Laylis & Jason

Chapter Eight

 It had been two weeks since Jason and I had our perplexing conversation on the sidewalk in front of my house. I felt strange every day since then. Kind of like... someone was watching me. But, if you guys have paid attention enough to know my personality you would know that, like always, I shrugged it off.

So, two weeks later with no contact between us, I go to the grocery store like I do every Thursday with my mom. After a little bit of shopping, I go over to the smoothie shop to buy us both a Very Berry smoothie. I don't exactly remember how it started, but it's been like this for as long as I can remember. The only difference is, when I was younger we would both go to the smoothie shop together after we were done shopping. Of course I couldn't go alone.

I'm waiting in line to order our smoothies when Jason pops into my head. It didn't really bother me that he hadn't said anything; it just stumped me. He is the one who made it clear that he wanted to be friends. Why go through the trouble only to not say a word? I'm most definitely not saying anything to him first. There is no way.

When I finally order and pay for our smoothies, I walk out and head back into the store where my mother is waiting for me to finish shopping. What I seen when I got back to the isle almost made me drop the smoothies. Jason. Jason standing there being held in place by my mother. I froze for a second, not sure what to do. When my mother seen me standing there staring, she made the decision for me.

"Laylis! Laylis, come here."

"Uh... yeah?" I ask playing stupid when I get to her.

"So, Jason here told me that when he tried to be a gentleman to you you hit him. Is that true?"

I look at Jason and I swear if my mother wasn't right there I would have hit him again.

"Gentleman? Is that what he told you? He wasn't being a gentleman when he ran right into me!"

"Hey!" Shouts Jason, finally speaking up. "I didn't mean to run into you and I did apologize and try to help you up!"

"I could get up by myself!" I yelled back. "Why would I want helped up by the same person that made me hit the ground anyway?"

"Laylis, honey. He apparently didn't mean to run into you. Why did you hit him?" She asks.

Honestly, I have no idea why I hit him. I usually wouldn't just hit someone; even if they did run into me. It was just that it was the first day of school and... It just wasn't a good start. Also, I'll mention again that I am not too good with people my age.

"Okay, fine. Would everyone be happy if just I apologized?"

"Yes!" Shouts Jason and we both glare at him making him shrink.

"Yes, honey. I'd like that very much."

I take a breath and look at Jason.

If she wasn't here, this definitely would not be how it went. I'd be cussing him out for stalking me right now. But... I already said I would. I didn't say that I wouldn't make it my own though.

"Jason, I am so incredibly sorry that I hit you after you so rudely bumped into me and then tried to make it seem like it was my fault. Creepily stalking me for two weeks to get my mom alone and talk to her is something else that I am sorry about and you should be too. I am also sorry that you took the hit like a baby and made it seem like I pummeled you." I said seriously and then added, "Truly."

Her face turned so red I thought she might miraculously combust. Jason's face wasn't too far off. They both looked completely mortified. I, however, was utterly satisfied with my apology. They both stared at me for a while before I smiled and handed them both smoothies. See? I could be nice. I gave him my smoothie.

My little unique apology didn't fare me well when my mother left me at the store with Jason so I would have to walk home with him. Just perfect. When I started walking, I noticed he had a bike so maybe we wouldn't have to walk back together. He could ride ahead and I could walk home in peace. However, you must remember that he insists that he is and on being a gentleman. So, he walked right next to me with his bike by him.

If I were him, I would have left me. I did just call him a rude, creepy, baby. That's Jason for you though.

"So..." He starts, "How did you know I'd been following you for two weeks?"

"I didn't," I reply. "But you just confirmed it for me."

I glance over at him and see the same face from in the store, mortified.

"When I seen you, I put the pieces together. First, you say you want to be friends but don't say anything for weeks. Second, the whole time after that I felt like I was being watched. And third, you turn up at the grocery store where I go every Thursday with my mom and start telling her about us."

"It could have been anyone following you, though! Maybe I just so happened to be at the store too."

"Coincidentally, there was almost always a bike that looked extremely similar to yours every time I came out of a store or other building."

"Ah," he says as if in thought. "The fatal flaw in my plan."

"The big hamartia." I follow.

We walk on for a while in silence. The grocery store is only a few blocks down from my house so it wasn't a long walk.

"I hadn't planned on being caught." He said like that made it better. "Everything would have been fine but I didn't factor in the chance that your mom would grab me before I could leave. I knew I was toast when she smiled at me with that same smile.... Never mind."

I openly laugh and can't even be mad at my mom. We're too much alike. She's just a mother now so she has those motherly qualities that I have not yet acquired.

"So, where does your little brother go when you two go to the store?"

"My aunt comes and gets him every Thursday so he can play with our cousin who's nearly the same age."

"Oh, okay."

Awkward silence.

"What did you hope to accomplish from all this?" I ask genuinely curious.

"Well, I was hoping to get some information on you and your people skills to see what I was dealing with."

"What you were dealing with? I'm not some business that could just be dealt with. I'm a human being. Even if I don't like being one."

He looks at me for a long while and doesn't watch where he's stepping so almost trips.

"You don't like being a human? What does that mean? Like, you don't want to be alive?"

"Can we not? I just want to get home."

When I do get home, I think about it and decide I'd rather not be followed for another two weeks. So, I tell him to hold on and go inside to get a piece of paper. I write my number down and hand it to him before going back inside to relax in my room. I didn't even bother to say something to my mom for leaving me there.

I end up falling asleep and dreaming about the smoothie that I gave away. I really wanted a smoothie.

****I really want a smoothie too :( Haha, thanks for reading!****