow now, it just sounded..needy. Annoying, even, Bobby thought with surprise.
"Sorry..anyway, what are you doing here?" Bobby asked quickly, trying to shove aside his thoughts.
"I have this thingy to build in shop class because I skipped class and the teacher's making me come in early to make it up. Isn't that SO unfair?" Samantha complained loudly. When she looked up, Bobby was distracted again, his mind a million miles away. "Are you listening to me?"
"Oh, of course!" Bobby said hastily. "I was just.thinking," Bobby said apologetically, again surprised at the grating nature of her voice. Samantha isn't annoying, Bobby told himself sternly. I'm just in a bad mood because I got up so early this morning. That's all, Bobby thought, his eyes still flitting to the side as he saw the football coach blow the whistle signaling the end of practice.
"Well, I guess ~that's~ okay. Besides, I know I gave you a lot to think about with my little riddle. Just don't take TOO long, or else," Samantha warned teasingly, with a trill in her voice as she tweaked his nose and left. Bobby stared after her, dazed. Riddle? What was she talking about?
"You're supposed to be dating her and you haven't even called her in days," Bobby muttered absently. Come to think of her, his mind had been so distressed over Jubilee's strange behavior that he hadn't even thought of the prom or his plan to woo Samantha into asking him for the last couple of days. Weird. But Jubilee was most important, Bobby thought grimly, as he walked over to the track where Duncan was taking one last drink of water.
"Hey Matthews, I need to talk to you," Bobby called, his voice firm.
Duncan turned around surprised, and cast a bored glance at Bobby. "What do you want, Drake?"
"I want you to stop acting like such an ass and stop leading Jubilee on!" Bobby said in a steely voice.
Duncan's eyes narrowed with anger and contempt as he stared back at Bobby. "What the hell are you talking about, Drake? I haven't seen that Jubilee chick since the party."
Bobby gritted his teeth at Jubilee being referred to as a "chick." "It's beyond me why Jubilee would ever be interested in a guy with an acorn for a brain, and god knows I regret my own part in setting you two up-," Bobby began icily.
Duncan cut him off, his eyes flaring up. "You better watch your mouth, Drake. I can do way better than that freak show friend of yours!"
Blind rage clouded Bobby's eyes and before he was even aware it, his fist connected with Duncan's face. Bobby blinked and saw Duncan stagger backwards, clutching his eye, face contorted with wrath. "That's it, you're a dead man!"
Bobby easily side-stepped Duncan's wild punches, but didn't expect the now enraged quarterback to rush him. Bobby was thrown to the ground, and he fought with an anger he'd never quite experienced before. It was as if he were fighting for Jubilee. "Take back what you said about her, bastard!" Bobby yelled.
"Probably spends all her time arm-wrestling or something. She should be grateful I even asked her!" Duncan managed to spit derisively as he swung his fist again towards Bobby.
Several minutes later, Duncan got to his feet, blood dripping from his lip, his eyes unfocused and glazed with anger. Bobby stood, his back straight, face glowering steadily with purpose even though his whole body was throbbing with a dull pain. "Are you going to stop playing around with Jubilee's feelings or not? Because I'll fight you as long as I have to," Bobby said, his voice so harsh it sounded foreign to his ears. In his mind, all he could see was the forlorn, pained look Jubilee's eyes had held the past few weeks.
Duncan stared at him, and as if sensing the drive in Bobby's voice, stepped back a little. "Look, you better not tell anyone about this, but your friend ditched me at the post-game party," Duncan muttered, and drew one hand up to wipe his bleeding lip. Bobby stared at him, uncomprehendingly.
"What are you talking about?" Bobby said, his mind spinning.
"She yelled at me and then split fifteen minutes after the party started. I think she had to walk home," Duncan informed him, a smug note in his voice. Bobby was too stunned to even respond to the anger that was coursing through him. Jubilee had lied to him. But why? Why had she pretended to have had the best night of her life? Feeling slightly sick, Bobby turned his back on Duncan and walked away without another word. I don't know what's going on anymore, Bobby thought, dazed. If Jubilee hadn't been upset about Duncan, then what was so terrible that she couldn't even tell him, her supposed-best friend?
Bobby stopped to catch his breath as he jogged the last half a block to school. It was 7:45, a whole fifteen minutes before school started. So what the heck was he doing here? Bobby thought scowling, as he remembered the warm bed he'd left. The answer to that question had to do with a certain quarterback who was currently finishing football practice. Jubilee hadn't said anything to him the night before, her usually vibrant blue eyes guarded and melancholy. All because of that idiot Duncan, Bobby thought, feeling a strange wave of anger and sadness wash over him.
He watched Duncan yell something to his friends and jog to the water cooler resting next to the track. Bobby set his lips grimly, and crossed the blacktop, his stride long and assured. He didn't even know what he would say to the arrogant quarterback, but he knew he had to do something. For Jubilee. For their friendship that over a mere three weeks had changed so dramatically. And for his own sudden confusion over his feelings for Jubilee.
"Bobby!" a girl's voice cooed loudly right into his ear. Bobby jumped, his blue eyes instantly going alert.
"Samantha, hey, how are you?" Bobby said, in a slightly distracted voice, his eyes still narrowed at Duncan. Samantha pouted.
"What's wrong? You don't sound that glad to see me," Samantha said, her eyes honing in on his face. Bobby was a little taken aback at the insistent sound of her voice. He'd always found it appealing before .but somehow now, it just sounded..needy. Annoying, even, Bobby thought with surprise.
"Sorry..anyway, what are you doing here?" Bobby asked quickly, trying to shove aside his thoughts.
"I have this thingy to build in shop class because I skipped class and the teacher's making me come in early to make it up. Isn't that SO unfair?" Samantha complained loudly. When she looked up, Bobby was distracted again, his mind a million miles away. "Are you listening to me?"
"Oh, of course!" Bobby said hastily. "I was just.thinking," Bobby said apologetically, again surprised at the grating nature of her voice. Samantha isn't annoying, Bobby told himself sternly. I'm just in a bad mood because I got up so early this morning. That's all, Bobby thought, his eyes still flitting to the side as he saw the football coach blow the whistle signaling the end of practice.
"Well, I guess ~that's~ okay. Besides, I know I gave you a lot to think about with my little riddle. Just don't take TOO long, or else," Samantha warned teasingly, with a trill in her voice as she tweaked his nose and left. Bobby stared after her, dazed. Riddle? What was she talking about?
"You're supposed to be dating her and you haven't even called her in days," Bobby muttered absently. Come to think of her, his mind had been so distressed over Jubilee's strange behavior that he hadn't even thought of the prom or his plan to woo Samantha into asking him for the last couple of days. Weird. But Jubilee was most important, Bobby thought grimly, as he walked over to the track where Duncan was taking one last drink of water.
"Hey Matthews, I need to talk to you," Bobby called, his voice firm.
Duncan turned around surprised, and cast a bored glance at Bobby. "What do you want, Drake?"
"I want you to stop acting like such an ass and stop leading Jubilee on!" Bobby said in a steely voice.
Duncan's eyes narrowed with anger and contempt as he stared back at Bobby. "What the hell are you talking about, Drake? I haven't seen that Jubilee chick since the party."
Bobby gritted his teeth at Jubilee being referred to as a "chick." "It's beyond me why Jubilee would ever be interested in a guy with an acorn for a brain, and god knows I regret my own part in setting you two up-," Bobby began icily.
Duncan cut him off, his eyes flaring up. "You better watch your mouth, Drake. I can do way better than that freak show friend of yours!"
Blind rage clouded Bobby's eyes and before he was even aware it, his fist connected with Duncan's face. Bobby blinked and saw Duncan stagger backwards, clutching his eye, face contorted with wrath. "That's it, you're a dead man!"
Bobby easily side-stepped Duncan's wild punches, but didn't expect the now enraged quarterback to rush him. Bobby was thrown to the ground, and he fought with an anger he'd never quite experienced before. It was as if he were fighting for Jubilee. "Take back what you said about her, bastard!" Bobby yelled.
"Probably spends all her time arm-wrestling or something. She should be grateful I even asked her!" Duncan managed to spit derisively as he swung his fist again towards Bobby.
Several minutes later, Duncan got to his feet, blood dripping from his lip, his eyes unfocused and glazed with anger. Bobby stood, his back straight, face glowering steadily with purpose even though his whole body was throbbing with a dull pain. "Are you going to stop playing around with Jubilee's feelings or not? Because I'll fight you as long as I have to," Bobby said, his voice so harsh it sounded foreign to his ears. In his mind, all he could see was the forlorn, pained look Jubilee's eyes had held the past few weeks.
Duncan stared at him, and as if sensing the drive in Bobby's voice, stepped back a little. "Look, you better not tell anyone about this, but your friend ditched me at the post-game party," Duncan muttered, and drew one hand up to wipe his bleeding lip. Bobby stared at him, uncomprehendingly.
"What are you talking about?" Bobby said, his mind spinning.
"She yelled at me and then split fifteen minutes after the party started. I think she had to walk home," Duncan informed him, a smug note in his voice. Bobby was too stunned to even respond to the anger that was coursing through him. Jubilee had lied to him. But why? Why had she pretended to have had the best night of her life? Feeling slightly sick, Bobby turned his back on Duncan and walked away without another word. I don't know what's going on anymore, Bobby thought, dazed. If Jubilee hadn't been upset about Duncan, then what was so terrible that she couldn't even tell him, her supposed-best friend?