Breaking Average

~ chapter two ~

York glanced up at the glowing sign reading Cobb 12 Cinemas, then, taking a breath, she opened the glass door of the theater.

A strange mixture of nervous excitement settled in her stomach.

I'm so pathetic, she thought, who gets nervous about hanging with a friend at the movies?  But still, Tristan's words, "I have a friend I want you to meet", kept bouncing around in her mind.

"York!" A familiar voice called.

She turned to see Tristan standing by the ticket desk, grinning from ear to ear.

Her eyes only settled on Tristan for a moment though. They traveled to a boy about their same age standing behind him.

He was about York's height with dark eyes, dark hair in a floppy-but-modern hairstyle, and dark freckles dotting his entire face.

"Hey Tristan!" York smiled, heading their way.

"What movie should we watch?" He asked, once York had made her way across the room.

Tristan didn't even wait for a reply, but continued talking, "I was thinking about the live action Lion King, but I don't want us to be the oldest people in the theater," he paused to laugh, "I'm also worried they might ruin it. Ya know, Disney these days..."

Tristan talked more about every movie on the list above the ticket booth, but York wasn't listening. She usually would be, admiring every word that Tristan breathed and grinning at the way he took charge in every situation, but right now she was distracted by the boy with floppy brown hair.

"Hey, I'm Jake," Said the freckled boy who had been standing behind Tristan, "I'm sure he meant to introduce me, but he just gets-" Jake waved his had dismissively, "well, you know Tristan. Distracted."

The boy smiled a cute dimpled smile.

York laughed. "Yeah, I know." There was an awkward pause before she stuck out her hand, "Well, I'm York. Like New York. Except not very new. Sixteen years old actually."

Now it was Jake's turn to laugh. He shook York's hand. "I like that. Is that what you always say?"

She shrugged. "If I don't say it, someone else will think they're all clever comparing me to New York."

He laughed again. York liked making him laugh already.

Tristan turned around. "Have you guys even been listening to me?"

"Um," York began.

Jake stepped up. "Oh. Yeah. We were just thinking that the live action Lion King sounds fantastic. Right, York?"

She nodded dutifully. "Sounds perfect."

"Alright then. Lion King it is." Said Tristan, glancing between York and Jake suspiciously. Once he had turned back to the ticket desk, the two exchanged smiling glances.

The trio took the escalator up to the floor with the theaters as they laughed over a lame "horse-walks-into-a-bar" joke that Jake brought up.

"Where do you guys know each other from?" Asked York once they'd reached the top of the escalator. She knew she hadn't seen Jake around school.

"Oh I didn't tell you?" Tristan said, "Jake's my cousin. He lives in my neighborhood, but goes to a private school... I'm forced to hang out with him. You know how cousins are." Tristan finished with an eye roll, clearly teasing Jake.

"Oh c'mon. Don't make me sound like a terrible person already! I've just met her. Clean record, ya know?" Jake winked slyly in York's direction.

They all laughed, but York couldn't help but notice Tristan glancing back and forth between Jake and herself.

When they sat down in the theater, Tristan strategically placed himself between the two. Not that York was complaining though. She still liked Tristan after all and seeing little bits of jealously from him almost made her happy, in a mean sort of way.

When the movie was over, the three walked out to their cars together. York hugged Tristan goodbye and then turned to Jake.

"Well it was nice meeting you..." She smiled sheepishly.

He grinned. "We're gonna be friends. I can already feel it."

"Oh, definitely." York nodded. After a beat she said, "Well, I'll see you guys around!"

And with that, York headed to her car to drive home, caught between remembering how Tristan made sure to sit next to her at and whispered jokes about the movie all throughout, and remembering Jake's sly wink and charming personality.