My Visitor

Chapter 39 Josh's true colors:

     I was at my locker, alone. Jess had tutoring and I was thinking that maybe Josh forgot to meet me here. I put my book bag in my locker along with some other books. I got my first and second block binders along with my chemistry and U.S. History books. I was about to close my locker when someone covered my eyes.
     "Guess who."
     "Joshua?"
     "Bingo."
     He uncovered my eyes, and I turned around to face him.
     "I have a surprise for you." He said handing me a box.
     It was a little black box. I opened it, and there was a ring in it. A class ring, his class ring.
     "Go ahead; wear it."
     I put it on, and looked at him.
     "Thank you so much."
     I gave him a hug.
     "Where is Jess?" He asked.
     "At tutoring."
     "Is she doing the tutoring, or is she being tutored?"
     "She is being tutored."
     "Okay, that sounds like fun." He said.
     "No, math tutoring is..."
     "You never said math."
     The bell rang. We walked hand-in-hand to his dad's class. As soon as we walked in we split-up. His dad doesn't want him dating until after football season ends, and he and I had other plans.
     "Oh, and you'll get my letterman jacket when it gets cold enough." He whispered in my ear sitting next to me.
     "Sounds like a plan." I whispered back.
We took our seats, and his father started calling roll. After that he stood up in front of everyone.
     "Okay, everybody, your first project will be on what you think life would be if you came off the Mayflower. It will be a detailed essay with a map to show your first civilization." He said then paused for effect, "you will be working in groups."
     Yes! I can work with Josh!
     I've never been happy about working with someone before, but Josh makes it easy.
     "You can pick it for yourself."
     And with that Coach Williams sat back down in his chair. Josh moved my chair over to him. I mean he was strong enough to the point where I was still sitting in the chair.
     "Won't your dad be suspicious?"
     "No, I mean it's either you or Annabelle."
     I shot daggers at his face.
     "Wow, we've been dating a week, and you're already jealous."
     "Don't flatter yourself." I said, "You know that she's the whore in this class."
     "I know that, I was joking, okay, I like you the way you are, Haley. She's too flashy, and my dad would get to mad at me."
     "Right, because you are not supposed to be dating, but we all know that, that is not the case." I said, "wait until Daddy sees me flaunting that state championship jacket."
     "I was one of the only freshman on that team." He said, "and you know that."
     "Yep, and your dad is going to skin you alive when he sees me in that jacket."
     "I don't care."
     I looked into his extraordinary eyes.
     "What?" He asked reaching for my hand.
     I snapped out of my gaze.
     "Oh, my brother wants to meet you. I told him about you. Um... Saturday night at 7:00 at my house. Wear semi-formal." I said putting my hands in my lap.
     "What do I... The project, got it."
     "You're amazing." I said.
     "Thank you. You're not bad yourself."
     We worked on the project all class until the last 15 minutes. He looked at me, and I kept looking down at my phone.
     Jackson:
How's class?
     Me:
Fun, why? Is living with Natalie harder than you thought?
    Jackson:
No, why would it be hard?
     Me:
I'm rolling my eyes at your relationship. I want one.
     Jackson:
Maybe you can have it with Josh.
     I look over at him. He's looking at his phone and by his face I know that he's playing a football game.
     Me:
Yeah, maybe.
     He looked at me.
     "I'm going to the bathroom."
     "Why don't you wait?" I asked looking at a clock, "you have five minutes."
     He just sat back down again.
     "Okay."
     "I mean if you have to then go."
     "I will. Before chemistry." He said taking his phone back out, "I'm so glad that you said yes."
     "Why?"
     "Because I have been so focused on football for so long that maybe you'll help me reconnect with the outside world. Not that the fact that my father has been trying to get me to go to state championships, college ball, and finally pro." He rambled, "...I mean..."
     "Don't worry. I know how that is. My father was like that with my brother until he gave up on baseball." I said putting my hand on his hand that he had placed on my desk.
     The bell rang and we walked to chemistry. I put our stuff at our lab station. He came back two minutes before the bell.
     "You know. We have chemistry together." He said wiggling his eyebrows.
     I laughed and shook my head.
     "You know you haven't been perverted for a week, but you sure have been corny."
     "I told you that you'd see my true colors."
     "I like your true colors."
     He moved a hair out of my face.
     "I figured, Haley."
     I was so used to him calling me by my middle name that by now that it didn't bother me as much, but he was the only one who could call me that.
     The teacher walked into the classroom, and we started on the lab for the day. Josh and I worked diligently on the assignment until he knocked over a cup of salt water, and it landed directly into his lap. I got up and went to get paper towels. I came back and tried to help him clean it up. I didn't realize where I was patting until he stopped me.
     "Haley, please notice where your hand is."
     I looked around the class room. Everyone went back to there lab and wasn't paying attention to us since I wasn't running around the classroom like a chicken at that moment. I stopped what I was doing, and looked into his eyes. He looked somewhat distressed.
     "I am so sorry." I said going to the trash can.
     I was blushing really badly and so was he.
     "Haley, it's fine you were trying to help me."
     "Josh... I didn't..."
     He turned me towards him.
     "Look at me. I'm going to go to the bathroom to clean this up. You finish the lab. You're smart enough to do that."
     "Are you okay? Like really?"
     "Oh yeah, I just have a very small issue."
He asked the teacher if he could go to the bathroom then he left.
     I didn't think about it, and we finished the lab. When I wasn't preoccupied with the lab I kept going back to the scene. I felt horrible. I mean I patted him were I shouldn't have.
     When he came back I gave him the paper so that he could copy the data. After it transferred, and I helped him with the conclusion questions we turned our papers into the box. We went back to our lab table, and he took out his phone.
     "Guess what?"
     "What?"
     "Dallas is said to be an amazing team this year."
     I looked at his phone.
     "Did you ever change my contact name?" He said looking towards me.
     We were so close that he could kiss me. I flushed red again and pulled back. He was red and looked onward.
     "No, I haven't."
     "So, you like my contact as Boner Boy?" He asked.
     I could feel him looking at me, but my cheeks felt like they were on fire and I didn't want to look at him.
     "No, I just haven't decided to change it to 'Josh' yet."
     "I'm joking, Haley, if you want that then I'm not going to judge you."
     "Thank you."
     "Your face is so red right now. Are you embarrassed about that?"
     I nodded my head, and decided to change subjects.
     "Look up the Rangers. I know that baseball season isn't quite all the way over yet, but I can't remember, and my brother would get annoyed if I called just for that. I mean he does love me, but I don't want to push it."
     "Sounds good." He said typing into his phone, "They're doing pretty good so far this year."
     "Okay." I said nodding my head.
     Nobody knew that we were dating except for Jess. We didn't want anyone to know because news travels fast and his father would find out. Jackson knew him, and his sport, and who is dad is, but he didn't know his true personality. I love his true personality.
     "Before third block meet me in the hallway by your locker." He whispered in my ear.
     "We were going there anyway, right?"
     "Yeah, but still." He said, "our anniversary isn't over yet."
*****
     I walked to my locker and got ambushed by one of Josh's annoying friends.
     "So, you're dating Josh."
     "Nope, I'm single."
     "It's not good to lie, Blake." He said shoving me against a locker, "admit it. You're dating."
     "Get away from me, please, you're in my personal space."
     He was literally inches from me, and I couldn't remember his name, but I knew is position on the team. He was a receiver. He had me really close in between him and the locker.
     "Just tell me."
     "What's it to you?"
     "Nothing, I just..."
     He was moved back from me. It wasn't like the force that Dallas did to Andrew. It wasn't as noticeable.
     "Frankie, what are you doing?" He asked calmly.
     "Nothing, just talking to Blake." He said, "Shouldn't you be in math?"
     Josh looked at me. It must have been hard because he gave me a small smile and walked away. He dropped something on the ground, and I picked it up.
     "Don't you have some babies to scare?"
     "Don't you have some guy to fuck?" He asked then walked away.
     "What?"
     "I'll see you around, Blake."
     Does he... No, nobody knew except for Dallas and I. Jackson doesn't even know.
     I then shoved it in the back of my head. I left it up to being a guy being a guy. I got what I needed and walked to math.
     "Josh, I'm..."
     "No, I'm sorry. Frankie can be a dick some times."
     I nodded my head and got out my homework from last night and so did he.
      "Oh, you dropped this."
     "It was for you." He said.
     I opened it up, and looked at it.
     "Why didn't you just ask?"
     "I was going to, but you don't really like football..."
     "Of course I'll come Friday. I wouldn't miss a Scarletson and Robertson show down."
     He just beamed about it.