Head Strong

Chapter 3

"Get your arm off of me people are going to get the wrong idea."

He ignored that comment. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine. Completely." I averted my sight.

"Look at me in the eyes. Are you sure?"

He caught me there. I'm not good at lying. "Yeah...sure." I said, looking down once more.

He snickered. "It's obvious you're lying. I've known you for awhile. Wanna talk about it?"

There were a lot of people around. "No, not right now. After school, maybe. I have to go to the library to get a novel for English. The problem is we have soccer practice today." Jake was on the boys team, and he definitely knew the consequences of skipping one practice.

"Can't you just go after? I mean, your coach is going to be pissed since you're the only goalie. She's probably gonna make you do extra conditioning and stuff."

"It's alright. I may not be the best runner, but I can certainly try. In plus, Wyatt is all on 'saving gas'. The library is far away too, so he'll have to drop me off cuz I'm still 'too young' to be out on my own. Even if I ride a bike to school everyday. His logic is..."

"...confusing," he finished. "And messed up. And selfish. And ridiculous. I'm guessing those were all the words you were thinking of haha."

He got it right again. "Yep. Right on. But don't tell him I said that," I expressed in a hushed tone.

"Pfft, what makes you think I'll do that?" his voice rising a few levels.

I stare him in the eyes until he backs down. "I know what happens. You accidentally spill what I talk about to your mom. And since she hates me, she thinks it's the perfect thing to gossip to Wyatt. THEN I'm in trouble. Ninety nine percent of the time it's YOUR fault I get grounded."

"Well..." He seemed to be thinking thoroughly.

I tripped him up this time. "Exactly. You can't argue about that."

"Ughhhhhhh, shut up you lovebirds I have no one to talk to at all," Cece complained. I completely forgot she was actually there.

"Ok first of all, we're NOT 'lovebirds'. You of ALL people know that, so don't hold us up for it when it appears that way. And second of all, why didn't you say anything earlier? We don't mind you interrupting. And third of all, how long have you been listening to this conversation?" I asked.

"Well I didn't say anything earlier because interrupting is rude. And I've been listening to the whole thing, of course."

"Good. That means you heard me catch him lying."

"Shut up," he murmured as he ruffled my hair.

"STOP TOUCHING MY HAIR I ALREADY FIXED ITTTTTTT."

Cece stopped us. "Well in his defense, he caught YOU lying too."

"HAH," he professed.

I punched him in his side. "Whatever. I still caught you. AND I beat you this morning. So HAH yourself."

"Jeez, is it just me, or did your knuckles get harder since this morning?" He rubbed his ribs.

"Maybe."

"DO YOU NEED TO BE SENT TO THE OFFICE MS. FAWN FOR PUNCHING A STUDENT?" The girls around her laughed in an overreacting manner.

"Gwen," I growled. "Great."

Her group of popular girls stepped in front of us. "You know, those clothes belong in a trash dump. I hope you get dropped off there too." I think one of her friends said that. Then the cackling began.