Eight Boy (Jeremy Shada)

nineteen

I opened my eyes only to shut them rapidly. The sun that seeped through the blinds felt like it was burning through my eyes to my brain.

Great, I'm hungover. I exhaled a breath frustratedly at that thought.

I sat up and immediately regretted it. I grabbed my phone from the bed side table and laid back down. I had a message from Jeremy, sent half an hour ago.

Paisley, about last night... If you remember any of it... Just forget it happened. None of it meant anything, I don't even know why I said or did half of the things... Maybe I thought it would be funny to try and get a reaction out of you, I shouldn't have done what I did so please just forget it.

My heart started pounding hard, so hard that I could feel it in my head, like it was trying to kick my brain. I couldn't help feeling offended and used, especially because I couldn't remember anything from last night that would make him say that.

I didn't expect that from you at all, I hope you feel good about yourself, Jeremy. I thought you were so much better than that. It sucks to be wrong but I guess it must suck even more to be you.

I replied as nicely as I could, refraining from constructing the text with 90% of curse words. All I could remember from last night was wanting to throw up, him taking me to a lookout then dropping me home. I couldn't make out anything he had said to me at the lookout but I concentrated on remembering as hard as I could.

I had put the thought aside for a second to call Vanessa. "Hey, how was last night?" She asked eager through the phone.

"Hey, it was okay, I don't remember most of it."

"Usually that's a good thing? Why do you sound not so good?"

"Jeremy. He texted me telling me that whatever happened between us last night meant nothing and that he just did it to get some sort of reaction from me and to forget it," I said trying not to sound too affected by it.

"What happened with you two last night?" She urged a little worried.

"We left the party together and-"

"You what? No, no, I knew this would happen. He is no longer eight boy is he? Nine boy doesn't sound right." She cut me off, frustration laced in her voice.

"Vanessa listen, we didn't do anything, we went to a lookout! All we did was talk I'm pretty sure." My fingertips were pressed against my temple.

"I bet he told you that you were prettier than the stars after you said how pretty the stars were." I could feel her rolling her eyes.

"No, I don't even like the starts that much- oh my god!" It felt as if a revelation had washed over me.

"What!" Vanessa called curiously through the phone.

"Jeremy told me he liked me because I'm different! He also told me how he remembered my first day."

"Your first day? How does that have anything to do with the stars?" Vanessa mustn't have been catching on as fast.

"Earlier this year! When I came to this school." I was still shocked at the fact that, because of Vanessa's trigger, some of what Jeremy said to me last night was coming back to me.

"Okay?" She didn't understand why that was so significant, I didn't bother telling her how he remembered how I wore my hair that day or that he wondered if he'd ever seen a girl so beautiful. Vanessa wouldn't have cared that much and I thought of Jeremy's text and how what he said last night meant nothing. "Does he like you? Like more than Maddison?" Vanessa asked, interrupting my thoughts.