A/N: Who am I kidding? Tomorrow, HA!
Over the course of the next few weeks, I spent an increasing amount of time with Jason, who had seemed to recover from whatever it was that was bothering him. It felt like if I wasn't at school or doing school-related things, I was around Jason and his posse or with Bradin.
This didn't strike me as anything odd until Jason finally blurted out to me, "Is Bradin your boyfriend?"
I had literally started laughing. He took that as a no and looked considerably relieved. Once the laughter subsided I replied, "'Course not! We're just friends!"
"Hey, you two are practically inseparable, can you blame a guy for assuming?" Jason turned slightly red and he smiled.
"I'm not with anyone right now and I don't think I want to be," I shrugged. "Having friends like you and Bradin suit me better than any boyfriend ever could."
"So we're friends?" Jason asked.
"We've hung out constantly for pretty much a month, what else would you call us?" I said. He smiled but didn't say anything for a moment. His face went solemn, which was a rare feat. I examined his face curiously. His eyes were intensely focussed on me, seeming darker now than usual. His hair was uncharacteristically tousled and for once, his full lips didn't have a smile playing across them. I noticed his lean but muscular frame, covered by a deep blue t-shirt. Jason really was quite easy on he eyes, now that I think about it. It was a quieter type of hotness, subtler than others.
I looked away, turning red and feeling a little uncomfortable. I broke the silence by saying, "You know, why aren't you one of the populars? You seem to fit the criteria."
"I prefer not to be grouped with a bunch of shallow, nasty, conceited, back-stabbing ass holes," Jason answered vehemently, "And they all seem to think of me as a lower life form, anyways."
"Whoa, majorly bitter," I raised my eyebrows, "And that's not exactly fair. Not all the popular people are like that. That's a pretty big stereotypical generalization."
"There's another reason I'd rather not be popular. If I were, I might not meet girls with intelligence who know words like 'stereotypical generalization," Jason smiled.
I could have taken the compliment, but that would have gone against my nature, "There you go again! Popular people aren't brain-dead, evil, and superficial. You've met Bradin, he's totally the opposite!"
"Ah, defending your precious Bradin, are we?" Jason's smile slid off his face. "He who could have any girl in any grade. He with the charismatic smile and the perfected pout to match his tiny brain."
I glared, "Shut up! That's not true! God, what the hell did he do to you? I thought you were above this!" I got out of the chair I was in and stormed off, running right into Bradin who I had not noticed standing in the doorway. "Oh God, did you-?"
"Yeah," Bradin answered, looking pissed and touched at the same time. He gave the surprised Jason an angry scowl but didn't walk over to him. Bradin shook his head, "Come on, let's just go."
We walked out together and Bradin said, "Thanks for defending me like that."
"I'm so sorry you heard that. I had no idea Jason would say something like that!" I shook my head.
"I didn't think I'd have made enemies so quickly," Bradin shrugged. "It just comes with popularity, I guess."
"It's a load of bull shit," I exclaimed. "You made Honour Roll all three terms last year!"
Bradin looked taken aback, "You remembered?"
"Let's try to forget my infatuation with you in Kansas…" I turned slightly red. "The point is, don't take those things he said to heart."
"I don't especially care what everyone thinks about me. All my life I've had to deal with everyone who didn't know me just assuming I was a moron because of the fact that I was good at sports and popular. I've always just been a pretty face to some people, or a mindless jock, or a one dimensional popular." Badin shrugged. "What matters to me is that you don't believe that."
"I've known you too long to believe any of that crap," I answered. "But you know, I used to think you had it all…you had so much going for you. I never really thought about the prejudices and jealousy you'd have to face. You've got people fooled. You're always smiling, faking happiness… sometimes I wonder if I know who you really are."
"Of course you do," Bradin assured me, "Though you're probably one of the few people I'm truly myself around. You know, when I'm around you all the masks I put up for other people seem to just fall when you're with me… I can't not be myself. You have a quality that just makes people be honest. You've sat through more than enough of my rants and mistakes to realize how flawed I am…yet you're still around."
"Bray, you and I both know you're not as flawed as you make yourself out to be." I smiled softly. "And really, after experiencing the insanity that is me, with my mood swings, indecisiveness, lack of talent for anything…I'm quite surprised you didn't run away the moment I started being myself."
"I would never leave you." Bradin looked down. The moment was ruined when Jason ran up to us.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"That's nice." I replied coldly. "You know, I always thought you didn't buy into preconceptions. You always seemed to take the time to get to know someone before forming conclusions. I guess your mind isn't as open as I had thought. Bradin's my friend and I am not going to hang out with people who diss my friends, especially when it's an unfair and incorrect one!"
"Look, what I said was dumb. I'm sorry. I am." He glanced at Bradin with what can be passed as an apologetic look.
"Don't worry about it." Bradin answered shortly. "Just drop it, Jessica, it's fine."
"Whatever." I replied.
I was still cool towards Jason at school the following day. He wasted no time in trying to mend the situation, though.
"Come on, Jess, don't be all huffy," he pleaded. "Bradin's moved on and I'm sorry. What I said was bigoted, and it was wrong and stupid and can you start talking to me again, please?" I stonily tuned him out but he stuck his face an inch from mine and did his puppy dog eyes. "I'll send out a bouquet of roses to him proclaiming his big-brain-y ness! I'll call him a nerd! I retract everything I said. Come on. If you keep ignoring me I just may have to break out into lamentation and embarrass you. Then of course, I'll have to bring out a heartfelt tear-filled poem to read to Bradin in front of the student body which will mortify him and condemn you as the sole source of his humiliation, as well as my own."
I finally allowed a single chuckle to escape before pushing his face away.
"I can smell your breath," I said, smile playing on my lips. "Listen, just don't diss my friends."
"I didn't mean to and it won't happen again, sir." Jason saluted before genuflecting.
"You are quite possibly the strangest guy I've ever met." I laughed, playfully hitting his hair.
Jason broke out into a wide grin and kissed my hand as he did on the second day of school before replying, "Strangeness is what feeds imagination. Now, I shall have to sadly return to thy tortuous desk. Alas, wild chicken's dance around me in this moment of pain." He made flappy movements and clucked all the way back to his seat. How could it be that his oddness had not been obvious from the moment we met? He was sweet shy guy one moment and weird floater among the land of the yellow in the other. I liiiiiked it!
A/N: R n R BOW I'm in a Weird mood which might've rubbed off on Jason... Hope he's still Jason-y! Ahhhhh haaaa I need to get a life (A...A)
