Chapter Three: The Appearance of Braden Higgins.
The first class of my day was World History, which I had with both Greg and Andre. I walked into the room and sat in my usual spot next to Greg, and Andre sat behind him, and pulled a book out of my back pack. Hunger Games to be exact. One of my favorites.
"Alright little birds, find your nests, man," Mr. Nole, our hippy teacher called as the final bell started to ring. I looked up at him and my eyes widened at the sight of the lumberjack standing next to him. The boy… or man…. Covered in tattoos, glaring harshly at everyone. He had shaggy blonde hair, and a mustache and was very tall, and muscly. He looked a little bit like Higgy…. I looked over at Greg and Andre,
"Was he there the whole time?" I whispered, it was impossible not to notice him, they both shrugged, I shook my head and went back to reading.
"Float down, there we go, and…. we're…. in." The last of my classmates filed in, the whole school was extremely excited that it was the last day of school, I was surprised we had such a turn out. And the fact that today was only a half day made things seem to go even slower. I just had to hold out until 1…
"Alright, guys, normally we don't have exciting news this late into the term, but, we have a new student joining us today." Mr. Nole's voice pulled me away from my book again and I imagine this announcement had something to do with lumberjack man. I looked over at Greg and Andre and all three of us exchanged looks. It was weird enough that he was a new kid coming on the last day of school, and his size and look didn't help the matter.
"This is Braden Higgins." My eyes grew wide. No way. Just a coincidence. I still turned to the two boys again, who looked just as confused and curious as me.
"Hey, there's an empty seat over there, man, why don't you go pop a squat?" Mr. Nole pointed at an empty seat at the opposite end of the room, but Braden ignored him. He didn't even look in the direction Mr. Nole pointed to. He instead, focused on the seat behind me, where Jonah, a really sweet and smart kid sat. Braden stalked down the aisle and stood between Greg and I, glaring down at Jonah. I shifted to see what was going on and was only slightly shocked to find Jonah holding out his wallet to Braden.
"No," Braden's voiced matched his look,
"I sit here.." He stated simply. Not too threatening, but enough to cause Jonah to jump up and run across to the original seat Mr. N had pointed out. I sighed and turned back to my book, looking for my place, when I heard Andre and Greg turn to Braden. Oh boy…. They could not have waited, could they?
"Is your dad Marcus Higgins?" Greg asked. Way to get right to the point there bro. I tried to keep my curiosity at bay, but it didn't work,
"Yeah, I've known him since I was a baby, he's the funniest," Andre added.
"The best. Great, great man," Greg continued. Nothing was said, and I grew a little nervous.
"I wanna smash his face," Braden replied, rather seriously, after a second of tense quiet. That's all it took and the boys eyes widened.
"Yeah, me too," Andre agreed, nodding his head vigorously.
"Yeah, hate that guy," Greg scoffed, turning to the front.
"Screw him," Andre faced the front too and I couldn't hold in my laugh this time. Those two were too much sometimes. Class ended soon after, without much more of an incident, and I walked out to meet up with Alyssa before our second period.
"Gemma! I have great news!" She exclaimed upon seeing me.
"What's up?" I asked. What could have possibly happened in the last forty five minutes?
"Meagan Foster is pregnant!" She declared quietly, looking around at our fellow students to see if they were listening. Wow… A lot can happen…
"WHAT?! Wait… Why are you so happy about this?" I asked.
"Because, it was only you two up for captain. If she's out, you're a shoe in!" She linked her arm through mine and began to babble away about planning future routines together. My mind was still reeling.
"Hey, hey. Chill out there! We aren't even sure she's really pregnant, we shall have to wait and find out after class today." I said. No use in planning for something that may not even be true. Why did high school have to be run by rumors?!
"You have no faith!" She groaned. The bell began to ring and all the student in the hallway began to rush to their next class.
"There's the bell. Let's get to English!" I began to pull her along and when we made it to the class, I saw Braden in there. Crap.
"Whoa… Who's the giant?" Lyssa asked as we passed by him. He had the same expression as the one in Nole's class. I was beginning to think it's a permanent expression.
"He was in my World History, he's a friend of my Dad's son." I replied, shrugging as we took our seats.
"He's kinda cute." She said thoughtfully, eyeing him up and down. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"I thought you like guys like Cole? Ya know, football players.. Jocks… Pretty boys…" I muttered the last one. She still heard me though and shot me a glare.
"Shut up..." She grumbled. I laughed,
"Come on, you have to admit, it was odd the fact he took more time to get ready in the morning than both of us combined!" I said.
"He cared about his appearance is all!" She defended. I just shrugged and felt someone cover my eyes.
"Hey Tanner." I smiled, turning to my boyfriend of 8 months. He smiled back at me happily.
"Hey Gem." He kissed my cheek and sat in the seat in front of me.
"How's your day going so far?" I asked. Our conversation was cut short by our teacher, and the rest of the day went on swimmingly. Until it was time for the cheer meeting. I was walking with Lys towards Coach Lynne's office when we heard two voices.
"You're absolutely sure Meg?" A familiar male voice asked, sounding extremely panicked.
"Yes! I took 3 tests and got it confirmed at the doctor! Now what the hell do you want to do?!" A female demanded,
"I don't know! I still have Gemma to think about!" He snapped back. My mouth dropped and I felt the air leave my lungs. Lys' eyes were wide and we stared at each other.
"Oh who gives a shit about Gemma! If you really loved her, you would not have come crawling to me!" Meaghan snapped back. Lys snapped out of it, and went to round the corner. I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"We were drunk!" He growled, I backed away and attempted to wrap my head around what I just heard. Meaghan was pregnant. And Tanner… My boyfriend… Was the father….
"I'll kill him." She seethed, I gripped her tighter and she seemed to calm down.
"Let's go, we can go the long way…" She tried to pull my arm but I stopped her.
"No. It's fine. Let's go this way." I said, nodding in the direction of the two voices.
"You sure?" She asked. I smiled.
"Yeah, I know what to do." I said. We linked arms and walked towards the voices. Tanner was rounding the corner, looking downtrodden, and his eyes grew wide when he saw me.
"Hey baby!" I greeted. He gave me a nervous smile.
"Hey Gem… Look, I gotta go… See you at the Ice Cream House?" He asked, I nodded.
"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world!" I replied, kissing him. I then walked away, dragging a glaring Lys with me, she was glaring at him harshly.
"What?! You're still going on that date?!" She demanded, turning back to me after he rounded the corner, disappearing from view.
"Can you just trust me? I know what I am going to do." I assured her, pushing the door open to enter the gym. The entire team was there, including Meaghan, who was crying. The others were talking, and looking at her in concern.
"Great! Everyone is here!" Coach Lynne clapped her hands together and we all sat down on the bleachers.
"Now, both Meaghan and Gemma are more than qualified to lead this team, but we can only choose one to be captain. And through votes and serious observation, I think we came to the right idea." Lynne gestured to the two other coaches, Jessie and Jason, who both smiled. She held up and envelope and began to open it.
"And you're captain, is…. Oh, what is it Meg?" Meaghan's hand shot up into the air, and she was looking at the ground.
"I have to leave the squad." She said.
"We haven't even said…" Lynne shook the envelope but Meg was shaking her head.
"It's not that…. I…. I…. I'm leaving… Soon…. And…" She trailed off and looked up at us, and when her eyes met mine, she looked away, a guilty look on her face. I smiled back.
"Well… Then I guess this goes without saying…. Gemma Feder is captain!" Lynne pulled the paper out and my name was on that too, the whole team erupted into cheers and there were hugs all around. Meagan left the gym so fast, there was a smoke trail behind her.
"This is great!" Lys squealed.
"I know!" I tried smiling back, but my mind fell to thinking about Tanner… What had I done that made him crawl to Meg? I wasn't mean too him… We didn't really fight… And with nearly 8 months of dating, he never once tried to get me to do anything… Then again, I wasn't too keen on doing much aside from making out. I just was not ready for it…. I had been so deep in thought, I hadn't noticed Lys had begun babbling about routines again.
"You're not even listening…" She sighed, slumping.
"No, I am… I just.. I don't know… I should just go. I need to clear my head." I replied. She frowned.
"Okay…" She said. I nodded and got up. I thanked the coaches for my opportunity and left. I muddled through the rest of the day and before I knew it, it was time to leave. I was walking with Greg and Andre, thinking of ways to dump Tanner…
"Gemma! What the heck is wrong with you?!" Andre demanded, pulling me up after I walked straight into an open locker.
"Sorry … Thinking" I muttered, rubbing the sore spot that was sure to be a bruise.
"What's going on with you? You haven't been talkative since after the meeting thing." Greg asked. I sighed and bit my lip. He was my twin and my best friend. I could trust him. Plus maybe talking about it will help in the long run.
"If I tell you, you can't tell Dad…" I replied. He nodded. I looked at Andre, who nodded too,
"I'm serious you guys. You have to promise me." I said,
"We promise, just tell us!" Andre replied. I sucked in a deep breath and spat out the truth.
"Tanner got Meagan Foster pregnant…" I said. Their jaws dropped.
"He's a dead man." Greg's fist clenched, and I quickly put a hand on his arm.
"It's fine, really. No killing necessary." I soothed, I pulled him slightly, wanting desperately to get out of the school.
"I'm sorry Gem…" Andre whispered as we walked.
"It's fine… I am just trying to think of a way to dump him creatively…" I replied.
"Don't go creative, do it harsh! In fact, I will do it for you!" Greg replied. When it came to me, he was a lot like Dad as far as being protective.
"No, bro, it's fine…" I replied, we walked up to find Braden standing near the bus loop, looking around.
"I'm going to run into town actually. Catch up with you guys later." I said, beginning to walk off,
"Where are you going?" Greg asked. I turned around, walking backwards.
"To the baby store!" I called back. Yep. I thought of the perfect way. I called Lys and informed her of the plan.
"That is brilliant..." She replied, laughing slightly.
"I know, it will be just perfect." I said. Once I got to the local baby store, I picked out some little outfits and various other things and then ran to grab some generic wrapping supplies. Once I was finished, it was time to meet Tanner. It was only 2, I had to be back at home by 5:30 for dinner. I grabbed the present and found Tanner there.
"Hello beautiful." He smiled. I forced a smile back, using all my self-control not to slap him.
"Hey, here, I brought you something." I wanted to get this over with. Meg and her friend Kristen were a few tables away, eating ice cream and casting glances over occasionally. I beamed at her and she stopped, becoming very interested in her ice cream.
"Let's get the ice cream first. Is Greg here yet?" He asked, leading me over to where we ordered the ice cream.
"No, not until tonight." I replied. I ordered a soft serve vanilla with Oreos and sprinkles, but not without being mocked by Mr. Bailey. The man really needed to let the past go. I mean, it was like 3 years ago that crap happened. Ignoring him, we sat at a table and he smiled at me.
"You make me really happy Gem." He said, I laughed slightly.
"Do I?" I asked, he nodded. His green eyes were searching my face, hoping I was believing him. I handed him the present.
"What's this for?" He asked, a huge smile on his face.
"I just felt like doing something special for you." I replied, I ate my ice cream as he ripped into the present. As he unwrapped the outfits, his face grew really confused.
"What…" He asked, looking up at me, almost in horror. I smiled at him, a sarcastic and almost mean smile. I could feel my throat tightening, and I was losing all my nerve. I just needed to get this whole thing over with, before I lose it.
"Don't play dumb," I sighed. He only frowned and I shook my head.
"I know about you and Meaghan. I decided to congratulate you, I went gender neutral, since she's not too far along. I wish you guys the best of luck." I explained, standing up, making my way to leave.
"Gemma, no…. Let me explain." He jumped up and grabbed my arm but I snatched it out of his grasp, feeling the tears well up in my eyes. People were looking at us, and I knew I needed to get out of there fast.
"No, there is nothing to explain. You cheated, end of story. We are over Tanner." I spat, wiping the tears away. He just stared at me, looking upset. I shook my head.
"I've got to go." I grumbled. As I left the stand, I saw Meg looking horrified at me. I rolled my eyes and all but sprinted away towards my home. My walk home was calming, and I was beginning to feel a little better. I was down the block from my Mom's boutique when I saw a giant tire coming down the middle of the rode, my Dad, Mr. Lamansoff and Fabio, a very masculine woman that worked with Mr. Lamansoff came running after it.
"Higgin's is in the tire!" He shouted. My eyes widened, and I noticed my Mom was walking towards me
"GEMMA!" My baby sister exclaimed happily from the top of some superhot guys shoulders.
"Hey Becky. How'd your solo go today?" I asked.
"Really good!" She replied.
"She did awesome. Just like you." Mom smiled at me, placing an arm around my shoulder. I smiled slightly. It was then I heard shouting, and I turned my attention to the scene before me.
"YOU LIED ABOUT THE SOUP!" It was Braden, tears rushing down his face. My eyes widened at the sight. Within moments, the chaos had subdued and Mom, Becky, and I went home to work on dinner, while Dad ran off to go do something.