Just So I Could Call You Mine

Chapter 14

                                          Mac

"Hey, what's wrong?" I approach Jess and drop my arm around her slumped shoulders.

She looks upset and her blue eyes stay focused on Virginia and her barbies, further down the hall. When she registers that I'm beside her, she schools her features and trains her eyes up on mine.

"Nothing, everything's good," her voice is calm and unwavering as she looks at me expectantly, a smile appearing on her face.

It surprises me how nonchalant she sounds and looks, that's until I look down at her hands and notice a faint shaking and the sad wobble in her chin.

"Just wondering, have you have finished your book yet?" I ask innocently, fighting a small smile that invades my face, also trying to distract her from whatever she's thinking.

Her hard stare could shatter glass, but instead it does something to my stomach.

"You, Mac Griffin, are very cheeky!" she sticks her finger to my chest before turning away and laughing, walking to her locker.  "Who says I'll even let you read it when it's finished?" she raises one eyebrow questioningly.

"Come on Lenard, you know for a fact you are a good writer, so you can't deprave your fans!" I raise my hands in disbelief. "I'll be very disappointed if you make me wait until it's released to the rest of the world as a number one bestseller."

She spins her head around to look me in the eyes rapidly, her forehead wrinkling in the middle. Her scrutiny of my face, makes me insecure she'll see right through to my thoughts.

I swallow hard, awaiting her next words, my eyes unable to look at anything else but her.

She clears her throat and a small chortle escapes from her lips.

"You're a fan of mine?" her blue eyes are bright with amusement, the contrasting dark blue ring around her iris gives me something to look at.

God dammit she's pretty.

"Number one!" I tell her and before she can turn away I cheekily wink at her. "I need to get a new blue foam finger for your book signing!" I tease.

Maybe the wink was a bit too much, but her cheeks immediately turn pale pink and she hides her face in her locker.

"A new one? meaning you already have one?" I watch her shoulders shake from her silent laughter. It shouldn't make me this happy but frankly it does.

"Duh, of course," I say matter-of-factly, earning an eye roll from her in return.

We part ways after retrieving our books. Jess slipped away and disappeared somewhere so I find some of my friends to hang out with before school starts.

***

"Whats up man?" I clap Landon on the shoulder, who is pulling out his ripped textbooks from his backpack. He could probably buy five new sets if he wanted to.

He doesn't acknowledge my presence just like how he he stormed away the other day at lunch.

"Dude, you okay?" I ask again bracing myself for an outburst. Landon promptly straightens up to his full height and squares his jaw.

"You knew I liked her dude," he shoots his words angrily at me. I wrinkle my eyebrows in confusion and Landon rolls his eyes in annoyance.

I stay silent hoping he jolts my memory on what the hell he's talking about. I rather stay silent until Landon explains because I never know what could be wrong with him.

"Jess. You knew I liked her and you basically fucking made out with her the other day in the hallway!" his face is contorted in frustration. Where the hell is all this coming from?