Ketchup Stains

3. Roach Film Failure

Jeffery had ended the school day ecstatic. He drove Agnus home from school in his red truck, smiling like an idiot the whole way. He even drove a little faster than usual too, (just because he knew she would appreciate it).

"What's gotten you so bent into shape? You're not driving like an old lady anymore for once," Agnus asked out of curiosity. The only time she'd witness seeing her brother this excited, were the days when a new Star Wars movie had been released on DVD. To her understanding, the next Star Wars movie wasn't due for another year and a half.

"I'm just excited for my group project. We're gunna meet at Darius's house tonight and start filming our arthropod video," Jeff said while swerving the vehicle into a parking space.

"What in the heck is an arthropod?"

"It's an invertebrate animal like a spider or a crustacean."

"I still don't understand why you're so excited though." She squinted her accusing dark eyes at him. Something was up with him and she knew it. She could always tell when her brother wasn't telling the truth.

She knew Jeffery hated group projects, and couldn't count the times where he'd complained about being the only one doing the work. Of course he was an overachiever since the day he was out of the womb, but sometimes people would take advantage of him, and nothing made her blood boil more than this. "So it's just you and this Darius guy then?"

"Well, no," Jeffery said casually before adding, " it's just me, Darius, and Erin." Agnus could plainly see the sides of his mouth, tugging up into a smile. Yeah, something was definitely up with him. She pondered as they ascended the staircase towards their apartment complex.

Once inside, Agnus and Jeff tossed their bookbags onto the sofa and grabbed snacks from the kitchen. Jeff had decided on a small zip-lock bag of pizza leftovers and popped it into the microwave. He usually didn't eat this much right after school, but waiting to see Erin at Darius's house all day was driving him to a point of mere insanity. He needed a distraction, and food was always his go-to option.

As Jeffery impatiently waited for the clock to strike six, he consumed four slices of pizza, cleaned out the closet in his room, and tried to attack next weeks essay for his gifted research and exposition class when his persistent thoughts began to take over. They seemed to ravel onwards about tonight's project and the fact that Erin Patelline would be there--with the unfortunate appearance of Darius Jarosz... But that wasn't the point; the point was that he would finally be able to make a move on her outside of class, and that was the most blessed gift he could ever ask for. That is, if he even knew what he was doing. Particularly, Jeff was more infatuated with seeing her rather than worrying about what he was going to say face to face; and that was dangerous thinking.

After dousing himself in a bottle of cologne and fixing his wavy hair in the hall mirror, he realized that it was finally time to head out. "Hey I'm gunna go to Darius's house now, I'll see you later!" Jeff called out to his sister as he gathered his things. "Let mom know I'll be back around eight."

He threw the strap of his video camera around his neck and grabbed his keys eagerly before Agnus called back from her room, "Have fun nerd! But don't have too much fun okay?"

"Of course not. Who do you think I am woman?" he joked before rushing out the door.

. . .

"Jeffery my brother! The fun has arrived!" Darius declared joyously as he held back two barking German Shepard's by the collar. Jeffery watched as a tea-cup Chihuahua darted down the hallway and jumped at his ankles wildly. The aggressive little thing reminded him of the rabid-crazed dog in the Stephen King movie Cujo, but he was relieved to see that it was only the size of a Twinkie and probably weighed no more than two pounds.