Brittany has been wary this whole week. She's waiting for me to play a joke on her, to get her back for tossing my keys into the woods. After school, as I'm at my locker picking books to take home, she storms up to me wearing her sexy pom uniform.
"Meet me in the wrestling gym," she orders.
Now I can do two things: meet her like she told me to or leave the school. I take my books and enter the small gym. Brittany is standing, holding out her keychain without keys dangling from it.
"Where have my keys magically disappeared to?" she asks. "I'm going to be late for the game if you don't tell me. Ms. Small will kick me off the squad if I'm not at the game."
"I tossed them somewhere. You know, you should really get a purse that has a zipper. You never know when someone will reach in and grab somethin'."
"Glad to know you're a klepto. Wanna give me a hint as to where you've hidden them?"
I lean against the wall of the wrestling gym, thinking about what people would think if they caught us in here together. "It's in a place that's wet. Really, really wet," I say, giving her a clue.
"The pool?"
I nod. "Creative, huh?"
She tries to push me into the wall. "Oh, I'm going to kill you. You better go get them."
If I didn't know her better, I'd think she was flirting with me. I think she likes this game we have going on. "
, you should know me better than that. You're all on your own, like I was when you left me in the library parking lot."
She cocks her head, gives me sad eyes, and pouts. I shouldn't concentrate on her pouty lips, it's dangerous. But I can't help it.
"Show me where they are, Alex. "
I let her sweat it out a minute before I give in. By now most of the school is deserted. Half of the students are on their way to the football game. The other half is glad they're not on their way to the football game.
We walk to the pool. The lights are off, but sunlight is still shining through the windows. Brittany's keys are where I threw 'em--in the middle of the deep end. I point to the shiny pieces of silver under the water. "There they are. Have at it."
Brittany stands with her hands on her short skirt, contemplating how she's going to get them. She struts over to the long stick hanging on the wall that's used to pull drowning people from the water. "Piece of cake," she tells me.
But as she sticks the pole into the water, she finds out it's not a piece of cake. I suppress a laugh as I stand at the edge of the pool and watch her attempt the impossible.
"You can always strip and go in naked. I'll watch to make sure nobody comes in."
She walks up to me, the pole gripped firmly in her fingers. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Uh, yeah," I say, stating the obvious. "I have to warn you, though. If you have granny undies on, you'll blow my fantasy."
"For your information, they're pink satin. As long as we're sharing personal info, are you a boxers or briefs guy?"
"Neither. My boys go free, if you know what I mean." Okay, I don't let my boys go free. She'll just have to figure that out herself.
"Gross, Alex."
"Don't knock it till you try it," I tell her, then walk toward the door.
"You're leaving?"
"Uh…yeah."
"Aren't you going to help me get the keys?"
"Uh…nope." If I stay, I'll be tempted to ask her to ditch the football game to be with me. I'm definitely not ready to hear the answer to that question. Toying with her I can handle. Showing my true colors like I did the other day made me take my guard down. I'm not about to do that again. I push the door open after taking one last glance at Brittany, wondering if leaving her right now makes me an idiot, a jerk, a coward, or all of the above.
"Meet me in the wrestling gym," she orders.
Now I can do two things: meet her like she told me to or leave the school. I take my books and enter the small gym. Brittany is standing, holding out her keychain without keys dangling from it.
"Where have my keys magically disappeared to?" she asks. "I'm going to be late for the game if you don't tell me. Ms. Small will kick me off the squad if I'm not at the game."
"I tossed them somewhere. You know, you should really get a purse that has a zipper. You never know when someone will reach in and grab somethin'."
"Glad to know you're a klepto. Wanna give me a hint as to where you've hidden them?"
I lean against the wall of the wrestling gym, thinking about what people would think if they caught us in here together. "It's in a place that's wet. Really, really wet," I say, giving her a clue.
"The pool?"
I nod. "Creative, huh?"
She tries to push me into the wall. "Oh, I'm going to kill you. You better go get them."
If I didn't know her better, I'd think she was flirting with me. I think she likes this game we have going on. "
, you should know me better than that. You're all on your own, like I was when you left me in the library parking lot."
She cocks her head, gives me sad eyes, and pouts. I shouldn't concentrate on her pouty lips, it's dangerous. But I can't help it.
"Show me where they are, Alex. "
I let her sweat it out a minute before I give in. By now most of the school is deserted. Half of the students are on their way to the football game. The other half is glad they're not on their way to the football game.
We walk to the pool. The lights are off, but sunlight is still shining through the windows. Brittany's keys are where I threw 'em--in the middle of the deep end. I point to the shiny pieces of silver under the water. "There they are. Have at it."
Brittany stands with her hands on her short skirt, contemplating how she's going to get them. She struts over to the long stick hanging on the wall that's used to pull drowning people from the water. "Piece of cake," she tells me.
But as she sticks the pole into the water, she finds out it's not a piece of cake. I suppress a laugh as I stand at the edge of the pool and watch her attempt the impossible.
"You can always strip and go in naked. I'll watch to make sure nobody comes in."
She walks up to me, the pole gripped firmly in her fingers. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Uh, yeah," I say, stating the obvious. "I have to warn you, though. If you have granny undies on, you'll blow my fantasy."
"For your information, they're pink satin. As long as we're sharing personal info, are you a boxers or briefs guy?"
"Neither. My boys go free, if you know what I mean." Okay, I don't let my boys go free. She'll just have to figure that out herself.
"Gross, Alex."
"Don't knock it till you try it," I tell her, then walk toward the door.
"You're leaving?"
"Uh…yeah."
"Aren't you going to help me get the keys?"
"Uh…nope." If I stay, I'll be tempted to ask her to ditch the football game to be with me. I'm definitely not ready to hear the answer to that question. Toying with her I can handle. Showing my true colors like I did the other day made me take my guard down. I'm not about to do that again. I push the door open after taking one last glance at Brittany, wondering if leaving her right now makes me an idiot, a jerk, a coward, or all of the above.
( Simone Elkeles )
[ Perfect Chemistry ]
www.QuoteSweet.com