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I turned off my alarm clock and woke up with my clothes still on. I forgot to change into my PJs and now my body was marked by the clothes I had worn. I took off my clothes, showered, and grabbed my backpack. I headed downstairs to grab something to eat. Cheerios was my first choice. Then, I walked outside waiting for Tamara to come pick me up as usual, but she didn't show.
"Great," I told myself in the empty driveway. I had to walk to school now. Halfway to school though, I heard Brad's motorcycle.
"Come on, I'll give you a ride," he said. I nodded.
"Okay, I guess," I replied and got on the bike. I couldn't see him with his helmet, but I wondered what he was thinking. The motorcycle roared and my long brown hair ruffled in the wind. It felt strange to be on a bike, this was my second time. The first time was yesterday and I thought it had all been a dream. How could this be real?
We reached our school and I got off the bike. Everyone was staring at us with expressions of disbelief covering their faces. I saw a few jaws drop, but didn't care. Let them talk.
"Thanks for the ride," I said. Brad took off his helmet and showed his blond curtained cut hair and smiled.
"Any time," he replied. He placed his helmet inside a small trunk that was under the chair. He reached for his bag and walked with me to school. I pretended that I wasn't walking beside Prince Charming, but it was too hard to do so since everyone around us made it harder.
"Unbelievable," I heard Steph say and Gina had a glare on her face. I didn't even want to imagine what she was thinking.
"Hey, so... you know, I was wondering if we could go out sometime, maybe not Saturday since you're so busy," Brad said.
"Why her?" I heard somebody else say. My eyes widened so much, I thought they'd pop out of my sockets. This reaction was so unexpected. Everyone had a snarky comment to say about me and the new boy.
"Umm... I don't know if it's a good idea," I replied.
"She's nuts," someone else said. What the hell was going on today? I walked inside the school and headed for my classroom. I figured there would be fewer prying eyes in Mr. Garcia's Spanish class. Brad walked with me. He was either oblivious of what others were saying or he didn't care. That was a good sign for me.
"Can I ask you why do you think it's a bad idea?" He asked me. God, he was so perfect. His dreamy crystal clear blue eyes were like puppy sad eyes now and his little upturned nose, his angular jawline, and full lips were so perfect that I knew I was only kidding myself. The front wouldn't last.
"I'm kind of grounded... in a sense," I started to confess. My heart was beating and I knew that this was it. It would be over before it ever began. Once I confessed to him about my weed use, it would be over. I was kind of sad when I thought about it, but it was probably for the best. I had to concentrate on my studies and try to get into the basketball team. Maybe this way I'd get a scholarship and had a chance to enter a good university. I wasn't sure.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Well... I kind of did something I wasn't supposed to do and I can't say I was forced to do it. I did it purposely," I said. Holy shit. It's over.
"What?" He asked me. I was about to die. I decided to get it over with.
"I smoked pot," I confessed. There it was in the out and he was still looking at me with his blue puppy eyes. I was dead. Why did I tell him?
"Hey, hey, that's okay, you know. I mean... we all make mistakes, right?"
"I consumed it for three months. Not always, but still," I continued to confess with a load of guilt all over my conscience. Now for sure, he was going to move on.
"How did you get a hold of it anyway?" He asked me. Then, he smiled. This wasn't the reaction I was expecting and now I wondered if he was a pot user himself. This was so messed up.
"I had a neighbor of mine who got it from a friend of hers in college. She gave me some, I liked it and bought a few ounces from her with some savings that I had," I said.
"Woah. So are you still smoking pot?" He asked me.
"No, why? Do you smoke pot?" I asked curiously, since his reaction was so unexpected.
"No, but I did try it once too. It's no big deal. I didn't smoke as much as you did, but I'm not here to judge you. Besides if you're not smoking it anymore, good for you. I'm glad you quit," he said.
"So, you still want to date me?" I asked him.
"Sure. Why wouldn't I?" He asked me. Tough question. I didn't know how to respond.
"Why do you want to date me?" I asked him when the school bell rang. My classmates were already walking into the classroom. Gina, Melanie, and Steph walked in and sat next to each other. Gina sat next to Brad and Tamara came walking in and sitting next to me. Rob, Joey, and Preston all sat up front and so did Julia, Carrie, and Chloe. Brad sat back, pressing his back on the desk as Mr. García came in with a backpack in hand. The girls used to call him "El Gato" the cat because he had green cat eyes. He was the youngest staff member in the faculty and very handsome. A lot of girls were infatuated with the teacher including myself once, but it wasn't anything serious.
"Okay people. I see a new student, your name please," Mr. García said.
"Brad Wolfram."
"Brad Wolfram and tell us a little bit about yourself," Mr. García said. He crossed his arms like he used to do when we had oral reports.
"I'm from New York. My dad found a job here and we moved. My mom's a nurse, but she's a housewife for the moment until she finds a job," he said.
"Interesting, and what's your favorite subject, Brad Wolfram? Do you know Spanish?"
"Un poquito," he said meaning a little and then he smiled with that dashing smile of his. I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was amazing.
"Well, I kind of like to work with my hands. Anything that has to do with carpentry or mechanics. My dad hates it, but I've always been a rebel, so..."
"A rebel, huh?" Mr. García asked turning his eyebrow up.
"I'm a good rebel though, scouts honor," he said crossing himself and smiling.
"You were a scout?"
"When I was in elementary school, yeah," he replied.
"Okay, so welcome to Franklin High School," Mr. García said and he started to write a few words in the blackboard as he commenced his class. We were learning Spanish verbs in the past tense and writing sentences. It was so strange to pronounce these words, but I tried as hard as I could. During the rest of the classes, Brad had to introduce himself and tell his story over and over again.
"I'm a Taurus," he added in one of our classes. Brad was smart. I could tell because he always had an excellent response even though sometimes it wasn't the response that the teachers were looking for. At lunch, Tamara and I sat together. Today they were serving pizzas, chicken, salads, and coleslaw. I grabbed two slices of pizza and a salad. My best friend did the same.
"So..." I said.
"So..." she replied.
"How was your baking?" I asked her.
"Fine. I'll be doing the bake sale soon after school. My mom's going to be coming in with the cookies and cupcakes. We did over a hundred. What about you, what did you do yesterday?"
"Honestly, I didn't do anything productive. I was too tired and frustrated to care," I replied. She nodded.
"Well... you can help me sell the cookies and cupcakes," she said. I nodded.
"It's a deal," I said. Tamara smiled. I was happy to see my friend smile and talk to me again. I didn't have many friends and I hated school, so now that she wasn't angry at me anymore, school was bearable. We ate together and she asked me about Brad.
"He asked me out," I said.
"Really?" She said and then she looked over at his table. Gina was across him and he was next to Rob. They were talking to each other and Brad was eating and smiling.
"So, why doesn't he sit with us?" She asked me.
"I have no idea," I replied.
"So, when are you going out with him?" She asked me.
"I don't know. I haven't really said yes to him," I replied.
"Why not?"
Gina suddenly giggled out loud and I was distracted so I gazed upon their table. Apparently, somebody had made a joke and Brad was laughing alongside Rob.
"What's going on?" Tamara asked me. I shook my head.
"I know as much as you do, which is nothing. I don't know," I replied.
"You know, now that I see him over there, maybe you shouldn't go out with him," Tamara said.
"Why the change of heart?" I asked her. She ate took out the pepperoni from her slice of pizza and then chewed it.
"Um... I don't know..." she replied with her mouth half full. I ate a slice and then she continued to tell me her thoughts.
"I mean... what if he's just trying to date you, to mock you?" She told me. I hadn't thought about that before and now that she said that I wondered about Brad's intentions too. He sat behind me in class, but then he had lunch with the popular kids that hated us. Could he be that cruel?
"Do you really think he could be that cruel?" I asked her. She ate a slice of pizza and replied to my question with half a full mouth.
"I don't know, but I've heard some weird things. Not about him, but still... maybe you should be careful," she said.
"Thanks, Tamara. I think you're right. If he really wants to date me, then he should have lunch with me. Instead, he completely ignores me, so who knows."
"Are you going to practice for the basketball tryouts?"
"Yeah," I replied and then ate another slice of pizza.
"When's the final date to try out?"
"Friday," I replied.
"I think you're going to make it. You're a natural," Tamara said.
"Thanks," I replied. I really appreciated her encouragement. I needed it.