Turning Tables

The Sleepover

The next day at school, Lily was a lot calmer than she was when I called her. She had freaked out completely despite how many times I tried to calm her down. Fortunately for me, she had a different, smaller thing to keep her excited: that evening's sleepover. I was also excited, but I had so many thoughts crowding my brain that it didn't seem that way. When I walked into English, Jake was sitting at the desk next to mine. I went over to my desk and sat down hesitantly.

"Jake, why are you sitting here?" I asked. He smiled.

"It'll be less of a scene when we leave." At that point, I was completely confused.

"What?" He shook his head and motioned to the front of the class. Mr. Moore had just come in, and he was about to start talking.

"Okay, students. Today, you are going to work on your projects since most of you didn't even start, much less finish. However, there is one group who has already turned in their assignment." Mr. Moore turned to us. "Ms. Hudson and Mr. Fletcher, you two are excused from my class this morning. However, you are not allowed to leave campus. You may go." I sat there dumbfounded until Jake nudged me. I shook myself out of the trance and grabbed my bag. I followed Jake out of the classroom and closed the door before confronting him.

"You turned in our project without telling me?" He threw up his hands in a defensive manner.

"Jeez. I thought you'd be excited you get the hour off." He smiled. "And you get to spend it with me."

"I am far from 'excited.' I could have kicked you out of my house that much sooner last night if I knew about this earlier." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes, Jake was very close to my face. I lept away from him in fright, and he busted out laughing. I rolled my eyes at him and continued down the hallway. I was about to go to the library to study when Jake caught up and grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?"

"You really expect me to follow you to the library during our now free period together?" When I saw he was pulling me toward the parking lot, I fought him.

"I am not disobeying a teacher's direct instruction on your stupid whim!" He stopped walking so he could hold me down. By hold me down, I mean wrap his arms around me and wait for me to stop fighting. When he realized I wouldn't stop trying to fight him off, he sighed.

"If I get you some ice cream, will you calm down?" How did he know that was my favorite food of all time always? I slowed my struggling. "I mean it. If you come with me, I will get you any kind of ice cream you want." I stopped. He withdrew his arms and offered his hand, which I declined as I walked toward his truck. After we got in and he turned the truck on, he started playing Ed Sheeran. It made me happy that he remembered all these things. It made me even happier that he actually went to those lengths to make me want to spend time with him. Maybe he did just want his old friend back.

Jake drove to the nearest ice cream place and ordered me a waffle cone with two scoops of strawberry ice cream, which is my favorite. After he ordered, a waffle cone with two scoops of chocolate, we walked back to his truck and sat in the back while we ate it.

"So," Jake started. "Tell me about all the things I missed these past three years." I looked at him with a glare. "I'm serious."

"I'm not about to waste all this time telling you about my life when you were voluntarily absent from it."

"Oh, C'mon, Vi. I want to know what I missed." I looked at him in confusion.

"Why?" His face conformed into something like shock, almost as if he had messed up.

"I, just, want my old friend back, is all." I could sense that, even if he was telling part of the truth, he wasn't telling me the whole story. I nodded and began telling him the major points of my life in the past three years. Well, all except one.