CHAPTER 18
1183 Words
TESSIE'S POV
I had never been one for big crowds or parties. They drained the energy out of me and whenever I made an exception for Ava and agreed to go, I always ended up alone in a corner drinking my sippy cup as everyone else ran around either having s*x, making out, or playing stupid games.
I counted the minutes until Ava found some boy and took off with him. It was amazing how she would be upset pining over a guy and in the next skip off with another one. She did have all the features that guys liked. She was pretty and even though she was a nerd like me, she was the popular nerd. The one who always got noticed unlike me. I was alone once again and the urge to go back to my room was too strong.
However several minutes later, I saw him. He stopped at the last stair looking around the room. The moment his gaze landed on me, my stomach rolled. God, would I ever get used to seeing him in the same room with me and that feeling that always enveloped me? I took a large swallow of the drink and looked away.
A second later, someone stopped behind me, standing too close. A tap on my shoulder forced me to turn around. I was expecting to find Jace standing there but instead, it was the last person I would have ever stopped long enough to say hi to. The football Captain, Evan. He was a bully and a snob. So, why was he smiling at me in a friendly way?
"Hey, Tess!"
"Hi?" I responded furrowing my brows in doubt.
"You look nice today."
Okay, had I imagined that? Evan Mayers, paying a compliment to me. Actually talking to me in a room full of students without making fun of me. That couldn't be real. I couldn't remember a day he had politely talked to me or called me by my name. I was always Curly nerd to him and his group of bully football friends.
I didn't know how to respond to him. My mind was blank, still in surprise that all I could do was stare at him in bewilderment. He shifted and shoved his hands in his pockets then sighed. Was he nervous?
"I know this is surprising," he started and leaned against the wall next to me. "I barely talk to you in school but here I am."
"What do you want? My brother?"
"What? No!" he scoffed. "Why would I want him?"
"Because everyone else does and they are using me to get to him."
"No, I'm not here for Jason. I'm here to talk to you. I..." he hesitated. "I wanted to ask if you want to go out with me sometime."
The drink I had just sipped into my mouth took a wrong turn ending up in my windpipe. I choked and coughed severely, tears filled my eyelids as I fought the discomfort. Evan placed a hand on my back and soothed me gently but a few seconds later, I pulled away.
"Are you okay?" he asked when I finally looked at him. "I'm really sorry about that."
Was I okay? No! How could I be? He was being too nice to me and that was a major red flag. Why now after studying together for all those years since middle school? What had suddenly changed?
"I'm fine," I stated dismissively hoping that he would walk away. He didn't.
"I like you, Tess. I have liked you for so long but I didn't know how to tell you."
"So you bullied me instead."
"You know kids, stupidity and not knowing better," he smiled lightly. "I'm really sorry about that. It wasn't right."
"Now you realize that. Good for you," I stated and turned around without waiting for his response.
Across the room, I found Jace observing me. Suddenly, his words about it being nice if he saw me across the room came back to me. He was however not smiling and I could swear he was throwing daggers at Evan. I stopped for a moment looking at him wondering if I could walk up to him or if it was better to keep my distance. The moment I made up my mind to go to him, Ava suddenly stopped in front of me forcing me to stop.
"Were you talking to Evan?"
"He was talking to me, yes."
"What did he want?"
"To ask me out," I stated as if it was nothing.
Ava spit her drink back into her cup, her eyes growing wide. Typical dramatic Ava.
"Say what?" I stretched my forehead and sighed, showing no interest. "What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything. What was I supposed to say? Yes and have him and his friends making fun of me forever because it was a prank?" I asked angrily and sat down. Ava followed me. "It was just weird and awkward."
"At least you have a football guy pining for you. Jace won't even look at me for two seconds when our eyes meet. Now that's awkward and I don't know how much longer I can take it."
So much for a distraction. It was always going to end up with Jace whenever Ava was involved. I couldn't escape it forever but I could dodge it for a while.
"Hey, is that Tim?" I asked looking across the room at the guy who had just walked in.
"He is alone?"
"Seems like it," I stated only then realizing why Ava had asked that. She was already smiling. I knew what was going through her head right then. "Ava, don't!"
"What? I'm not going to do anything."
At that moment, Tim turned towards us and locked eyes with Ava. She smiled and he responded. I wasn't even going to stop her. That wasn't a fight I could win and on the upside, I would get to take a break from discussing Jace. Knowing Ava, there was likely to be a fight at school the following week because she slept with someone's boyfriend. All I could hope for was that there wouldn't be.
It was heading towards midnight and I was bored. I didn't want to be there any longer. I finished my drink and turned. Jace was talking to some girls across the room laughing freely. They were all over him, flipping their straight hair and flashing him their perfect teeth. And he was entertaining them. One of them hugged him, her big boobs smashed into his chest. His hand traveled along her back and stopped above her ass. Jealousy boiled within me and then rose in my chest, a chunk lodging itself in my throat.
Yeah, I couldn't be there much longer. Maybe Ava was right. Jace was not a one-girl kind of person and he probably lived on s*x. How could I be so stupid that he would want me, just me? I crashed the plastic cup on a table and then ran upstairs to the safety of my bedroom.
- Writer
