Crushes Over Papercuts- A Mid 90s Tale

Chapter 48

The five of us snuck into the rival school's gym near the end of the second period but didn't make it much past the entrance.

"There's nowhere to sit," Lily groaned.

The bleachers were packed with students from both schools which left standing room only for us.

Tiff smiled. "Some space just opened up."

A group of seniors scooted closer together and offered us a seat next to them when they recognized Tiffany.

"There's some perks to being Tiff's sister," Nicole joked.

I heard a few murmurs and the whisper of my name when I walked through the center aisle to our seats. When I passed the fourth row a guy from my History class noticed my pager then smirked, "You carrying tonight, Jenny?" but before I could react Cody stood up and stared him down. The guy put his hands up and said "sorry" under his breathe. Cody winked at me and I mouthed "thank you" to him.

Before my locker became fodder for the gossips, I sometimes felt uncomfortable at school but I never felt unwelcomed...not until Courtney. I unhooked my pager, tossed it into my purse, and made myself a mental reminder to check on it regularly. I didn't want to lose the privileges I had regained only hours before.

It was near impossible to avoid seeing the back of Courtney's head from where I sat since her and the rest of the squad were on the first row waving their orange and white pompoms every time the guys scored. I tried to ignore her but it would be like ignoring a floater in my eye. I could only wait for the right blink to send her away.

She didn't notice us when we walked in which was a relief. Something about her made my skin prickle and not only because of her lies. Courtney was off. It wasn't hyperbole when I told Ms. Deskin she could be a great super villain. It was the truth. I was scared of Courtney.

We were up by nine points at the fourth period and the crowd was getting into the game. I cheered along with everyone else when our team scored but I muted my excitement when Ben had the ball. We still had to play our parts until Courtney's accusations were resolved and that whole mess couldn't touch us anymore. Then I remembered, "It's over. I don't have to pretend for her anymore". The next time Ben scored, I screamed "Go Ben" louder than everyone.

The whistle blew and a time out was called. As the guys walked back to their bench, Marcus found Lily in the crowd. She blew him a kiss which made him laugh and when he noticed the rest of us, he elbowed Ben and motioned our way. When Ben smiled at me, I knew everything would be okay. Even with all the frustration I had endured over the past few weeks, I was happy.

Courtney's head snapped and her eyes burned into me. I wanted to shrink behind the girls but I turned my gaze towards Ben who had returned to the court.

"Hey, it looks like Alex is trying to get your attention." Lauren pointed to Alex standing in a back corner on the opposite side of the gym with his camera strapped around his neck. The expression on his face wasn't his usual happy-go-lucky self. He was serious. I waved at him but instead of waving back, he indicated for me to meet him outside.

"I think he wants to talk to me."

Nicole watched Alex disappear. "Do you want us to come with you?"

"No, I'll be fine. You guys enjoy the game."

I stepped down the bleachers and kept my eyes on my feet until Courtney was out of my view. I could feel her eyes burrowing into my back until I turned the corner and exited the double doors.

Alex was waiting near a tree away from the groups of people chatting outside the gymnasium. He gave me a taut smile when I approached.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.