The Sound of Summer

3. Don't Tell Me To Chill

"You ready to go, mi amor [my love] ?" AJ, one of my classmates, asks me as I pack away my stationary. I look up at him and give him the dirtiest look I can muster. I hit his arm and stand up from my desk. He has the cheekiest smile plastered on his face, and as much as I want to keep my face mean, I can't. He has the type of face that would make even the most stone-hearted person melt. Not to mention the fact that his accent, though undoubtably Americanized, still has the flavor of growing up in Spain. Don't get me wrong, I have no interest in him myself, but I completely understand his intrigue.

"Firstly, I'm not your amor. Don't call me that and secondly yes, I'm ready. Are the others downstairs already?"

"Firstly, you wound me and secondly, yes. They're all waiting for us, mi amor." I roll my eyes and hit him again, this time harder. The laugh he lets out makes me chuckle as well. As annoying as he can be, AJ has a way of harassing a person that is almost endearing. And at the very least he's consistent in how he flirts with everyone.

Most times I'm certain he is just joking around to piss Andre off. The two have been feuding since the beginning of high school, for reasons neither can explain. To be fair, there is no better weapon to use against Dre than me. But there are times, like this one, when his eyes linger just a little longer than usual and I think that he may very well be serious. I clear my throat and put some distance between us, and the friendliness in his eyes returns. He walks behind me as we make our way downstairs to where the others are waiting.

"Can I tell you something funny?" he says and I turn to face him for a moment as we walk down the stairs. I lean my head away from his when I realize how close we are. I nod at him to continue.

"Look. Mrs. Montague's skirt is tucked into her underwear," he whispers into my ear, and when I catch the view myself, I burst out laughing.

Were it any other person, I'd feel embarrassed for them and help them immediately. But Montague was a different beast, and frankly, I can't deny how much I love to revel in her misery. That's what she gets for hating me for literally no reason. I'm laughing so hard I almost trip on the last stair, but AJ catches my arm and rights me. I'm caught in between discomfort and thankfulness. Before I can decide which I would respond with, I feel another set of arms wrap around my waist.

"Do we have a problem here, Saldaña?" Andre says through gritted teeth, his grip against my waist is tighter than ever. I hate seeing him jealous, especially in situations where he really doesn't need to be.

"Not at all, guapo [handsome]," AJ says with a wink, "we were just sharing a laugh. Don't worry, Andre, there's more than enough of me to go around." I chuckle and roll my eyes in response. I did say he was consistent.

When AJ doesn't budge, Dre slides his hand to cup my ass, and that's when I start to get incredibly annoyed. AJ lifts his hands up, as if to surrender, and backs away from me.

"I'll see you both later yes? And Johnson, lose the scowl you're so much better looking without it." He winks at us both and then walks off to talk to another group of people.

I wish I could scream at both of them. This stupid feud has absolutely nothing to do with me, yet here I am being used as some trophy to make a statement.

Andre's hand on my ass starts to feel like an intrusion. I think about saying something, but we've only just made up from this morning and I don't want to argue again. I know better than to undermine him in public, so instead, I twist around to face him so his hand naturally slides away. I give him an annoyed look, but his eyes are so precious that I can't help but melt when I look at him. My nerves relax immediately. I play slap his face.

"Did you have fun in your little dick measuring contest?" I say playfully and softly so no one but he can hear me. His eyes widen and I can see how embarrassed and annoyed he is.