Any Given Thursday

Chapter 9

November 2001

Thanksgiving had proven to be a very special holiday because she spent most of the day with huddled together with Jake in the loft in her father's barn. They had both eaten Thanksgiving dinner separately with their respective families, but she wanted to spend some quality time with her boyfriend.

Celina enjoyed the mellowing quiet that could be found inside of her father's barn. The ladder leading to the upstairs loft allowed her to get away from the hustle and bustle of her family, school, and life in general.

Watching the winter's setting sun with Jake was nice and romantic. They shared a single cup of warm apple cider, just happy to be in each other's company.

Sitting with Jake made her feel effervescent, as if everything around her was teeming with life. Despite the cold chill, she felt as if every cell in her body was brimming with unexpended energy.

She could use the respite from the sluggishness that she had experienced these past few weeks. They were finally seventeen, one year shy from adulthood. She was getting tired of SAT and ACT prep books, or looking through college brochures.

She was looking forward to graduation, to college, and to leaving home. She and Jake had been trying to avoid the issue for the most part, considering that they both had different opinions on which college to attend.

"What are you thinking about kid? You're off in another world."

Jake's pinch of her brown skin snapped her back to reality.

Sometimes, she wished that he wore his hair longer so that she could give his head a few yanking. His obsession with touching her in annoying manner to get her attention was childish.

"I am thinking about how a certain person insists on pinching me to get my attention!"

She snapped, flicking his forehead with her thumb and forefinger. Before she could launch into a lecture about the importance refraining from pinching her very sensitive skin, he pulled her in for a simmering kiss, effectively silencing her.

They pulled away from each other, their breath heavy and their bodies heated. Jake pulled her against him so that she firmly between his longer legs. Their blanket and shared body heat kept them warm despite the cold.

"Celina, final exams are going to be in two weeks and you still have yet to get more than a C+ on your Calculus exam. I promised that I would tutor you so pay attention."

Jake admonished, handing her the spiral notebook that rested forgotten on top of her backpack. Although he loved his girlfriend very much, when it came to studying subjects that she had no interest in, tutoring her became a nightmare.

It wasn't that Celina didn't have the aptitude for the coursework. She simply preferred to coast through the class.

Normally Jake wouldn't care one way or the other, if he were tutoring someone else. But this was Celina, and she was special. He wanted her to have the best grades possible so that they could get into the same university.

"I thought we agreed that we were going to try our best to break into the top ten percent of our class until graduation Celina. If you fail this class, we will end up with different schedules next semester and maybe even next year!"

Celina groaned as she gathered the course materials and reviewed the formulas that would be on next week's test. What difference did it make if she did or did not solve some of these problems? She wasn't planning on being an engineer or a mathematician.