Wolfess, thank you for the wonderful review for Chapter Five! =) And WOW! 59 readers and 116 hits all in the month of September! I appreciate all the readers and reviews. :D
I know this chapter is short, but it's one of my favorites. It's kind of touching, and the end is a bit of a cliffhanger!
In other news...Jimley for the win! *waves pom-poms in the air* xD
Chapter Six: Monday, Monday...
Sunday came and went and soon Jim and Kayley found themselves in the drab Bronx Academy High School. Once again the two met at the lockers, Kayley's mood decidedly cold and Jim's purely ignorant. The good thing, though, was that Kayley didn't seem to be in a rage that day. She calmly shimmied her lunch bag into the locker and then left for her English class, followed from a distance by Jim. Kayley shuffled to her desk, and as Jim passed, neither looked at the other. Jim plopped down in his seat and class was begun.
At lunch, Kayley walked alongside the perimeter of the cafeteria, careful not to trip over any feet or chairs. Or even tables.
Jim plunked down at the circular table a few seconds before Kayley arrived, and together the two of them ate in silence. During their meal, Kayley pulled at the stubborn tab of her can of Shasta Orange. Her face went into contortions as she struggled to lift the tab, all to no avail. Unable to snap the tab, she finally gave up on it and set her soda on the table. Deciding a bottled water would do, she stood up and began rummaging in her backpack for money.
While her attention was distracted, Jim popped the tab of her soda and placed it back where it had been.
Removing a few dollars, Kayley zipped up her backpack. She then made a forlorn glance at her soda, as if that would somehow magically make it open. Turning away, she took a step forward. Then she backtracked, whipping her head around and peering at her soda can. It was open! "That can't be; it's utterly impossible!" Then an even more impossible thought popped into her head. "Could it be...?" She shot a quizzical glance at Jim, who was nonchalantly munching on a bag of Cheetos. She tucked the money into her pocket and quietly, slowly sank back down into her seat, her inquiring gaze never leaving Jim.
As Kayley debated whether or not to thank him, she was approached from her left and tapped on the shoulder. Kayley, snapping back into reality, swiveled around and studied the tall, shaggy-haired, green-eyed boy. "Yes?" she asked politely, her voice ringing in a melodic lilt.
"Hi. My name's Zach."
"Zach...oh boy." Jim looked over at the dude. "Yep, that's him. Weeee." This was going to be fun. Or interesting, to say the least.
"Hullo, Zach. I'm Kayley." She grinned and offered her hand in a friendly greeting.
He awkwardly shook her hand. "I couldn't help but notice you from where I was sitting," the boy continued, motioning to a nearby table. Kayley's eyes followed the direction of his gesture, searching for his table. As soon as she spotted it, she mentally cringed, for his lunch buddies looked like punks. Tough punks.
"And I was wondering if you would like to go out with me sometime?"
His words seemed to be spoken through a foggy haze. "Umm..." Kayley transferred her gaze from the punks to Zach. She forced a smile. "You seem very sweet. But no. I'm sorry, I'm just not interested." Her words came out in a rush. Zach's face dropped and his smile transformed into a frown. Kayley, uncomfortable, began to redden and her smile weakened.
"Wow." That's not exactly what Jim was expecting. But then again, Kayley was somewhat unpredictable anyway. Yet, Jim was happy she had said what she did. It was best not to get involved with guys like Zach.
Jim let out a low whistle.
That's when Zach noticed Jim staring at him with a goofy expression on his face. To him, it looked like he was trying not to laugh. "Hmm, Jim and Kayley..." His thought was disrupted by his mounting agitation and anger. Jim continued to stare at him. What was happening was none of Jim's business and Jim had no right to stare at him like that.
He shot a menacing scowl in Jim's direction before storming away.
Kayley, a little dazed, turned back around and saw Jim staring at her. Forgetting her current anger at him for what he had pulled at the restaurant, she met his gaze with her own questioning look. Jim smiled crookedly and shrugged.
Zach sulked in his room that night. He tossed and turned, restless and unable to sleep. Questions were swirling through his head. Why had Kayley dissed him? He was tall, muscular, and good-looking; simply irresistible. He wondered if it had something to do with that good-for-nothing show-off Hawkins. And why was she sitting with the Hawkins kid anyway? Were they together? That had to be it! Now the world made sense again. Zach smiled wickedly. "I wonder if she knows about his incidents with the law." Rolling onto his side he whispered, "This isn't over, Hawkins."