Jaded

[30] The Coyote Circle

"We kissed again!" Jay wails, his panicked voice getting slightly muffled near the end of his confession.

Oh boy, if only every phone call started this way. How fun would that be?

I chuckle, "you and Leo? What were you asking about this time, his tattoos?"

He lets out an exaggerated groan as I put the call on speaker and shuffle through my closet, trying to put together some sort of an outfit. The weekend came and went so unbelievably fast I think I only got a chance to blink maybe twice.

And now it's Monday, and I've got an hour tops before I need to run out of here. Unlike my first day of school back in September, this time I was prepared. I set an alarm to be up extra early and (shockingly) picked out my clothes the night before.

But then morning came and I hated what I picked, then I got a call.

Jay sighs, "this time we were just hanging out like normal, I was eating ice cream-"

"His ice cream?" I tease. Even though he can't see me, I wiggle my eyebrows and laugh.

He groans again before subjecting me to a dramatic fake-sob. "Jade, I called you because I need help. I called Pres first but she wouldn't stop laughing and making marine jokes."

I grin. "Ah, so you decided to consult an expert." Me, Jade the Cupid. Love Guru Supreme. 

"Exactly. But Celeste is Celeste so at 7 in the morning when everyone is either still sleeping or getting ready, she's already at school in the middle of a Student Council meeting." Even through the phone, I catch the hint of mischief lacing his voice.

"Ha ha, very funny." I roll my eyes as I sift through my stack of black jeans. Maybe I should go for a skirt today. What if it's windy though? I could always go with shorts, but then my thighs will stick to those awful plastic chairs. Leggings maybe...

The sound of fingers snapping echoes around my room as Jay says, "hello, earth to Hayes, you still there?"

"Yup, just taking a minute to recover from the shock of complete betrayal," I chime, settling on the cute button up skirt I wore to the arcade this past Saturday. It'll be good luck, and if there's wind I'll simply fight it.

Jay chuckles. "I was kidding. Seriously though, I don't know where this thing with him is going."

I move on to selecting a suitable shirt and ask, "well, where do you want it to go?"

From the other end I hear the humming of a floor fan and light music, but no answer.

"Do you regret kissing him?"

It may sound like I know what I'm doing, but in all honesty, I'm just using Mama's lines from Friday, when she was massaging my hair while grilling me about Atty.

Jay instantly answers, "no, of course not."

He clicks his tongue and is about to say something, I think, when he gasps and quickly whispers, "Atty's coming, I gotta go, bye."

And just like that, my morning is free again. There's a part of me, albeit a small one, that feels the slightest bit of guilt for not telling Atty about this. Mama says any relationship that lasts is built on trust and honesty. She usually says this while lying about cheating at scrabble, of course, but a couple of times she's explicitly advised it.

I'll have to talk to Jay about this. Later though, when he's not panicking about making out with his brother's best friend.

I shake my head and place the rest of my outfit on the bed, grabbing my towel in the process. A hot shower is exactly what I need, especially since I'll be facing Will today- and my teachers.