I Like That About Her

by Aleks Mitchell

  Couldn’t people just mind their own business? Obviously this wasn’t an easy situation for my family. It didn’t help to have an audience waiting to see what would happen. Maybe it was because my family had always seemed so perfect up until now. It probably made people happy to see our downfall.

  I instantly regretted getting pizza at De Lorenzo’s the second I walked through the door. Jason was sitting with his friends at a table by the door.

  Jason was my ex-boyfriend. He broke up with me after he felt that I didn’t seem as into him as he was into me. He was probably right. Jason was a good guy, but I didn’t really see myself with him. Jason was the definition of preppy. If you looked at his closet, you would think Abercrombie and Fitch threw up in there, literally.

  “Faith!” Jason exclaimed. He got up from the table and greeted me at the door.

  “Hey, Jason,” I smiled. He pulled me into a tight hug.

  “How’s it going?” he asked as we pulled apart.

  “Good. How were all of your classes?”

  “Easy enough. Unlike you I chose an easy course load this year.”

  “Lucky you,” I smiled.

  “Hey, you should join us. We were thinking about going to catch a movie after this.”

  “That’s okay. I ordered pizza to go and mom is at home waiting for me.”

  “Oh, okay.” Jason looked disappointed. I hated doing that to him. “Well, how about you and I catch up some time?”

  “Sure, I’d like that.”

  “How about next Friday? Dinner and a movie?”

  “That sounds like a date, Jason.”

  “It can be if you want it to be. I miss you Faith.”

  I sighed. I didn’t need to open up this can of worms again. I was never going to be the girl Jason needed me to be. He was looking for someone to settle down with. I wasn’t ready for that.

  “I don’t know, Jason.”

  “Come on, what do you have to lose? It’s just one date. If you still don’t see us going anywhere then we’ll leave it at that.” Jason flashed me his puppy dog eyes and dimpled smile. Those damn dimples. Who could say no to those?

  “Okay, fine. One date. But I get movie choosing rights.”

  “Deal, as long as you don’t choose some chick flick.”

  “When have I ever chosen a chick flick?”

  “True! You’re more hard core than me.”

  I always loved horror movies. Even as a kid. Jason had a weak stomach so that usually didn’t bode well for him.

  “Alright, well enjoy your pizza,” Jason smiled. “I’ll see you at school.”

  “See you.”

  Jason went back to sit with his friends and I paid for the pizza. I said bye to Jason and headed back to the house. But, when I got there I just couldn’t manage to go inside. I didn’t want to be there. My house was depressing.

  I found myself three doors down, knocking on the door. A few moments later, Craig’s mom answered the door.

  “Hi Faith.”

  “Hi Mrs. DeLuca. Is Craig home? I sort of promised him a pizza.”

  “Aren’t you sweet? He’s down in the basement. You can head down there if you’d like.”

  “Thanks,” I smiled in return. Mrs. DeLuca was always so sweet. She’d given me a ride home a few times when my parents forgot or were running late at work.

  “Pizza delivery.”

  “I ordered that over an hour ago,” Craig joked.

  I sat down next to him on the couch. His basement was a guy’s dream come true. There was a huge flat screen TV with an X-Box and a PlayStation connected to it. Over in the corner were a pool table and a mini bar packed with sodas and beers. Craig could live in this room forever if he needed to.

  “So, why are you at home on a Friday night?” I asked.

  “I’m just being lazy. I didn’t feel like going out.”

  “I saw Jason at De Lorenzo’s.”

  Jason, Craig, and Andy were all good friends. It’d been that way since we were in diapers practically.

  “Yeah, he invited me out, but I just didn’t feel like being around the guys tonight. What about you? Shouldn’t you and Riley be painting the town red or something?”

  “Riley had a date with Kelan. We’ll probably hang out tomorrow. I agreed to go on a date with Jason next Friday.”

  “Uh oh, Faith and Jason at it again.”

  “I just couldn’t say no.”

  “But if you don’t want to go out with Jason, you should just tell him that. It’s not fair to either of you.”

  “He’s a great guy. I should want to go out with someone like Jason.”

  “He is a great guy. But just because he’s a great guy, that doesn’t mean he’s the right guy for you.”

  I thought about that for a moment. Was any guy the right guy for me? I didn’t even know what I was looking for in a guy.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” I lied. “I’m just tired.”

  “Liar,” Craig smiled.

  I was lying. To myself. To everyone around me. I acted like I had my whole life figured out, but I wasn’t even sure who I was let alone who I wanted to be with.

  The rest of the weekend flew by. I was actually glad to be back at school. Plus, mom usually didn’t drink as much during the weekdays since she had to go to work. That was always a good thing.

  Constitutional law had gone well. I managed to keep my gaze fixed on the teacher in case Chandler was looking at me. Chemistry was a different story.

  “Okay, we’re working on our first lab today,” Mr. Bernstein announced. “Usually we’d work in pairs, but we’re pretty low on materials at the moment so I’m going to have you guys work in sets of three. I’ll go through and set you guys up.”

  Chandler got assigned to work with Anthony and me. Part of me was mad at Mr. Bernstein, but the other part was glad that he gave me the opportunity to have to interact with Chandler.

  The lab was simple enough. Anthony took over most of it. I never realized what a work hog he was. I guess that was good for us.

  “No wonder you wanted to be lab partners with him,” Chandler whispered to me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Anthony, he’s doing all of the work.” Chandler smiled at me. Her smile made me melt into nothingness.

  “Yeah, he’s a know it all.”

  “I heard that,” Anthony admonished, his eyes still fixed on the task at hand.

  Chandler giggled. Even her laugh was amazing. I could listen to it forever.

  Focus on your work Faith. She’s just a girl. You barely even know her.

  “Have you lived here for a while?” Chandler asked me.

  I guess she was trying to make small talk. It was nice that she was trying to get to know me. I definitely wanted to know more about her. I wanted to know everything there was to know about her.

  “Yeah, I’ve lived here my whole life.”

  “That must be pretty neat, knowing everyone for so long.”

  “I don’t know everyone,” I shrugged. “But I know what you mean. Did you live in LA for a while?”

  “Three years. I lived in Seattle before that for five years and before that I lived in Texas, which is where I was born.”

  “Wow, you sure move around a lot.”

  “Yeah, my dad gets transferred a lot for his job. Same company, different location. It’s kind of annoying but it’s nice being able to see different places and meet new people.”

  “I bet. The only place outside of New Jersey I’ve ever been to is Florida.”

  “New Jersey is nice,” Chandler said. I could tell she was trying to sound enthusiastic.

  I gave Chandler a pointed smile. We both burst out laughing.

  “New Jersey is not nice,” I smiled. “The only thing we’re known for is that dumb TV show.”

  “Hey, I used to love Jersey Shore. That was great television.”

  “Then you have very questionable taste in television,” I smiled.

  Chandler smiled
back.

  Chandler was actually really funny and sweet. Maybe getting to know her wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I just had to remember to stop looking at her like I liked her as anything more than as a friend.

  Soccer practice was every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. As I walked toward the locker room I could feel my stomach twisting into a knot.

  “Faith!” Coach Peters smiled. “I’m so glad you’re back.” Coach Peters gave me a hug which I gladly returned. Coach Peters was the best coach I’d ever had. She had even come to visit me in the hospital when I had my surgery last year. She was incredible.

  “I’m glad to be back.”

  “Now, listen. I want you to take it easy at first. I know how you can be. Just ease yourself back into it okay?”

  “I’ll try. Hey, I was just wondering, what position am I going to be playing?”

  “Striker,” she smiled. “Luckily the girl that filled in for you last year graduated, so the position is open for you.”

  “About that, is that really a good idea? I mean I don’t want to hurt the team’s chances of winning the championship this year.”

  “Faith, I saw you practicing over the summer with the girls. I have no doubt that you are ready for this. But, it’s no pressure. If you feel like you’d rather play another positon, that’s fine with me.”

  “No, I’ll give it a shot.”

  “At a girl,” she smiled. “Now, go get changed and get your game face on!”

  My game face was definitely on. I waited almost a whole year to be back on this team. As nervous as I was, this was all I really wanted right now. Soccer was a great distraction from all of the drama that seemed to be surrounding my life. College. Mom and dad. Chandler.

  Chapter 3

  I started looking forward to constitutional law and AP chemistry. The only reason why was because Chandler was in both of those classes with me. Luckily Mr. Evan did make constitutional law interesting so I did actually enjoy being there for a reason other than getting to see Chandler. We still didn’t talk to each other very much, but for some reason just being around her put me in a better mood. I felt so much happier in her presence.

  I sound like a crazy stalker chick. If she only knew how obsessed I was with her she would think I was insane. Maybe I was insane. I was obsessed with a person I had just met last week. Plus, that person was a girl. That couldn’t be normal. Normal was a girl falling head over heels for a guy. That was normal, at least according to my parents and a lot of society.

  I couldn’t be this way. I couldn’t have a crush on a girl. I had heard what my parents thought of gay people. I couldn’t be gay. I was not gay! I’m sure plenty of girls have crushes on other girls. That doesn’t make them gay. Woman crush Wednesday, hello.

  So that’s what this was. Chandler was just my woman crush. No need to freak out about something that means absolutely nothing.

  “Hey,” Craig smiled as he sat down at the desk next to me.

  “Hey,” I replied. “Switching up seats today?”

  “You looked bored,” Craig shrugged. “I figured you could use some excitement and by excitement I do mean me.”

  “You’re so cocky all of the time.”

  “I prefer the term self-confident.” Craig opened his notebook and wrote the date at the top of a fresh sheet. “Hey, it’s Thursday.”

  “Good job, Craig. That usually comes after Wednesday. Do you know what tomorrow is?”

  “Shut up,” Craig smiled. “I just meant that means tomorrow is your big date with Jason.”

  “I wouldn’t call it a big date. We’re just going to dinner and a movie.”

  “He would. You should hear him going on and on about it. I’m pretty sure he thinks that you two are back together already.”

  “He does not.”

  “He does so. Ask Andy. He’ll tell you.”

  “Well, maybe we will get back together.”

  Craig looked at me with a bewildered look. “I thought you didn’t see a future with him.”

  “I mean, I don’t. But should I even be focused on seeing a future with him? I mean we’re in high school. People date in high school and they don’t necessarily end up together. Maybe in time I will see a future with him.”

  “You sound so convincing,” Craig rolled his eyes. “Relationships are too complicated. This is why I don’t date.”

  Craig had a point. Relationships were really complicated. But, maybe if I was dating Jason I would stop thinking about Chandler so much.

  Today’s practice was brutal. So far Coach Peters had already made us jog two more miles than usual. I was pretty sure that she was in a bad mood because the entire team was feeling her wrath. I would definitely be sore tomorrow.

  “Why is it that whenever Coach Peters is going through that time of the month, she suddenly feels the need to torture us?” Riley asked me as we made our way around the field. It was our final lap of jogging before practice ended.

  “Because she can,” I shrugged. I actually really liked Coach Peters, so no matter how much she tortured us, I’d be okay with it. “I’m actually kind of glad.”

  “What? Are you out of your mind Faith?”

  “I need the extra exercise. I’ve been out of commission for a while.”

  “You get plenty of exercise. Besides, you spent all summer practicing with us. You’re ready for the season. No worries.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I’m always right.” Riley smiled as we finished the final lap.

  “Alright ladies, that’s it for today,” Coach Peters announced. “Enjoy the weekend and remember to get your miles in. Just because we don’t have practice doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be jogging on your own time.”

  “You see?” Riley asked with a pointed look. “She just wants to torture us.”

  “If I wanted to torture you, Riley, you’d know,” Coach Peters yelled, but smiled moments later. “I have excellent hearing girls!”

  “I was just joking, Coach,” Riley smiled sheepishly.

  “Right, have a good weekend girls.”

  “You too, Coach,” I smiled.

  Riley and I walked back inside of the building and into the locker room. The other girls were already starting to head out after grabbing their things.

  “So, are you excited?” Riley asked.

  “Excited about what?”

  “Your date with Jason is tomorrow.”

  “Oh, yeah. I guess so.”

  “That doesn’t sound too excited. Don’t you want to go out with Jason?”

  “Yeah, I mean he’s a great guy. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I think he really likes you Faith. You should give him a chance.”

  I sighed. “I will. I got to go. Andy is waiting for me.”

  “Text me later.”

  I walked out of the locker room and towards the side entrance of the school, where the senior parking lot was.

  Andy was waiting for me right outside of the school. I had the keys so he couldn’t get into our car yet.

  “You took long enough,” Andy sighed.

  “Sorry. Coach Peters made us run extra miles today so practice ran a little over.”

  “Uh, oh. Is it that time of the month for her?”

  I glared at Andy. “You know, technically it’s sexist to assume that it’s a woman’s time of the month just based on the fact that she’s in a bad mood.”

  “Or it’s completely accurate and extremely intuitive,” Andy shrugged.

  Just as we were getting to our car, I spotted Chandler opening the door to the red Jeep next to us. As soon as she saw me, she smiled.

  “Hey, Faith.”

  “Hey,” I smiled.

  “Who’s this?” Andy asked.

  “Oh, sorry. Chandler this is my brother, Andy. Andy, this is Chandler. We have a couple of classes together.”

  “Hi, nice to meet you,” Chandler said as she shook my brother’s hand.

  “You too.”

  “Hey, I’m gl
ad I ran into you.”

  “You are?” I questioned, swallowing the lump in my throat.

  “Yeah, I completely forgot to write down the page numbers for the reading tonight for constitutional law. I was wondering if you had them by any chance.”

  “Yeah, let me just grab my notebook.”

  “Thank you so much!”

  I put my Adidas bag in the back seat and opened by book bag to find my notebook.

  “You’re here late,” Andy commented. “Do you play a sport?”

  “No, I was just getting some of my work done in the library before I head home. I concentrate better in there.”

  “That’s funny, it’s the complete opposite for me,” Andy joked. “It’s too quiet in there.”

  “I like the quiet,” Chandler smiled.

  God I loved her smile.

  “Okay, pages thirty four to fifty three.”

  “Thanks again,” Chandler replied as she typed the pages numbers into her phone.

  “No problem.”

  “So, you both play soccer?”

  “Yeah, we’ve both played since we were kids,” Andy answered.

  “You guys must really love it then.”

  “That and I’m really good at it,” Andy smiled.

  “Andy!” I scolded. He could be just like Craig with his cockiness.

  “What? It’s the truth.”

  “Hey, confidence is always a good thing.” Chandler opened the driver’s side door, but turned back before getting in. “See you in class tomorrow, Faith.”

  “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

  Why did I always find myself unable to form any type of coherent sentences when Chandler was around? It was like her presence turned my brain into mush.

  Andy and I loaded up our stuff in the back seat and got into the car.

  “She seemed nice,” Andy smiled as he put his seat belt on.

  “Yeah, she is. Too nice.”

  “Or you’re just not nice enough.”

  “I’m nice.”

  Andy glared at me with his eyebrow quirked.

  “To some people,” I finished. “Sometimes. She bumped into me in the hall on the first day so we kind of got off on the wrong foot. Now I feel all awkward around her because I acted like such a bitch.”