How to Get a Boyfriend (boyxboy)

Chapter Ten

As soon as I got home, my phone buzzed with a new text. I pulled it out and saw it was from John. The message was an emoticon, a love heart, plus an invitation to go out the next weekend. I smiled dreamily and texted back a confirmation. At the last moment I paused, then quickly added on a love heart of my own.

"You texting your boyfriend?"

I looked up at Jane, who had a smirk playing across her full-lipped mouth.

"At least I've got a boyfriend. How old are you now? Fifty? And still no husband tucked away!" That was a bit of a low blow, so she narrowed her eyes at me. Rachel tapped her on the shoulder before she could make a witty comeback, and handed her the keys to the Skoda. Jane squealed with delight, swept up her handbag and vanished out of the door.

"I saw you talking to a boy in town," commented Rachel casually. I froze, then turned slowly to face her. She made a confused face at me. "What? I was just saying."

"You never 'just say'," I shot back archly.

"It's just..." she bit her lip nervously before continuing, "Are things okay between you and John?"

I stared at her. "Rachel, I've been dating him for less than twenty four hours, nothing's happened yet! Certainly nothing to worry about!"

She laid a caring hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. "He seemed a little distant this morning, and then you were with that other guy..."

I shoved her hand off me and stalked up to my room.

"Your step-mum's just trying to help!" my father shouted up the stairs. I slammed my bedroom door in response and flopped down onto my bed. I lay there, pissed off at my parents for trying to infere in my love life almost before it had begun, until I received a text from Jane.

"I've still had sex more times than you," it read.

"That just makes you a whore, cuz you don't have a bf," I sent back.

"Vache," she replied with the only French word she knew. I rolled my eyes and started to text Amelia about Andy.

Sunday passed draggingly slowly. I finished my homework (mainly French - my teacher just loved to give us six pieces a day) after singing at morning service. I never went up for Communion, since I didn't believe in it, so I took some candid selfies in the choir stalls and sent them to John. He replied with a smile and another love heart. What was with him and love hearts? It was cute though, so I can't really complain.

Lunch was standard roast chicken affair, although I managed to get my entire family mad, including my visiting grandmother, when I knocked the gravy boat on the floor after serving only myself. I had a bit of a row with my parents afterwards, and spent the rest of the day playing on my laptop in my room, giving them the silent treatment. I don't know when I fell asleep, but I woke up briefly around midnight to find that John had sent me a good-night kiss by text.

"It's Monday, Monday, gotta go to school on Monday!" I sang at Tony as we got on the school bus. He rolled his eyes.

"God, I wish I could punch Rebecca Black in the face," he growled, rather unimpressively since he still retained a high voice. Amelia overheard us and giggled by way of welcome.

"Dude, you're fifteen, you should be able to growl like a man by now," she told him, dropping her voice an octave just to annoy him.

"I'm only just fifteen," he said grumpily, "and my dad went through puberty late, so it doesn't matter if I'm still squeaky."

"Yeah, but he's like six foot two, and you are barely taller than your mum." Tony glared at me, and I knew he'd blank all my texts for the rest of the day. Giving up, I turned to Amelia.

"Sooo... Andy..." she said, slurring the vowels. Tony frowned.

"Who's Andy?"

"No-one!" I said quickly, giving Ames a warning look. She smirked. I stood closer to her and bent down so we could whisper without everyone overhearing us.

"Are you already cheating on John?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Hell no, demi-hag! Andy is cute, but you can have him. I'm a one guy... guy."

She laughed at my awkward phrasing. "You got a pic of him? I don't do blind dates."

I flipped my phone of of my pocked and scrolled through the contacts. Luckily, Andy had texted me a mugshot of him so I could make a profile picture. Amelia gasped.

"He is sooooo fit! Move over biatch, I'm taking this one."

"That's unusual, you normally prefer girls. I swear you're a full-out lesbo, not bi, sometimes." I winked at her, and she retaliated with a witch-stare. She released me from its power after a few seconds though, so I survived.

"Nah, you can have him. If I'd met him a week ago, I'd totally be hitting on him, but with him it's just lust. John is something more."

Ames clasped a hand over her mouth. I looked at her weirdly. "You okay?"

"Oh my Big Bang, you're totally in love with John! Aaaw that's so sweet!"

I shushed her, not wanting her fangirl antics to out me on the bus.

"I do not!" I said indignantly. "Just because one time I fell head over heels for a boy during second year did not mean every crush I have is 'true love'!" In truth, I was searching my own mind for the answer. Did I love John? The way that two people who have been together for fifty years love each other? He was my best friend, and I loved him that way, but it wasn't the same. I hoped that this wasn't just a lust-filled infatuation that would fade, because I couldn't hurt John like that. Needless to say by the time the bus arrived at school, I was eager to get away from Amelia and Tony, and I had a killer headache.

"See ya girls," Tony called to Ames and her friends before rushing past me. I snorted in bittersweet amusement. I just knew I had a long day ahead.