Jelsa: A Tale Of Two High Schools

Chapt. 20

"So Jack who your girlfriend?"

Jack choked, the mouthful soda he'd been about to swallow simultaneously went down his windpipe and came up through his nose.

Sandy patted him on the back as he coughed violently. His sputtering continued for a few seconds.
"Who's what?" Jack attempted a horrible feint of innocence.
"Don't try and deny it. There's been something different about you recently."
"No there hasn't,"
"Yes there has, Sandy noticed it too,"
"What?" Jack looked at the shorter boy.
'It is very obvious you're seeing someone.' He signed.
"No I'm not,"
"Please Jack, it's written all over your face,"
"What?"
"Yeah, for a while now, you'll start staring off into space and this stupid looking grin grows on your face," Tooth stated matter of factly.
'Reminds me of the way you would act when you and Tooth just started dating'. Sandy signed.
"No I haven't." He continued to deny. Tooth and Sandy chose to disregard his denial.

"She can't go to school or she'd be bragging that she nabbed DreamWorks' most eligible bachelor," Tooth said and Sandy nodded in agreement.
Jack tried to speak, but it came out more as a gravelly whine. "So I'm right," She smiled, "So what school does she go to?"
'Is she in University?' Sandy asked.
"What? No! Don't be stupid. An older chick, guys serious? Where would I even meet a college girl?"
Tooth and Sandy shared a look. Sandy nodded and Tooth said, "I think his telling the truth about that too, but he definitely is seeing someone,"
'Definitely,' Sandy signed.

"I don't have anyone. Why would you even think that?"
'You've been making excuses not to hang out.'
"That's because I've been looking after Ellie. I told you our regular babysitter is sick,"
"With what exactly?"
"Ah...we don't know. She didn't say and we wanted to respect her privacy." Jack scratched his nose.
'He's lying.'
"I'm not!"
'You touched your face. That's your tell.'
"If Sandy saw it, it's true," Tooth smirked.

Jack cursed himself for not being more careful. Sandy was always, very attuned to a person's body language. North liked to call him a human lie detector, but it wasn't just lying. Sandy could read almost anyone's mood just by looking at them.
"Alright Sandy looks like we have to do it the hard way," Tooth smirked and turned in the seat to face Jack fully. Sandy rubbed his hands expectantly, sitting forward slightly.
Jack recoiled, "No, you're going to do that thing were you..."
"A,B," Tooth started.
"Stop,"
"C,D,E," Jack blinked. Sandy hit Tooth lightly, "So her name stars with E,"
"No it doesn't!...Ah...damn, I mean there isn't anyone,"
"Emma?"
"There's no girl. I don't have girlfriend,"
"Erica, Emily, Emilia,"
"This is stupid, why would I date someone and not tell you?"
"Eve, Elizabeth, Ella," Sandy tugged on Tooth's sleeve when Jack's jaw tighten. "Is that it? Ella?"
"There is no Ella, or anyone."
Sandy frowned looking at Jack closely. He signed, 'I'm sure it's Ella or close to it at least.'

Tooth rubbed her chin in thought, "I don't know anyone at school by Ella, do you?" Sandy shook his head, "Well, we were already pretty sure it wasn't anyone at school. But I can't think of anyone else outside of school though."
"Yeah, because there isn't anyone,"
"Jack Frost drop the act, it's not good even." Tooth told him, "If you didn't have a girlfriend you would have laughed when I first suggested the notion, not gagged on your drink."
Jack couldn't help his blush. Tooth's words were very true. He was stupid to think he could hide it from his friends. They knew him better than anyone. He'd promised himself he'd tell them once he and Elsa got serious, but when that happened he'd chickened out. He wanted to believe that they would keep his secret, but he just wasn't sure.

We don't keep stuff from each other. Sandy signed. When Jack didn't respond folded his hands in his signature 'I'm annoyed look'.
"Why don't you want to tell us? Is she into something weird...or something like that?" Tooth asked earnestly, "Because you know we wouldn't care and we wouldn't judge her, or you," Jack out of reflex looked up at the ceiling. "Oh, so it's Bunny and North you're worried about,"
'Aster more than anyone else, yes?'
Jack sighed, "Listen, I don't want to tell you because she is from another school,"
'What school?'
Jack remained silent. His silence more than answered Sandy's question. Their eyes grew wide and they looked at other.
"Oh...whoa...really?"
Jack sighed again, nodding grimly.
"Who's Ella at Disney?" Tooth asked Sandy, as his powers of perception extended to faces and names. Sandy frowned and shook his head. He didn't know.
"Her names not Ella, but Sandy was right,"
"It's close to Ella...I still don't know anyone."