i sit splayed across the bleachers as i watch my school's football team warm up for the game tonight. it starts at 7:00 but we're here at 6:00 because rachel, my best friend, is dating one of the running backs.
she pokes me in the stomach for the 30th time, "are you listening? he just doesn't care, i don't want to be that one overly clingy girlfriend but seriously, it's like they're attached at the hip or something." her boyfriend, tucker, has been hanging around another girl, lorin king, and rachel won't get over it. in tucker's defense, they are project partners so they have no choice. but rachel being her obsessive and controlling self, she read into it far too much. rachel's vocabulary is full of things like 'he looked at my stomach too long! he thinks i'm fat' or 'he stared at her! i'm right in front of his face!'. after she says these things i look her dead in he eyes and tell her she is beautiful, strong, and needs to stop overreacting.
"they're partners for a project, i'm sure it means nothing." i console her, then look back down at my math textbook.
"that's not what i want to hear, c'mon y/n!" rachel whines, that's the thing about rachel, she's a whiner. she whines all day, everyday.
"shh." i try to look extra interested in quadratic formulas. i then hear the sound of shouts, yells, and cleats smacking the pavement. it's the opposing team, river-something.
"you're supposed to listen to me, y/n. i know you've never been in a relationship but i need your help." she guilts me.
"i'm sorry, but really, shh." i look at each of the boys, closely. rachel shoots me a look of impatience but finally realizes what i'm looking at.
"ooh, boys. the other team. aren't they cute." she
cooes. i find the one i like, excruciatingly bright blue eyes, short tosseled brown hair, and a strong, angled face. he laughs heartily at something then looks down the bleachers. "you like that one?" rachel follows my gaze closely.
"kinda, he's cute." i nod, still examining him. he's muscular. the boy locks eyes with me for one moment, just a quick glance. but then he looks back, like he can't believe what he's looking at, then we really lock eyes and i can tell it's on purpose this time. "he's really cute."
"you should ask him out,"
"i don't know him."
"sure you do, he goes to riverside high and is number .." she peers to see his jersey number. "...81 on their varsity team. he looks about our age too. it's not that hard to figure stuff out about a boy, y/n" out of us two, rachel is the one that actually has experience with boys, she's outgoing and gorgeous. it just comes naturally to her, i sit back most of the time, while she goes through every boy in the 11th grade. tucker is just one of them, but i like tucker, he's sweet to her and considerate. unlike many of the other boys that she dated, they were terrible and gross.
"maybe i will ask him out." i shrug, knowing i won't. but it'll help her get over the idea. the boy is still looking, intensely too. he nudges the skinny, stick-like boy next to him and now they're both looking at me. there has to be some point when this turns creepy. the boys make their way down the steps next to us, then at which point they all turn to stare. at rachel, clearly. but the one boy, the boy that i like looks at me, dead center and he smirks. i feel my face flush but i smile shyly back.
throughout the football game, i get as close to the boy as possible. i sit at the bottom of the bleachers, intermixed with pimply middle schoolers but i don't care. as long as i can see him. tucker does something important on the field. it seems to cause an uprise of cheering and i cheer too. rachel is up with the kids that are actually our age, talking and giggling excitedly. while i sit down here lamely.
"so basically, i told her, tucker is completely mine! he belongs to me! and she just looked at me and nodded. honestly the nerve of this girl." i start to feel bad for lorin king as i listen to rachel reenact their stupid argument. i kick a pebble on the ground, tucker takes forever getting dressed and rachel has insisted on waiting for him because he said he'd take us out to eat, me included. "what does she not understand about a relationship? tucker and i are committed to each other, completely!"
"rach, do you not think you're overreacting one bit?" i glance up at her as i station myself on the curb. "assume the best of lorin, she's nice, she would never do anything to ruin your relationship with tucker."
"blah, blah, blah. you're no help, y/n,
really." rachel whines at me, again. god help me i need to get away from this conversation, i plead in my head. and then, it's like they're heaven sent, the riverside high football team starts filling out of the gym and on to the sidewalk next to us. they make it too loud for rachel and i to hold a conversation, thank gosh. i suddenly remember the boy, his blue eyes first then the rest of him. he's leaving. i stand up to identify which one he is in the blur of sweaty football players. "what are you doing?" i look down at rachel irritably.
"none of your dang business." i snap, as i near the back of the bus loud and excitable voices fill the air.
"hey!" one says, a head pops out of the back window with it.
"hello?" i call back up.
"hey, stay right there would you? i'm coming down." it's the blue eyes, i can see them. my heart drops down to about my stomach as i wait for the boy.
"hi," he nears me. the boy is more tall than i expected, a little less than a head taller than me. more lean too. "i'm tom." he holds out a hand for me to shake and i accept it quickly.
"i'm y/n, it's very nice to meet you." i shake his hand excitedly.
"it's very nice to meet you too, y/n." tom releases my hand but takes a step closer to me. "do you know why i came down here?"
"hm, to uh, to get your helmet." i guess stupidly.
he smirks, "well, actually, to get your phone number." i laugh excitedly then nod in agreement.
i smile up at him,"oh, sure."
"tom! hurry up, would you? we're leaving!" a voice hollers out of the bus.
"one second!" he smiles and shakes his head. "you don't happen to have a pen do you?" i nod my head and fish one out of my bag. as i jot my number down on an old receipt, i glance up slightly to see tom looking at me with a smirk on the left side of his mouth.
"there you go." i hand it to him.
tom looks at the receipt proudly, "i'll call you, promise."
"promise?" i tilt my head slightly.
"the second i get home expect a call, we can talk about our date." he shoots back confidently.
"i'll be waiting." i feel my face flush.
