His Little Brother

Chapter Eleven

As she sat at her vanity that night, thinking about how the Book Fair was a success, Jazz started to think about Dylan for what seemed like the millionth time. 

She groaned and placed her face in her hands. 

Stop thinking about him! She scolded herself. You like David! David, not Dylan! 

"Jazz! There's a call for you, honey. You can take it in your room. It's the Cunningham boy." Her dad's voice woke her from her internal battle. 

Dylan is calling me again? 

"Okay, dad," she called out, almost tripping over her rug as she rushed to the phone. She ignored the flutter she felt in her stomach at the thought of talking to Dylan again.

What is going on with me? She thought to herself.

"I just saw you a few hours ago. You're really calling me again?" Jazz said playfully when she picked up the phone. 

"Hey Jazz, umm...this is David."

Jazz gasped and nearly tripped over her fuzzy slippers. "David. Umm...hi."

"Listen...I'm really sorry I couldn't make it to the Book Fair. I was falling behind in Calculus and I had to take a few extra tutoring sessions. Today was the only day my tutor was free. If I knew he would take so long, I wouldn't have gone."

Jazz couldn't believe that he sounded so apologetic.

"Its okay, really. Dylan was a huge help and I'm just happy it turned out well."

David chuckled. "Yeah, Dylan made it very clear that I missed out," he went silent for a moment. "I'm actually done with my research and my part of the paper," he told her. "Would you want to get together tomorrow and get this thing going?"

Jazz gulped. "Yeah, sure. Just tell me when and where."

"Okay, how about the library at 4pm? I don't have any practice after school. Is that time good for you?"

"It's actually perfect. I guess I'll see you then?"

"See you then Jazz."

Jazz didn't know how to feel. Her heart was beating so loudly that she had to take in a few breaths. When her mom walked in the room, she asked Jazz if she just got shocking news or something. 

"No mom, well, sort of. David and I are getting together tomorrow after school to work on the paper." 

"Oh, that's nice honey. I actually thought you were talking to Dylan again."

Jazz's heart leaped at the mention of Dylan's name. 

"Dylan? Why?"

Her mom sat next to her on the bed. "You two seemed to have hit it off."

"Yeah, I mean...Dylan is amazing."

"Amazing?"

"Well...yeah," Jazz told her. "He's an amazing...friend."

"Friend?" Her mom asked her, looking intently.

"Yes....friend mom. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just thought that you two liked each other," her mom told her matter-of-factly. "Well, both your dad and I did."

"Dylan and me?" Jazz asked, looking at her mom dumbfoundedly.

"Yes. You and Dylan. Why do you look so surprised, honey?"

"Because I like David, mom. You and dad know this already."

"Do you really?"

"Well... yes. I mean...of course I do. I've liked him since third grade."

Her mom sat closer to her this time. "Honey, have you ever actually spent time with David? Are you sure that you like him, or is it the idea of him that you like? You and Dylan have been spending a lot of time together and you light up when he's around."

"Mom, Dylan is sixteen. I'm eighteen."

"What does that have to do with anything? You just turned eighteen. Besides, he'll be seventeen in a week. He told me himself."

"What? How did that even come up?"

Her mom laughed. "He told me on the phone when he called. He's a really nice boy, Jazz. I think you two would be a nice pair. Your dad thinks so, too, and you know that your dad never thinks that anyone is good enough for you."

Jazz took in a few breaths. My mom thinks that Dylan and I would make a good pair?

"I like David, mom, not Dylan," she told her mom, although she wasn't as convinced of that anymore. At all. 

"Okay, honey. If you say so. I'm just saying not to count Dylan out. He's a really nice boy and he seems to like you alot."

Dylan? Like me?

"I highly doubt that, mom. But, thank you for letting me know."

"You're always welcome, Jazz. I love you."

"I love you, too, mom."

Jazz spent the remainder of the night mulling over what her mom told her. As much as she tried to be excited about her meet-up with David tomorrow, she kept thinking about what her mom said about Dylan.

He seems to like you alot.