When I'm with you

Chapter 18

Finally, spring had arrived! It wasn't like I hated winter, it was just that during the cold season the swim team didn't have practice. So now, spring brought everything back to normal. Just like what Katy and Sean told us before, we resumed our training in the third week of February. Jane hated the way I felt so excited to train again, since it meant the start of the most exhausting days of our lives. Because we were participating in two competitions in spring, it was obvious that we needed to work twice or thrice as hard as we did before.

My day started normally, with Jane dropping by our house in the morning to pick me up. And if you were wondering why I didn't run from home to school this time, it was because the wind outside was still incredibly cold despite the fact that spring had come. So yeah, I wasn't planning on becoming an ice popsicle on my way to school.

As Jane drove, we talked about random things: the newest songs, trends, and the rise and downfall of Flappy Bird. Well, we weren't really talking.. she talked, I nodded. Or shook my head. Or shrugged. Or laughed. You get the picture. Jane would never be able to do what I do. My mind went back to a few weeks ago, when I told Jane about how I took care of Gab. Oh, wait, let me rephrase that: when Jane interrogated me about how I took care of him.

It happened a couple of days after I visited Gab. We were at my house (a typical impromptu visit from Jane), just chilling on the bed watching Frozen. Actually, I was watching, but she was too busy staring at me. Her eyes always lingered on my face a couple of seconds too long everytime she looked at me. It had been like that ever since she got to my house, but she didn't ask me anything. And I knew she wanted something from me. Her face was a strange mix of expectant, excited, pleading, and slightly annoyed. Everytime I caught her staring, I'd ask her what was wrong, but she'd just puff her cheeks and turn away, mumbling that it was nothing. Then after two seconds, she'd be staring at me again. So when the movie finally ended (and I could still feel her eyes on me) I turned to face her and said:

"Spill it, Parker."

She sat up in a flash and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Excuse me? No, YOU spill it, Winston! I heard you went to Gab's house the other day. What. Happened. Talk. Now." she said, crossing her arms.

"Waaait a sec, is this why you've been looking at my face instead of watching the freaking movie?"

"Yeah, duh." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, why didn't you ask me instead of making me feel so awkward with all the staring? It's creepy as hell, Jane. I thought you were falling in love with me!"

She waved me off.

"Oh cut the crap, Anne. Besides, you know I love you to the moon and back, but that's even creepier." She was pouting and twirling her hair in her fingers. "I was expecting you to tell me yourself, and I didn't want to pry. I mean, I know how flustered you get when we talk about you and Gab. Yeah, see? You're blushing already."

I touched my cheeks, and they were really warm. Dang it. Jane knew me too well. I sat up as well, took a deep breath and prepared myself for my interrogation.

"Fine. Go ahead. Ask me whatever you want."

Here's how it started:

Jane: "Why did you go there?"

Me: "Gab was sick and Chad was busy, so he asked me to take care of him instead."

Jane: "Were you guys alone? Like, just the two of you together? No parental supervision? No Chad?"

Me: "Okay, first of all, I know what alone means, idiot, I'm not dumb. And yes.. we were."

Jane: "Oh wow, you're bitchy today.. wait a minute, why the slight pause? Oh my GOSH! Chad was right! Asdfghklkjdhskahsj" (yes, her speech was incomprehensible)