Terms and Agreements (on hold indefinitely)

Jenna Imparts Upon me Some Unwanted Knowledge Concerning Mr. Hot Stuff

                                                                               14

Flynn and I were in the kitchen raiding Emerson's refrigerator when Jenna found us again.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked, sliding up onto the counter and swinging her feet.

"Of course we don't mind," I said, watching as Flynn started pulling out the ingredients to create a sandwich. As he set the stuff on the counter, I peered into the still open refrigerator to see if there was any peanut butter. I liked peanut butter sandwiches, and that was the end of my sandwich menu, except for perhaps the occasional PB and J.

"If you're looking for peanut butter, it's probably in the pantry," Jenna told me, "not everyone is crazy about natural refrigerated stuff like you."

I left the fridge to locate the pantry as I replied, "look, I want to live a nice long life, and anyway, JIF isn't real peanut butter."

Jenna scoffed at me as I opened a door and found a bunch of gross junk food staring back at me - Cheetos, cereal such as Froot Loops and the grossest things you can imagine, and then I found bread, and beside that, peanut butter.

I grabbed the last two things and set them on the counter beside all the many ingredients Flynn had for his sandwich.

"Ah, thank you, Alison," he said, snatching the bread away, "I was needing some of that."

I didn't reply, as I then began searching for a knife to spread the peanut butter with. Eventually I found the silverware drawer and withdrew a butter knife.

Jenna watched Flynn and I as we prepared our food, and as I was turning up my nose at the overstuffed monstrosity he deemed a sandwich, the music in the living room stopped. Then I heard Jason the football player's voice and I knew that it was time for the next task announcement.

"Ugh, do we have to go in there?" I groaned. I hadn't even gotten to take a single bite of my sandwich.

Jenna hopped down off the counter. "No, I'll go in there and listen for you guys."

"Thanks, Jenna, you're the best," Flynn said before I could thank her, pointing at her with his left index finger, grinning crookedly, and I saw her cheeks redden slightly.

"No problem," she replied breathlessly before exiting the room quickly.

Flynn chuckled softly before digging into that disgusting clash of ingredients he insisted upon calling a sandwich. I took a bite of my nice, normal, plain, delicious peanut butter sandwich.

And there we stood at Emerson Blakely's kitchen counter, eating our fill, while all I wanted was to go home and visit my brother, and Flynn seemed to be under the impression that he was good at making sandwiches.

~

As the music resumed a few moments after Flynn and I had completely consumed our meals, Jenna reentered the room.

"So, is this more on the level of putting up with Gilderoy Lockheart or defeating Dolores Umbridge?" I asked her, afraid of the answer.

"You decide," she said, coming closer to us before breaking the news: "you guys have to go on a date. Well, two actually, one chosen by you, Ali, and the other planned by you, F-Flynn." Aw, Jenna's so cute, not being able to say Flynn's name without stammer-

"What?!" It hit me. "Go on a date? With this moron?"

"Hey!" Flynn protested, but I ignored him.

Jenna inhaled deeply. "Ali, I'm sure it won't be too bad."

I was too annoyed to speak. So I just stared a hole through the floor. This was ludicrous. Stupid, stupid peoples-es! They stole the precious time from us (me)! This was way past the point of defeating Dolores Umbridge - I was practically taking a ring to Mordor! Ugh!

"Well, anyway...." Jenna mumbled.

Before she could continue, a phone started ringing and Flynn withdrew his from his pocket. "Hello?" He stepped away from us, and Jenna took me by the arm, leading me onto the unpopulated patio outside the kitchen door.

"Ali," she began, halting and looking me in the eye, "I know you don't like Flynn because he put your name in the bowl. And yes, that's a really good reason to not like him."

"Yes, yes it is," I agreed, "what are you getting at?"

She sighed. "You're being really rude to him and-"

"Yeah, because he deserves it!"

"Ali, I don't think he's actually a horrible person, okay?" She said, her brown eyes serious as she stared into mine. "I think he's lonely."

I scoffed. "But earlier you said he deserved the crick in his neck, because he tricked me!" I protested. She couldn't just change her mind whenever she wanted. I don't care if he's lonely! (Well, actually, a small part of me did, but whatever, I never listened to that part of me anyway, so...)

She took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know what I said. But then I watched you guys together. And Ali," she paused, looking at me so intently I was afraid of what she might have to say, "I think he likes you. Like, really likes you, as in he wants to be your boyfrie-"

"I know what you're saying!" I cut her off before she could continue, "look, I know you're just trying to help me, and I appreciate it, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me like that. I mean, who would? I'm awful."

She laughed. "Oh, Ali, you're not awful. You're beautiful and funny and weird and any straight guy that you let get close enough to you to have an actual conversation is bound to fall for you."

I turned over this new information in my head. So Flynn "liked" me, huh? That was great, just great! Best thing that ever happened to me, ever! (Please note the sarcasm)

Jenna must have seen the disgust on my face, because she said, "but I don't think he'd act on it, not unless you did something to make him think you liked him back."

Uh oh. Does nursing knife wounds and letting him wear my shirt and sleep in my room and going to a park with him and then a coffee shop and then letting him get the keys out of my locked car and then sitting in a room with him alone and telling him his piano skills were cool count as something that would make him think I liked him back? Oh, and let's not even mention the keeping a secret for him part!

Oh no. Of course, I couldn't tell Jenna that I'd nursed a knife wound or kept a secret. This whole thing was perfect. Just perfect! (Again, please note the sarcasm)

Oops.

~

However, after that incident, apparently the universe decided to give me a break, because Flynn informed me that his sister was coming to pick him up.

I didn't wait around to see if she was in fact real and if his truck genuinely existed, but instead hopped in my car and went home. Jenna had ridden with other people, and they were all going somewhere after the party, and being my antisocial self, I just went home.

Which was perfectly fine with me. I wanted to visit with Alan, and I also had some movies I'd recently purchased that I hadn't gotten to watch yet. Fun.

I was very glad to have something to distract myself from the knowledge that Mr. Hot Stuff might possibly have a crush on me. Most of me hoped he didn't, but then the stupid weird teenage hormones were screaming that they wanted him to fall head over heels for me.

Fortunately, I have a good head on my shoulders that doesn't allow the stupid weird teenage hormones to dictate my actions. I hung out with Alan, but he was really tired and went to bed early. So I watched a movie.

Or at least, I tried to.

Just as the previews had finished and the menu came up, and as I was seconds away from pressing Play Movie, my phone went off.

Half of me hoped against everything it was only Jenna, but the other half, the realist half, knew already who it was.

Hey Alison, you there?

Flynn Freaking-Movie-Interrupter Tyler.