In Love With my Babysitter

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

"He did what?!"

I sighed as Bex and Celina leaned forward on the table, and told them once again what had happened in the library. Feeling jittery and unsure of myself after the almost-kiss, the first thing I'd done was to call everyone together for icecream at a small shop downtown called 'iScream'.

As soon as I finished reviewing the incident, Sophia leaned back in her seat and rolled her eyes. "Well, it was bound to happen."

"What do you mean?" I said, slightly frowning. 

Before she had a chance to answer, a waiter around our age came by and set the four bowls of icecream we ordered on our table. I gladly took my Butter Pecan Delight and thanked him. He gave me a crinkled smile before walking away, which made the girls burst into laughter.

"That," said Sophia between giggles, "Is what I mean."

"I'm still confused!" I dug a spoon into my icecream and crammed it into my mouth. Bex groaned in exasperation and tried to explain. "Jaylee, hun, are you completely blind? He was totally checking you out!" Her voice dropped into a whisper by the end of the sentence.

I scrunched my face up. "No he wasn't. All he did was smile at me."

Bex waved her hand at me as if shrugging me off, and replied, "Yeah, that's what you saw. I swear, sometimes you are as innocent as a baby lamb, and as blind as a bat. You, Jaylee, are an academic genius, and there is no question to that. But what you and that thick skull of yours is pushing away from you, is boys!"

The others nodded in agreement.

"Boys? Really, now?" I replied dully, cocking an eyebrow.

"Ch'yeah! You can get any guy you want, but all you ever do is push them away. Push them into ye old friend zone, and never let them out. That's you, Jaylee. The magnet who...doesn't want to be a magnet."

"Wow, that was a really terrible metaphor, Bex." I told her, stifling a laugh.

"Urg, that's not the point! What I'm saying is, why don't you open up to at least one guy?" She paused to scoop some of her strawberry fudge. "One! Trust me, you will be amazed at what you've been missing out on. And to make it even easier for you, give Kyle a chance, okay? I mean, he's already obviously into you."

"But he's my best friend!" I muttered, frustrated and annoyed. "Nothing else!"

"Doesn't have to stay that way," said Celina in a singsong voice, and I groaned. "You girls are no help at all.  You're only pushing me to do the things I came here specifically to avoid."

Bex narrowed her eyes and pouted as if she knew something I didn't. "I know what's bothering you so much, Jay...You're scared!" A grin spread across her face.

"What are you talking about?" I said slowly and confusedly. The only things I knew I was afraid of were clowns...and piranhas. 

"You're scared of the unknown," Sophia stated simply. "You've grown up into a life of dealing with paparazzi, attacking your academic studies, acting, the stress of living without a father, and excelling at everything from beating up a grown man to diving so smoothly it'd make a dolphin jealous." I blinked at her words, letting another spoonful of icecream melt in my tongue.

"But what you've never experienced, is love. Or even a hint of crushing on someone."

"Or partying!" Bex pointed out.