STUCK IN A ROMANCE NOVEL

RUMORS

Word got around fast about Tristan asking me to be his girlfriend.  The gang loved teasing me about it.  Joel, on the other hand, was not happy.  When I cornered him during sixth-period while we were doing inventory  "So, what is wrong?"  "Nothing Triny I am fine."  "Bullshit, Jo Jo"  "OK I don't like it this was too soon."  "Come on it has been two weeks since we met."  "Yeah, well maybe he should have waited longer."  "Oh, come off it, you and every guy here has ended up in a relationship with a girl you barely know even a day."  "Well, it is different with you."  "Why, Joel?"  "Because you are pure and innocent."  "So, having a boyfriend is not going to change that status."  "Yeah, right pretty soon you are going to be telling me you slept together and you think you're pregnant and that he dumped you."  I stare at him and slap him before getting up "you know what you finish the inventory, Mr. Treasurer."  I grab my bag and pull out my book before going across the room and lay down to read.  "So, what ya reading now."  "Tristan please not now I need to cool off."  "Ok sweetheart I will just be over there by the computer playing chess unless you want to play with me."  "No, not right now."  I engrossed myself in The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles since I had seen the movie and decided to read the book as well.  After a while, I hear "Triny I am sorry, please look at me."  I reach into my bag and grab my Walkman and put in Jon Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet cassette slide on my headphones and hit play.  I continue to read, and I finally see him walk off and sit across the way from me.  When the bell rings I turn off my Walkman and put it away along with my book getting up to leave.  Joel comes up "Please Triny let me walk you to class so we can talk."  I look at Tristan "You ready to head out."  "Babe go with Joel and fix this."  "Not right now either you walk with me, or I go by myself."  "Ok, let's go.  Sorry dude."

As we were walking to class "What did he say that was so bad?"  "He said...never mind it is too embarrassing."  When we get to the class, he looks at me and lifts my chin, so I look him in the eye "Please tell me" "Later I promise." "ok, I don't like seeing the hurt in your eyes."  He leaned down and kissed my cheek and walked into class.  I went into my class and grabbed a pass after checking in with the teacher and took off to pick up the submissions for the literary magazine.  After arriving back at class, I handed what I picked up to the weeks' secretary and walked to the table and grabbed a stack of submissions to start reading.  I noticed that Nathan kept staring at me and I looked up at him, and he gave me a look that said what gives I just shrugged my shoulders.  He moved next to me, and after I finished the last of the submissions in my hand, he looked at me and whispered: "you ok Trin."  "No, Joel is an ass."  "What happened...oh wait let me guess he is mad about Tristan."  "yes, he claims we moved to fast."  "Please, that boy has been following you around since the day he met you"  "Well, Joel seems to think I am going to cash in my V card and then he is going to dump me, and I will end up PG."  He started laughing "oh, sorry Trin don't get me wrong, but you are the last girl I would expect that to happen to you are too cautious when it comes to guys."  "thanks, Nathan" "not, a problem so what did you do to him besides ignore him." "Slapped him"  "good he deserves it."  "I am so not looking forward to the end of class."  "Why not" "Tristan wants to know what the fight was about."   "Well be honest with him Trin."

After class Tristan walks me back to Mr. Plass's classroom when I hear "Yeah, Joel is mad because he caught Trin you know touching Tristan you know where."  I turn to Tristan, and he looks furious.  When we get into the room, he storms up to Joel "What the hell did you say to people."  "I have no idea what you are talking about."  "Then why do people think something inappropriate happened between Trin and me."  "I may have mentioned that I felt you were using her for one thing and didn't like you two being together."  "Great now they think you were mad because..."  All of a sudden Nathan walks in laughing "Hey those jerks out there think that Trin was giving Tristan a hand job."  I storm out the back door to the lab and walk up to the first person that looks me up and down and I grab them slamming them into the lockers "Just so you all know nothing happened hello Joel was in there as well as Mr. Plass so all you filthy disgusting perverts can stop thinking grouse things.  I am a virgin, and I plan on staying that way till I get married and if you don't have anything better to do then gossip well make sure I don't hear it or else."  I spin to the back door and get let in and march up to Joel "You make sure next time no one around is going to spread rumors because you can't keep your mouth shut."  With that, I grabbed my bag and went to my mom's classroom.  Tristan followed me out, and to my mom's room when we arrived, he asked: "so, what happened."  "OH, Joel thinks you are using me for sex and that I as soon as you get me to cash in my V card you will dump me leaving me pregnant."  "Nope, not happening since I still have mine."