Biography of Someone Else

Chapter 13: What We See

 At this rate I'm going to be a regular. This is the third game in a row I've been to with Gracie for no really valid reason. Well, I suppose you could technically say I'm going to this one to meet up with Jae, but the others were for Gracie, even if she didn't really need me. And besides, it's not like he ever really said for sure he's going to be here.

"Earth to Stella, are you listening?" Gracie and Kira are both looking at me from the front seat. We're pulled into our parking stall, about to walk in.

"Um, sure?"

"Does that mean no?"

"Just repeat yourself anyway," Kira comments.

"Fine," Gracie says. "We're leaving early, like at the beginning of the fourth quarter since this game is further away. So even if you're off who knows where, keep track of time."

"Does one quarter really make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things?"

"It does traffic wise. It'll probably save us an extra fifteen minutes getting out of the parking lot."

"I guess."

This stadium isn't as nice as some of the other ones in our area. The school doesn't pour money into it, because in a conference with us and the Phoenixes, their football team will never really compete. The bleachers on the guest side of the field are mismatched, probably because they set up extras for the influx of Dragon fans they knew they'd have.

Usually at this point in the season, game attendance starts dwindling from our side. People are tired of watching the games when they know we'll make it to the playoffs win or lose. This year, however, people from our school are still pumped. Our team is playing even better than normal, and we have an undefeated record to show for it. Now everybody is watching to actually see good football, not that I would be to good of a judge.

The bleachers are loosely packed, and Gracie spots Isaiah and Palmer right away. I scan the rest of the crowd by habit, and spot Jae sitting alone near the top corner.

Kira is the one in front of me, so I tap her shoulder. "I'm going to go sit by Jae," I tell her.

"Okay," she says, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively until I shove her.

I weave my way through people to get to the aisle he's nearest to, and then I start my way up. He's on his phone, ignoring the world and looking all the happier for it. His black sweatshirt makes him almost blend in with the people around him, but the lack of gold details is apparent on observation.

If I think about it, it seems like the person he was trying to be when we first me is a bit mismatched. It's almost like he went for the standard bad boy look and hoped people didn't look any deeper. Now he doesn't seem to be trying so hard for the same illusion, or maybe I just forgot about the circumstances under which it is okay for a not-so motorcycle riding bad boy to ditch the leather jacket for an oversized sweatshirt that makes him look adorable. Uh, I mean- you know, screw it, haven't I already admitted I like him?

I slide onto the bench next to him. "Hello," I say.

He looks up from his phone. "Hi, Stella." He closes out of what he's doing quickly, then puts his phone face down on his lap.

"What were you doing?" I ask, gesturing at his phone.

"Waiting for you to come shine some light on my boring night," he says dramatically.

"Well," I say apologetically, "my phone's mostly dead, so if you really want a flashlight I'll have to use your phone."

"All you needed to do was smile," he says cheesily. We laugh at his ridiculousnes, and then he turns serious with a I-just-remembered face. "I have to leave at the half to get home early."