Hannah's Story

Chapter 4 - The Guys

I know it's early for me to be posting, but I figured I'll post while I can. I'm not promising this will happen again :-).

Pic is Nick Robinson as Jesse Malick.

**************

JESSE

I was just getting home from hanging with the guys when my phone rang. Looking at the Caller ID, I thought it was a little odd that Hannah was calling, but I answered it anyway.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey," she said. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

I wondered what it was she had called to talk about. Mr. Parsons had let us off the hook with no homework tonight, which was very unusual. I wondered if I had Hannah to thank for that. Maybe he had asked her out and she'd said yes, and he was too happy to worry about homework. That surely couldn't be why she was calling, though.

"Sure, I just got home," I said. "What's up?"

"Well, I'm guessing you still like Rachel?" she asked.

Did I like Rachel? I had only been fantasizing about her for the past month or so. I thought about her more than was healthy, I was sure. She was beautiful. I loved how she was always smiling and was never mean to anyone. Her small, athletic body and chocolate brown eyes were nothing to complain about either. Unfortunately, I only had one class with her, Chemistry, and we sat at opposite ends of the classroom.

"Definitely," I replied. "Why?"

"Because," she began, "I have an idea. I started helping with the yearbook staff during lunch on Thursdays, and she's one of the kids who works during her lunch three times a week on the layout."

"That's cool and all, Hannah," I said, not sure what she was getting at, "but what does that have to do with me?"

"You should join yearbook," she said. "I could tell them that I was talking about it during game night, and you were interested."

"I don't know, Hannah. I like eating lunch with my friends," I said, sounding like a spoiled child.

"Okay. I guess if you don't want to date her enough, then," she said.

I interrupted her, "Oh, I definitely want to date her. I'm just not sure this is the right way. Yearbook?"

"Listen," Hannah said, an irritated tone in her voice. "If you're not ready to sacrifice time with your friends to try to get a girl, then you aren't ready for a girlfriend."

I pursed my lips together to keep from laughing. I could just picture the look on her face now. She was probably squinting, with a scowl forming in her lips. That's what she did when our answer was wrong on game night. She sounded so serious right now, but I thought it was funny how she was going all mom-like on me. I guess she was playing the mom to my spoiled child.

"Okay. Who stole my cool game night partner Hannah and replaced her with my mom?" I said, hoping she wouldn't yell at me. She could get scary when she was mad.

"Listen, sorry if I sound preachy, but you reminded of me of your brother just then, choosing his friends over me, and I got a little defensive," she said, sounding apologetic. "It's not like you're already dating Rachel and ignoring her by not joining yearbook or anything. I'm sorry for yelling at you like that. "

"Hey, I'm nothing like Ethan, or so he always tells me. I guess I could give the yearbook thing a shot," I said, figuring that missing a few lunches with my friends might be worth it. I also didn't like making Hannah mad.