The Deal- Valgrace

1: I Really Would Rather Stay Home And Work On Machines, But You're Cute

Jason Grace was clearly distressed on that Wednesday afternoon. What was his problem? What could possibly be so bad that he was fidgety? Gods, he made me look calm. His hands never stopped moving, always brushing his hair back or tugging at the hem of his shirt or tracing wood grain on the desk top. No one told him to stop or calm down. No one asked him if he forgot his meds that day. Jason was perfect, no one would make snarky remarks towards him. His tongue darted out and licked across his bottom lip as his stormy, sky blue eyes glanced around the room. Was was going on in that beautiful blond head of his? What was making him tick?

"Mister Valdez," The teacher called out, pulling me from my bored, zoned-out gaze on Jason. I snapped my head towards the direction of her voice at the front of the room, I was stuck almost all the way in the back of the middle row. I know right? So ideal that they put the short kid in the back. "Can you repeat what I just explained to the class, por favor?" She asked in a daunting tone, fucking up the pronunciation of her 'Spanish' to fuck with me, no doubt. I huffed and leaned all the way out to the aisle, attempting and failing to glimpse the board.

Sheila Hanker was my least favourite teacher teaching my favourite subject, advanced placement algebra. She always liked to call me out like I was such a bad kid and was on the brink of failing constantly, even though I've never had less than a 90, simply because I'm Latino. I know, 2019 and the teachers are still racist. That's Texas for you.

"Well, Ms. Hanker, if you could maybe, I dunno, place me where I could see the board better I'd probably pay more attention. I do have really bad ADHD, after all, and I already struggle paying attention. Maybe if I could see what was going on well," I paused to laugh quietly to myself, "maybe I'd be able to recite the problem to you, gracias Señorita."

Now was I digging my own grave here? Well, perhaps un poco. I didn't really care much though. I did know what lesson we were working on and I'd already done it last week during my study hall period simply out of boredom, insert nerd joke here. I know, I know, math's not cool and I'm definitely not any cooler for understanding it, let alone enjoying it. I used to charge the college kids on my floor to do their maths for them. I just understand math. Jason however, did not.

"Well then, Señor Valdez, how would you like to sit in detention after school for that tone? Hmm? Wanna make it two or can I continue my lesson without you distracting Jason?" The class was silent and I could feel all eyes going back and forth between me and the teacher. I shrugged and flashed her my signature smirk.

"Same time as yesterday? Can't wait, mamacita."

-

Jason and I were best bros, as unlikely as it seems because if you knew the guy, you'd know that guys like him don't normally hang with guys like me. Jason was fit. He used to take martial arts classes and he played football. His family had money. His mom was in movies back in the day, and his dad was some big business man who worked in New York and occasionally visited the other Graces like once or twice a year and talked to them even less I think. They lived in a big house in the rich part of town and had a well-manicured lawn with a huge underground pool in the backyard and a tree house, pretty much everything that I could never even dream of having.

I lived in a small apartment complex just off the freeway coming out of Houston, Texas. There was a big cow field behind the complex and a rusty slide with equally rickety swings to go with it. My mom owned a car garage and spent her entire life as a mechanic. I grew up in that workshop and the smell of machine grease and oil smelled like home. I was in two Agri classes, I hadn't played sports since baseball in second grade, and I was shorter than most of the girls in my class, even though I was almost seventeen years old. I wasn't a late bloomer or anything puberty wise, I was just incredibly short.