Just You

Twenty Six

Twenty Six

#Jake

I am a mess.

I still haven't completely figured out what force it was that possessed me to break up with my picture perfect girlfriend and now, I've impulsively asked my best friend to the town formal with me in the face of paper boats and magic fountains. I'm making a mess out of this, I can feel it. I need to get things sorted out.

Like seriously.

Get it together, Forger.

As I have learned recently, the town holds it's annual dance in the town hall in honor of its founding. The town formal has apparently been incredibly famous with the teenagers in town, especially the ones at school because it's like a really huge mixer, with college kids and kids from other schools. It's really cool. I don't even deny how impressed I am. In a small town like this, no wonder most of the kids know each other.

And now, here I am, two days before the dance, with the soccer team.

Trying on tuxes.

"Come on, Forger," Guy said, "Tell us who it is you're going with."

We've been playing this game for almost a week now. Turns out, the entire team had already gotten dates for the formal, and since they found out I've broken up with Farrah, wild guesses at who I was taking to the dance came flying at me at all directions. The guys had even tried setting me up a bunch of times, not knowing that I had already asked someone to go with me. Then, today, I accidentally asked Trey where I could get a tux and they finally figured out that I did in fact have a date already.

Suddenly, the entire team wanted to come with me to get tuxes. Even those who already had theirs made.

And I really couldn't stop all of them.

But of course, Nicko was the exception. He seemed pretty pissed at me still since the day of the grocery shopping incident. But I could tell he was also very curious about who I was taking to the formal.

I hid inside the dressing room cubicle and bolted the door while the rest of the guys cramped the shop space. The saleslady would have thrown a fit, but us soccer players know how to turn on the charm when necessary.

"Yeah, Jake," Fletcher said from the other side of the door, "Only girls keep secrets."

"Look, guys, you'll all know on the night of the dance anyway," I reasoned, pulling on the suit that the saleslady had recommended, "I don't see why you all are so impatient! It's not really that important anyway!"

"Are you kidding, man? The entire team's reputation depends on who the star player is bringing to the formals!"

"I think I know who it is," Grant said in his gravelly voice, "And I think I know why you can't tell us."

"It's my sister, isn't it?" Kyle said in a menacing voice.

I immediately opened the wooden door a crack to deny and explain myself but I saw Kyle laughing at my reaction. Phew. For a minute there, I thought he was pretty pissed. The rest of the guys cracked up, and I knew I was busted.

"You were afraid Kyle would kick your ass!" Trey exclaimed.

"And Nicko would go ballistic!" Grant added, giving Trey a high five.

"I knew it!" said Fletcher, "I knew you guys would end up together!"

"About time you made your move, man!" Kyle said, clapping me on the back, "I could welcome you to the family right now but you're practically already part of it!"