Under the Stars

8: Wrapping Up Junior Year

Our junior year was so close to being over. We had three weeks left and one of those was reserved for finals. Stevien and I were both still playing baseball and softball respectively, as both our teams were heading to sectionals. We were busy, to say the least, but we still managed to spend time together. Most of the time we were studying for the upcoming finals, but it was still nice to hang out with my best friend. I felt like we had bonded on a whole new level after my breakdown at prom. That was equally one of the worst and one of the best times of my life. It was great to have the burden of my secret off my shoulders even though I knew he didn't hear a single word of my confession.

I noticed Beth-Ann finding him more often, the closer finals got. She even started having him take her home after school once our spring sports season ended. Stevien always gave me a ride since we were neighbors, and it drove Beth-Ann crazy to know that I spent more time with him than she did. I didn't mind that she was jealous. If I was being honest, I felt a little bit of pride that she was jealous of me. Beth-Ann was the "queen bee" of the junior class. I was a little peon in her book. She had all the money, looks, and popularity that everyone wanted in high school, everyone except maybe me. Sure, there were times where I wished I was a little more popular or a little bit richer or a little bit prettier, but for the majority of the time, I was content with my life. As long as I had dad and Stevien, I felt like I didn't need anything else.

Beth-Ann was doing her best to worm her way into Stevien's life. At the same time, she was doing her best to make mine miserable any time Stevien wasn't looking. She was constantly belittling me, spreading rumors, and just being mean. She would sometimes knock my books out of my hand, trip me in the hallways, or occasionally when no one was looking she would shove me into the lockers if I walked too close to her. I was starting to despise Beth-Ann as much as she despised me. I just hoped that Stevien could see her for who she was and not the fake front she put up when he was around.

By the end of the school year, Beth-Ann had pestered Stevien so much about going on a date with her, that he finally agreed to it as long as she quit asking.

"I can't believe that you gave in," I told him after he dropped her off at her house. He waited to respond until I had climbed into the front seat.

"Yeah well, I was starting to get annoyed by her asking me every day, so if going out with her once will stop that, then I am game." He said shrugging his shoulder slightly.

"Okay, but if for some crazy reason, she annoys you into going on a second date, promise me you will talk to me before you agree to it."

"El, I don't think I would agree to a second date. Besides, tomorrow is the last day of finals, then it will be summer. We live on the opposite side of town and I will be playing ball all summer. I highly doubt we will see each other again before senior year starts." Stevien replied.

"Yeah. You are probably right... But I wouldn't put it past her to keep coming around you. She tends to get what she wants, and she is not shy about wanting you as her boo." I said with a cringe.

Stevien just laughed as he drove us home, but, in my gut, something was telling me that this summer would be full of Beth-Ann.

The next day found our junior year completed. Stevien and I had a tradition of going to the local ice cream parlor for a treat. This year, our tradition had a few tagalongs. Beth-Ann, of course, just had to join in. I did not want to feel put down yet again by her, so I invited Rocky. Stevien, not wanting to be in the car with "so much estrogen" grabbed Jacob and forced him along. Jacob didn't seem upset as Stevien offered to pay for his ice cream treat. We all piled into Stevien's car. Beth-Ann of course, took the passenger seat, while Rocky, Jacob, and I crammed into the back. Rocky was the smallest and I knew she had a crush on Jacob, so I offered to let her sit in the middle. She only smirked at me before climbing in. The three of us in the back had fun. We whispered to each other and found ourselves laughing for most of the ride to the parlor.

We got our ice cream and left to go to the park. As the other half of our tradition went, Stevien and I found ourselves on the swings, eating our ice cream. We always asked each other the same questions and listened to each other's answers like it was the last thing we would ever hear again. This year, the questions and answers seemed muted to me.

"What was your favorite part of the year?" Stevien asked me. It was always the first question he asked.

"Definitely prom," Beth-Ann said stealthily answering him as quickly as humanly possible.

"Okay...El?" He turned to me, almost upset that I wasn't the one to answer him.

"Um. Well, not the prom itself for me, but I would say that after I left prom that night was probably the best night I have ever had." I told him with a smile, which he returned as he continued with his ice cream.

"What about you Rocky?" I asked.

"Me?" She questioned almost stunned that she was in the spotlight.

"Mmm-hmm," I replied as I tried to catch a drip that was threatening to run over my cone and onto my fingers.

"Oh umm... I don't know. Come back to me."

"Okay. Jake. What about you?" Stevien asked.

"My favorite part of the year was when we crushed Dover in basketball. That was the best thing ever," Jacob replied, recalling the upset of their season against rivals, the Dover Devils.

"Bro! That was the best game of my life. I think we all had our best game that night," Stevien added. I smiled, remembering what was truly his best game of the year. He played an outstanding game typically, but the Dover game at home was a whole new level of play.

"Totally! I don't think anyone expected us to win. But we demolished them!" Jacob said.

We continued swinging and asking each other questions. We asked questions about our plans for the summer to what we hoped our senior year would be like to what colleges we hoped to apply to or attend. Rocky surprised us when she said that she was taking a year off to travel. Her parents already approved as long as she was sure to go with someone else and visit Spain. The thought of traveling sounded fun, but I couldn't see myself stepping out of my comfort zone. At the same time, I had no idea what I wanted to do after high school, so I tucked that idea in the back of my mind.

Word count: 1239