Elle
Insufferable. That was the word I came up with as I stomped off to find Jimmy. It competed with Jerk, Idiot, and Bastard. But insufferable was so much better. Everything about the guy set me off. His arrogant attitude. His total disdain for the normal courtesies. That silly smirk of his, and those wide shoulders that looked like they could carry the world.
Everything bugged me to no end.
Taking deep breaths, I forced myself to remain calm and at least pretend like everything was under control. By the time I found Jimmy coming out of the computer lab, I had it together.
“What did you think?” I asked.
He shrugged his shoulders as he started for his locker. “I don’t think Mr. Stewart likes me.”
I had to stop myself from laughing. “Let me guess, you pointed out where he made a mistake.”
“Three times,” Jimmy said, “Really, it was embarrassing. Then we got into a debate about LINUX versus Microsoft. I don’t think he fully grasps all the nuances.”
All I could do was shake my head. He’d never learn.
“Listen, you know that Nate guy, the one in the Army jacket. The one that helped you this morning,” I said as I fought to keep my voice steady and sure.
“Yes,” Jimmy said, giving me a quizzical glance.
“Well, he’s going to give us a ride home today.” There, I got it out without sounding stupid.
Jimmy studied me with a strange look and then asked, “Why?”
My heart fell. This was it, the moment when this would work or blow up in my face.
“You don’t worry about why. It’s none of your business,” I answered as I looked away.
Jimmy’s lips creased into a big smile as he came to the conclusion I wanted him too. All without me really having to say anything.
“You like him? And he likes you?” he said as if the possibility a boy might like his big sister was somehow unusual, in fact unbelievable.
“You just meet me here after your last class,” I told him as I turned and walked away. That should do it, I thought. I wouldn’t have to look adoringly at the insufferable beast. A simple misdirection and Jimmy was on board.
When the final bell rang, my pulse started racing as I anticipated the ride home. What would we talk about? What was this ‘lead’ I was supposed to follow? And what did Nate think about all of this? What did he think about me?
These and a dozen other questions raced through my mind as I hurried to Jimmy’s locker. He was waiting for me with a big grin.
“So where are we supposed to meet Nate?” he asked.
My stomach fell. I hadn’t worked out the details. What if he didn’t wait around for us? Or changed his mind, we’d miss the bus and I’d have to call Mom. Not a pleasant thought.
“Come on,” I said as I tugged at his shoulder. The sooner we got this over with the sooner I could relax.
Nate, of course, was waiting for us in the parking lot, leaning up against an older, cherry red, pick-up truck that looked like it had been polished to within an inch of its life. That silly smirk on his face and arms folded across his broad chest spoke of a boy who was very comfortable in his own skin. So unlike so many of the boys in our school who didn’t have the faintest clue of who they were or who they were going to be.
“Hey kid,” Nate said as we approached.
“Hi Nate,” Jimmy responded with ease. “Elle says you’re giving us a ride home.”
Nate smiled, “Yeah,” he said, pushing up off the truck and pulling the driver door open.
What? That was it?
Jimmy smiled and held the passenger door open for me.
“You first,” I said to him.
He only smiled and slowly shook his head. The twerp was enjoying this, I realized.
I glanced into the truck to see the insufferable beast giving me a smirk to kill all smirks. He was enjoying it just as much as Jimmy.
Taking a deep breath, I climbed up into the truck and slid across. Making sure that at no time did any part of my body come into contact with Nate’s. If that made things tight for Jimmy, then tough, he deserved it. Nate smiled as he slowly shook his head and started the truck.
“So, Jimmy,” Nate said as he pulled out of the school’s parking lot. “Your sister tells me she doesn’t have a boyfriend. Why is that?”
My stomach clenched up into a ball of pure anger. How dare he say that? Twisting towards him, I got ready to give him a piece of my mind but I was caught by two eyebrows waggling. Daring me to ruin things.
Jimmy laughed. “I don’t know, I always just assumed it was because the guys at this school were idiots.”
Okay, my little brother could be sweet at times. He didn’t know he was being sweet but it sounded good all the same.
Now it was my time to smirk as I glanced at Nate. He just smiled back and shifted gears. I didn’t think it was intentional but I swore his fingers grazed against my knee.
Immediately an electrical shock shot through my body. Something that had never happened to me before. One of those sharp thrills that made me look at the world a little differently.
“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Nate replied as if he hadn’t just touched me. All the while I was fighting to understand what had just happened.
“But then, it could be something else,” Jimmy said.
“Hey,” I interrupted, “I am right here.”
Nate laughed, “Okay Elle. You are correct, we should include you in our conversation. So why don’t you have a boyfriend?”
Suddenly my heart felt about three sizes too small for my chest. This was not happening.
“If you two don’t shut up, I will … “
Nate laughed, “Threats only work if they’re backed up by real ramifications.”
Jimmy laughed next to me and gave me a quick look that let me know he was completely on Nate’s side in this matter. A fact I was going to make him regret later.
I think Nate might have taken pity on me because he changed the subject by asking Jimmy about how his first day of school went. It was like opening a fire hose. Jimmy started in on the teachers, the other students, even the air conditioning and how it could be improved.
All the while, I sat there and thought about how close I was sitting to Nathan Clark. About how he smelled of leather and sandalwood and something else. Some unknown scent that was pure male.
Nate nodded encouragingly at Jimmy to keep him talking, but every so often he would shoot me a glance with smiling eyes that made my insides quiver and crack-fueled butterflies jump around in my stomach.
“Up here on the right,” Jimmy said as we turned onto our street. I was surprised. The ride home had happened so quickly.
When Nate pulled into our driveway, Jimmy jumped out and said, “Thanks, Nate, see you tomorrow.”
“Hey, tomorrow, sit in class back by me,” Nate said, “I might need some help along the way,” he quickly added.
Jimmy’s brow creased in a deep frown as he said, “Why don’t you sit up front with me. There is an empty desk next to mine.”
Nate laughed, “Guys like me do not sit in the front of the class. It would screw up the way the universe works. Besides, it’s extremely un-cool.”
“Oh,” Jimmy replied, I think that may have been the first time in his life that Jimmy had ever considered the fact that being cool was important. “Sure. Okay Nate,” he said as he finished getting out of the truck.
I started to scoot out after him when Nate gently touched my shoulder.
My body froze in place as I waited.
“Hold back a second,” he said with that husky voice of his
I held my breath as I watched Jimmy go inside with a final wave. Not even a quizzical look as to why I wasn’t right behind him. The boy was clueless when it came to things like this.
“What?” I demanded, probably a little more forcibly than I should have.
Nate laughed, nothing I ever said seemed to have any impact on this guy.
“I just wanted Jimmy to think we’re out here flirting. You know, sell the story.”
“Oh,” I said as my heart let loose its tightness.
We sat there for a moment, neither speaking, as if worried that if we spoke, we might say the wrong thing.
“Listen,” Nate began, “I can’t give you guys a ride in the morning, I’ve got something I’ve got to do. But stick with Jimmy until you get him to the English lit class.”
My stomach tightened up, “What are you going to do?” I asked, suddenly very worried that he would do something that made Jimmy’s life even more screwed up.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said
“No fighting,” I reminded him.
He laughed. “We’ll see,” he responded, again, completely ignoring what I said.
I continued to sit there as my heart continued to race and my mind continued to fumble about desperately trying to think of something to say.
Finally, when I couldn’t stand the pressure any longer I said, “Is this long enough, can I go now?”
Nate chuckled and shook his head, “What? No goodbye kiss?”
My heart jumped about four feet, “In your dreams,” I responded as I quickly shot across the truck seat and out the door before he could follow up his statement with action.
I was halfway to our front door when I heard him laugh and say, “You know Elle, I am more than willing to have you in my dreams if you’ll have me in yours.”
I almost stumbled but was able to salvage enough self-respect to make it inside without making a complete fool of myself.
Leaning my back against the door I came to the quick realization that this might have been the most stupid plan I had ever come up with.