Alone on Stage with a White Rose

The programming master (2)

Jessica's Point of view:

I grab my phone from the pocket of my faded out blue jeans. I call my mom, she picks up on the first ring. I tell her that I am going over Max's house, she agrees and tells me to be home by 8:30. This neighborhood is small, quiet, and is a quaint little town; everyone knows everyone else's business. It is just like those small towns in the country where you can say who likes who for miles around. I put on my snow pants, and I zip up my real tree camo jacket up to my throat. I pull my hat lower on my head; it is a black hat with a cat face and kitty ears. I open up the door, lock it behind me and put my house key in my pocket. I walk over the snow as it crunches beneath my feet. I walk to Max's house, it's about a mile away. I look up his driveway and see through the bay window and can that he is on the couch with his laptop.

Once I knock on his door I'm greeted by the secret smile of his that only I see. His smile is only sincere when he is with me or when he is on stage pretending to be someone else. Earlier in the year he told me that his parents were divorced, his dad was an alcoholic, and his mom is always so busy running his little sister to cheerleading practices to notice that he is even there. In the beginning of seventh grade I was the only friend that he had, he now only has a few friends. He has such a sad story but it's unfair because he is so smart, sensitive, and funny. I love him like my brother, I think he loves me like a sister but I'm not sure. He treats me better than his younger sister Clarisse. Once he actually called me his sister.

Max's Point of View:

I smile at Jessica as she knocks on the door, I open it and she walks right in as if she was home.

"What's up girl?" I say as she walks inside.

"A preposition," she replies as if it was obvious.

"Of course, silly me." I tell her and she just wrinkles her nose at me. She does this every time I am sarcastic. She walks in and takes her jacket and snow boots off. She is wearing tight skinny jeans that make her look even smaller than she really is.

She is beautiful, her chestnut-brown hair comes just past her shoulders, her frame is super tiny but she is just as strong if not stronger than me, and she is just over all perfect. I don't understand how anyone couldn't love her. She is just gorgeous, but she is more than just a pretty face she's sarcastic, sassy, confident, charismatic, funny, and completely adorable. I wish I could tell her how much I really liked her. I have called her my sister and I know brother and sister are important but she means so so so much more to me than that.

She sits on the couch next to me and reads the programming over my shoulder. She asks me what the programming is for.

"This is for the Teicneolaíocht 182 competition," Jess shoots me a look like I'm crazy. "Teicneolaíocht is Irish for technology so as you can hopefuly tell it's an international competition starting from Ireland. It's the 182nd year and I'm pretty sure I'm going to win the prize of $575!" Jess raises her eyebrows as if she was saying 'what makes you think you can win this competition?' I explain to her that my dad heard some guys from his work talking about it and he decided to enter me into the competition.

"Just wait until they get a look at this programming master," I exclaim.

"Yeah right! in your dreams probee." She tells me. Probee means rookie, like your bad at something and still on probation. She thinks I am a probee at programming because I entered one competition and lost where she is the leader of the school robotics team and has about twenty wins under her belt.

"What do you mean I'm a probee?!"

"Well first off, you mixed up task description with Psuedocode. You have your potentiometer set for a digital sensor instead of an analogue sensor and you wrote start left motor twice. And are you sure you have the most updated version? I remember this version last year. But here is you main problem right there you mixed up motor port ten with motor port one and put a freaking extension clip on port three when it's supposed to be in port seven." Jess stated as if the answer was obvious and I was stupid at programming.

"Well sorry miss robotics team leader. We all can't be as smart as you." Jess blushed until her face turned to a shade of red as if she had been standing outside in the cold for an hour.
"Once a probee always a probee!" She tells me as she studies the computer code.
I lean back and put my arm across her shoulders. She looks me in the eye and I love that look in her eyes, wild but composed or powerful but passive. There is something about her charismatic blue eyes that makes me just want to kiss her right here, right now. But I don't kiss her because I know our friendship will never be the same.
I just wish she knew how I feel.