Books, Boys, and Basketball: Junior Year

THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE

Drew continues to complicate my dating life by instilling fear in any guy that's interested in me. Em set me up on a blind date, and when my blind date realized she was setting him up with me, he bolted faster than Usain Bolt during the Olympics.

My unlucky streak continues when Patrice hooks me up with a date to the first official school dance. My date walks over to the punch bowl, and after less than five minutes alone with Drew and his friends, he leaves without so much as a goodbye. I end up spending the rest of the night with Quincy, so I don't have to spend it solo.

After a week of Drew and his friends running off all of my potential dates, I've had enough and confront him during fifth-period.

"You can't keep running off every guy who tries talking to me, Drew."

"I haven't run off every guy... Quincy's still checking for you. Besides, I'm just weeding out the weak ones. Anyone who'd let me deter them doesn't deserve a shot."

"Whatever big head, just stay out of my love life."

"You mean the love life that doesn't exist without me in it?"

Ass. He's an ass. Shaking my head, I pull out my supplies for class and prepare for the bell to ring so the class can start. Mostly, I try to ignore Drew, but it's easier said than done when his knee keeps brushing up against mine or he keeps giving me this look that makes my heart stop. He knows what effect he has on me, and he's enjoying this. He enjoys being able to torture me like this.

"Where are you staying? It's not with your parents," Drew asks.

"I'm staying with my Grams. She lives near Quincy."

"How near Quincy?" His jealousy flares.

"I could walk to his house if I wanted to, and more than likely will, starting today. His parents are paying me a hundred dollars a session to tutor Skylar," I boast. "That's three sessions a week at twelve hundred a month."

Drew doesn't look happy and I know it's because he doesn't want me anywhere near Quincy, but that's the awesome thing about not being with him.

I don't have to care...

"I'm sure Quincy is thrilled," he studies my reaction.

"He sounded like it," I reply, purposely trying to get a rise out of him.

Drew doesn't disappoint. I turn my attention to the front of the class, but I can feel his eyes burning a hole in the side of my head. When I turn to look at him again, he doesn't look happy. He starts an argument with me.

"It's that easy for you, huh? Why am I not surprised?"

"Don't even," I scowl at him. "I was only gone for a few months before you hooked up with Kimberly."

"And you've only been back for a second, but you're already fooling around with Q."

"I'm not fooling around with anyone. I'm tutoring his sister. There's no crime against that. Not to mention the fact that if I wanted to see Q, I'd be well within my rights to do so, seeing how I've already lost you and all."

Drew narrows his eyes at me. "You'd be well within your rights, but I'm telling you now if you date Q, that's it... I'm done."

"You're already done, remember?" I call his bluff.

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. There's always drama with you. I don't have all of this drama with Kim."

Being compared to Kim is like plunging a dagger into my heart, and he knows it. He just messed my head all up with that one statement and I can't muster up a smile even if I wanted to. Meanwhile, he knows he's won and turns his focus to the kids filtering into the classroom, hoping to make it into their seats before the bell rings.