The Night I Fell In Love

Chapter 2

Jeffrey

I had never been so insulted in all my life. Me, Jeffrey Larkin, likened to a skunk?

Monday was just like any other school day. Almost late for first period History, with Mr. Mann lecturing the whole class on how our grades would become history if we didn't make more of an effort to get up early. The problem in my case was that my car had this habit of breaking down every morning in the middle of the street during cold days, and October was definitely chilly.

Oh, I loved my car, a shiny metallic blue Ferrari named Hannah (don't knock the name!). I got it last year when I had my license. It was a gift from my parents, provided I paid for maintenance and gas. Not to mention accessories and seat covers. But it had this wonderful urge to collapse at certain times when I needed it to work.

Anyway, coming back to my problem. I was just having a normal Monday morning when Krystin Jones appeared on my horizon.

Krystin Jones was the senior class prize winner. She had long curly blond hair the color of honey and shinier than a well-polished fender. Her eyes were fringed with the longest and darkest lashes, gold-tipped and curled, and her green irises were alluring and sexy by themselves. She had an aristocratic nose, soft pouting lips the shade of pinkish red. She was petite and devastatingly curvaceous for a high school girl, the head cheerleader of our squad, and by far the most popular girl in Lincoln High. Her only shortcoming, in every guy's eyes, was that she was taken. By the world's worst bozo possible.

Frankly speaking, I didn't like Krystin all that much. Sure, she was sexy and beautiful and all that, if you dig that type. But my type had always tended to deviate towards someone smart and caring with a heart of gold. She didn't have to be drop-dead gorgeous or wear a size 34B. She just had to be someone who understood me.

But I digress. Krystin was in my fourth period Geography class, much to the happiness of the guy population in the room, me excluded. She was such an airhead. All beauty and no brains, you know the stereotype. Anyway, I was just minding my own business when suddenly, Ms. Thomson was going off in tangents about a partner reporting project and how it would help bring up our grades for graduation.

I started listening attentively. Whatever helped for graduation, I was all for it. She mentioned that this would make or break our final grade. I waited as she rattled off the names of the assigned partners. Naturally, every guy started praying to be paired off with Krystin, my best friend Mike Norris included. I knew they had other things in mind besides Geography. It didn't matter that she was Cooper Campbell's girlfriend. Cooper was the bully and star quarterback of the football team, and his brains were almost as nonexistent as Krystin's, which probably explained the attraction.

Incidentally, I didn't relish the idea of sharing a grade with Krystin. I was bound to do all the work while she polished her nails. But somebody either had it in for me or thought I needed immediate death, because the next thing I heard was that I was her partner.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. To say I was a little afraid of what Cooper Campbell would do to me wouldn't be too far off the truth. I wasn't nerdy or anything. In fact, I'd inherited my dad's strong muscular build and towering height of six feet, but Cooper Campbell was twice the average guy's build and as tall as me. It didn't help matters any that he wasn't scared of doing permanent damage and annihilating people.

So there it was. I got together with Krystin, ignoring the envious glances other guys shot me. I resigned myself to nights of hard work and scurrying out of Cooper's radar. "So what do you want to do with this?" I asked tiredly.

Krystin twirled a lock of her gold hair with a perfectly manicured finger, "whatever you say, Jeff. I don't know much about this subject."

If she knew anything at all, it was the world's biggest well-kept secret. I cleared my throat, "well, how about I do the research and presentation, and you can type it all up and print it for submission?"

She shrugged, "sure. Give it to me once you're done and I'll run it through my Mac."

The bell rang and we stood up. I followed her out, saying, "fine, but make sure you get it all typed before the deadline next week."

Krystin nodded, chewing a piece of gum, "don't worry, Jeff. Just give it to me by Saturday."

I smiled slightly, thinking that maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Then I ran smack into a hard wall. Or at least, I thought it was a wall. In actuality, it was Cooper Campbell's very broad chest.

He picked me up and raised me a clear five inches off the floor. Glaring at me with his ice-cold steel gray eyes, he growled, "are you tired of living, Larkin?"

"Oh, no, Cooper. In fact, I'd like to live for the next ninety years or so," I said calmly, although my insides were a nervous mush.

He scowled, "then stay away from my girl, got that?"

I swallowed and stupidly said, "Coop, I'd like to stay away, but we both got assigned together on a report in class and if you don't mind, I'll have to talk to Krystin until we finish it."

You can guess what happened afterward. While Mike was picking me up from the trashcan, where Cooper proceeded to turn me upside down into, Krystin turned to her boyfriend, "Coop, why did you have to do that? I wouldn't go out with that skunk."

I stared at them as they walked away. Okay, so I wasn't exactly the most handsome guy in the world, but a skunk? I was still feeling indignant when I walked home from school. Of course, Hannah had broken down again just a few blocks from home, so I had to walk and call a tow truck to pick her up.

Dad was still at work when I got home, but mom was already there making sandwiches. Dad was a lawyer while mom was a real estate agent. I was glad for her company. Unlike most moms, my mom was pretty cool.

"Hi, mom," I kissed her forehead since I was a full head taller than her, and grabbed a sandwich.

"Hi, sweetie, how was school?" She wrinkled her nose at me, "and why do you smell...funny?"

I grimaced, remembering the skunk remark. Now I was living up to the animal. "Slight accident with a trashcan, mom. Nothing to worry about." I bit into my sandwich and looked at her. We were so alike in our features. We had the same straight jet-black hair, only hers was longer to her shoulders while I was sporting a cool haircut, and royal blue eyes. Her determined mouth was another thing we had in common. I had dad's cheekbones and build, though.

She nodded and continued making preparations for dinner, "honey, I was wondering..."

I raised my eyebrows, "yeah?"

She stopped peeling potatoes and stared at me, "you never go out on dates with girls, Jeff. Tell me...don't you like girls?"

I grinned, "silly question, mom."

She smiled, "I didn't mean it that way, sweetheart. I just wondered if you've got your eye on someone in particular. You never date. You just spend your time with Mike or by yourself. It's a little unusual for boys your age."

"Mom, believe me, when I finally find someone I like, and don't you worry because it will be of the female species, you'll be the first to know," I promised.

She continued making dinner, "I know. You're the type of person who, when finally in love, goes off the deep end. There will be no stopping you from it. You're so much like me, Jeffrey."

I groaned, "mom, don't call me that! It sounds so old!"

She staunchly chucked a potato peel at me, "absolutely not! Jeffrey happens to be a very dignified name. Not like those names you hear on the streets these days. Would you believe Slick is a name? What self-respecting parent calls her son Slick?"

"Modern people, mom. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go up and do my homework," I said.

"Oh, Jeff. Uncle George called and said to tell you that Mike has another ticket for speeding."

I laughed. Uncle George was my dad's older brother and he was a traffic cop. He had run-ins with Mike almost on a daily basis because Mike was never one to obey the speed limit. "I'll tell him, mom," I said, then went upstairs to my room and threw my books on my bed. I really didn't have much work to do. I just needed to ponder on what my mom said about me not having dates.

I just hadn't met the perfect girl yet. There was no one I wanted to take out on a date in school. Maybe someday soon. After all, I was still a high school senior.