“Yeah...later,” I said. Jason seemed kind of off today. He looked beaten down, and his face was pale. It was true though that he was often stressed. He took hard classes, and his parents had high expectations for him.
As I passed the lunchroom entrance, I observed the increasing stares. My eyes carefully examined the commotional room, and I now ascertained that most of the stares were coming from girls. Briskly, I headed to the lunch line, trying to ignore it all. At once my stomach growled ferociously. I was ravenous, I realized.
“Hi, excuse me?”
A light tap touched the back of my shoulder.
“Hello Jared, I believe you’re in one of my classes.” Turning my head, I saw a dark-haired girl behind me. She extended a long, thin arm towards me and …show more content…
“Some girls just need to take it down a notch if you know what I mean.”
“What? Yeah,” I acknowledged, raising my eyebrows briefly.
“I just think it’s stupid that some people are so desperate to go to homecoming. I mean it’s just homecoming, it’s not the end of the world, people!” she said dramatically.
“Right,” I said, snatching a yogurt and a chicken sandwich.
“Yeah, it’s just sooo stupid. It’s like c’mon people, get over it! It’s just a dance! Hello?” She shook her head with a laugh. “I’m Brenna by the way,” she introduced energetically, extending a hand.
“Jared,” I replied, feeling a sense of deja vu as I shook.
“Oh, of course, I know you,” Brenna said, making quotation fingers. “You’re Jared Rider, Mr. tall, popular quarterback!" She laughed again.
"Well, I don't know about that—"
“Yeah, but seriously. Some seniors like that Ani girl just need to relax. Calm it down. It’s just homecoming, not graduation! I mean right? It's just so silly, right?" She giggled.
"Right," I said with reluctance, grabbing a bowl of macaroni.
"So are the rumors true then?” Brenna said, clearing her throat. “You don’t have a date for the dance …show more content…
What? You don’t know, but really you do know. You’re like a little bit of a rebel aren’t you?” Brenna said awkwardly in what seemed like an attempt to sound flirtatious.
“I wouldn’t say rebel,” I said indifferently and scooted down the line.
“No I get it," she said quickly, "and I think that’s cool. Who needs some dumb dance? Not us! You know what? I have an awesome idea. We should not go to the dance. You and I. But we should. But then we shouldn’t, you know? We’ll just go and not dress up, and then like make fun of everyone dancing!”
The convoluted statement perplexed me, but I had a feeling I knew where it was heading.
“Yeah and then maybe we could, like, dump sodas in the pool or something. You know, right? Like rebels, you and me, together."
Feeling somewhat uneasy, I spoke. “Look, if this is your way of asking me to the dance—”
“What!? No, of course not. I’m not asking you to the dance!" she said looking flustered. "That's crazy...unless you want to?" she said seriously, edging closer.
I tried to think of something tactful to say, but nothing was coming. Instead, I decided to be upfront and honest. It's what I would prefer if the roles were