The New Boy: Phan High School AU

Chapter 49 - Dan's POV

Jamie and Phil and a short, Asian girl with black hair scraped into a tight ponytail pull up in front of my house about an hour later; twenty minutes after they said they would, but directly on time for Jamie.

I hop in the backseat with Phil and he leans in for a kiss. "Hi."

"Hi."

"What, I don't get a kiss?" Jamie asks. "Dan, you remember Audrey, yeah?"

Not really, but "Nice to see you again," I say awkwardly.

"Yeah, you too," she smiles back, thankfully just as awkward as I am.

She's definitely familiar, but I can't really think why I know her. I know I've seen her around school, but... oh. wait. Did she and Jamie go out last year?

Yes! That's how I know her. I never hung out with her much when they were together, but after Jamie and Danny broke up last year, she started dating Audrey, and he started dating Kailey and Jamie was so mad about it that even after they were both single again she wouldn't talk to him for months. It was the worst fight they've ever been in as far as I know. It sucked for the rest of us too; practically half the theatre kids were divided on one side or the other.

"You have a ticker, fuckin' use it!"
Jamie mutters. For all her yelling at other drivers, I've never seen her drive badly.

"...A ticker?" Phil asks.

"Yeah, like," Jamie flicks her turn signal on and off.

"A turn signal? I've never heard it called a ticker before."

"I prob–" I can see Jamie's eyebrows knit together in the rearview mirror. "I must've picked it up somewhere. Old habits die hard," she says softly.

The mood in the car seems to have changed, but luckily we've reached our destination. The playground is mostly deserted, so we start rolling a big snowball near the swings.

Actually making a giant snowman like you see in cartoons is a lot harder than it looks and pretty soon we're all a little hot and sweaty, despite the cold air.

I realize Jamie's started to get bored of the snowman when a ball of snow hits me in the back of the neck and crumbles uncomfortably down the inside of my jacket as Jamie cackles in the background.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" she crows, immediately hitting Audrey, then missing Phil.

All four of us launch ourselves into a snow throwing frenzy, not stopping until we're all red faced, out of breath, and laughing our asses off.

Phil and Jamie have collapsed in the snow and I help pull Phil up while Jamie decides to make snow angels. We survey the damage that our short war has wrought; our snowmen are pulverized, and there's crazy footprints everywhere.

"There is snow in places that I hoped there would never be snow," Jamie says, getting up.

"Ew." I wrinkle my nose at her, but to be completely honest I kind of agree. I'm very interested in going home and changing into warm, dry clothes.

"Time to call it a day?" Audrey suggests.

"Indeed," Jamie agrees, slinging an arm over the other girl's shoulders.

"Should I just take you both home, or...?" Jamie asks on the way back to the car.

"You can come over if you want,"
Phil tells me. "My dad has some business dinner thing, so I'm gonna be bored and by myself till late."

"Sure, sounds good."

"Ooh, home alone, are you?" Jamie interjects. "With your boyfriend?"

I can feel my cheeks heat up, and I am certain they match the red splotches on Phil's.

"No, it's not like – I mean, I didn't –that's not what – !" Phil splutters until Jamie cuts him off.

"I was just joking, honey. Don't get your knickers in a twist." She winks at us in the rearview mirror.

wink wink

MERRY CHRISTMAS, GUYS!!!!  happy new year!!!

and also happy 2 year anniversary of this book!
thank you for still reading I love you all!