Crush

Crush Day Five (bicycle)

 Jace looked at Emma and saw her supportive smile. "So, I guess we should get started on this assignment."

"Yeah, do you know anything about Ancient Egypt?"

"A little. I'm doing this same kind of course at the community college. We just went over this stuff."

"Oh wow. You're going to college already?"

"Yeah, just a junior and senior thing. I got lucky and was accepted into the program. I'm trying to get all of my electives out of the way."

Emma's nose scrunched up in thought. "What are electives?"

Jace nodded. He turned to the page in the book where the assignment started off and looked back at Emma. "They are the easy courses, like the main ones that you have to do in order to get a degree, but have nothing to do with the degree itself."

Emma looked up and made an 'o' with her mouth. "Gotcha. So, what are you going for?"

"I'm going to be a doctor. I'd like to work with kids."

Emma grinned. "So you must have a big family then?"

"Nah, I mean I have cousins, but they all live in California, so I really don't see them."

Emma frowned. "That's unfortunate."

"It is what it is."

"So, I guess we have to pick one Pharaoh Queen or King a piece and then write about them?" Emma asked as she looked down at the sheet of paper that Mr. Faraway had passed out when Jace was daydreaming. Jace looked down at the sheet and nodded his confirmation.

"Who do you want to pick?"

"I guess Cleopatra, or should I pick someone else?"

Jace looked through the section on Egypt and then back up again. "Sounds as good as any. I'll pick Tut, and it shouldn't take that long."

Emma bit at her bottom lip as she ran her pencil up to her parted lips. "So..."

Jace swallowed hard. He didn't know what to say to girls anymore. Sure he talked to Cheryl every day sometimes two or three times a day, but this was different.

"So, um, where do you live?"

Jace looked up at the ceiling and wished it would fall down at that moment. He couldn't come up with anything better than asking her for her address.

Emma smiled softly. "In an apartment off Glenn Street."

"Oh, yeah I know those apartments. Joe lives a few houses down from them."

Emma looked over to where Jace had pointed and then nodded. "Yeah, I saw him this morning. He was talking to himself as he took out the trash."

Jace put his head back and laughed. "Yeah, that's Joe."

"So, do you want to maybe hang out sometime after school?"

Jace's eyes widened. A girl had just asked him out. A girl that he really liked. "Uh, yeah."

Emma's grin widened. "Yeah? Cool. So, do you drive?"

Jace thanked God at that moment for his driver's license. "Yep, sure do."

"Good, then maybe you can take me home after school? I rode my bicycle to school this morning, but got a flat about half way."

Jace could just imagine her riding a bike with those long legs of hers. He looked down, and then back up. She caught him staring at her. Suave, Jace.

"Yeah, it's no problem. I'd lo...be happy to."

Emma bumped her shoulder against him playfully then pointed to the history book. "Let's get this thing figured out."