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Jess
“Well, you’re right. You should’ve just stayed and then said you would. Maybe he wasn’t even thinking of it as a date. He could’ve just wanted to hang.” Mags looked at me and twisted her mouth into a small frown.
“I know. I feel so dumb. I run away twice, and then I do it again. Only this time I had the whole spring break to worry about it instead of only two days! I might as well print a t-shirt that says: When talking to Dre, I run away.” I smiled a little, proud of my sarcastic jingle. Mags threw her head back and burst into full-blown glee.
“Good one! You are so hilarious! What boy wouldn’t LOVE you?!?” Her fiery hair bobbed up and down as she giggled. Awesome. It was like a happy fire. Kind of like a crush, I guess. It’s fun, but you get burned. I guess she wanted to change the subject, though, because she sat up leaning into a puddle of school lunch mush, and head in hand, asked “Has anyone asked you to prom yet?”
I rolled my eyes as far back as they could go, “No. But I’m not really expecting anyone to, so I’m all good.” I looked up from my quick sketch of the boy across the lunchroom who kept spewing food out of his mouth. Mags glanced down in disgust.
“Jess, ew. Why’d you draw HIM?”
“Because –“ I prolonged the word for emphasis, “I’m gonna do a caricature. You need CHARACTERS for CARICATURES.” I could tell that she didn’t really get it, though. She shoveled what were supposed to be mashed potatoes into another section of the lunch tray, and then poured the rest of her chocolate milk on it. So second grade.
“Oh. Whatever. Anyway, that’s a bunch of bull, and you know it! Why wouldn’t someone ask you? Huh?”
“Mags…” I tried to sound threatening. It probably came out more annoyed. Whatever.
“I’m serious. I’m pretty sure you’ll get asked. Why wouldn’t someone?”
“Mags!! You know EXACTLY why! You make a point of letting me know every day. I don’t talk to boys.” And it was so true. So true. Of course, that’s not really what I meant. I meant something more along the lines of “I want Dre to ask me, but he’s not into me.” But keeping it general was good cover. I could care less if any o f the other jerk-wads that walked the halls of Hillcrest High asked me. Like Kyle. Or Jake. Or anyone else. The only one I really cared to go with was Dre. Sometimes, I thought he liked me. He’d do things like make fun of me (it’s true! When guys like you they make fun!), or try to ask me to lunch. But it all seemed too good to be true.
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Dre
“Dre, man! Have you asked her?” Kyle pulled me over to his locker.
“How could I have forgotten to?” I looked around for an escape route. I knew Kyle a little too well, and I pretty much knew where this was going.
“Dude, really? Have you?”
“Nope. But I’m going to.” Kyle glared. “Right now, actually.”
“Perfect timing,” Kyle shoved me into the hallway, just in front of Kenzi. I was pretty much stuck. But considering my epic rejection in English, I decided that going might not be such a bad idea.
“Hey, Kenzi?” She whipped around, hair flying, purse swinging.
“Oh, hey Dre.” She spoke to me through blood red lipstick and long, fake eyelashes. Wow. It was kind of weird to see such fake lashes. Jess barely wore mascara.
“Yeah, I have a question for you…” I hoped I looked okay, at least half-way presentable. Prom was big for girls.
“Okay?” She batted her fake lashes in my direction, and I almost laughed.
“Yeah, um, would you like to go to prom with me next month?”
She looked me up and down. Hopefully I’d pass the test, or else Kyle was going to inflict some serious damage.
“Of course!! You know, I was just saying to Chelsea how much…”
She started blabbing on and on. I din’ know if I could handle her. Her tight jeans, metallic purse, and dangly earrings make her look awfully high maintenance.
Finally she wrapped it up with, “But yeah. I am totally excited. Do you like pink? Cuz you should totally get a matching tie or vest or something. OMG we’d be SO adorable together!”
Oh, boy. Pink. Apparently, we were going to be SOOO adorable. Maybe rejection was better than this.
أنت تقرأ
JESS
قصص المراهقينWhen pretty, shy latina, artist Jess doesn't get asked to senior prom by her crush, the sweet, charming, Dre, she is devastated. But what she doesn't know is that meddling friends have gotten in his way. Will she ever be brave enough to tell him how...
