This is not a Romcom

She's a Bold One

Something about Courtney rubbed me the wrong way. The glances she shot me in the back seat weren't helping either. I was hoping I was just imagining everything, but my gut feeling told me she was bad news.

The ride home was very awkward. There wasn't much conversation on my part, but the couple up front seemed as lovey dovey as ever. Courtney's whole personality seemed to change in an instant.

I sighed and stared out the window, the green of the passing trees almost hypnotic. I took one more peek at the loving couple in the front seat before shoving my earbuds in and blasting my music.

    That night, as usual lately, I had trouble sleeping. Nausea and anxiety ensured my lack of sleep, of course. I woke up the next morning to the shrill shrieking of my alarm clock. I grabbed my phone and caught a glimpse of my reflection in its black screen. I wasn't surprised to find my bags had multiplied.

    I groaned as I thought about the day to come. I struggled to roll out of bed. When I did, I instantly missed the warmth of my bed. I begrudgingly got ready and headed downstairs.

Just then I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I sighed loudly. Jackson wasn't driving me to school today. What does that mean? Well, it means I get to ride the magic school bus, only instead of friendly classmates and a fun teacher/bus driver everyone is just on drugs or really weird. Great.

****

The rest of the week flew by. I tutored Patrick Blankenship on Thursday. He was a funny guy. To my surprise, I actually really liked him. He was a hoot and a half. He was average looking with black, curly hair and freckles across the bridge of his nose. He was a real cutie if you ask me, just not the conventional kind.

On Thursday he hunted me down at lunch. We talked about anything and everything. He told me he needed help with math and I was happy to help. He had me laughing all through lunch. I barely had time to eat.

This is something I don't think Jackson would have liked very much, but he had been elsewhere the latter half of the week, not even giving me a ride home (luckily Patrick offered). In his absence, Patrick had become almost like a substitute. I was thankful to have a new friend, but it almost felt wrong. However, there wasn't much else I could do.

On Friday morning Patrick approached me, a nervous look on his boyish-looking face as he ran his fingers through his black, curly hair. He looked down, thinking, but I couldn't help but imagine he was trying to count the freckles on his face.

"Spit it out, dork" I prodded, hitting him in the shoulder affectionately. He sighed and smiled, still looking hesitant.

"It's nothing really," he began, "I just don't know how you'll react to Doug. I'm sure you'll be fine, but just keep in mind that he doesn't mean to be rude. Also, he looks like a boulder, so try not to be intimidated."

   I gave him a reassuring smile, although it was more of an act. So far I was doing okay, but the stress was totally getting to me. I was really surprised I hadn't had a panic attack yet. I was even more surprised that I was getting better. I even felt more social. I almost felt like I could take on anything right now.

"Don't worry about it," I responded, actually able to put my heart into it. "I'm a big girl, I'm sure I'll be fine."

Just then the bell telling us to go to class rang, but he didn't move. He looked unconvinced. I sighed and began walking to class, Patrick following. We carried on a pleasant conversation until the hallway split, sending us in opposite directions.

On my way to class I saw Jackson talking to Courtney, looking like a lovesick puppy. A feeling of uneasiness reared it's head. I blew a strand of hair out of my face and walked to my first class of the day.

****

At lunch Jackson was once again absent, probably with his girlfriend. I was about to sit down when I saw Patrick waving at me from an empty table. I smiled and walked over to greet him.

"Hey, Patrick." I said, sitting down across from him.

"Madam," he retorted, chuckling. He began scarfing down his lunch, carrying on conversation with mouthfuls of food in his mouth.

"So, what's got you down, June?" He asked, catching me by surprise. I was astonished that he even noticed after only two days of knowing me. He was right. I was a little depressed about Jackson.

"It's nothing really," I stated, nibbling on a roll. "I'm just a little bummed. Jackson has been really preoccupied with his new girlfriend lately. We haven't hung out in a few days."

Patrick listened politely to my complaints and seemed to be studying my face as I spoke. I sighed as I pushed the food around with my fork.

"Are you jealous?" He queried, startling me. I choked on my food, coughing uncontrollably. When my coughing ceased, I took a drink of water before denying everything.

"Jealous? Of course not, I'm not that needy. I don't want to monopolize his time." I spat out, unreasonably defensive. Patrick laughed, a friendly, heartwarming laugh.

"Not exactly what I meant, but I get it," He responded. "You're a good friend, June. Jackson is a lucky guy."

****

The time had finally come. I sat in the library, waiting for Doug to show up. When he did, I was stunned. He was huge. I mean, absolutely ripped. Patrick wasn't kidding when he said Doug was like a boulder. I had heard about his rough appearance, but I guess this wasn't what I was expecting.

He sat down across from me, his body taking up every bit of the chair. I sat there for a moment, taking in his magnitude. I'm almost certain that I heard him grunt at me.

I knew this was going to be a difficult study session, but I was up to the challenge. I was acting out of character this week, so why stop now?