Snake-Bite Hearts and Bubblegum Smiles
Jane
My school day had gone by in a blur, and I was thankful my first week was almost over.
I was pretty well set in all of my classes; I wasn’t really behind on anything. In fact, I was actually ahead in most of them. I had already learned the things we were doing, so I’m glad I can get a good solid couple of grades in.
Jack, the tall boy that I bumped into on my first day, who also shared almost the same schedule with me, was pretty fun to talk to. It was easy to talk to him…well, he did most of the talking, but I was perfectly all right with that.
I knew we shared the same lunch period, but I hadn’t gone down to the cafeteria during lunch yet. Call me a coward, but I hate awkwardly standing there, not knowing where I should sit. I know, I’m pretty pathetic.
“Jane dear, come grocery shopping with me, please? I need to buy quite a bit today.”
I was shaken out of my thoughts by my mom calling me. “Alright mom, I’ll be down in a second!”
I slipped on my black moccasins, and wondered if I would be cold in just a tank top. Deciding that I didn’t care, I hurried down the stairs, and out the door with my mom. After a good hour of shopping, and a shit ton of bags to prove it, we were on our way home. I noticed Brooke standing on her porch. I’ve seen her around school a few times, and she’s been nice and hasn’t ignored me. She’s said hi and things, but she’d always be with at least this one cute guy, or a group of people, and I’d feel like the loser who tried to sneak her way in if I’d stayed.
I stumbled out of the car, grocery bags in hand, as Brooke sauntered over. I smiled a little, until my mom decided to embarrass me to no end. I love my mom, I really do, but she likes to think she’s a teenager sometimes.
We had a brief conversation, and we went inside to have ice cream. My mom makes the best sundaes, and she knew Brooke wouldn’t be able to resist. I sighed quietly to myself; my mom is a freaking predator.
We were all laughing around the table as my mom told stories, when Brooke’s phone suddenly went off.
“Sorry guys, I really have to take this.” She said between giggles, as she calmed herself down. My mom and I quieted as well, and ate some ice cream.
“She seems like a very lovely girl, Jane. I’m glad you have a neighbor that’s your age!” My mom was ecstatic. I wasn’t really, well, a social butterfly, and friends wasn’t something I had too plenty of, even back home. I smiled back at my mom.
“Yeah, she’s a really nice girl.”
Brooke came bouncing back into the kitchen with a smile on her face.
“How would you like to come over and hang out? Some of my friends will be there too! They’re waiting for me, and I need to hurry or else they might burn my house down…”
Of course I wouldn’t have minded coming over, but before I could even attempt to process and answer, my mom was practically shoving us out the door.
“They’re pretty cool people, honest, so don’t worry too much. They’re kind of psychotic though.” Brooke said with a grin, and I let out a tiny laugh. I really hoped they wouldn’t hate me.
Once inside, I was introduced briefly to a few people. Rian, Kara, Lisa, and Alex I knew from school, they were the people who were always with Brooke. They were all really good looking, and I suddenly felt really self-conscious.
Zack went to a different school, but he seemed pretty nice too. He was really, really cute as well, and I said my hellos to each of them, and tried to be as not awkward as possible.
The girl, Kara, smiled warmly at me and kind of called me over. I suddenly realized she was in my English literature class, and I smiled back a little.
“Hey wait, where’s J—“
Just as I was about to go over to Kara, Brooke and I were nearly knocked off our feet by someone darting down the stairs. Well okay, I was knocked on my ass, and Brooke somehow managed to keep her balance. I silently cursed my bad luck.
“Jack you fucking prick, watch where you’re going! You’re going to break my new friend, you douche bag.” Brooke tried to say it sternly, but she ended up smirking and shoving him. She held out a hand to help me up.
“Sorry Jane, this boy here is a fucking tornado. Anyway, this is J—“
“HOLY FUCK, IT’S THE GIRL WHO JUST MAGICALLY APPEARED IN ALL OF MY CLASSES.”
I accepted Brooke’s help and stood up, and my eyes widened as I saw just who the boy was. There was Jack, the cute, tall boy from my classes. Brooke raised an eyebrow, and looked back and forth from the two of us.
“You know each other?” The whole room was quiet, and I felt my face flush as Brooke gave me a confused look.
“Yeah, uh, me and him have the—“
“I KNOCKED HER DOWN ON MONDAY, BY ACCIDENT AND THEN SHE JUST ENDED UP IN ALL OF MY CLASSES! She’s the tiny smart girl!” This kid seemed to really like to interrupt people. I chewed on the inside of my cheeks.
“You really like knocking people down, don’t you?” I muttered, and I heard the boy named Alex snort.
“Jack is just a big stick, he can’t even see where he’s going.”
“Your mom likes my big stick though, Alex!”
They started to banter playfully, and everyone started laughing. I guessed this was an everyday thing, because no one was worried that they would really start fighting.
I let out a sigh of relief, as the attention was drawn away from me. “Hey Jane, come sit with us!” Kara, Lisa and Brooke called me over, and I smiled and sat down softly on the couch by them.
“She’s cute, tiny, smart, witty, just what he needs!” I heard Brooke exclaim to Kara, who nodded her head vigorously.
“She’s also not a psychotic, which can even things out.” Lisa said with a grin.
I blinked. “What’re you guys talking about?” I said with a smile, hoping I didn’t sound like I was prying. Before they even had a chance to answer, Jack let out a whine.
“WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME WE WERE WATCHING HOME ALONE? PLAY IT FROM THE BEGINNING RIGHT FUCKING NOW OR I SWEAR I WILL FUCK A BURRITO.”
Rian rolled his eyes and didn’t let go of the remote. “Next time, get here on time, and don’t cause such a mess you big shit.”
Jack pouted, and I realized that it was really cute. Blinking myself out of my weird thoughts, I focused back on the three girls, who were already talking about something different.
Alex sat down by Lisa, and Kara was nestled in Rian’s lap. I figured they were dating.
“Hmm…I wonder, are Jack and Brooke dating, then? Or if she’s dating Zack?” I thought to myself, as Jack plopped down beside me.
“I CAN TALK GIRL TALK TOO, ALEX IS GOING TO MAKE OUT WITH LISA AND I’M GOING TO BE BORED!”
I couldn’t help but laugh, as the other girls rolled their eyes.
“We’re talking about if Jane has a boyfriend, I’m sure you can go watch your movie or hang out with Zack.” Brooke said, nudging Jack away.
Zack shook his head. “Hell no, he breaks everything, keep him away from my reclining chair.”
“You mean my chair, Zacky?” Brooke said, as Jack pouted again and scooted closer to us.
“ZACK DOESN’T LOVE ME ANYMORE SINCE I FUCKED HIS BURRITO, LEMME STAY HERE.” He looked so pitiful I think Brooke just gave up, mumbling something about punching him in the nuts if he doesn’t shut up.
Completely lost in the conversation, but still feeling welcome, I decided to take Rian’s example and actually watch the movie. Though, it was really hard with Jack sitting next to me. He kept bouncing around on the couch, saying the lines, and just all around being annoying.
“There will be no more burritos left for you to fuck if you don’t sit your ass down.” I said, and I watched his face pale as he sat down quietly, murmuring about the burritos. Alex erupted in laughter.
“Brooke you sure know how to find new friends. Jane, you’re cool. I like you already.” I grinned as the rest of them agreed, and Jack reluctantly accepted my position of authority, and stopped pouting. Then it became a battle for him and Alex.
“JANE WAS MY COOL PERSON FIRST!” he exclaimed, and pulled me into a sideways, suffocating hug. He was honestly like a little kid.
Everyone laughed as I shook my head, already feeling at home. We went back to watching the movie, talking more, and just being dumb. I was already welcomed into their group, which made me smile. I drifted back into the conversation, feeling happier than I had in weeks.
I was pretty well set in all of my classes; I wasn’t really behind on anything. In fact, I was actually ahead in most of them. I had already learned the things we were doing, so I’m glad I can get a good solid couple of grades in.
Jack, the tall boy that I bumped into on my first day, who also shared almost the same schedule with me, was pretty fun to talk to. It was easy to talk to him…well, he did most of the talking, but I was perfectly all right with that.
I knew we shared the same lunch period, but I hadn’t gone down to the cafeteria during lunch yet. Call me a coward, but I hate awkwardly standing there, not knowing where I should sit. I know, I’m pretty pathetic.
“Jane dear, come grocery shopping with me, please? I need to buy quite a bit today.”
I was shaken out of my thoughts by my mom calling me. “Alright mom, I’ll be down in a second!”
I slipped on my black moccasins, and wondered if I would be cold in just a tank top. Deciding that I didn’t care, I hurried down the stairs, and out the door with my mom. After a good hour of shopping, and a shit ton of bags to prove it, we were on our way home. I noticed Brooke standing on her porch. I’ve seen her around school a few times, and she’s been nice and hasn’t ignored me. She’s said hi and things, but she’d always be with at least this one cute guy, or a group of people, and I’d feel like the loser who tried to sneak her way in if I’d stayed.
I stumbled out of the car, grocery bags in hand, as Brooke sauntered over. I smiled a little, until my mom decided to embarrass me to no end. I love my mom, I really do, but she likes to think she’s a teenager sometimes.
We had a brief conversation, and we went inside to have ice cream. My mom makes the best sundaes, and she knew Brooke wouldn’t be able to resist. I sighed quietly to myself; my mom is a freaking predator.
We were all laughing around the table as my mom told stories, when Brooke’s phone suddenly went off.
“Sorry guys, I really have to take this.” She said between giggles, as she calmed herself down. My mom and I quieted as well, and ate some ice cream.
“She seems like a very lovely girl, Jane. I’m glad you have a neighbor that’s your age!” My mom was ecstatic. I wasn’t really, well, a social butterfly, and friends wasn’t something I had too plenty of, even back home. I smiled back at my mom.
“Yeah, she’s a really nice girl.”
Brooke came bouncing back into the kitchen with a smile on her face.
“How would you like to come over and hang out? Some of my friends will be there too! They’re waiting for me, and I need to hurry or else they might burn my house down…”
Of course I wouldn’t have minded coming over, but before I could even attempt to process and answer, my mom was practically shoving us out the door.
“They’re pretty cool people, honest, so don’t worry too much. They’re kind of psychotic though.” Brooke said with a grin, and I let out a tiny laugh. I really hoped they wouldn’t hate me.
Once inside, I was introduced briefly to a few people. Rian, Kara, Lisa, and Alex I knew from school, they were the people who were always with Brooke. They were all really good looking, and I suddenly felt really self-conscious.
Zack went to a different school, but he seemed pretty nice too. He was really, really cute as well, and I said my hellos to each of them, and tried to be as not awkward as possible.
The girl, Kara, smiled warmly at me and kind of called me over. I suddenly realized she was in my English literature class, and I smiled back a little.
“Hey wait, where’s J—“
Just as I was about to go over to Kara, Brooke and I were nearly knocked off our feet by someone darting down the stairs. Well okay, I was knocked on my ass, and Brooke somehow managed to keep her balance. I silently cursed my bad luck.
“Jack you fucking prick, watch where you’re going! You’re going to break my new friend, you douche bag.” Brooke tried to say it sternly, but she ended up smirking and shoving him. She held out a hand to help me up.
“Sorry Jane, this boy here is a fucking tornado. Anyway, this is J—“
“HOLY FUCK, IT’S THE GIRL WHO JUST MAGICALLY APPEARED IN ALL OF MY CLASSES.”
I accepted Brooke’s help and stood up, and my eyes widened as I saw just who the boy was. There was Jack, the cute, tall boy from my classes. Brooke raised an eyebrow, and looked back and forth from the two of us.
“You know each other?” The whole room was quiet, and I felt my face flush as Brooke gave me a confused look.
“Yeah, uh, me and him have the—“
“I KNOCKED HER DOWN ON MONDAY, BY ACCIDENT AND THEN SHE JUST ENDED UP IN ALL OF MY CLASSES! She’s the tiny smart girl!” This kid seemed to really like to interrupt people. I chewed on the inside of my cheeks.
“You really like knocking people down, don’t you?” I muttered, and I heard the boy named Alex snort.
“Jack is just a big stick, he can’t even see where he’s going.”
“Your mom likes my big stick though, Alex!”
They started to banter playfully, and everyone started laughing. I guessed this was an everyday thing, because no one was worried that they would really start fighting.
I let out a sigh of relief, as the attention was drawn away from me. “Hey Jane, come sit with us!” Kara, Lisa and Brooke called me over, and I smiled and sat down softly on the couch by them.
“She’s cute, tiny, smart, witty, just what he needs!” I heard Brooke exclaim to Kara, who nodded her head vigorously.
“She’s also not a psychotic, which can even things out.” Lisa said with a grin.
I blinked. “What’re you guys talking about?” I said with a smile, hoping I didn’t sound like I was prying. Before they even had a chance to answer, Jack let out a whine.
“WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME WE WERE WATCHING HOME ALONE? PLAY IT FROM THE BEGINNING RIGHT FUCKING NOW OR I SWEAR I WILL FUCK A BURRITO.”
Rian rolled his eyes and didn’t let go of the remote. “Next time, get here on time, and don’t cause such a mess you big shit.”
Jack pouted, and I realized that it was really cute. Blinking myself out of my weird thoughts, I focused back on the three girls, who were already talking about something different.
Alex sat down by Lisa, and Kara was nestled in Rian’s lap. I figured they were dating.
“Hmm…I wonder, are Jack and Brooke dating, then? Or if she’s dating Zack?” I thought to myself, as Jack plopped down beside me.
“I CAN TALK GIRL TALK TOO, ALEX IS GOING TO MAKE OUT WITH LISA AND I’M GOING TO BE BORED!”
I couldn’t help but laugh, as the other girls rolled their eyes.
“We’re talking about if Jane has a boyfriend, I’m sure you can go watch your movie or hang out with Zack.” Brooke said, nudging Jack away.
Zack shook his head. “Hell no, he breaks everything, keep him away from my reclining chair.”
“You mean my chair, Zacky?” Brooke said, as Jack pouted again and scooted closer to us.
“ZACK DOESN’T LOVE ME ANYMORE SINCE I FUCKED HIS BURRITO, LEMME STAY HERE.” He looked so pitiful I think Brooke just gave up, mumbling something about punching him in the nuts if he doesn’t shut up.
Completely lost in the conversation, but still feeling welcome, I decided to take Rian’s example and actually watch the movie. Though, it was really hard with Jack sitting next to me. He kept bouncing around on the couch, saying the lines, and just all around being annoying.
“There will be no more burritos left for you to fuck if you don’t sit your ass down.” I said, and I watched his face pale as he sat down quietly, murmuring about the burritos. Alex erupted in laughter.
“Brooke you sure know how to find new friends. Jane, you’re cool. I like you already.” I grinned as the rest of them agreed, and Jack reluctantly accepted my position of authority, and stopped pouting. Then it became a battle for him and Alex.
“JANE WAS MY COOL PERSON FIRST!” he exclaimed, and pulled me into a sideways, suffocating hug. He was honestly like a little kid.
Everyone laughed as I shook my head, already feeling at home. We went back to watching the movie, talking more, and just being dumb. I was already welcomed into their group, which made me smile. I drifted back into the conversation, feeling happier than I had in weeks.
