My books are hurled at my face.
The pages slit my skin, leaving only my words to defend me. The hardback covers leave bruises on my dignity. I want to tell them I'm sorry. To tell them that I didn't mean what I said.
"Hey dweeb," Oh, thank goodness. She's here. Bethany Wells can scare a guy senseless, and she's only five foot two. "Joshua and Daniel, you should know better. My father can do whatever his little princess tells him to do, including eliminating your main source of income." Joshua and Daniel scramble for their things, because with her father as their boss, they don't want this situation getting any worse. Her left hand is on her hip, leaving her right hand free to wreak whatever havoc it wants. Within a couple of seconds, my tormentors have fled. She didn't break out any of her scary stuff. I guess it's gotten to that point where everyone that has ever heard of the Wells family name is just scared at the sight of her that she doesn't need to say anything.
Remembering to thank my savior, I stand up. "Thanks. For what you did."
"It's no problem." She gives me a look that says, You and I both know I do this way too often. Believe me. You're not special. Maybe that's not what she meant to come across as, but that's what it seemed like. I still think I need to pay her back. Literally.
"So, you doing anything tonight? I mean, you did just save me from a couple of jerks that could have easily killed me. Can't I repay the favor?"
She smiles at me. "No, I'm not doing anything tonight...but if you were thinking on a place to go, since you're obviously asking me out, I was thinking the movies? The cheap one on the corner?" She turns to walk away, then snaps her head toward me. "You're going to need my number, right? To work out the details?"
Of course. One of the only guys in the city that doesn't have parents that let him have a phone to has to text his possibly maybe date? Great. She starts writing her name down on a piece of pink stationery she pulled out of her purse, which I didn't even see. "Yeah, thanks. I'll give you mine over the phone, since I... Uh, I have to go."
"Oh. Okay! Talk to you later?" Her hopeful face gives me all the more reason to keep this date. If you could call it that. It's just movies with a girl that saved you from bullies, right? Right?
"Yeah. Talk to you later."
Once she's out of earshot, I give a little squeal of delight. I know, so manly. I can't wait until...
Wait.
I have to get a phone. Beth won't get home until twenty minutes from now (Don't ask me how I know. It's another story for another day). That gives me a little while to sprint home and to get my mother's face unstuck to her phone. I take off running towards my house.
Today is going to be a good day.
I get home, out of breath and out of shape. I remind myself to start running. The old wooden door opens to my huge, modern house.. "Excuse me? Young man? Where have you been?" Nothing like an overprotective father to greet you when you walk in the door. "I've been waiting for you. It has been exactly eleven minutes since five o'clock, when you said you would be home from town. You, son, are late."
"Dad, I can explain--"
"No. Young man, get to your room. If you're going to act like a child then I'll treat you like one."
My mother hollers at him from across the great room, every word reverberating and sounding even scarier with every square inch of space. "Jack! Leave him be! He's almost eighteen years old! He's going to be late. If I punished you for being more than a second late, I bet you would feel different about this situation."
I sigh in relief. Mom is always saving me. I can't even see why my parents got married. They seem like two completely different people. I walk into her room, where she is sorting through her clothes. She inspects each one carefully, then sets them in different piles. All of the shirts and pants look the same to me. Maybe this is one of those don't-ask-mom-or-she'll-flip situations. She seems to have caught on to my confusion. "Ollie, did you know your eyes are so much like mine? Forest green. A brilliant combination of dark and light. When you finally find someone, you'll figure it out."
"I've always thought all eyes looked the same."
"You'll find out soon enough. I know you have a date. You can use my phone."
"Mom, its not a date. She just helped me, and I wanted to repay her."
Her expression changes from playfulness to genuine concern. "Ollie, sweetie, what did she have to help you with? You're a very independent young man and never need help from anybody other than yourself."
I can't tell her. No way. "My language homework. I was looking for a quote to put in my huge project," Whew. Maybe she'll fall for it. "She found it for me and now I may actually get an A."
Mom starts to put her clothes away, and it seems like she's fallen for it. Another lie. I make a mental note to stop it. It'll bite me in the back later. "Okay... I'll let you go as long as you're home by eleven. You know how your father gets." Smirking, she turns back to her shirt-sorting procedure. I start to walk away, and she tosses me her phone. I text Beth at her number, dreading whatever could happen next.
Hey, it's Oliver. It says she read it, but she doesn't respond. She waits a second, then sends me a message.
Hey! So what time were you thinking? I was thinking seven, since I have a lot of homework to do. Will that work for you? Honestly, any time will do. But I don't say that I am almost rolling in boredom.
I think that will be fine, yeah. What movie do you want to see? There's a bunch playing.
I don't know, you pick. :)
Okay, you asked for it.
Okay, see you at seven?
See you at seven.
<3
I'm a little freaked out, especially since we've only been friends for an hour, and she started sending me heart emoticons. But, alas, I must go.
