by Karla Luna
I locked gazes with her, but then cleared my throat and pretended to look down at my plain, white T-shirt.
Oh, look at that, an invisible smudge found its way there at the most perfect time.
“Oh, uh… h-hey, Joss,” I mumbled, feeling my blood crawl up to my cheeks. I really, really hated blushing. Why did it have to be right on my face where everyone could see? It was just too obvious.
“What’s up with you? You’ve been staring pretty intensely outside.”
“Oh, uh…” I looked back out the window and watched some of the houses we were passing by. “Just… looking outside.” Wow, that was stupid. Really, Zavier? Just punch yourself right now. Please, end your misery. “I-I mean… j-just, bored. Tired, really.”
She giggled and turned back around in her seat, and started to talk to her friend who was sitting right next to her. I blew out a deep breath and rested my head against the back of my seat, tightly closing my eyes from embarrassment.
I really shouldn’t have been allowed to talk to girls. I couldn’t even count how many times I’ve embarrassed myself in front of them.
But just for future reference, it was 47 times.
All of a sudden, I felt someone watching me. And I felt breath on my neck, too…
What the…!
“Ah!” I had now opened my eyes and jumped once I saw Ethan’s face way too close for my liking, plus Jesse’s creepy smiling face staring back. You know that creepy smile your friend does whenever you’re talking to your crush?
Yeah, that creepy smile.
I slightly shivered and just turned back around to look out the window with a frown on my face. They really had to stop doing that (and yes, they did it before and it still manages to scare me).
“Bro.” Jesse patted me roughly on the back, but I still kept my eyes locked on the window. “You really gotta ask her out already.”
It took me a while to respond. I just wanted to let this all go. Joss was never going to go for a guy like me. She was smart (yeah, I was smart too, but she was the leader of our Mathletes team, just saying), she was funny and talkative (let’s face it, when it came to girls, I almost instantly became mute) and above all, she was gorgeous. Model perfection, even. Me? Well… I was no supermodel, that’s for sure.
“I… it’s not that simple, Jesse,” I finally replied.
“Oh sure it is,” Ethan said, a little too enthusiastically. “You just go and beg her to take you out! You know, one time, I actually had the courage to tell a girl I wanted a date. And damn right, it was a demand!”
“And?” Jesse and I were practically beaming now, waiting for his answer. Ethan never really told us stories about things that had happened in his past, so this interested me right away, especially if it was about him and a girl.
“It was pretty good, actually. I went to the store to buy more after that.”
Jesse rolled his eyes and face-palmed himself, knowing Ethan was talking about a date, as in the little sweet fruit – not an actual, romantic date with an actual girl.
“You’ve already talked to her plenty of times, man,” Jesse said, bringing us back to the Joss topic. “And you’ve liked her ever since we played that stupid spin the bottle game in 6th grade recess. Just make a move, please, you’re killing me here.”
I nodded, remembering that exact day.
Our class had recess inside since it was a rainy day, so we planned on playing spin the bottle. When it was Jocey’s turn, she got a dare – and guess what that dare was? To kiss me.
Of course, not on the lips (though I really wished it were on the lips instead) no, but on the cheek. I mean, I always thought Jocey was a pretty girl, but when she kissed me, I felt tiny sparks and that instantly made me like her. She even started to talk to me more and I realized just how amazing she really was.
Yeah, it sounded stupid. Just forget I ever explained anything.
We arrived in Lavider High in no less than 5 minutes. We got our backpacks, which were filled with clothes and some other things we needed during the trip.
We stayed at a couple random houses and it was safe to say that I was never going to another school field trip again. What happened to those really cool ones like in elementary school?
Oh yeah, we grew up.
“All right, kids,” Mrs. Danix announced to everyone, “gather your things and get out of my sight. I will, unfortunately, see you tomorrow in class.”
Such a nice way to say goodbye, huh?
“So how does this girl look like?”
“How old is she?”
“Is she Goth? Hipster? A swagger!?”
“Jesse!” I yelled, banging my head against the cushion on the passenger seat of his red Jeep, since he was currently giving us a ride home. Mom wanted to buy me my own car once, but why do that when Jesse here gave free rides? (He doesn’t.) “I don’t know. All I know is that she’s staying with me, and that she’s my age. That’s all. No name, no features. No locks of hair, in case you’re planning on making a clone later.” He’d always try to do that since he was a science geek, but he hadn’t done it right just yet.
One time, he took a lock of my black hair while I was asleep. Asleep! He just yanked it off and I fell off my bed. Believe me, Jesse had the courage to sneak into your room in the middle of the night just for that. But couldn’t have he at least asked nicely and done it during the day? I guess that was Jesse for you…
I didn’t even know why he wanted to make a clone of me anyway, and honestly, I didn’t even want to know.
“Then that’s good. Ohhh, we are staying over tonight, buddy!”
“Sorry, Jess, mom said no. She wants me to meet her properly.”
My mother – Stormy Coin, known as a professional psychologist – taught me all things on how to be a gentleman and all of that. Of course, if I were in a mental state, she would’ve been helping me out for free. But considering the girl she told me about was mostly there for therapy sessions, which I obviously didn’t tell the two boys I call my best friends, then I didn’t know if she would be super crazy. I wasn’t judgmental though. It was just… I wasn’t really comfortable with the thought of it. Usually her therapy sessions were held at her office at work… and she had not once let a patient stay and live with us. I really wondered why she let this particular girl stay…
“Aww, man,” Ethan grumbled from the back seat, pouting.
These two just loved girls and they were the typical guys that checked out any girl passing by. But the girls never paid attention to them and they were so very terrible at flirting. But hey, they were better than I was, and that was really saying something.
“All right, see you later then, Zavier,” Jesse said, pulling into the driveway of my house. “Tell us all about her tomorrow.”
“I won’t have to. She’ll be coming to school with us, remember?”
“Oh, yeah. Well… she’s gonna need a ride, isn’t she?” He smirked and winked, but I just shook my head and chuckled.
“See ya, guys,” I said, before getting out of the car and walking up to the front door of my house. As I took my keys out, I heard Jesse’s Jeep go down the street.
Once I was inside my comfy home, I noticed it was awfully quiet…
Was my mom even home? Well, just to make sure… “Mom!? I’m home!” I yelled.
I put my backpack down on the living room floor, and started walking over to the kitchen where I saw a shadow coming out.
I slightly frowned at the small figure.
“She’s in the shower.”
I jumped and stepped back a little once I saw a beautiful girl just a tad shorter than me, by the kitchen entrance.
In her underwear.
And even though she wore a button-up shirt that covered her up to mid-thigh, I still felt uncomfortable. Blushing, I looked away and cleared my throat.
“You must be Stormy’s son.” She came closer and stood right in front of me, which only made my blushing worse. Her long, dark brown hair was loose and it r
eached up to her small waist. She was skinny, but not so supremely thin that it was unhealthy. Her skin was olive too, and… wow, she even had a ton of tattoos. At the age of 17?
“Wow, you two look kinda different.”
I’m sure she was talking about my hair and my eyes. My hair was dark, black like my father’s was, wherever he was right now. My mother’s hair was way lighter. My eyes were dark brown, too – but we both had the same skin-tone. “Aww, aren’t you just adorable!” The girl suddenly pinched my cheeks, making my glasses slip down my nose. She grabbed them before they fell, and I almost immediately grabbed the glasses from her hands and put them back on. “I can just kiss you!”
No, thanks. I’m saving that up for a special someone.
Yeah, a special someone who’ll never be yours. Just admit it.
Without me realizing till seconds later, her lips were in my ear, making me stiffen up like stone. “And take you to bed with me,” she whispered, biting my earlobe.
My breathing hitched and I suddenly felt hot all over.
Okay, she was seriously trying to make me blush the brightest shade of red, I swear. Was this seriously the girl my mom had been talking so much about?
The one who was going to be living with us?
“Zavier!” I looked up to meet my mother’s eyes. She was walking down the stairs, with a huge smile plastered on her face, which surprised me, since she hadn’t smiled that big since… well, forever. “My boy, you’re here! This is the girl I’ve been talking non-stop about.”
“Oh, by the way, I taught her how to play a bunch of card games the whole day. She said you were really good at them, but she even ended up beating me,” the girl said, walking up to my mom to high-five her.
“I’m gonna beat you at Go Fish now, my son! Woo!”
By now, I was staring at them, almost dumbfounded.
“W-what?!” I was majorly confused. Mom had just met this girl yesterday and she was already like a daughter – and best friend – to her?
“Oh, my bad,” the girl said and came up to me and grabbed my hand. I reacted by nervously swallowing a lump in my throat and once again, blushing.
Stop blushing already!
Well, this is the first time I’ve ever been so close to a girl this way, okay! Just give me a break here. Please.
“I’m Evelyn. Evelyn Jo. How about you, handsome?” Handsome? Adorable? Did she really mean these words or was she just playing around with me?
Maybe she was the one who needed the glasses, not me.
“Zavier?” I shook my head when I heard my mom’s voice. She obviously knew I was in my own little world every time I took a small pause.
Looking back at this beautiful girl, Evelyn, I noticed her twinkling blue eyes. She bit her lip and I found myself looking down at those full rose-lips, remembering how only seconds ago she was biting my earlobe.
I blushed at the thought and shook her hand instead, the hand that was still holding mine.
“I-I’m Zavier. Zavier Coin.”
Mom really shouldn’t have been telling me surprising news every time I went to drink something. I almost chocked about a dozen times the past few years, all because she couldn’t wait for me to finish up my drinks.
Right now, I was sipping some cold water when she told me the most disturbing news ever. I was still in a coughing fit when I tried to repeat her words in my head.
“A delinquent!? Really!?” I whisper-yelled. Mom had just said that this Evelyn Jo girl came here since she got kicked out of her last high school. And she got kicked out of a ton of schools they couldn’t even keep count of, so that’s why she got sent here. It was either this or she had to go to this Orphanage place, which I’m guessing she didn’t like at all, considering she chose to stay here with us so that my mom could talk to her about her ‘problems’. Honestly, I thought being a delinquent was a choice, not a problem.
But seriously? A delinquent – a criminal – was staying here with us? What if she…?
“Shhhhh!!!”
I raised my dark eyebrows at my mother, who seemed to be shushing me way louder than when I was actually talking. But Evelyn was showering upstairs and last I checked, we had pretty thick walls. Plus, the bottom stair had this little screeching sound that could easily be heard.
“Yes, okay. But she really needs all the help she can get. She may be a criminal, but she’s fun once you get to know her better.”
“Mom, you only played Go Fish with her, that’s not really getting to know someone.” Then again, Jesse always told me that you really got to know someone when their snack got stuck in a vending machine...
“We talked, and she told me about herself a little already. But I know there’s a reason why she’s the girl she is. Why she’s the girl who doesn’t care about anything or what people think. Take this chance, Zavier,” she said and paused to put her hand over mine, “to get to know a girl. To get to know someone new and see how same or different you two really are. Never judge, that’s one of the many things I taught you, sweetie. Just try. I told her to try and be friends with you.”
I thought about it. Thought about it hard.
Someone new… and there was a reason why my mom said the girl part. Of course she was a girl, but Mom knew how terrible I was around girls and how ‘afraid’ I was of them.
Maybe we could be friends. Maybe she could help me overcome this shyness I had, so that I could finally stop being such a wimp.
Was I really considering all of this?
Yes, I was. I actually was.
•Evelyn •
When I finally set eyes on Stormy’s son, Zavier Coin, the first thing that went to mind was, ‘Wow!’ Just a simple little... wow. And also that he reminded me of a cute, little cuddly teddy bear – which I decided would be his nickname, to tease him with.
He had the same skin tone and cute little nose as Stormy, but he still didn’t look much like her. I complimented him because one, he seemed to be one of those cute, shy, and self-conscious boys. And two, because he really was handsome and adorable, in my opinion. So I just had to say it.
His jet-black hair was a little long, just enough to cover the back of his neck a little and curl a bit over his forehead a few times. Dark brown eyes were the most common around the world, but his eyes just held me in place in a hypnotizing way (as cheesy as it may sound).
And when I said that I could just kiss him, oh boy, was I being honest?! I just couldn’t keep my hands to myself. I loved the reaction I got from him when I bit his cute little earlobe. I’m guessing he never had that done to him before. I was glad to be the first for that one.
He wore a red and blue button-up with a white T-shirt underneath, and even then I could clearly make out all the basic muscles he had. So he worked out, eh? Nice.
While we were playing all kinds of card games, Stormy chose to tell me at least a little bit about her son. He was an innocent boy with such impressive grades at school that he might as well be a college student. He was a really good dancer, but no one knew that except his mom and other family members (and me, so now I really had to get him to show me some of his moves). He liked helping a few charities, and overall, he was just a really nice and caring guy.
I wanted to know more about this cute smarty-pants, but Stormy left the rest a mystery, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to know more about Zavier.
He was shy and that was plainly obvious. Oh, and Stormy said he’s not used to being around girls, so that was probably why he blushed so much when he saw me. Or was it because I was in my underwear and he felt uncomfortable? I don’t know, I just felt like everything was way better without any pants, you know? I’m sure a lot of us felt that way.
Hmm… I actually thought he and I would have plenty of fun together around here. And somehow, I felt like us sharing a house for a year wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought.
4: High School Sux
•Zavier•
That Sunday night, we all had dinner together in th
e living room while watching The Avengers, which was one of our favorite movies of all time.
Mom and Evelyn seemed to get along just great and I found myself grateful for that, considering my mom hardly had any girls or friends to talk to. All she had was me and even we didn’t hang out so much.
But Evelyn seemed… different (and no, that wasn’t because she probably killed someone before). Though, now that I thought about it, I would now start locking my room at night. Just to be safe, you know. I was quite a paranoid person.
Okay, don’t be ridiculous now. She’s not crazy enough to do something like that.
Well, I still hadn’t known her for a full 24 hours, so I wasn’t 100% sure.
It was also really hard for me to trust people. It always has been, for some particular reason.
I got to know Evelyn a little more (simple stuff, really, like her favorite color and animal), and I found out some of the things she did back at her old home. Mom didn’t like to hear about them (for example, the drugs and alcohol), but Evelyn said it really helped her out with stress. She told us all about her tattoos and she had over forty of them, mostly small ones covering her arms. She also had about fifteen piercings, most of them covering her ears, but she also had some on her nose, navel, and hips.
I would’ve said I didn’t want to see them, but then I’d be lying to myself as well. Jeez, she was already turning me into one of those guys. And ‘those guys’ obviously being Jesse and Ethan, who only wanted to check girls out. Sometimes I didn’t even know how I was friends with them.
I also really hated needles, so if you bet on me getting any sort of tattoo (even a line or something), you’d lose that bet right away. So it was best not to keep your hopes up with me.
I told her a little bit about myself, too. Like the things I liked to do (which weren’t much… plus, Mom had already told her the secret of my dancing), and the things I would like to accomplish (like becoming a teacher or even the president of the United States) – which actually sounded pretty ridiculous said out loud. But she just smiled at me when I said it.
