Complex

**Ch. 27 - Before**

The music was lame.  The decorations were subpar and tacky.  The gym was designed to be fun, but the atmosphere was just full of awkwardness and acne.

            What were the adults thinking?  As much as everyone in the school pretended to be all excited about the dance… no one actually wanted to dance.  Hello.  This was junior high school.  Why was that so surprising?

            "Hey, Jake!"

            I turned and found Eddie strolling my way, wearing the same clothes he'd worn to school earlier.  "I didn't think you'd show," I told him.

            "Funny—I thought the same thing about you.  Where's Tyler?"

            I shrugged, sipping my cavity-inducing punch.  "Don't know.  He never said whether he was coming or not."

            "Not much to see, anyway.  None of the cheerleaders are here."  He scanned the side where all the girls had gathered, like little packs.

            "That's because they're cool, Ed.  They're probably out back, smoking or something."

            "Well, they are smokin', am I right?"  He raised a hand for a high-five.

            I just rolled my eyes.  "You're so original."  I set my drink down.  "I guess I'll just head out.  No one's gonna do anything anyway."

            "Alright," he said reluctantly, "but if any action starts, I'm not calling you back."

            I laughed and went towards the exit at the other end of the gym, walking past the girls, all of whom stared at me like I'd invaded their territory.

            Once I was outside did I hear the bustling city of New York.  Then I realized I wasn't alone.

            Jennifer Duncan was leaning against the brick wall of the gym, her red hair stirring in the breeze, a cigarette in her hand as she exhaled smoke like a beautiful dragon.  She was a cheerleader, not one of the main ones, and she was also in three of my classes.

            "Those things are bad for you," I called out.

            She turned, and smirked.  "Tell me something I don't know."

            I walked over slowly.  "So how come you still smoke?"

            She took a drag.  "It feels good."  Jennifer exhaled, and then coughed.

            I smirked.  "You haven't been smoking long, have you?"

            Jennifer smiled up at me sheepishly.  "Only, like, two weeks.  My friends have been smoking much longer."

            "Nice friends," I muttered.

            She straightened up.  "They're not bad, Jake."

            "Oh, no?" I asked skeptically.  "So they weren't all 'Come on, Jennifer,'" I said, pitching my voice up, "'all the cool guys are doing it!  That cancer stuff is all fake anyway!'"  I flicked my wrist passively and girlishly.

            She laughed.  "You're pretty funny," she said.  "I guess I can't offer you one, can I?"

            "Not in this lifetime." I gestured towards the door.  "How come you're not inside?"

            Jennifer sighed.  "Because it's lame.  I want to get to high school already so that I can be around mature people, you know?  I'm tired of these little kids."  She glanced at me.  "You're lucky you're in eighth grade."