Jess
When I got there, I grabbed my iPod and shoved the buds into my ears. Wrong buds. I switch them, then use my thumb to scroll to my song. The moment it came on, I smiled a little. It was my sad song. You know, the one you go back to again and again. And then again? That song. I freaking loved it. And it NEVER got old. Ever. I knew the lyrics by heart, so I sang with Colbie:
“I am trying
Not to tell you
But I want to
I’m scared of what you’ll say
So I’m hiding what I’m feeling
But I’m tired of
Holding this inside my head…”
Yeah, story of my life. They hay I sat on rustled as I adjusted my position to glance at the pics I’d drawn of Dre. Bad idea. The second I saw his eyes, tears came. I didn’t even bother to hold the back, either. I was in my place, and there was no one to embarrass myself in front of. Good. I liked to be alone, anyway. It was good though. Probably, I’d end up alone my whole life. I really thought were close to having something. Maybe he was just playing with me. I thought at least that we could be friends…
I heard a creak behind me. I must’ve imagined it. I always freak myself out. I turned back to my sketch. Then it came again. I looked behind me and pointed the flashlight down into the barn. Oh, my gosh.
It was Dre.
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Dre
“Hey,” I looked up, squinting into the beam of light. She pointed it slightly to the left.
“Dre!! What are you doing here?” I couldn’t tell if she was angry or no.
“Yeah, well…” I rubbed the back of my neck and loosened my tie, “I’ve got some stuff to tell you.”
She just looked at me. I couldn’t really read her expression because the moonlight was shining through the loft doors, shadowing her face. I was expecting her to kick me out at any moment.
“I… I thought you were… Aren’t you supposed to be at Prom with Kenzi Brockbank? How did you find me?” So she’d heard, which wasn’t really a surprise, considering Kenzi’s big mouth.
I blushed.
“Mind if I…” I gestured toward the ladder leading to the loft. She shifted her feet and hesitantly answered,
“Sure.”
I came up, and she set the flashlight down between us.
“Okay, well, um…” I looked nervously at her, “I have a confession to make. A couple, actually.”
She looked at me expectantly.
“Well… first, I want to apologize. I’ve done some things I shouldn’t have. First off, the day you ran away from me, I followed you to the dirt path. Then later, when I heard you talking about the barn, I couldn’t help it… I had to see it.”
She looked confused, “Why? It’s just an old barn.” She pulled up both legs and wrapped her arms around them. I could tell that to her, it was more than just an old barn. I felt horrible. I couldn’t believe I’d actually come here that day alone.
“Well, I don’t know… I just…” How could I put it to her? “I…really like you. A lot, actually. And I’ve been kind of watching you, you know. Not like a creeper, I just…” This was coming out all wrong!! What could I say? Before I could worry more, she turned to me, almost looking relieved.
“Me, too. I mean, I don’t like myself a lot…” she sighed, “What I’m trying to say is that I like you, too… a lot.” She looked down, attempting to occupy herself, “I understand. You saw them, didn’t you?” She pointed towards the sketches, head down.
“Yeah, I did… I’ve been meaning to tell you. They’re amazing!”
“Oh, Dre, I’m so embarrassed. I never meant for anyone to see them. I know it’s weird, but it’s like you coming to see my barn – I just… I thought I’d never have a chance.”
“No, really, Jess, they’re awesome, except for the one of me and Kyle.” Her face fell slightly. I continued, “Kyle is NOT that buff!”
She giggled a little, “Oh, he is… you’re just jealous of him!”
I pretended to glare at her, putting my hands on my hips.
“But… if you want, I can make your biceps bigger next time.”
“Much better.”
Jess looked up at me, “So, you came here, and saw all of this?”
“Yeah,” suddenly, I felt worse again. So I explained it all again: from our friendship to the barn, to Kyle convincing me to take Kenzi, up until tonight’s events. I was more than embarrassed, but she seemed okay. She told me why she ran, and how shy she was sometimes, and why she drew me. And, the amazing part was that there were no hard feelings.
Eventually, she motioned to the loft doorway, “Let’s sit there; there’s a cool breeze.”
We had a great time. I’m sure we looked a little odd… if any passerby’s had seen us, they would have laughed at the overly-confident boy and the shy Latina girl sitting in a barn loft and interrupting our conversation by pointing out constellations, laughing hysterically, and talking through mouthfuls of excessively sugared breakfast cereal.
Eventually, Jess introduced me to the rest of her art and gave me a portrait of myself. Which, by the way, is totally awesome.When I stopped blabbing her head off, she apologized again. I could see her blushing in the moonlight. “Jess, don’t be embarrassed. I’m the one that should be.”
“But I am.” She was redder than ever.
“Okay, then, stay embarrassed then,” I put my arm around her shoulder and squeezed, “You’re actually pretty cute when you’re embarrassed.” I laughed and she whopped me on the head. I could tell this was going to work out just fine.
I glanced behind me at a faintly glowing item – Jess’ nano. “Falling for You” was still on… so we listened:
“As I’m standing here
And you hold my hand
Pull me towards you
And we start to dance
All around us…”
I had an idea. Hopefully she didn’t think I was too cheesy…
YOU ARE READING
JESS
Teen FictionWhen 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...
