To Be A Mate

Chapter Two

The bell rings and all of my classmates get up quickly while collecting their things. I stride out of the door and look around the hall for my best friend, Riley. I see her come out of her class across the hall and I wave her over. She jumps with excitement and skips over as soon as she finds me in the crowd.

Yes, I did say skip.

One word to describe Riley: crazy. I could use about two hundred different synonyms for that word, but all would depict the overall type of person she is. Riley's pretty short. Only five feet flat and is as skinny as a stick. Her hair is cut just below her shoulders and is naturally a dirty blonde color. Her eyes are blue and are the most striking part of her- I think. She has a small face, but a huge mouth.  She's sarcastic, has no filter, tells you how it is, and sometimes tells you just a little too much.

Riley happens to be the best person to have by your side in stressful situations though. When I was twelve, we were biking across a street when I was just barely tapped by a car. Riley calmly contacted the police with the driver's cell, even as the twenty-something year old driver sobbed on the grass.

She also gives the best advice because she can look at everything unbiasedly. Sure, she adds her opinions in for the little things, but when a decision has to be made she makes the best one- even if it isn't her favorite.

"What's up, Ifer?" She asks me with a smirk.

You see, since Riley thinks she's funny, instead of calling me Jen like everyone else does she decided to call me "Ifer". I used to beg her stop, but she stated that it was unfair that only the front half of my name gets all of the attention. I gave up trying to make her stop years ago.

"Nothing much Ry, it's Monday and I have practice tonight. I really wish I could go home and crawl back into bed." I whine.

Riley gives me huge ass grin, then says: "Ifer, I declare that something is officially up. You always claim that Monday's are the days you are most productive, even if that makes no sense to the rest of the human population. So why is today different?"

Leave it to Riley to notice everything.

She was right, of course. Ever since Saturday, when I'd went out to the store with my mom, I have felt sick. I don't have a fever, but my throat has been killing me the past two mornings and I have only gotten about six hours of sleep between the two nights. I also have been getting horrible stomach cramps and have felt woozy ever since.

My mom believes I must have caught a bug, but the symptoms seem very far off. I mean, what kind of bug causes period cramps, a sore throat, and dizziness? I haven't had a runny nose or even a cough- nothing added up. My mom said Lo if it didn't get better by tomorrow she would take me to see the doctor.

I am really hoping it's just the bug my mom seems to believe it is. I can't help but think that it has to do with something more than that though.

For one thing, I can't get my mind off Jake. He has been in the back of my mind since I walked away from him two days ago.

It also seems to be worse whenever I catch myself thinking of him. This boy I had only met a mere forty eight hours ago already seems to dictate my life.

"I think I'm just catching a bug," I lie to Riley. "I'm sure I'll get better soon."

Riley narrows her eyes at me but doesn't question it and we walk to our next period while I listen to her talk about her uneventful weekend.

- - - - -

By the time lunch comes around I feel like hell. I have such a bad cramp that my stomach feels like something is pulling it apart.

Currently, I'm walking down the hallway with my hand on the wall, trying not to move too fast to trigger me passing out. I jump when an arm drapes around my shoulders.

"What's up Jen, are you ready- wait are you okay?"

He stands in front of me stopping me. The "he" I'm referring to is Dylan.

Dylan's about my height and has light brown hair that he lets hang longer- just below his ears. He isn't exactly a friend of mine, but I do sit by him at lunch. Riley has last lunch and I have second, so I usually just sit by the rest of the kids in my grade. Most of them are the popular girls, but they aren't rude like your cliché mean girls. Dylan's one of the few guys who sits there.

Dylan's on the football team. He's usually funny, but cocky which gets quite annoying. He always sits right next to me and flirts with me often. Sometimes I wonder if he likes me, but I'm not his usual type. He also usually just takes his shot with girls and yet he's never tried to ask me out.

"Yeah, I'm fine Dylan. I think I'm just starting to get sick." I say, taking a break to lean against the wall.

"Do you want me to take you to the nurse?" He asks knitting his eyebrows together.

I pop my eyes open and fight through the haze to push off the wall and head to lunch without passing out. "Absolutely not, I'll be fine."

Dylan walks next to me and doesn't say anything else. When we enter the lunch room, I make my way over to the table. Before we get there Dylan grabs my wrist.

"Listen Jen, I was wondering if you wanted....." He starts, but is quickly interrupted by one of my other close friends, Leah.

"Jen! Come sit down! I have so much to tell you!"

I smile a small smile at Dylan and pull my arm out of his grasp to walk over to Leah. I sit next to her as she starts talking a mile a minute.

Maybe it's my dizziness, or just how fast she talks, but I only process a few of her words. I hear "Tyler" and "asked" and "prom". I hope I guess right in assuming that Tyler has asked her to prom.

Tyler's Leah's boyfriend and he goes to Rockton schools. I don't know him that well, but have talked to him on a few past occasions.

"That's great Leah! I'm so happy for you." I say while forcing on a smile.

Leah squeals again before leaning forward and hugging me. "It is great isn't it! I'm so excited I can barely stand it! Has Dylan asked you yet?" She asks biting her lip.

I have been slow on intake all day, but that question snaps me out of my daze.

"No!" I whisper yell. "Was he going to?" I panic as I think of that outcome. Jake immediately comes to my mind and a pain goes to my stomach with me just thinking about his face.

Leah's eyes get wide and she freezes. "He's gonna kill me for telling you!" She confesses to me.

I look up at the lunch line and see Dylan staring at me. He quickly looks away right before I look back to Leah.

"Are you gonna say yes?" She asks me now excited again.

"I don't know, maybe." I say, my voice strained. I want to go to prom with someone and the option is now right in front of me. At the same time, my body feels like I'm betraying someone.

"Well, maybe he won't ask you." She points out. "I thought he said he'd do it today but he hasn't, so maybe I was wrong!" Leah smiles like the conclusion she has come to is the answer.

"Maybe." I say, silently hoping she is right.

Then our conversation is ended when Dylan walks over to our table and sits down next to me.

I don't say a word the whole rest of lunch.

••••••••••

Didn't expect to write that as fast as I did! We've had a three day weekend and I've been bored out of my mind!

Photo is of Jen!

CHAPTER NOTES:

•Jen is on the soccer team

•She finds out Dyaln likes her and may ask her to prom

•She still feels sick from what ever "bug" she has.

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