Knowing Jude

7. I'll Remember You Said That

7. I'll Remember You Said That

Simon leans towards me during lunch, awkwardly scratching his eyebrow.

"Lilly's home?" he asks, making sure to keep his voice low.

I hold back a snicker. I know he doesn't want anyone else at the table to hear him, because they would make fun of him. He has had the biggest crush ever on my elder sister for years.

"Who told you that?" I ask, humoring him.

"Trey told me she said hi," he replies, now touching his frames.

I snort. "He lied."

He actually looks crestfallen for a second, and I feel awful. I pinch his cheek lightly to show I'm joking.

"Just kidding, buddy, yeah she said hi," I say though I'm pretty certain Trey was lying to him. "Yeah she came home yesterday. Want to see her?"

He flushes and I chuckle.

I lean in further towards him and sigh. "Come on, Simon, you're still not over her? I know she's pretty, and all, and your dream chic, but she's older and most likely looking for older campus guys. Have you looked in a mirror of late, or have you seen the looks Kate over there has been throwing your way? You're a catch, and it's time you started putting those looks of yours to use."

His grey eyes widen behind his glasses, and he gapes. "What? Kate?"

Of course, that's the only part of my speech that registered in his mind. I nod.

He turns to look at the table where the popular girls are sat, Jen sitting with them today. Simon turns back to me again.

"You don't mean Katherine Johnson, do you?"

I nod. "The one and only."

He turns back towards the popular table, and so do I. Katherine is seated beside Jen and they are peering into each other's phones and giggling. I roll my eyes and look down the other side of the long table. I see Jude,with the girl from morning on his laps. Tired of rolling my eyes, I turn back to my food.

"You're crazy," Simon says, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. "She's a stupid cheerleader."

"I'll remember you said that," I tell him.

He scoffs and puts his glasses back on, going back to his lunch.

Simon might have been a full out nerd when we first started school, but he is not the scrawny teenager he was two years back. He has since filled out his clothes, and his face has acquired smooth angles that make many girls stare. Then there is his dark hair that's thick and black like coal, with those waves that I mentioned earlier which makes one just want to touch and run their fingers through it. I know I want to.

To make it short and not sound like I've got goo goo eyes for my good friend here, Simon gets a lot of attention, but he doesn't know that.

"HEY GUYSSS!"

I literally jump, jump out of my seat and tumble backwards. Simon reaches out and holds onto me, laughing along with everyone else at the table. I straighten up and glare at the yelling new comer, who is now laughing her ass off at my fright.

"Go to hell," I grumble, settling back into my seat.

Even after everyone else's laughter has died, Nicki continues laughing, producing deep belly laughs that make her sound like a dying donkey. I hear Simon start to chuckle, then wait for it...

He bursts into laughter again, because somehow Nicole Ashley Cooper's laugh was not only boisterous, but also infectious. I've known Nicki for close to four years now, and it's rare to see her anything but happy. I roll my eyes and stab my fork into my food, because I don't think stabbing my two annoying friends is a nice thing to do.