You're What I Want (Y.A Series Book 4)

by Sarah Tork

  The bottle almost dropped from his grip as he processed the news of Annabelle dating. “Anna banana has… a boyfriend?”

  This was prime-time news, and officially a giant hit to the “these little girls aren’t so little anymore” train… it’s been derailed for good now.

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah, for a while. They’re in love and all that other stuff.”

  Dad looked bewildered, shocked, and amused… and then slowly snapped out of it. “Well… damn. Somebody grew up.”

  I smirked, swiveling the chair. “That she did.”

  “What about you?” Dad asked, taking a seat in his chair.

  My head snapped up. I blinked at him eyeing me accusingly. “What about me?” I gulped. I so did not plan for this line of conversation.

  Dad jumped from his seat, folding his arms over his chest. “Any boys interested in you, and if so, please tell me so I can find them and introduce them to my hammer collection.”

  Get it together, Jenna!

  Before you give Dad a heart attack!

  I cleared my throat and scoffed. “Maybe, maybe not. Just high school stuff.” I waved his notion away in a “that’s crazy, be serious” kind of way.

  “High school stuff? Is that code for something? And if there is a guy and… if you say yes, then I should sit down before hearing anymore.” Dad slowly sat back down.

  “Relax, there’s nothing to be nervous about.” I sighed, trying to calm down. “There’s nothing to be stressed about.”

  “All right, okay. I’m fine. I’m a cool dad. Tell me when you’re ready,” Dad stated, surprising me. I thought he’d be enraged at the idea of me potentially having a boyfriend.

  Panting slowly in a non-obvious—I hoped—kind of way, my heart began to race as I thought about my confrontation with Latisha earlier. “Yeah, so um… actually I was wondering how your day’s been going, nobody bothered you, right? Any unhappy customers complain about you not doing a good job on their expensive Beemers?”

  This shocked him for real. “What? Tony Sabini’s never had a customer return unhappily. I’m good at what I do!”

  Phew!

  Music to my ears.

  It also meant somebody… was lying. And that somebody would be getting a mouthful of carnage the next time I saw her.

  “Hey, here’s a thought,” I piped up, eyeing the garage for a second before glancing back at him with a sly grin. “What if… I became a mechanic too?”

  Dad’s expression was no bueno. His eye twitched. Head shaking commenced as he processed my hypothetical candidacy for the Automotive Repair Arts.

  I grinned. “I’m totally serious, by the way.”

  Dad cringed. “What are you talking about?”

  My grin turned into a timid please-don’t-murder-me smile. “Well you said you’re good at it and I have your genes, so maybe I’d be good at it too.”

  He thought about it for a second before shrugging. “Hey, if you have a passion for the automotive industry, then go for it. Your old man will be none the happier to train his shining star of a daughter in his trade.”

  “That’s good to know.” I sighed, relieved there was another option for me besides going to university and swimming competitively.

  Not going to university and swimming competitively… damn... what would life be like then?

  “Where’s this coming from? Is it because of the whole scholarship thing, because you don’t have to worry, your mom and I will figure out something by then,” Dad asked.

  “Yeah, sure,” I muttered.

  We joked around for the next few minutes and drank our orange juice. Dad said he needed to finish fixing the truck before heading home for the night. I grabbed my bag off the floor and headed back inside the garage with him. I stopped in front of the truck. “Are you guys going to sell the house?”

  My dad wasn’t a serious person most of the time, but certain subjects always seemed to bring out the non-joker in him. “Would you be sad if I said yes?” he asked.

  “Only if you and Mom would be sad,” I answered.

  He leaned against the truck and nodded. “Of course we’d be sad. All your mom’s ever wanted was a house.”

  “Well, she’s had one for a while,” I stated. “So it’s not like she’s never had a house.”

  Dad sighed. “That’s what I keep telling myself.”

  Great, I made him sad. Coming here was a great idea. NOT!

  I gave him a timid smile. “It’ll work out, whatever happens.”

  Dad’s eyes narrowed, but this time it wasn’t serious. The joker was back as he wagged his index finger at me. “Hey, I’m the adult, I’m supposed to be the one gifting you with all my great wisdom.”

  I grinned, walking backwards toward the exit. “Well, we do have the same genes, so think of it as I got it from you anyways.”

  *~*~*

  *JENNA*

  Dana: Dude, cannot believe what Latisha did during lunch! We need to get our revenge against that girl!

  Tina: Dude, I just found out what happened with you and Latisha during lunch! She’s lucky I wasn’t there. You know I would have had your back, right? I skipped during lunch with Gabe and decided screw school, boringggg.

  I grunted, flabbergasted at the lies and the lack of courtesy. These two girls were supposed to be my closest friends besides Annabelle, and they were about as genuine as Donna. Their loyalty lacked like meat in a burger from a fast food restaurant chain—excluding Brucey’s, cause HEY… Brucey’s was awesome sauce.

  Speaking of food, my stomach grumbled like crazy en route to my house from the bus stop. Lunch was a bust, and my belly’s been empty since breakfast.

  The house was empty when I arrived. I fixed myself a bowl of Cheerios with a load of strawberries and took it to my room. There was no practice this morning, which after everything that’s happened was a blessing in disguise. I could only imagine being physically exhausted right now.

  Not pretty.

  I ate cereal and browsed the web before diving into homework. My phone kept chiming with incoming texts and usually I’d be on top of all my texts, but I wanted uninterrupted time where my brain could turn off. But it’s like an annoying tic, so I conceded and picked up my phone.

  Dana: You at home now?

  Dana: Earth to Jenna? Anyone home!

  Dana: Why won’t you answer your phone?

  Byeee… next text.

  Tina: You wanna hangout? I need the 411 on what exactly happened at lunch!!

  Tina: Jenna, answer your phone!

  Tina: Is something wrong?

  Unbeknownst to them, they were totally gonna get the silent treatment. Jenna Sabini was about that loyalty, and these girls had definitely shown their worth today. A giant big fat… Disloyal Zero.

  I wasn’t about that life.

  Next text message….

  Tom: Tell me you’re okay….

  Jenna: I’m okay.

  Tom: Good. Now tell me you want to see me right this second, because you miss me and because being without me is too painful.

  Jenna: CHEESEBALL CENTRAL, BRO! You’re the president and the CEO.

  Tom: Well shucks darlin’, thought that line would have worked. Throw your man a bone and tell him he can see you tonight. Big Tom misses his lady.

  Jenna: Big Tom must have hit his head with one too many baseballs this afternoon.

  Tom: Maybe….

  Jenna: Go home and relax, you crazy goof!

  Tom: Your crazy goof, you mean.

  Jenna: Duh! Now do what I tell you to, or else… grrrr…

  Tom: Don’t tempt me, it’s beginning to sound like a good idea to defy you.

  Jenna: Go home and relax, do your homework, maybe help your family make dinner, take a pic, send it to me, and if you are a good boyfriend and do as you were told then I might have a text sesh with you later tonight, maybe even a phone call too.

  Tom: Going now, dinner needs to get cookin’. I’ve got mad cooking skills by the way.

  Je
nna: Good to know.

  Tom: Your boyfriend has too many skills. Baseball, cooking, frozen yogurt connoisseur… Lucky much, Jenna?

  Jenna: Rolling my eyes now… cocky much, Tom? And yes, I’m very lucky.

  Truth be told, your girl here was still upset. The wind had been knocked out of me, leaving me helpless. Nobody needed to see my like this. There was a knock on my door.

  Grinning and looking happy as ever, Mom popped her head through the doorway. “Honey, I’m home.” She showed me her nail job. She’d gotten this pretty dark coral over her manicure. “Don’t you love this color?”

  “Gorgeous.” I smiled genuinely, happy that she was happy. But I decided against telling her about what happened at lunch. Knowing my mom, she’d legit run over to Latisha’s house and demand answers from her parents and the scoundrel. It would for sure be a bloodbath, and my mom didn’t deserve to feel horrible on her day of nail care happiness. I mean… what if she chipped her new polish?

  It wasn’t worth it.

  “Dinner’s in an hour!” Mom informed me and left me to my homework.

  But screw homework—not really, I had like one thing left to do. Right now I needed the solace of my bed. Who would have thought simple words could have me, Jenna Sabini, feeling like this.

  Sad.

  I wiped my face with my pillow and there was another knock on my door.

  “Yeah?” I called, trying to shake off this mood so my mom wouldn’t be suspicious. I faced my door just as it opened, revealing a timidly smiling Annabelle in yoga pants and a black tank top. She had running shoes on, which she kicked off and then jumped on my bed, hitting my side.

  “Oomph!” I grunted, holding my side in agony. “What are you doing here?”

  On her knees, Annabelle shook the bed, which in turn began to shake me. “What are you doing, you crazy!”

  “I had a feeling.” Annabelle stopped moving like a maniac and rested beside me.

  “What kind of feeling?” I asked, kicking my blanket off the bed.

  “Like you still felt… horrible,” she said. “Still not okay, huh?”

  And that, ladies and gentlemen, was why this loon was my BFF for life, the afterlife, and into our next. These last few months, I knew I wasn’t crazy for feeling all types of frustration, anger, and sadness.

  She felt sad because I was sad, and when she was sad… so was I.

  “I screwed up.” I closed my eyes and exhaled. “I can’t believe I let that happen today. Am I really that dense that I didn’t see it coming?”

  “You’re not dense. What Latisha did surprised even me.” Annabelle exhaled, hugging me.

  My eyes opened and all I saw were stars. “Do you think I had it coming?”

  “No,” Annabelle whispered. “Don’t cry. I swear, I will beat that girl tomorrow for making you sad.”

  I sighed and continued. “She was ecstatic, watching me crash and burn. But you know, what actually really hurts was the lack of support from the swim team afterwards. Nobody cared but you… and Tom. No Tina, no Dana there to rescue me because… swim team members for life never really existed in the first place… and that…. It must have just been a figment of my imagination.”

  “I wish it wasn’t like that.” Annabelle scowled, seeming disgusted before her eyes brightened with vengeance. “Their oath can go to the dogs. Tomorrow, they’re gonna know who they decided not to be loyal too. Revenge mode, commenced.”

  “You know me too well.” I grinned. “Jenna Sabini, scorned and betrayed. To those responsible, prepare for a mental whooping… Jenna style. I’m a loose cannon, right?”

  Annabelle said nothing. Instead she cuddled closer to me and stuck her arm underneath my head abruptly, curling my head into her chest. “Come to me, my darling sweetheart. Momma’s going to make things better again.”

  I burst out laughing. “Screw you, you nut! Get off me!”

  “That’s it. That’s it. Let it all out,” Annabelle cried. “I’m going to be here for you in your time of need, you can cry. I won’t judge you.”

  She won’t judge me….

  Laughter stopped, my breathing hitched and things had gone quickly from comedic to serious. Tears rolled down my face and I stained Annabelle’s shirt. I cried quietly and like my best bud said, she didn’t judge. She just hugged me tighter.

  “Points for loyalty, banana,” I murmured, on the verge of slurring my words, which was wonderful because not only was my psyche messed up, I’d become delirious as well.

  “It’ll be okay, champ. Momma’s gonna make everything all better.” Annabelle gave me one last squeeze and freed me from her boobs.

  “Ugh, I can breathe again. Honestly Annabelle, there needs to be an emergency exit with those puppies.” I took deep breaths, feeling free again. “Sorry about your shirt.”

  “It’s all good.” Annabelle sighed, tucking her arm behind her head to rest on. I replicated her position and we stared at my star-and-sky-painted ceiling in silence.

  “What’s wrong with me?” I asked.

  Annabelle chuckled. “Oh, you know… the usual things. Having a big mouth, acting like a diva on forty gallons of cola and vitamin C tablets, falling for a baseball player in a flash… you know… the normal everyday stuff.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

  “So, for the next forty-five minutes, we’ll do whatever you want,” Annabelle promised as we sat up on my bed.

  “Whatever it is, I just want it to result in one thing,” I said.

  “And what’s that?” Annabelle asked.

  “I want to feel normal again,” I said in one breath. “So, you have any ideas on how we can get to that point?”

  Annabelle thought for a moment before glancing up at me with a smile. “I know what to do. Have no fear, your normal and average life is upon you once again, all thanks to a hero, and her name is—”

  I grabbed her arm and smashed a pillow in her face. “Queen D, and the D is for deluded by the way.”

  Five minute later I was dressed in my sweet gray sweats and blue sports tank top, and white-and-purple sneakers. Annabelle’s idea for fixing my mental state back to warrior… was to go for a jog?

  “Um, Mom?”

  My mom added the final touch to her famous lasagna, a triple layer of cheese on top. She looked at Annabelle and me as we stood in the kitchen doorway. “Me and Anna are going jogging, be back in thirty.”

  “Jogging?” She looked confused for a second but shrugged it off. “All right. Anna Banana, you staying for dinner?”

  Annabelle shook her head and smiled at my mom. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Sabini, I can’t. My mom’s making dinner tonight and she’s expecting me back before seven.”

  We jogged lightly to Thompsons Park and what shocked me the most was that Annabelle kept charging ahead while I struggled to contain my breathing.

  “It’s official, Anna, you’re about to surpass me athletically.” I laughed, feeling flabbergasted and incredibly proud that she was killing me in jogging. She’d probably best me in sprinting too. Which I was totally cool with, unless she smoked me in swimming, because then I’d be kind of depressed. Swimming was my thing. “Just don’t start swimming faster than me.”

  “I’m not making any promises.” Annabelle ran past me with a sly grin. “There’s a new queen athlete in town, and her name is Annabelle.”

  “Dare to dream.” I laughed, running faster to catch up.

  The park was slightly busy but the exercise path was empty. Somebody clearly must have been listening; the park gods must have sent messages to all runners and bikers: Don’t come to the park right now! Jenna Sabini is in the house and the girl is not happy!

  “That cold-hearted, calculating little scoundrel. And what hurts the most is that she knows she’s stupid!”

  Annabelle laughed, stumbling while we jogged lightly.

  I wheezed, trying to keep up with her. “She wants to out me for being poor and because my dad did a horrible job in fixing her dad’s car—
which was a lie, by the way. She got me with those weak lines. I’m not on my A game. Haven’t been for a while, and I know whose fault it is.”

  “Whose fault is it then?” Annabelle grinned, sticking her tongue out.

  “It’s mine,” I declared, pumping my legs to move faster. “My bull-in-china-shop persona has clearly approached its expiry and I need new methods in which to keep the idiots at bay. Jenna Sabini’s reputation will not be tarnished by the very definition of stupid!” I hollered with all my might, as we passed a pair of old ladies walking briskly.

  “What she said,” Annabelle hollered at them and we made a run for it as they screamed at us.

  “Rude young ladies, your parents should be ashamed of your behavior! Did you see that, Elizabeth Ann?”

  “Pull out your camera phone, Mary Sue, we need to record their faces. My Artie is a police officer, he’ll know what to do.”

  I eyed Annabelle nervously. “Run faster, now!”

  We made our getaway and found a nice bench to sit on to catch our breath. Luckily there was a water fountain a couple yards away, so we took advantage and took our time drinking cold, mind-freezing water.

  Fun.

  I wiped water off my mouth and took a seat. “I needed this. I feel a lot better. Thanks, honeybuns.”