by Jack Parker
Ethan turned back to Hannah. "So you'll come, right?"
"I'll be there," Libby informed Brent flirtatiously, making him grin. She stroked his bicep slowly and affectionately, and his grin widened immediately. "I can't wait to see you play again."
"You're a cheerleader," Jake said flatly, appearing almost disgusted. "You kind of have to be there, Wilson."
It was with absolute delight that Hannah saw Libby grow flustered and maybe even embarrassed. It seemed as though Libby couldn't argue, and it brightened Hannah's day immensely. "I'll come," she promised Ethan, though her eyes skimmed Jake's. "It sounds like fun."
Tisha's mouth fell open. "You've never been to a basketball game, Hannah! You came to Homecoming last year for the crowning ceremony, but you—"
"Maybe I was missing out," Hannah interrupted, offering Ethan a small smile, which he returned enthusiastically. "You guys better win," she teased lightly, giving glances to all three boys. "I won't go to another game if you don't."
Jake scoffed and muttered something under his breath, but Hannah couldn't hear it. She did, however, see Morgan elbow him sharply, prompting him to roll his eyes. Curious, Hannah tipped her head. She was beginning to believe that Jake had problems with mood swings. He was up, he was down, he was talkative, he was silent—something was up with him. And it was driving her crazy.
It seemed like it had taken a lifetime for Hannah to have the stitches removed from her forehead. After she and her mom had drove to the doctor's office, waited for her name to be called, waited for the doctor to come in, waited for him to remove her stitches, and waited for him to ask about her recovery, it was nearing five o'clock. Patricia had decided to pass on cooking dinner and had instead made the trip to the closest Marion's Piazza, one in a local chain of pizza restaurants that was famous in the Dayton area for thin crust pizzas and for having regularly rude workers. Nevertheless, the aroma that filled Patricia's SUV made Hannah hungry, and she counted four rumbles of her stomach on the way home.
As soon as Hannah's mom had parked in the driveway, she'd taken off to her bedroom, eager to get a good look at her forehead. Her doctor had assured her that the wound had healed remarkably well but that she could have laser work performed to minimize the scarring if she wanted. Studying herself closely in her mirror, Hannah tipped her head, trying to get as much light on the mark as she could. For the most part, the scar was just a very thin line, and it would probably begin to fade a little with time. It wasn't grotesque, so Hannah exchanged her blue jeans for navy sweatpants and then made her way downstairs to the kitchen.
"Mmm, this pizza is amazing," Isaac was saying when Hannah entered the room. He held a small square of pizza in his hand and finished it off in a second bite. "Hannah, you've got to try some."
Doing as she was told, Hannah took the seat by her brother and across from Jake and reached into the pizza box. Within fifteen seconds, Hannah was mentally proclaiming love for the food as she fought with the guys for the 'corner' slices—as the circular pizza was divided into many squares—which were crispy and delicious.
"How was practice?" Patricia asked the two boys as she sat down at the table and reached for a square of pizza.
"Exhausting," Isaac complained with his mouth full. "I had to run four laps because I was late."
Jake laughed. "Tell her why you were late, Isaac."
The younger boy scowled and reached across the table for a napkin. "It was so stupid, Mom! I stayed behind in my last class because—get this. Mrs. Davis gave our history tests back today, and she marked one of my essay questions wrong." He raised his eyebrows challengingly, showing how passionate he was about his grades. "But Lincoln's wife really did have séances in the White House! And she was put into a mental institution. She was a quack!"
Patricia smiled and shook her head gently. "Isaac…"
"But I finally argued enough to make her correct the score," Isaac declared, smirking at his accomplishment.
"And then had to run laps," Jake added teasingly, making Hannah think he was only saying it to get a reaction from Isaac. He did get one, as Isaac scowled and chomped on his dinner bitterly.
"All because of that stupid Mary Todd," Isaac muttered, his scowl deepening. "You know, she had real problems with overspending, and it if wasn't for her—"
"We don't care," Jake interrupted flatly.
Although Hannah had been listening to her brother in amusement, she was impressed by Jake's leadership. Whereas Morgan's bossiness annoyed her, Hannah suspected that Jake's was a source of entertainment, particularly given that Patricia had laughed at his comment.
Isaac made a face. "Whatever. I wish John Wilkes Booth had missed Lincoln and shot her instead."
"Isaac!" Patricia scolded, her eyes wide. "Don't stay stuff like that."
But Jake was laughing. "Aw, he's entitled to his opinion."
Hannah remained silent throughout the dinner, and, when the boys retreated into the living room, she stayed behind and helped her mother clean up. She was oblivious to her mother's surprised stare as Hannah carried glasses from the table to the kitchen sink. It was the least she could do after skipping out on cleaning for the past two nights.
"How'd you like the pizza, sweetie?" Patricia asked while she wiped the kitchen table off with a sponge. "You were so quiet."
"It was good," Hannah replied, nodding emphatically. She smiled and leaned against the counter. "Delicious, actually."
Hannah lingered in the kitchen for a few more minutes, but when she realized that her mom wasn't going to assign her a task to complete, Hannah escaped the room, or at least she felt like she had. Curious, she peered into the living room, where Isaac and Jake were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, flipping through channels on the television. It only took Hannah a few seconds to decide to join them, plopping down on the middle couch cushion between them.
Jake looked over, seemingly in surprise, and Isaac proceeded to turn his body, resting his back against the arm of the couch and his feet over Hannah's lap. When she looked at him, he grinned cheekily. "You don't mind, do you?" Isaac asked.
"I do," Jake replied, leaning past Hannah so he could Isaac plainly. "Dude, your feet stink."
Isaac just laughed and made no move to remove his feet, so Hannah just shrugged. He wasn't bothering her.
"What are we watching?" Hannah asked suddenly, tipping her head at the television's screen.
"Nothing so far," Isaac replied. Then he shot Jake a warning glance. "But, by God, at eight o'clock, we better be watching Smallville." Jake merely grinned, so he went on, "Right, Jake? Okay?"
His answer was simple. "Mmhmm."
"Were you upset earlier?" Hannah asked suddenly, looking at Jake. When he turned his head, she thought he looked shocked, but she persisted. "You seemed sort of weird at lunch."
Isaac grinned. "He is weird."
Jake sent Isaac his raised middle finger with a crooked smile and then returned Hannah's gaze. "No. I don't think so. That was awhile ago though."
"Hmm…" Hannah furrowed her brow in puzzlement. "Let me ask you another question," she said eagerly, smiling slightly. "Do you always have mood swings? Every time I see you, you're going back and forth between talking and brooding."
Pulling a face, Jake immediately replied, "And every time I see you, you're going back and forth between insanity and incredulity."
"Jake!" Isaac hissed.
Hannah turned to her brother and noted his widened eyes, and it began to dawn on her that she'd just been insulted. "What?" She tipped her head at Jake, confused. "What was that supposed to mean?"
Looking at Isaac, Jake was silent for a minute. "Nothing."
Frustrated, Hannah sighed and looked at Jake accusingly. "You don't like me. Why not?"
"He likes you," Isaac said quickly. "You've got to ignore him, Han. Jake's a big grouch most of the time." He smirked at Jake. "Make that almost all of the time." He leaned forward and patted Hannah's forearm encouragingly. "Don't worry. You'll get used to hi
m really soon."
Hannah bit her lower lip. "Is that right, Jake? Because you barely talk to me, and I don't understand why."
A very faint smile appeared on Jake's face. "Eh, like Isaac said, I'm a grouch." He shrugged. "Plus…honestly?" Hannah saw Jake shoot a look at Isaac past her head, and she wondered what that was about. "It's a little weird after the accident. I don't do sympathy well."
"Then it's a good thing I don't want sympathy," Hannah stated firmly. She stood up and met Jake's eyes intensely, determined to say something that would help him relax around her. She felt positive that if he'd relax around her, she could relax more period, since it was around her brother, Jake, and his friends that Hannah felt the most comfortable. The problem was…she couldn't think of anything to say.
Jake raised his eyebrows at Hannah, who was standing before the couch. "Okay then. Want to watch Lingo with us?"
Confused again, Hannah crossed her arms and studied Jake. Was that an attempt at being nice to her? It sucked if it was. She sighed and shrugged, welcoming almost anything cordial as friendship with him. Sitting back down on the couch, Hannah crossed her legs, watching a game show with the guys while having no understanding of the game. She didn't ask questions about it though; she just sat with them in silence, feeling very awkward indeed.
Chapter 6
Reminiscent Rendezvous
"Hey, aren't we playing the team that has Cory Matthews?" a sophomore guard called out, sweat glistening on his dark skin.
The male basketball team had gathered after school Friday to warm up before the regular warm-ups prior to the game; it was an idea introduced by the new team captain, Kirk Godfrey, who was actually known around the school as 'Captain Kirk,' and the idea had apparently helped the team be more successful. Following the guard's question was a round of laughter.
"Heck yeah!" Ethan Sharpe called out, grinning.
Jake almost laughed, remembering the Greek boy with a short, dark afro that made him closely resemble the main character from Boy Meets World. Instead though, he passed the basketball in his hands to Brent, who shot the ball into the basket.
"Good shot!" Kirk called from the other side of the gym. He glanced at his watch and blew a whistle given to him by the coach, who frequently skipped the warm-ups. "That's enough, guys! Be back here by 5:40!"
Ethan jogged over to Jake, who was dribbling a basketball even though most of the other guys were already on their way out the gym doors. "You know what I heard?" Ethan asked, watching Jake launch the ball into the basket. "I heard you're taking Mercedes to Winter Formal."
Laughing, Jake passed the ball to Brent, who passed it to a senior that was putting the balls into a storage closet. "Really now," Jake grinned, wiping a few beads of sweat from his forehead. "Nah. I'm only going because Cedes and I are in charge of stuff like that. Formals are lame."
"Dude, I know," Brent agreed enthusiastically. The guys moved closer to the bleachers, where their belongings had been thrown haphazardly upon arrival. "I'd blow it off if Rachael hadn't asked me already. That girl is gorgeous."
Jake grinned. "Uh-huh…Libby didn't ask you?"
Shrugging, Brent laughed lightly, and the guys headed for the exit. "She hinted for me to ask her, but Rachael asked me first."
"So now Libby will try to beat the crap out of Rachael at Formal," Ethan surmised, clearly amused. "Chicks fighting? Sign me up for that!"
Brent made a face, which soon turned inquisitive. "You're taking Ayers, aren't you, Ethan? Maybe?"
That was news to Jake. "My Ayers?" he asked Ethan in utter shock. "Hannah Ayers? Are you kidding me? I know she said she'd think about it, but…she said yes?"
"Well, no," Ethan admitted, sounding disappointed. "But she and Hudson broke up," he went on, brightening. "So now that Hudson's definitely not taking her…she doesn't have an excuse to turn me down."
"Other than sanity and good taste, you mean," Brent smirked.
Jake scoffed. "We're talking about Ayers, man. She dated Hudson. And she's completely crazy." He grinned and looked at Ethan. "But apparently even crazier than I thought. She hates you!"
"No, she hates you, dude," Ethan corrected with a sly smile. "She dislikes me by association. Disliked, anyway. She's been pretty civil to me."
"For obvious reasons." Brent stopped walking, since the guys had reached his car. He opened his passenger side door and slung his stuff into the seat. "Ethan, if she hadn't had the accident, you would be the last person she'd ever go anywhere with. You realize that, right? And when she gets her memory back—"
"I'm the second last person she'd ever go with," Ethan interrupted proudly as he gestured to Jake, who smirked in recognition. "See?"
Actually, you're the third last person, Jake thought to himself, somewhat amused. But that was his own secret that he shared only with the Hannah Ayers who could remember it. For now, it was solely his.
"That doesn't mean she won't be pissed off in a major way," Brent commented. He shut his passenger side door and started walking to the driver's side. "When she gets back to normal and realizes that you let her go to the dance with you, knowing that she hates you, you're going to die at her hands."
"Then at least Jake will go out with me," Ethan said lightly. "He's letting her think she likes him too."
Jake was more than ready to jump to his defense. "Hey now, Ethan, my case is completely different. Being semi-nice to her is one thing. Lying to her is something else. I haven't lied to her."
"Yet." Brent dodged the fist from Jake that came at his upper arm by getting into his car. "I'll see you guys at the game."
Jake and Ethan watched Brent's car pull out of the parking space and cruise across the parking lot for a moment, and then Ethan said. "You know, you're lying to her too, Jake. You know you are. But I don't care. If you were insulting her, she probably wouldn't go to the dance with me."
Rolling his eyes, Jake resumed walking toward his truck. "Screw you," he muttered lightly, prompting Ethan's smile.
Ethan slapped at Jake's shoulder lightly. "See you later, man. I'm parked over there." Jake glanced over and sent a nod at Ethan, who made a sharp right while Jake continued walking straight.
Was he lying to Hannah? Jake wouldn't have thought so. But now that Ethan mentioned it… Jake recalled what he told Tisha and Libby about Hannah; he was only being nice to her because his mom and Isaac would kill him if he wasn't. It would hurt Patricia's feelings too, and since she was like a second mother, being rude to Hannah was not an option. Then again, he had slipped up and insulted her the previous night, and he'd been avoiding her as much as possible, but Jake assured himself that since he wasn't insulting Hannah like he normally would, he was being nice to her. That was the absolute best he could do.
Jake approached his truck and started to unlock it, but he was taken aback when he saw that someone was already sitting in the passenger seat. As he went closer, he recognized Isaac and rolled his eyes as Isaac unlocked the driver's side door. Jake got in and sighed. "How'd you get in?"
Isaac grinned. "I'm a genius kid. Don't ask genius kids questions because you'll get no answers. You will drive me home, right?"
"No," Jake answered sarcastically, starting the engine of his truck. "I figure I'll drive to anywhere but my home to avoid taking you home." Isaac looked at him oddly, so Jake spoke again as he backed out of his parking space, "Yes, I'll take you home. Why aren't you riding with your friend what's-his-name?"
"Seth." Isaac pulled on his seat belt and shrugged. "I wanted to talk to you."
Sure that this couldn't be good, Jake nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "Okay." Jake could hear his own uncertainty. "I have a feeling that this is about your dear, darling sister. Am I right?"
"Of course." Isaac gave a little half laugh and then quickly frowned. "I think you're the only person who hasn't noticed that Hannah's got a crush on you." Jake snapped his head in Isaac's direction, and Isaac quickly yelped, "You're driving! Watch the road!"
"Watch your mouth!"
"You're going to send me into cardiac arrest!"
"I'm already half there! Watch where you're driving!"
Jake sighed and passed the road where he usually turned off to get to their houses. Instead, he'd take the scenic route to waste at least fifteen minutes and at least a few dollars' worth of gas; he could practically hear his wallet protesting. But the longer route would allow Isaac time to talk without them being overheard or interrupted.
"Maybe crush is a bit of a strong word," Isaac was saying, "even though the term crush is pretty weak and petty to begin with." Seeming thoughtful, he tipped his head and studied Jake. "You're not so stupid that you haven't noticed the way she acts around you, are you?"
Pausing, Jake considered this. "I've noticed that she acts like an imbecile," he cracked, "but I've always been aware of that."
"Jake."
"My bad."
Sighing, Jake stopped when he came upon a red light and studied Isaac for a moment. He had always known that the intellectual younger boy was smart; in fact, Isaac reminded him of a psychiatrist version of Albert Einstein half the time, but at the moment… An implication of Hannah having positive feelings for him would have been enough to make Jake think that Isaac was insane. Actually saying flat-out that Hannah had positive feelings for him made Jake know that Isaac was beyond being in need of psychiatric treatment.
Still, Jake had to ask. "Okay. How does she act around me?"
"Different," Isaac answered immediately. "A lot different."
"What makes you think that?" Jake asked dryly, smirking. "The lack of insults, the fact that she doesn't glare at me, or her—"
"Not different than she normally acts around you, Jake," Isaac interrupted impatiently. "Even though she does. I mean different than she acts around everybody else. It's like Hannah…I don't know. Her face lights up when Mom or I mention you, and when you're around, she's not so tense."
