Catching you

2

Jason Taylor

"What's up man?", Chase, my best friend, wants to know instantly when he sees my face fall. His green eyes then focus on my phone and he rolls his eyes when he sees that Cecilia, my girlfriend, texted me.

"Let me guess, she has dance practice again.", he hits home with his answer.

"Honestly, why are you guys even together?", Chase wonders while munching on his cereal.

"I'm asking myself the same question.", I mutter lowly and take a sip of my orange juice to ponder on this.

Cecilia and I have been together for just a month, but we almost never spend time with each other. It may sounds cliché but I always thought that couples in a relationship actually want to do something together. Well, apparently not Cecilia.
She made it pretty clear from the start that dancing was her main priority and me being busy with school, football and friends was totally okay with that. However, after she declined dates more often than Cecilia agreed on them it dawned on me that our relationship would always be like this.

"Do you even know her favourite colour and the other shit?" Chase asked while chewing on his cereal.

I make a disgusted face at him and he just shrugs. However I still manage to answer: "I can't even remember if we have had two dates yet, because she never has time."

Chase laughs out loud and spits his cereal everywhere.

While he tries to tidy up his mess with a tea towl I threw at him he asks: "You never actually told me why you asked her out. You just said something about her taking care of you."

I nod my head and just as I am about to explain my gaze falls on the clock and I exclaim: "Shit, we're so late!".

We immediately rush out of the door and jump into my car. I put it in drive and we speed towards our school. It does not really help when I remember that I have Mr. Terman for my first period. This dude is strict!

"What is your mom going to cook for dinner?", Chase wants to know while staring out of the window.

I smile at his passion for food and respond: "You're always the first one to know, it's no different this time."

You may wonder why Chase was eating breakfast at my house this morning and why he asked what my mom will make for dinner, but for me this is my daily life. Chase's parents are filthy rich and therefore are almost never home. Chase and I met at a playground when we were 5 years old and hit it off immediately. He often came over for play dates and because my mom knew that there was just a nanny waiting for him at home, he spent the nights with us more often than he did not.
Chase is like a brother to me and if you ask me my mom treats him as her child as well. I trust Chase with my life and I am glad that I have him. I never saw it as a bother to play or share my toys with him. We became even closer when my dad died of cancer and Chase was always there to cheer me up. Chase is my brother in every sense of the word.

Soon we arrive at our school and I park the car, say bye to Chase and hurry towards my class room. The corridors are already empty and I quicken my steps.

I hastily pull open the class room door and I am instantly faced with Mr. Terman. His expression never tells you what is going on in his mind and I just settle for an honest apology with the excuse that I overslept and he fortunately lets it slide.

Happily I make my way towards the only empty seat in the class room and while taking a seat I notice that I lost a piece of paper. Just as I reach for the paper the person next to me does so as well and our fingers touch. An electric current makes its way through my body and I instantly look up into the two beautiful blue eyes of Haley Scott.