X-Kid
Chapter 4: Chasing Cars
Friday morning as I sat at the kitchen table, I played a game on my phone, waiting for my mom to emerge from her bedroom. She stumbled out sleepily and I sighed, locking my phone and setting it on the table.
“Mom,” I said cautiously. “Could I have some friends over after school?”
“What friends?” She asked. I winced at her comment.
“Luna and then my new friends, Jack, Alex, Rian, and Zack. I figured you’d want to meet them and all that,” I replied.
“I guess that’s fine. I’ll pick you all up after school in my car,” she said.
I sighed again. “Okay, that’s fine.”
My grandpa took me to school again, and I discussed the plan with him so he would be in the loop. Luckily, he was fine with it too. The only flaw in my plan was that my mother would pick us up, but I figured I would take what I could get. I pushed my way through the doors to find my 5 friends sitting against the whitewashed walls, talking cheerily.
“Hey guys,” I greeted. “I got permission to have you all over after school. My mom will have to pick us up, but it should still be fun.”
“Ew,” Luna said, scrunching up her nose. “Your mom scares me.”
I let my backpack slip off my shoulder and fall to the floor with a thud, sitting down next to Jack. “Yeah, me too.”
“Well, we’re up for it. It will be nice to get a glimpse of your life for once,” Zack mentioned with a grin.
“Yeah, because I’m just that interesting,” I joked. “Though, I think you’ll all like it there. Maybe we could even make it our Friday tradition.”
“And then Saturdays, you could help me study for our Biology tests,” Jack said, a hopeful smile on his face.
I giggled at him. “Jack, it’s just a weekly vocabulary quiz, and it’s multiple choice. I don’t think there’s a need to study.”
He pouted. “Yeah, for you because you’re smart. I’m not.”
I sighed. “Okay, I’ll help you. I can’t this Saturday because I have to help babysit my nephews and my niece, but maybe you could stay a little later this afternoon?”
He grinned widely. “Perfect. I’m going to call my mom really quick and tell her the plan.” He hopped off of the ground and went around the corner, taking out his cellphone.
Luna smirked at me. “You like him.”
I rolled my eyes. “Luna, he’s my friend. I’m just trying to help him out. Besides, I don’t think I’m exactly over Drake.”
“Come on, Nora,” she said. “It’s been 2 months.”
“Yeah, and we were together for almost a year. It may have been a shitty relationship, but that doesn’t change the fact that I loved him. I need some time to recuperate before I can date again,” I explained.
“Fine,” she sighed, before she paused. “I’m only bugging you so much because I want you to be happy. You know that, right?”
I nodded. “I appreciate you looking out for me, but I’m okay. I promise.”
Jack returned and plopped down next to me. “She’s cool with it. Though she says next time, we should study at my house so she can meet you.”
I was kinda surprised. Why would his mom want to meet me? “Sure, that’s fine.”
“By the way,” he grinned. “Nice necklace.”
I felt myself blush a little. “Thanks.”
Everyone buzzed excitedly about coming over to my house, but I didn’t really understand why. After all, I prefered school to being at my house all of the time. I tried not to think too much about it, even as my classes progressed quickly throughout the day. It wasn’t until I placed my stuff down in the desk beside Rian’s in French that time seemed to slow a little.
“Nora?” he asked.
I looked up from the notebook I was scribbling notes in. “Yeah?”
“You really do like Jack, don’t you?” he wondered.
I rolled my eyes. “MY GOD. He’s just my friend, and I haven’t even known him a week.”
“Look, I’m not saying you’re head over heels in love with him. Having a crush on him on the other hand, kinda makes sense. I mean, that day we all met, you two just clicked, kinda like Luna and Alex did,” he explained.
I sighed, beginning to pick at my fingernails nervously. “Rian, can we please drop it?”
“Sure,” He paused, turning his attention back to the front of the room. “But if it helps, I think he likes you too.”
I decided not to respond and instead focused on whatever vocabulary we were going over that day. I didn’t understand why me possibly liking Jack was everybody’s business. He probably thought I was just a good friend, like I did for him. Simple as that.
The rest of the day passed by without a hitch, and before I knew it, Luna, the boys, and I were piling into my mother’s Explorer. I introduced the guys, and she smiled politely at them before we were driven the 5-10 minutes it took to get to my house. Once there, we all rushed in the house, setting our backpacks by the front door.
I turned to face them. “Who wants a tour of my humble abode?” Everyone nodded excitedly, so I led them down the hallway, pointing out my younger cousin’s room, the main bathroom, my mom’s room, the laundry room, and finally, we reached my room. I suddenly became self conscious, realizing how cluttered it was. Books, papers, and magazines were scattered on my purple rug, my desk, and my book shelf. My CDs weren’t organized, and instead just in a huge pile on the shelf above my bed. The boys nodded their approval, and the tour continued.
We traveled downstairs to the basement, where I showed the my aunt’s room, my other cousin’s room, and my grandpa’s room. After this was done, we headed back to the basement living room, where most of the entertainment was.
“Why do you, your mom, your aunt, your cousins, and your grandpa all live in one house?” Zack wondered.
I shrugged a little. “Financial reasons mainly. Plus, it isn’t so bad. A little hectic sometimes, yes, but not bad.”
We all sat down on the black, leather couch, and the room was filled with silence for a minute. “So...” Alex said. “What should we do?”
Luna’s face brightened into a mischievous smile. “Let’s play Truth or Dare!”
“Oh no,” I protested. “I refuse to play that game, and you know that.”
“Fine,” she pouted.
“Why won’t you play Truth or Dare?” Jack asked.
“Jack, I thought I already told you,” Luna said.
“He wasn’t there for that conversation,” Rian added.
“Look, I’ll tell you later,” I told him. “Let’s just watch a movie for right now.”
Everyone agreed, so I turned on the Xbox and searched Netflix until we all agreed on one to watch. There wouldn’t have been a problem if Jack hadn’t insisted on watching Adventure Time, though he was ultimately outnumbered.
When the movie was over, Rian, Zack, Alex, and Luna decided they should leave so Jack and I could get to studying. Rian called his mom, told her my address, and she picked up everyone, leaving only Jack and I. We ventured to my room with our backpacks, leaving the door open and sitting on my rug.
“So why do you refuse to play Truth or Dare?” He asked.
I sighed as I got out my science notebook. “It was over the summer, not too long after I broke up with Drake. I was at the park with Luna and two of our other guy friends, and we were playing Truth or Dare of course. They dared Luna to kiss me. At first, we kinda joked around a bit, and I even said it would be my first real kiss.”
“Drake didn’t even kiss you?” He asked incredulously.
“Not exactly. I got a peck every once in awhile, but it didn’t seem like a real kiss. Anyway, I was expecting her to chicken, but then Luna grabbed my face and kissed me for a few seconds. When she finally pulled away, my lip was bleeding. She had like, bitten me or something. Ever since that moment, I can’t play Truth or Dare,” I explained.
“Your first kiss was with your best friend? I mean, that isn’t so bad,” he replied.
“It wouldn’t have been so terrible if my lip hadn’t have bled,” I laughed. “No, my main issue is that I figured since I’m heterosexual, my first kiss would be with a guy I guess.”
“I get what you mean,” he said. “But why don’t you just kiss some guy and get it over with?”
I chuckled slightly. “Yeah, because going up to some guy and planting one on him is going to go over well.”
“No, you idiot,” he joked with a smile. “I mean, just ask one of your guy friends if they’ll do it, no strings attached.”
“Who would be willing to kiss me just because I haven’t had a real kiss with a guy?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I would.”
I did a double take. “What? Really?”
He nodded. “I might as well. It’ll be a friend helping out another friend sorta thing.”
I paused. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” He replied.
“Positive?” I questioned.
He rolled his eyes a bit and grinned before leaning forward and pressing his lips to mine gently. My eyes closed and I moved my mouth to match his, feeling an explosion go off in my stomach. The lovely sensation soon ended, because Jack pulled away and smiled at me.
“See? Over and done with,” he said.
I nodded, trying to come back to Earth. “Yeah. Uh, thanks. So, how about some Biology?”
We went over the vocabulary for the upcoming quiz, and then Jack’s mom came to pick him up. My lips tingled for hours after our kiss, and I couldn’t figure out why. Also, why would Jack, of all people be willing to kiss me. Was Rian right?
“Mom,” I said cautiously. “Could I have some friends over after school?”
“What friends?” She asked. I winced at her comment.
“Luna and then my new friends, Jack, Alex, Rian, and Zack. I figured you’d want to meet them and all that,” I replied.
“I guess that’s fine. I’ll pick you all up after school in my car,” she said.
I sighed again. “Okay, that’s fine.”
My grandpa took me to school again, and I discussed the plan with him so he would be in the loop. Luckily, he was fine with it too. The only flaw in my plan was that my mother would pick us up, but I figured I would take what I could get. I pushed my way through the doors to find my 5 friends sitting against the whitewashed walls, talking cheerily.
“Hey guys,” I greeted. “I got permission to have you all over after school. My mom will have to pick us up, but it should still be fun.”
“Ew,” Luna said, scrunching up her nose. “Your mom scares me.”
I let my backpack slip off my shoulder and fall to the floor with a thud, sitting down next to Jack. “Yeah, me too.”
“Well, we’re up for it. It will be nice to get a glimpse of your life for once,” Zack mentioned with a grin.
“Yeah, because I’m just that interesting,” I joked. “Though, I think you’ll all like it there. Maybe we could even make it our Friday tradition.”
“And then Saturdays, you could help me study for our Biology tests,” Jack said, a hopeful smile on his face.
I giggled at him. “Jack, it’s just a weekly vocabulary quiz, and it’s multiple choice. I don’t think there’s a need to study.”
He pouted. “Yeah, for you because you’re smart. I’m not.”
I sighed. “Okay, I’ll help you. I can’t this Saturday because I have to help babysit my nephews and my niece, but maybe you could stay a little later this afternoon?”
He grinned widely. “Perfect. I’m going to call my mom really quick and tell her the plan.” He hopped off of the ground and went around the corner, taking out his cellphone.
Luna smirked at me. “You like him.”
I rolled my eyes. “Luna, he’s my friend. I’m just trying to help him out. Besides, I don’t think I’m exactly over Drake.”
“Come on, Nora,” she said. “It’s been 2 months.”
“Yeah, and we were together for almost a year. It may have been a shitty relationship, but that doesn’t change the fact that I loved him. I need some time to recuperate before I can date again,” I explained.
“Fine,” she sighed, before she paused. “I’m only bugging you so much because I want you to be happy. You know that, right?”
I nodded. “I appreciate you looking out for me, but I’m okay. I promise.”
Jack returned and plopped down next to me. “She’s cool with it. Though she says next time, we should study at my house so she can meet you.”
I was kinda surprised. Why would his mom want to meet me? “Sure, that’s fine.”
“By the way,” he grinned. “Nice necklace.”
I felt myself blush a little. “Thanks.”
Everyone buzzed excitedly about coming over to my house, but I didn’t really understand why. After all, I prefered school to being at my house all of the time. I tried not to think too much about it, even as my classes progressed quickly throughout the day. It wasn’t until I placed my stuff down in the desk beside Rian’s in French that time seemed to slow a little.
“Nora?” he asked.
I looked up from the notebook I was scribbling notes in. “Yeah?”
“You really do like Jack, don’t you?” he wondered.
I rolled my eyes. “MY GOD. He’s just my friend, and I haven’t even known him a week.”
“Look, I’m not saying you’re head over heels in love with him. Having a crush on him on the other hand, kinda makes sense. I mean, that day we all met, you two just clicked, kinda like Luna and Alex did,” he explained.
I sighed, beginning to pick at my fingernails nervously. “Rian, can we please drop it?”
“Sure,” He paused, turning his attention back to the front of the room. “But if it helps, I think he likes you too.”
I decided not to respond and instead focused on whatever vocabulary we were going over that day. I didn’t understand why me possibly liking Jack was everybody’s business. He probably thought I was just a good friend, like I did for him. Simple as that.
The rest of the day passed by without a hitch, and before I knew it, Luna, the boys, and I were piling into my mother’s Explorer. I introduced the guys, and she smiled politely at them before we were driven the 5-10 minutes it took to get to my house. Once there, we all rushed in the house, setting our backpacks by the front door.
I turned to face them. “Who wants a tour of my humble abode?” Everyone nodded excitedly, so I led them down the hallway, pointing out my younger cousin’s room, the main bathroom, my mom’s room, the laundry room, and finally, we reached my room. I suddenly became self conscious, realizing how cluttered it was. Books, papers, and magazines were scattered on my purple rug, my desk, and my book shelf. My CDs weren’t organized, and instead just in a huge pile on the shelf above my bed. The boys nodded their approval, and the tour continued.
We traveled downstairs to the basement, where I showed the my aunt’s room, my other cousin’s room, and my grandpa’s room. After this was done, we headed back to the basement living room, where most of the entertainment was.
“Why do you, your mom, your aunt, your cousins, and your grandpa all live in one house?” Zack wondered.
I shrugged a little. “Financial reasons mainly. Plus, it isn’t so bad. A little hectic sometimes, yes, but not bad.”
We all sat down on the black, leather couch, and the room was filled with silence for a minute. “So...” Alex said. “What should we do?”
Luna’s face brightened into a mischievous smile. “Let’s play Truth or Dare!”
“Oh no,” I protested. “I refuse to play that game, and you know that.”
“Fine,” she pouted.
“Why won’t you play Truth or Dare?” Jack asked.
“Jack, I thought I already told you,” Luna said.
“He wasn’t there for that conversation,” Rian added.
“Look, I’ll tell you later,” I told him. “Let’s just watch a movie for right now.”
Everyone agreed, so I turned on the Xbox and searched Netflix until we all agreed on one to watch. There wouldn’t have been a problem if Jack hadn’t insisted on watching Adventure Time, though he was ultimately outnumbered.
When the movie was over, Rian, Zack, Alex, and Luna decided they should leave so Jack and I could get to studying. Rian called his mom, told her my address, and she picked up everyone, leaving only Jack and I. We ventured to my room with our backpacks, leaving the door open and sitting on my rug.
“So why do you refuse to play Truth or Dare?” He asked.
I sighed as I got out my science notebook. “It was over the summer, not too long after I broke up with Drake. I was at the park with Luna and two of our other guy friends, and we were playing Truth or Dare of course. They dared Luna to kiss me. At first, we kinda joked around a bit, and I even said it would be my first real kiss.”
“Drake didn’t even kiss you?” He asked incredulously.
“Not exactly. I got a peck every once in awhile, but it didn’t seem like a real kiss. Anyway, I was expecting her to chicken, but then Luna grabbed my face and kissed me for a few seconds. When she finally pulled away, my lip was bleeding. She had like, bitten me or something. Ever since that moment, I can’t play Truth or Dare,” I explained.
“Your first kiss was with your best friend? I mean, that isn’t so bad,” he replied.
“It wouldn’t have been so terrible if my lip hadn’t have bled,” I laughed. “No, my main issue is that I figured since I’m heterosexual, my first kiss would be with a guy I guess.”
“I get what you mean,” he said. “But why don’t you just kiss some guy and get it over with?”
I chuckled slightly. “Yeah, because going up to some guy and planting one on him is going to go over well.”
“No, you idiot,” he joked with a smile. “I mean, just ask one of your guy friends if they’ll do it, no strings attached.”
“Who would be willing to kiss me just because I haven’t had a real kiss with a guy?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I would.”
I did a double take. “What? Really?”
He nodded. “I might as well. It’ll be a friend helping out another friend sorta thing.”
I paused. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” He replied.
“Positive?” I questioned.
He rolled his eyes a bit and grinned before leaning forward and pressing his lips to mine gently. My eyes closed and I moved my mouth to match his, feeling an explosion go off in my stomach. The lovely sensation soon ended, because Jack pulled away and smiled at me.
“See? Over and done with,” he said.
I nodded, trying to come back to Earth. “Yeah. Uh, thanks. So, how about some Biology?”
We went over the vocabulary for the upcoming quiz, and then Jack’s mom came to pick him up. My lips tingled for hours after our kiss, and I couldn’t figure out why. Also, why would Jack, of all people be willing to kiss me. Was Rian right?
Notes
I'm in love with writing this story!Oh, and thank you, jessicatonimason! I'm glad you like it! :)
Aw :)
1/9/14