No Guidelines

Chapter 7

27, Oct. 2015 Tue

The Cross Country Team's bus pulled into the front of the school. One after another, students climbed out of the bus. Coach Nyguen counted heads, making sure everyone was accounted for.

"Alright everyone, before we go, let's have a quick meeting in my class," Nyguen said.

7 minutes passed and the team was released.

"Not bad J," Danielle said.
"Thanks, but it's easy when they put me as JV Captain," Jacob said.
"Don't sweat it dude, I guarantee you that you'll be in varsity next race."
They walked to the front of the school, waving to their friends who were already leaving.

The orange hue of a small black lamp post illuminated the area around them. Chills crawled down Danielle's spine as the cool air brushed against her body. She unwrapped her team jacket from around her waist and promptly put it on.

"You excited for tonight?" she asked.
his thumbs tapped quickly along the bottom of his phone, sparing not a single glance towards her.
"Yeah, nothing like scary movies on a cold October night," he said, "I'm texting Natalie about it right now."
"Speaking of texts, my mom says she's on her way to take us to the mall."

"Awesome,'' Jacob said, his concentration unwavering. Danielle sat quietly next to him, nothing but the sound of leaves rattling and the quiet hum of the wind keeping them company. She took out her phone, but quickly put it away, instead opting to twiddle her thumbs. Jacob continued on, blissfully unaware of the awkward silence he was putting her through.

"So, you and Natalie always text?" she asked, "are you guys an item?"
"No, but I do like talking to her," he said.
"Yeah, I can see that." Her tone was that of sarcasm, flying like a bird right over Jacob's head.
"Yeah, she's just something else," he said. He smiled at his phone. Danielle rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.

Natalie

Emma pouted and tugged at Natalie's arm. "It's my birthday! What are you doing spending more time on your phone than with me!?" she said. She was begging for Natalie to focus on shopping with her.

"Sorry, Jacob was just telling me about his meet."
Emma grew flustered and started slapping her arm. "I DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!"
"HIS CROSS COUNTRY MEET EMMA!" she corrected herself. "God, get your mind out of the gutter.'' Natalie put her phone in her back pocket. "You do know there's other girls here to try clothes on with, right?" she told her.

"I'll take a hard pass on this store," Looz said. She held up a bedazzled jacket that was much too bright for her liking.
"Yeah of course, not you," Natalie said. Everything Looz said seemed to aggravate her. "But Sam and Audrey seem to be enjoying themselves." Sam tried on new winter coats while Audrey looked at scarves.

"But they're not my best friends Nat!" Emma said, "C'mon, it's my birthday, you can talk to him all you want when he's here." Her eyes glistened into Natalie's. Natalie smiled at her. "I already put my phone away, let's go find something cute to wear for the Halloween party."
"Just as soon as I try on a couple of these dresses!" Emma said.

They moved on to the opposite end of the store where the fitting rooms were. Cute pastel clothing filled the racks and shelves. Tall thin mannequins in similar clothing to the shelves watched over them as they browsed through the selections. Emma gathered a plethora of dresses that her small arms could carry, while Natalie just looked around. A red cardigan with blue accents caught her eye.

Oh maybe Audrey would like this, She thought. She went to Audrey to show her the cardigan. As she walked over, Looz finished talking with her and left the store with Adrian.