The Ivy League

The Ivy League Part 13

I dropped into the plush seat, tired and discouraged. This school was freaking gi-normous, it had its own theater. I gave a deep pathetic sigh, then glanced to my side and laughed out loud. The girl sitting beside me was adorable, and she was watching the third scene with a smile wider than her face.

She looked over at me when I laughed, and I swear her smile got even wider. "Hi!" she chirped. "I'm Jennifer, but DON'T call me that, please dear Lord, that would be horrible. Just call me Jay."

I blinked.

"You're Courtney," she informed me happily.

"I know," I said, amused.

"Hi, Courtney, I'm Jennifer...oh, wait, I already told you that."

"Yup." I tried not to laugh again.

She kept on smiling, bouncing in her seat.

"So you're with Nate," she continued, bouncing all the while, and I froze.

"No, he's with Ellen," I said slowly.

"Yeah I know, I meant you're starring alongside Nate!"

"Um. Yeah. I know."

What I DIDN'T know was what to say to her. She sounded slightly strange talking, but really this girl was so... cute. She was slightly petite with big brown eyes, brown hair almost black with a cute layered cut, and a general air of happy giddiness. One of the stage workers passed by and she beamed radiantly at him.

"Hi, Jeremy!" she said in the loudest stage-whisper I've ever heard, waving her arm at a frantic speed that made it look like she had multiple hands. The guy called Jeremy nodded at her, smiling, and continued to lug away what was supposed to be the rump of a papier-mâché horse.

I lapsed into silent laughter. She was so enthusiastic about everything.

Then I noticed Nate on the other side of the theater, looking as tired and disgruntled as I felt. I kind of started feeling sorry for him, but then I noticed Ellen beside him.

This is what he gets for dating her and doing what she tells him, I thought sourly. Then I turned with a tired sigh to watch the kid playing the puppetmaster attempt to untangle the puppet Quasimodo from the puppet Esmeralda where it looked a lot worse than it sounded.

***

NATE'S POV:

"Stop it, Ellen," I said in a low voice that was threatening to become a growl.

She cocked her head, looking at me, but withdrew her hand from my hair. I hated it when she touched my hair. Some boyfriends love it, but that's because their girlfriends aren't so freaking possessive and obsessive. Ellen makes the gesture into showing everyone that I'm hers; there's no affection in it. If any other girl ran her fingers through my hair, I wouldn't mind, because they wouldn't be trying to own me. Like if Courtney did it, for example...

I froze. Shit. Where did that come from?

I was distracted from that alarming new thought by Ellen. Again.

Dammit, it's been months now since we've felt anything for each other. I kind of hate her. I mean, wouldn't any guy with a girl like her?

There's no affection, no love, no smiles, no laughter or hugs unless it's to show me off to some poor girl who wouldn't dream of crossing Ellen, anyway. It hadn't been like this in the beginning, but I guess Ellen is the type of person that the more you get to know her the more you hate her. Too bad she's so charismatic and can attract anyone she wants. And too bad her rich daddy is friends with my rich daddy.