MONDAY, 4 DAYS BEFORE THE PRE-SPRING BREAK DANCE
It was the start of the last week before spring break, and it was only 4 more days before the Pre-Spring Break Dance. There was much buzz about it now; announcements for it were appearing on the intercom every morning now. People were gossiping in the hallways about who was taking who...well, actually about a specific someone taking another specific someone. You'd expect people would gossip about various different people, but instead most were gossiping about Todd and Jenny.
You see, that morning, when Todd arrived to school, he saw Jenny outside the front entrance. At this point, the two had gotten pretty close, so close in fact you could consider them boyfriend and girlfriend...but Todd didn't think of it like that. Despite all the stuff he and Jenny did the past few days, he didn't think the two had advanced up to that stage yet. But what he didn't know was that Jenny had different plans.
And it started with being outside the front entrance. When she saw Todd, she offered to walk inside with him. And it wasn't just that, she also offered to hold his hand. Todd blushed at this, at this point he was almost certain - about 99% sure - that Jenny liked him back, and this was only further proving his theory. And so the two walked into the school holding hands, and most people, whom were hanging around the entrance of the building before their classes started, saw this.
And that's what people were gossiping about throughout the day. "Todd and Jenny are dating!" "Todd and Jenny are going to the dance together!" "Todd and Jenny love each other!" is basically what people were telling one another. However, they made sure Todd and Jenny weren't around when they discussed this.
Mac was in Hydroponics class when he overheard two students talking about Todd and Jenny being together. Knowing it was gossip, he didn't exactly know if what everyone was saying was true, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was. After all, he saw the two go shopping for dance attire yesterday, and they told him they had a great date the day before, so them forming a relationship seemed almost inevitable at this point. However, his mind was more focused on whether he should ask Maurecia to the dance. He wasn't gonna admit it to anyone...yet, but he was starting to develop feelings for Maurecia. However, he knew she crushed on Todd...but considering Todd was taking someone other than her to the dance, would she be willing to take anyone else...particularly him? What if she found out about his original name?
It was lunch, and Todd and Jenny we're sitting in the cafeteria together. At this point, with the amount of gossip going around about the two, it was to be expected by many people. Mac was sitting at the far end of the table they were at. He couldn't help but be glad he helped a new friend find someone to take to the dance.
Maurecia, however, who was sitting at a table at the opposite end of the cafeteria, was in a crummy mood. She had just been caught snooping into Todd's backyard without permission, and her parents weren't pleased to receive a call from Todd's mother about the incident. Her punishment was a whole week without being allowed to go out anywhere besides her house and school; mercifully, though, her parents decided to let her go to the Pre-Spring Break Dance after much begging (and promising to do extra chores, as reluctant as she was to throw that in). But being in a bad mood, she was wondering if making a compromise in order to go to the dance was a good idea, because at this point she didn't really even feel like going to the dance. She distinctly remembered her parents requesting Todd's mother that she never be allowed onto Todd's property for a long time; but she didn't know if Todd's mother agreed to it or not. With her luck, she probably did.
Maurecia felt like she had the worst luck of anyone in the world. She witnessed her crush ask one of her closest friends instead of her to the dance, she got grounded, and now she was wondering if she should even go to the dance now. All she could hope at this point was that this was a friends-only thing between Todd and Jenny and nothing romantic would happen, but with every look at Todd and Jenny together the chances of that possibility were diminishing quickly.
It was the last class of the day for Mac, Human Geography, but unlike Friday, he found it hard to concentrate on his work when his mind was on Maurecia. He wondered what it would be like to be in a relationship with Maurecia...with anyone, as a matter of fact. He had never been a relationship, but having seen many other teenage couples in the past and what they like to do, he thought it would be nice if he could do those things with a girl who loved him as much as he loved her.
Then he realized; dances often bring couples together! At this point, he knew he couldn't deny it anymore...he had a crush on Maurecia. And not only was she the girl he wanted to ask to the pre-Spring Break Dance, she was the girl he wanted to be in a relationship with. But he looked across the room to see Maurecia in the back, switching in between doing her work and glaring at Todd, who was concentrated on his own work. He realized admitting his feelings to Maurecia would be tricky, for he was afraid she might be blinded by her love for Todd and reject him. But he knew he had to do it, one way or the other.
Maurecia, however, was still thinking about Todd, and felt like Jenny was a major obstacle in her quest to have him...was Jenny her friend at this point, she thought?
Todd, meanwhile, was concentrated on his work, but he still couldn't help but think of Jenny while doing what he was assigned. He remembered in his head the things that had happened the previous few days: Jenny sat next to him at lunch on Thursday and try out his Nintendo Switch, suggested a date after he asked her to the dance (with the help of Mac) on Friday, had that date on Saturday and ended up sleeping on the couch in each others' arms, went shopping for dance attire yesterday under her suggestion, and asked to go inside with him at the beginning of school today, while holding hands. At this point, he was virtually sure she wanted their friendship to turn into something more. But he couldn't help but remember the time at Wayside she told him he needed help after he THOUGHT she had a crush on him. Did she still remember that incident?
Just then, the bell signaling the end of the school day rang. Todd immediately packed up his things and headed out to the parking lot. His house was only about 10 minutes from school, so he would usually just walk home. He had walked about eight feet into the main parking lot area when he saw Jenny, and Jenny saw him.
"Hey, Brother T! Need a ride home?" she said, offering him a seat on her motorcycle.
Todd thought about it for a second, and considering how and Jenny were practically hanging out every day ever since Thursday, he decided it wouldn't hurt to take the offer.
This being Jenny offering him the ride, Todd blushed. But this time, the blush didn't go unnoticed. It was like on Wednesday, when Jenny noticed Todd's blush. But this time, neither one of them moved. And this time, Jenny spoke up about it:
"Uh...bro T...you're cheeks...they're red..."
This only caused Todd to blush harder, out of embarrassment. At this point, he felt cornered, and that he had to admit his feelings to Jenny...he knew this time, there was nowhere to run. There was no way out of admitting his feelings this time.
Meanwhile, Mac had just finished polishing and cleaning up his locker, which was dirty when he first arrived to the school, and decided something needed to be done about it. He started walking out into the parking lot when he saw Todd and Jenny. He noticed that Todd looked nervous, his cheeks bright red. It didn't take long for him to realize that Todd was trying to tell Jenny how he feels about her. Todd looked behind him and noticed Mac standing a few feet out of the main parking lot area. Mac gave him a thumbs up and whispered "you can do this, tell her how you feel." Todd knew it was going to be the hardest confession he'd ever have to make in his life, but also knew he had to tell Jenny no matter how daunting it seemed. Even if he was sure that Jenny had liked him back considering everything that happened over the past few days, he knew it would be difficult.
There was a long silence, and then Jenny broke it. "So uh...bro T...you're cheeks...means you're blushing...in front of me?"
"Um...yes...about that...it's kinda been happening a lot...because..." Todd began to speak.
As this was going on, Maurecia, still in a crummy mood, headed out of the school, having had to finish up some work. She looked at the parking lot and saw Todd and Jenny looking at each other. "Oh no." she thought. "Is this the part where they're gonna admit their feelings towards each other?"
"I...uh...have...fe-fe-fe-...fee-..." Todd stammered.
"Come on dude, say what needs to be said." encouraged Mac from behind. Maurecia, on the other hand, was starting to get agitated by the sight of this.
Jenny stood there confused. It was almost exactly like when Todd asked her out to the dance, only to him, it felt worse. Would Jenny be willing to be his...girlfriend? A dance was a one-time thing, but a girlfriend could last a lifetime, he thought.
Finally, after nearly a minute of stammering, Todd, in the most nervous, high-pitched squeaky voice possible, managed to get it out:
"I...(gulp)...have...fe-fe-fe-feelings...for you...if you...know what...I mean..."
At that moment, it felt like the whole world has just come to a screeching halt. Jenny blushed the hardest she ever blushed in her life...and that blush was more intense than any of Todd's. Mac, meanwhile, was behind them, smiling, hoping for the best, while Maurecia, farther behind, was starting to see red in her eyes.
Jenny tried to think of what to do to show Todd what she thought of him, and then she thought of it. She knew it was a daring move on her part, but she decided to go with it.
"Todd...I...uh...wow...that takes a lot of guts to admit that...you have a...crush on...me...and...uh...well..." she said.
To everyone involved, it felt like a ticking time bomb about to go off. Todd sat there, holding his blush; Mac was behind him, hoping Jenny would return the feelings; and Maurecia was behind Mac, hoping that she wouldn't.
And so, Jenny slowly approached Todd, until they were only mere inches from each other. She placed her hands on Todd's elbows, and thought to herself, "It's now or never." She delicately moved her face to Todd's, slowly closing in the distance of the two, and within seconds, her lips met his.
For everyone involved, the reactions were all over the place. Todd was taken by surprise by this kiss, but after 15 seconds he embraced it. This was the first lip-to-lip kiss he had ever received in real life, and boy did it feel nice. Jenny, seeing Todd was greatly enjoying it, further deepened the kiss.
Mac was watching, and couldn't help but give a great big smile. Todd briefly looked over to Mac, who gave him a thumbs up indicating "good job, man, you did it."
But Maurecia on the other hand, could only see fury in her eyes. She had seen many terrible things lately, but this was the final straw. She couldn't contain her anger any longer, and this time she didn't care if anyone noticed her anger. She thought it had to be done.
"STOP! ENOUGH OF THIS!" she shouted.
Todd and Jenny stopped their kiss, and turned around to see an angered Maurecia. Mac turned around shortly after Todd and Jenny and saw the same sight.
"You...you...Jenny!" Maurecia angrily shouted. "What kind of friend are you!?"
Jenny was puzzled, but Todd was getting nervous. He knew something like this might happen, and was preparing for the worst.
"Sister Mo, I haven't done anything to inconvenience you, what exactly is the problem?" she asked as politely as she could. Admittedly, she was annoyed at Maurecia's sudden outburst interrupting her and Todd's moment. Mac, meanwhile, realized this could be an opportunity to ask Maurecia to the dance, and was trying to mentally prepare himself to do so.
"You very well know I...I...I..." Maurecia was trying to say, her nerves getting to her.
"Ugh, just spit it out, Maurecia..." Todd mumbled to himself.
"...I...have...a...CRUSH...ON...TODD! And he was supposed...to be...MY DANCE DATE! Not you! Nobody claims him but me!" shouted Maurecia, who, at this point, was letting her intense love for Todd blind her from thinking about what she should be saying.
"Well he asked me, not you, and I accepted his offer! If you truly loved Todd, you would support his decision instead of trying to claim him!" Jenny yelled, her voice showing hints of herself getting angry.
Todd, fearing the two would get into a fight, started to back away. Mac, who was on the other end of Maurecia and Jenny, was getting worried. "Maybe this isn't a good time to ask Maurecia..." he thought. But he realized the dance was this Friday, and he didn't have much time to ask anyone out to it. He knew it was now or never.
Maurecia and Jenny at this point were having a back and forth argument. "What kind of friend are you!?" and "You're not supporting my decision!" were among the many things that flew out of their mouths. Todd had a bad feeling about the whole situation, so he tried to intervene and see if he could, as calmly as possible, tell Maurecia about his decision.
"Maurecia, you've got to listen to me, okay?" he began to speak. "I realize you have feelings for me. Most of us have feelings for someone, regardless of how late in life it comes. But, you gotta understand, okay...I like you, as a friend. But "like" like you? How do I put it...it just...I see you as a friend more than a "girl"friend." he said as he made air quotes in the air with his fingers. "I have feelings, okay? But they're towards Jenny...and no one can control the feelings of others except themselves...I understand you're love for me but with me...going out..." he said with a gulp. "...with Jenny, it isn't going to work out with you and me. I hope you can understand."
Todd was really hoping Maurecia would understand what he just said...but unfortunately for him, that wasn't the case. Maurecia's love for Todd had blinded her from taking in what he just said. She didn't even take a moment to think about what he just said, as soon as she realized she was turning him down for someone else, she got teary-eyed. She put her hands over her face and began sobbing hysterically. Todd and Jenny could easily her, and so could Mac.
"Maurecia...please..." said Todd, but before he knew it she ran off crying...that is, until:
"Maurecia, wait!" yelled Mac. "I need to talk to you!"
Maurecia had temporarily stopped, agitated that she had been interrupted, but she decided to give in...but she wasn't very pleasant about it. "What do you want!?" she exclaimed in an angry tone.
"Um...well...I saw Todd put you down as gentle as he could...I'm sorry things won't work out between you two, but..." Mac began to say.
"You were WATCHING this whole thing!?" Maurecia angrily yelled. "YOU CREEP!"
"Maurecia, please, I know you feel upset about this, and I know how badly you want to go to the dance. Would you be willing to take anyone else if they asked you?" Mac asked, starting to get nervous.
"What are you talking about?" a still annoyed Maurecia said.
"Would...you...like...to...take me to...the dance?" Mac stammered.
Maurecia didn't even take time to think about his offer. It wasn't even a second after Mac asked her before she began hysterically crying again.
"My life is OVER! Todd was supposed to take ME to the dance, but he's taking my...so-called..."FRIEND!"" Maurecia shouted. Jenny heard this, and she was getting upset about that comment.
"But, Maurecia, would you like..." Mac began to speak, but an angry and sad Maurecia interrupted him.
"NO! JUST GO AWAY!" she shouted.
"But...does that mean..." Mac asked.
"GO AWAY, YOU'RE JUST AS MISERABLE AND CRAZY AS THOSE TWO!" Maurecia shouted loudly. "I don't see why anyone WOULD go with a creep like you! You don't deserve anyone, and you ESPECIALLY don't deserve me!" Maurecia was very clearly upset at Mac for eavesdropping on her rejection. And before anyone knew it, she ran off.
Mac looked down to his shoes. The smile he had during Todd and Jenny's moment was now a frown. He had just fully realized his feelings for Maurecia and got rejected. He never knew what rejection felt like...until now. All he could do was sit on a curb and just stare at the pavement. Todd went over to comfort him.
"Jeez bud, I'm sorry she did this to you..." Todd said.
"Thanks man...I'll be fine..." said Mac with a depressed tone to his voice. Clearly, he knew he would not be fine. He didn't know if he would ever be fine again. Slowly, he got up, and starting slowly making his way home.
Jenny walked over to Todd. "C'mon, I think we should head out."
"But what about Maurecia...and Mac?" asked Todd.
"Forget about that girl. I didn't even know she had this intense jealous side of her that she's been hiding...but after what I just witnessed, she isn't our friend anymore. If she was our friend, she'd support us, not angrily confront us about this. And I'm hopeful that Mac dude will feel better soon..."
"Yeah, me too..." said Todd.
"Well, I think it's time to head home...Boyfriend T..." said Jenny.
Todd was taken by surprise. "What...did you just call me?" he asked.
"Well, we just...both...admitted our feelings...right?" Jenny said.
"Yeah...I guess so..." said Todd.
"Well, are we...boyfriend and...girlfriend...starting now?" asked Jenny.
Todd thought about it for a moment, then came to an agreement. "Yeah, you know what? We are."
And this would kick off new chapters in the lives of all parties involved in this..."incident". One half would experience true love, the other half heartbreak.