Dibs! (Lesbian, GxG)

Chapter 16

So, that's pretty much how I spend the next couple of hours. I've completed math, English, and science while Jules just took a nap, her arm still slung over me. From how she snored, it sounded like it was a much needed one.

     The only reason I stopped doing my homework is from a text on my phone.

     Where are you?!

     "Crap," I whisper. I forgot to tell Mom, or at least Nancy, where I was going to be after school. And recently, I've proven Mom that I'm independent and responsible.

     From this little stunt, I've just pushed my independence by a couple months. Or years.

     At classmate's house. Doing homework. Sorry I didn't tell you beforehand.

     Barely a minute later, another text arrives from Mom:

     Fine. I expect you home in ten minutes, though. We need to talk about this.

     Double crap.

     I try to get up off the bed, but Jules is blocking my way. I shake her by the shoulders, and she stirs after my fourth attempt to wake her up. "Hawo," she murmurs. "You're leaving already?"

     Showing her my phone screen, I say, "Mom wants me home now."

     "M'kay." She groggily gets up. I head back downstairs, ready to walk out the door (hopefully for good). I curse when I realize I'm not going to get home in time by walking.

     "What's wrong?" Jules stage-whispers from the top of the stairs. "Did you forget something?"

     I tell her, and she walks down the stairs and pokes her head in the living room. "Randy?" Jules calls out, using a voice only a child would use to try to get its parents' attention. "Randy."

     From the living room, I hear, "Yeah? What do you need, Jules?"

     "Is it okay if you can take Callie home?"

     "Finally! Something to do!" Randy practically jumps out of the room and grabs his jacket. "Sure, I can do that," he adds, smiling amusingly as he lifts the hood over his head.

     "Um, thanks," I say.

     "No problem. I've been doing nothing all day." Randy opens the door and lets me out. "Do your homework, Jules!"

     "I always do that," comes Jules' response. "Wait! I forgot something."

     Faster than the speed of light, Jules rushes over and hugs me tightly. "Can't . . . breathe," I say, after several long moments have passed. She's trapped my arms in her hug, so I can't really do much about it. At least not without flipping her to the floor, which I doubt Randy would be pleased about.

     "I know." Jules keeps holding onto me for a bit longer before she finally lets go of me. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

     Chuckling at his sister's antics, Randy leads me outside the house to a silver family car about a couple years old. He opens the driver's door and gets in while I get in the passenger seat, making sure I have all of my things before Randy starts the car and reverses out of the driveway. 

     Stopping the car as soon as it hits the road, Randy asks me, "Where do you live?" I give him my address, and he nods. "I'm kind of familiar with that area."

     "Okay." I lean back in the seat, drumming my fingers. I think now's the chance, I say mentally. Ask, or forever hold your peace. 

     Whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

     "So, why are you here?" I ask. "I mean, here in this city? Where your university isn't?"

     "You're curious, too?" He sounds more interested than annoyed.

     I tighten my grip on my backpack. "I heard it from my sister," I say. "And she didn't tell me much about you, so yeah, I guess."

     Randy turns the wheel to the left. As we enter a new street, he says, "I'm taking a break from my playing. My music professor thought it was a good idea and told me I could go back here and hopefully find someone with musical talent to be taken into consideration."

    "Consideration for what?"

     "Probably for the music scholarship I received last year." Randy's silent for a second, most likely thinking before adding, "They were impressed with me, especially where I came from."

     I absentmindedly check the contents in the backpack. You'd think I'd be completely alright, but I feel as if I left something back at the McCall house. It's probably nothing, I think. "Why would they be impressed about you having an extraordinary talent for the violin while coming from a small town?"

     I look sideways in time to see him grin. "That was my question when this started," he explains. "Maybe I should have rephrased it. Basically, they were surprised by the fact I wasn't exactly tutored or something, and yet I could do more than an average high school violinist."

     That makes more sense. 

     "So, they just think you can scope out more musicians in here?"

     "Pretty much." Randy turns the wheel to the right. Comparing his driving and my sister's, there's a good possibility I'll end up asking him to chauffeur me around (if I need it) more often than Nancy.

      It wouldn't be smart to keep letting my sister drive when I'm in the car. Or anyone, for that matter.

     "How'd you and Jules meet?" he asks all of the sudden.

     Taken by surprise, I take a little longer than necessary to answer. "It's, kind of complicated."

     He stops at a red light. "I've dealt with all kinds of 'complicated' from Jules for the past sixteen years," Randy assures me. "By now, I'm kind of used to her weirdness."

     "Even with her way of telling someone she likes them?" I ask, breaking each word into separate little sentences.

     "Oh." Randy doesn't seem to know how to respond to that. He turns to another corner, and I point my house for him. He drives by the curb and parks, letting me out. "Callie."

     I bend down so I can see him through the window. "Yeah."

     He clicks his tongue. "Can you do me a favor?"

     "Um, sure," I respond, uncertain about what favor he would want me to do for him.

     "Can, can you ignore any of the rumors going around school about Jules?" I'm about to ask him what he means by that, but I just close my mouth and nod. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

     I don't leave until Randy drives off and disappears. As soon as he does, I slowly turn towards the house and walk myself in, forgetting about the one question I needed to ask Randy.