Why was I suddenly anxious to go to school? Jackson and I had texted all night with him flirting with me throughout. I had the distinct feeling that he was as new at this as I was, even though that seemed hard to believe.
Now we were going to see eachother face to face... after his confession. I still had a hard time believing that he was really interested in me but I was giving him and myself the benefit of the doubt.
Would things be awkward? Maybe, I should just ignore him during school but continue to text him after.
The moment I sat down in the bus my phone buzzed. We had switched to a full function messenger after he officially sent me his phone number this morning. Apparently, his dad let him use his phone only during school hours.
I once again thought that things were moving too fast but I pushed it out of my mind.
<Morning, masochist!
<Are you in the bus?
<Yeah.
<I was almost late.
<Why don't you get out at the next stop.
<I'll pick you up.
Was I ready? Would I ever be?
<Sure!
***
Even I knew that a vintage Ducati was a sweet ride. Showing up at school on the back of Jackson Holme's motorbike was going to provoke a lot of questions.
Jackson didn't seem to know how to greet me any more than I did him. We settled for a quick hug, after which he handed me a helmet that smelled of sweaty leather.
"Nice bike," I said, running a finger over the shiny red surface.
"My dad and I spent months restoring it," he said proudly.
Then, without another word he started the vehicle and motioned for me to hop on. I sat awkwardly and held onto the bottom of my seat.
"Dude, you'll fall off like that!" he said, grabbing my arms and wrapping them around his waist. The moment we started moving his body pressed close against mine. At first, I panicked but quickly realized that the contact was unavoidable, so I just enjoyed it while it lasted.
When we arrived at school, the usual Instarazzi was checking out who Jackson was with. I literally saw their eyebrows disappear into their hairlines when I took off my helmet.
Then he grabbed my hand tight and said, "Just in case you still don't believe me."
Jackson walked through the hallway like he owned it, he was clearly making a statement to everyone who cared to look.
I had never been truly aware of the extent of his popularity. The whispers spread like wildfire and I had to do my best to stop myself from giggling away the nervous energy.
My brain hit a pure dopamine high when I saw Charlie and his dumbass friends staring with open-mouthed shock.
Then just as quickly, the walk of fame was over.
"I gotta go," Jackson said. "I'm late for class."
"Me too," I muttered, still not sure if the last ten minutes had been real or not.
"Join me for lunch?" he asked with a smile.
"Yeah," I said vaguely. Would the world around me tolerate this new paradigm?
"Bye," he said and squeezed my hand. Was I expecting something else? He was the one that started this whole thing, surely he had a plan. I decided that for now I was going to follow his playbook.
"Bye," I said. It seemed like my memory had been wiped. Where was I supposed to be?
***
During first period English the whispers and stares continued. My classmates had organised themselves into a single pack with Kira as their leader.
Just before the lesson started, Hope took Bart's usual place next to me. She was clearly an envoy with a mission.
"So..." she whispered. "What was this morning all about?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
"Jackson Holmes has been a complete mystery ever since he appeared at this school six months ago."
I said nothing because I really didn't know what to say.
"Everyone just assumed that he was fucking the college girls that show up at his brother's infamous parties."
Wow, that possibility never occured to me.
"As sad as we are to loose Jackson to your side of the spectrum, we still don't understand what the fuck he is doing with you."
"I am assuming by 'we' you mean Kira," I replied, trying not to let her remark trigger the angst I already felt over the same question.
"Stick to your own league, Ollie. Flying too close to the sun will only get you burned."
Was she right? Was I setting myself up to get hurt? I was letting things with Jackson evolve a bit too fast and in the wrong order. We barely knew eachother yet he already invited the entire school to pass judgement.
Jackson was very, very attractive and I really enjoyed talking to him but was that enough to justify the position he had put me in? Had I blindly handed him complete control over my reputation without knowing where this was really going?
***
When it was finally lunch time, I picked a table all the way in the back of the cafeteria and texted Jackson to let him know where I was.
"Hey," he said, sliding into his seat.
I didn't even bother with chit chat and straight out asked, "Why are you in a such a rush?"
He broke eye contact and looked out of the window. He didn't even seem surprised by the question.
"Have you ever heard someone say that youth is wasted on the young?"
"Dude, are you trying to be fifty ahead of time?"
"I don't have the luxury to waste my youth," he said, his gaze returning to me.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked, a cold shiver suddenly running down my spine.
"I made a deal with Death."
What the fuck?!
