Chapter Eleven
Juliet
I take my seat in chem. Jared is already there. He seems lost in thought or something. I could ask him what’s wrong, but we’re not friends. Not really. I hung out with him maybe few times when I was dating Mark and Jared helped Tyler decorate our house over winter. That qualifies us as barely acquaintances in my book. On that note, I decide whatever is going on to just ignore it and go about my own business.
I dig out my notebook and pen then start looking over my notes I literally stayed up until two in the morning studying. We have a test on compounds and what the formulas create.
Usually I’m okay with this type of stuff, but to be honest it’s not my favorite. I sometimes forget what compounds make up what they create. Sure, I know the simple ones like 2 hydrogens and 1 oxygen makes up H2O which is the formula for water. But things like Caffeine is C8H10N4O2 I kept screwing it up.
My stomach knots a little at the idea of failing this test. Maybe that is what’s worrying Jared right now. I guess he would be looking over his notes though and not gazing absentmindedly out the window.
“Yo, Jared. I gotta talk to you,” Tyler says. I didn’t notice him come into our class. My sister isn’t with him like most times when I encounter Tyler. “Oh, hey, Juliet. Getting your chemistry on, huh?” He waggles his brows.
I wrinkle my nose at his words. I roll my eyes.
“Is Jared a good partner?” Tyler asks.
“How should I know?” Mortification sets in as Tyler laughs. Oh my gosh, he meant in this class. Not as a boyfriend. Open this floor up and swallow me whole.
I glance over at Jared. He instantly grips the side of our table and shoots Tyler a glare. I don’t know why, but I observe them as they move to the exit. From Jared stance and his demeanor, whatever they’re talking about is making him mad. His fists clench. His jaw visibly tightens.
I need to stop staring. Tyler finally says something that makes Jared appear much calmer. Before I can shift away, Jared turns and catches me gawking at them like an idiot. He smiles at me then glances down at the ground.
When Jared returns to our table and drops down into his seat, the tardy bell chimes.
“Did you study for the test last night?” he asks.
“Yeah. Did you?” I ask.
He shrugs. “A little.”
“Oh. Are you good at memorizing formulas?” I’ll be a little jealous if he says yes.
He sighs. “I guess.”
I nod and go back to studying until we’re told to put our things away. At least he didn’t bring up my comment to Tyler. I don’t want to explain that fudge up.
I silently mouth off the formula to create Dinocap which is C18H24N2O6 there is a knock on our classroom door. One of the stupid love-gram deliveries is about to take place. Mark better not send me a thing today or there will be hell to pay.
Lyndsey Droan, a freshman, in Junior Elites with me, looks happy to be a part of delivering the grams. She rattles off names and suddenly she says my name. I squeeze my eyes shut and then I glare at the love-grams before me.
“You got a lot of admirers,” Lyndsey says.
I ignore her comment and read the cards.
The first card says, “I love your mind.” The second, “I love your laugh.” The last card, “You’re the most gorgeous girl ever.” Am I? I laugh. Yes, I’m completely ticked off that he has the audacity to write this crap to me when he’s moved on with Selena. He was making out with her in the hallway this morning. What kind of a-hole sends this to a girl he cheated on? Does that idiot think this is funny? Thank goodness, I didn’t have a pencil in my hand. I think I would have snapped it in half.
He wants to play games? Fine. Let’s play some mind games.
Instead of pitching the silly love-grams, I decide if he missed the memo of how much these things disgust me then I’ll just have to show him. Obviously telling that simpleton that there will never be an us again isn’t enough. Throwing out his stupid gifts yesterday didn’t sink into his thick skull. That leaves me with no other choice then to return them to him.
The bell rings and I shoot out the door as fast as I can. I’m pretty sure I bombed my test but whatever. I need to make it to Mark than to my next class. Luckily, I know Mark always stops at his locker between each changing of class.
I approach him as he’s digging out his books. Selena isn’t next to him but no matter. He shuts his door and startles. “Juliet. Hey. Um. Looks like you’ve got a lot of admirers.” He directs his stare to my hands filled with love-grams.
“Right. As if you didn’t know.” I chuck the rose, chocolate bar, and lollipop at his face. He uses his book as a blocking mechanism for each item. “Stop sending this crap to me!”
He looks baffled. “Juliet, I didn’t send you anything,” he says in a low tone.
“Oh, whatever! Just knock it off. Do you hear me? It’s not funny. The ‘I miss you’ memo tipped me off. Leave me alone.”
“Are you listening to me? I didn’t send these!”
Our heated glares lock. His nostrils flare. “I gotta go,” he snaps.
He twists around me and heads down the hall, leaving me pondering, if it wasn’t Mark sending this crap who did?
I take off to Advanced Art and slump down in my seat. “Wasn’t problem fourteen such a biznach for English?”
I blink and turn my attention to Chase. “Huh?” I ask.
“Problem fourteen. I swear I worked on it for twenty minutes before I figured it out.” He stares at me for a moment. “You okay?”
“You know how I kept getting those love-grams?”
He nods. “What about them?”
“Well, I got some more today, and I tossed them in Mark’s face.”
Chase starts cracking up. “You did what?”
“I threw them in his face.”
“Then what happened?”
I frown. “He told me they weren’t from him.”
“Maybe they aren’t from him.”
“They have to be though. He’s the only one who’s been hounding me for weeks to take him back.”
Chase shrugs. “I don’t know. Every poster and announcement hints that you can use the love-grams as a way of telling someone how you feel gradually without getting fully rejected.”
“So, you’re saying someone likes me but won’t tell me to my face?”
Chase sighs. “It’s possible. If you weren’t like a sister to me I would be into you.”
I narrow my eyes. “You would not. Did you send any to Adaline?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not my style.”
My day just got weirder. I got several more love-grams. Each one with a message bestowing some sort of compliment or whatever on it.
Even though Mark told me they aren’t from him I can’t see anyone else sending me these darn things. No one else looks at me besides Jared, but he’s probably doing that as a favor to Mark. No one else even hints around to liking me. The more of these things I receive the more I wish this stupid fundraiser was over.
I personally don’t care if we ever raise enough money to go to Italy. Not if it includes selling one more of these infuriating love-grams.
During lunch, I slink down in a chair at Addy and Chase’s table and growl. “Did you get my flower-gram?” Addy asks.
I roll my eyes. “Yes. I also got an arm full of others from Mark. I can’t wait until this dumb event is over.”
“Backup. Mark sent you love-grams?” she asks with a stink eye expression.
“She thinks it’s Mark. He claims otherwise,” Chase answers as he slides a Mountain Dew to me and a Pepsi to Addy.
I shoot him a glare. “I’m telling you they’re from him.” I slam my hand down on the table right as Jared and Tyler glide past Addy’s chair.
“Yo Juliet heard you launched some L-grams at Mark’s head,” Tyler chuckles.
I hitch a thumb in his direction. “See, even he knows it’s from Mark. Seriously. You two are friends with him tell him to knock it off!” I tell Tyler and Jared.
Tyler’s eyes widened along with his grin. He might find this amusing, but I don’t. Jared’s jaw tightens then he continues to storm over to his table. “Uh … okay. I’ll let Mark know,” Tyler says then he takes off in the same direction as Jared.
Chase scoots his chair back and announces he’s going to the school store for some treats. Adaline remains at the table with me. I glance up at her and she’s shaking her head. Her light brown hair swings from side to side.
“What?” I ask.
“Not saying a word.”
I frown. “Is it bad?”
“Depends. How do you feel about Jared Black not taking his eyes off you once since he sat down?”
“Don’t be absurd. You sound exactly like Chase. Jared Black does not look at me.”
“Psssh! He’s doing it right now. I think he might be the one sending you those things”
I laugh. “Now, you sound crazy. People like Jared don’t send love-grams to anyone. Girls flock to him and he chooses one.”
I take a bite out of my sandwich.
“So, you wouldn’t date him if he asked you out?” Addy asks as she points her plastic spoon at me and cocks one side of her mouth into a half smile.
I make a face. “No. He frustrates me.”
“Yeah,” she giggles. I snatch a grape from my lunch and toss it at her.
Her giggling doesn’t stop. “I don’t know why this is so amusing.”
“Your face is cracking me up. It’s like you are debating with yourself in your head about possibly liking him.”
I already did this before, believed the impossible guy liked me. I’ve already made up my mind. “Even if he is cute and has a smile that makes you melt, he’s out of my league. I’m not going to put myself through that ever again. Don’t give me that look.”
She shakes her head again. “Oh, my Juliet. Whatever shall we do with you?”
“Don’t. I hate when you do that.”
“Why, whatever do you mean?” she asks as she places a hand over her heart.
I narrow my eyes. “You know exactly what I mean.”
She laughs. “All right. Well, maybe you’re being a little prejudice.”
“Maybe I am. But you can’t tell me a person like Jared would ever be into someone like me.”
She shrugs. “He could be. He doesn’t have seemed to date a lot of girls.”
“Maybe he doesn’t date. Maybe he’s a player.”
“I’m not an expert on this, but he doesn’t come across as a player.” I narrow my eyes, and she continues. “I’m just saying don’t judge the book until you’ve read it yourself.”
She’s right. I sigh. “I see your point.” Still doesn’t mean I’m changing my stance on keeping my distance from Jared.
“Should I throw a carrot at Jared? He’s still staring.”
“Don’t waste food on him.” Although throwing a carrot at him sounds like a brilliant idea.