Jake

“Would you calm down?!” I yelled at Daphne who was speed walking through the traffic of students. This girl worries too much about being on time for class. “We have five minutes to get to class.” She yelled back over her shoulder. “Which is more than enough time.” She was definitely a nerd.

She disappeared around the corner, not even slipping with the speed she was walking. I walked around the corner casually when I noticed Daphne up all close and personal against Jake, who had his hands on her hips.

“Oh, hey. Jake.” I greeted. Daphne pushed herself out of his arms and fixed her glasses. “Hey.” He greeted back, but he wasn’t looking at me but at Daphne who was trying her best to act casual but those flushed cheeks weren’t going anywhere.

“Sorry for bumping into you.” Daphne mumbled an apology before she was off again making me smile at her in amusement.

“Who’s your friend, Adams?” Jake asked watching her retreating form.

“That’s Daphne.” I watched as the corners of his mouth turned up. “She likes Unicorns, butterflies, and Calculus.” His shoulders stiffened at the word Calculus. “Yeah, she’s smart. The awkward kind but the nice kind.” I continued tapping him on the shoulder as I bypass him. “Not your type of girl who wraps her legs around you.”

I followed the path Daphne walked down and found her already seated for class, she was still hyperventilating.

“Put your head between your legs.” I told her sitting down next to her.

“What?” She asked me confused.

“Before you pass out on me.”

“I am not going to pass out.” She protested. “I’m just trying to catch my breath and get my heart under control. Did that just really happen?” She asked rubbing her hand over her chest.

“I believe it did.”

“God, I can still smell him.” I heard her mutter. “And his hands burning holes through my shirt where he held me.” I just wanted to hit my forehead against the table and undo this conversation.

“How do you know, Jake?” She suddenly asked she has finally came down from her cloud.

“I don’t know him.”

“You greeted him by his name.”

“Just because I greeted by his name doesn’t make me know him. His one of Brandon’s best friends and we have talked once.”

“I have seen him around school…” She drawled not continuing her sentence. “With a different girl by his side every day?” I asked, continuing her sentence for her. “Yeah.”

“It’s high school. Every guy’s dream is to have many girls as possible before they have to step into the real world. The only boys I can bet you on being still innocent are the boys who are decent and we call them the nerds.” I pointed to the front row seats, she followed my eyes and sigh. “Where I belong.”

“It just means you are woman enough. You focus on things that are more important than wrapping yourself around a different guy every day. I don’t think there is something wrong with that.” She looked at me with admiration.

“Sooner or later those girls will grow up and realize they should have invested more time in their school work. That time you will be one of the most successful women in the world. So, don’t think about the present think about the future.” I said with a wink.

She smiled at me leaning back into her seat. “Hard work pays off right?”

“Definitely.” I was such a hypocrite and even though I know I was one I believed that no girl or boy should be bullied because of who they are. And throw away their dreams to fit in with the rest of the world, they should strive for what they know and love. Forget about the haters.

“I’m heading to the ice rink after school, do you want to come along?” I asked.

“The ice rink?”

“My little brother has practice and I have to take him home before I go to work.”

“Yeah, sure.”

I waited outside the school for Daphne once it was the end of the day of school. We then made our way walking towards the ice rink where Jonah was practicing. “That’s your little brother?” She asked noticing a Jonah waving at me as we stood next to the rink.

“You bet.” I replied waving back at him.

“I didn’t imagine you like this kind of person.”

“What kind?”

“The caring kind. You always walked the halls with no care. You paid no one attention or even the rumors for that matter.”

“Because the rumors are my favorite thing to listen to, it’s fun finding out stuff that you didn’t know about yourself. And rumors are only started by people who are jealous of you.”

“Hey, Adams!” I turned my head in the direction I heard someone call me. I saw Brandon and Jake making their way over to us. Brandon looked all casual with his hands in his pockets while Jake kept on looking at Daphne who hasn’t seen him yet, she was more focused on Jonah. I gave her a light shove, she first looked at me and then at what I am staring at.

I could hear inhale sharply when her eyes landed on Jake who sure as hell showed his interest in her. “Daphne.” He said smoothly. We waited for her reply but she just stared at him with a mouth that is moving but no sound came out. I gave her a tap on the back. “Hey!” She replied looking at me with narrowed eyes.

Brandon thought it was amusing as he stifled a laugh. I just bit the inside of my cheek and returned my attention back to Jonah who was making his way over to us. “Hey, little man.” I greeted taking his hand to help him over the barrier. “Hey, Sasha.” He replied giving me a hug. “The coach put me on today and he thinks I have potential just like you told me.” I smiled at him, ruffling his hair with my hand.

“What did I tell you?” He smiled and lowered himself onto the bench when he noticed we had company. “This is Daphne and you know the boys.” I said and he just nodded. “Is she mute?” He asked making Jake chuckle. “I like this kid.” He said making Jonah smile at him.

“I’m a likable person.” I just shook my head at his sudden bravery.

“Now Mr. Likable. Can we go now, before I get into trouble because of you?”

“Oh, yeah right!” Jonah said jumping up after unlacing his skates and shoving him into his bag handing me his hockey stick which I slipped into his sports bag.

“See you guys around.” I said steering Jonah towards the door while Brandon and Jake just nodded.

“Bye Daphne.” Jake greeted with a wink that make Brandon shake his head while he was hiding a smile but I have seen it before he could hide it, I never believed a smile can make you look so irresistible. Maybe because I have never seen him smile.

I didn’t like this feeling of interest in Brandon. He might be the best-looking guy at school. His wide shoulders, surely made my hands itch to touch them just to make sure they were real and then his face. A person would have guessed that for a guy his age, he would have a baby face and voice but everything was hard and rigged.

His rigged jawline, hardened face with those piercing blue eyes. It was hard to look away when they kept you captive. And god damn him for having full lips with defined cheek bones.

I can only imagine what was underneath that shirt of his, a hard body with defined abs.

For a girl who lost interest in everything, she surely found an interest in this man. That spark was there but would I be brave enough to touch it?