The Significance of Orange Juice

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“Are you still sulking?” Olivia asked curiously as she slid into the booth next to me.

I shook my head.

Olivia gave me a long look. “Right,” she drawled, “because you’re clearly not upset about losing to Jay.”

I scowled silently as Olivia laughed at my disgruntled expression. After Alex’s initial strike, he’d played reasonably, but not brilliantly. Olivia mostly pretended that she needed help so that Alex would wrap his arms around her waist. So the real competition was between Jay and me. We were neck and neck for the entire game; there were never more than ten points separating the two of us. But then Jay managed to throw a strike in his very last go, just tipping him into the winning place. He had gloated for the entire journey to McDonald’s about his superior bowling abilities.

“I would have won if you hadn’t put me in this stupid skirt.” I complained, “How am I supposed to bowl well when I can barely even walk?”

Olivia laughed. “You have to suffer for beauty.” She teased.

“Yeah? Well I’d rather be happy and ugly, thank you very much.” I muttered under my breath. Liv smiled and pushed over a pack of chips as a peace offering. I grinned brightly and shoved a chip into my mouth. Chips were like little potato slices of heaven.

“So, umm… can I ask one more teensy weensy favour from you?”

A chip froze midway to my mouth. “What kind of favour?” I asked cautiously. The last favour that I’d agreed to had landed me a trip to the bowling alley with Jay Roberts. I’m not sure that I can handle another request.

“Could you please…” she began, but the other half of the sentence was lost because she was speaking so quietly. I asked her to repeat her sentence, still wary about what I might be signing myself up to.

Olivia took a deep breath before the words burst from her. “Could you please go somewhere with Jay?”

Disbelief. Surprise. Astonishment. These words don’t even begin to describe what I was feeling right now. I must have misheard, because it sounded a lot like Olivia had asked me to babysit Jay. Me. Self-professed Jay hater. The girl who couldn’t even last a single bowling match without wanting rip his head off.

“I’m sorry?” I choked out eventually.

“Please, Izz, I’m begging you. I really need some alone time with Alex.”

“You should have thought of that before you invited other people on your date!” I spluttered. I was still in shock from the audacity of Olivia’s request.

“I thought that I was supposed to be getting to know Alex?” I said cuttingly and Olivia gazed challengingly at me.

                “Which would be great if you took your eyes off of Jay’s butt long enough to actually talk to him.” She accused.

I coughed as I inhaled a mouthful of chip. Eyes watering, I turned to Olivia in horror. “I what?” I gasped, still trying to process her words. I had been expecting her to remind me of something that she’d done for me in the past, or try to arrange another time for me to get to know him. I was prepared for those replies. I was not prepared for her to suggest that I was attracted to Jay. Hence the small chip that decided to holiday in my lungs.

“Olivia, that’s… I just… I can’t believe that you…” I stumbled over my words, unsure how to accurately convey how far from the truth she was.

Olivia stared at me, drumming her fingers on the table as she thought. “I’ll let you borrow my clothes?” she ventured and I huffed.

“One, I am not going to be bribed. And two, you force your clothes on me, not the other way around.” I pointed out. Olivia pursed her lips contemplatively.