Chapter Seventeen
Juliet
A text message from a strange number pops up on my phone.
Unknown Number: Hey. U can come by. Done early. Live over in Brady Addition. U know it right?
Me: Yes.
I program Jared’s name and number into my phone. He shoots me over his address. I grab my things, climb into my Wrangler, and head to his house. A few minutes of driving and I pull up to a beautiful home.
I make my way to the front porch and ring the doorbell.
A woman with short brown hair and red tips greets me. “Hello. Can I help you?”
“Hi. I’m Juliet Valentine. This is the Black residence, right? I was supposed to meet Jared to do our math homework.”
“Oh. I sent Jared to the store. Come on in.”
What the heck? Why would he tell me to come over if he wasn’t even going to be here? I could have played another round of Tomb Storm.
“Um … Okay.” I follow her in and instantly regret agreeing to study here. Holy crap. The entryway is full of pictures of football teams. I notice each stage of Jared and Justin’s football career from flag, to Pee-Wee, Junior Varsity, and Varsity. It reminds me of the hall of valedictorians at school.
His mom stands by an archway to our right. Beyond it, there is the living room. “Go ahead and have a seat. Jared should be back any minute.” She leaves, and I look about the room.
If I thought the hallway down football lane was awful, the living room beats it, hands down. There are phrases posted on the walls like “No pain, no gain,” “Excuses are for quitters.”
A huge glass-encased shelf takes up one whole wall toward the back of the room. It’s filled with trophies, metals, and footballs. What’s totally creepy are the key locks on the glass. I snort. “Oh my God, do they honestly think someone will steal a trophy?”
“My dad thinks my brother and I might be famous someday. So yes,” a voice says.
I whip around clenching my chest and say, “You scared the crap out of me.”
“I’m Justin. And which twin are you?”
“Excuse me?”
Justin smiles. “I saw you in Jare’s yearbook.”
As I’m about to answer him, I hear footsteps clunking down the hall. Jared peeks into the living room and says, “Hey, I was looking for … Juliet. Hey. Were you waiting long?”
“No. I’ve probably been here about five minutes,” I answer.
“Cool,” Jared says. He looks over at Justin. “Come help me get these groceries out of the car for Mom.”
“See you later, Juliet,” Justin says then follows Jared out of the living room.
I take my backpack off, walk over to the couch, and sit. My eyes start to glaze over as I wait. I press my head against the headrest and close my eyes.
My shoulder shakes a little. “Juliet. Hey,” I hear Jared say.
I pop open one eye. “Tired?” he asks.
“No. Kind of. It’s fine.”
He extends his hand out to me. I place mine in his and feel an instant jolt. Whoa. What was that? Jared pulls me up and I crash against his chest. “Omph. Sorry,” he mumbles. His gaze locks with mine.
I blink and detangle myself from him.
“Follow me,” he says, and I grab my bag from the floor and do just that.
He leads us into the kitchen. His mom is stirring something that smells marvelous. My mouth waters. “Hey, Mom. Juliet and I are going to head up to my room.”
“That’s fine. Keep the door open. I’ll call you down when dinner is ready. Juliet do you like shrimp?”
“Oh, um … You don’t have to make me anything.” I look at her then at Jared.
He leans close to me and whispers, “She’ll send you home with dinner if you don’t eat it here.” Oh, no. I just wanted to do homework not eat with his family too.
“Nonsense. We always feed our guests. Do you like shrimp?” she asks, turning to me and offering a small smile.
Crap. “I like it,” I say.
“Great,” she says.
Jared’s hand brushes against the small of my back. Any other time I would have shrugged away from his touch. Now, I don’t want to move. Tingles zip up my spine. I’ve never felt this before, even with Mark.
He guides me away from the kitchen and down a short hallway. There are no decorations, inspirational phrases or pictures on these white walls. Jared moves away from me and up a flight of steps. I follow him up then into a room off to the left.
I gaze incredulously at the blank blue and gray walls. I was fully expecting some models in bikinis, football legends, or street signs. His floor is spotless too.
“What?” he asks.
“Nothing.”
“You’re gawking with your mouth open. Something you didn’t expect?” he smirks.
I close my mouth and shrug. “I thought you’d be a little messier.”
“Like Mark?” He laughs.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been to his house. Chase is extremely messy. I just assumed all boys were like that.”
Jared smiles. “In defense of all the males in the world, I’m barely in here. It probably would be a little less clean if I were.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
He motions to the bed and I sit down near his pillows. I remove my shoes and sit criss-cross-applesauce style. Jared does the same at the other end of his bed. We both pull out our materials for Trig and lay them out between the two of us. He continues to work on the odds while I work on the even numbers.
Not much time seems to pass but suddenly there is a knock on the ajar door. Justin stands there. “Mom, wants you downstairs,” he says.
“Why? Is dinner done?” Jared asks.
“Not yet. She just said to come up here and get you. I don’t know.”
Jared gets off his bed and walks out, leaving me alone in his room. I could lurk through drawers, or search his closet if I wanted. I know Addy would do that in a heartbeat. I remain on his bed and continue working on our trig homework.
A creak draws me from my paper. “Who are you? Where’s my son?” Mr. Black says.
“He went down to the kitchen to talk to Mrs. Black,” I answer. “I’m Juliet Valentine.”
“The one who cheers or plays soccer?”
“Soccer.”
He nods. “I heard there have been a few scouts calling office about you.”
I smile, unsure of what to say to that.
“What are you doing in my son’s room?” He asks.
“We were finishing up a group assignment for Trig,” Jared says. He goes around his dad and makes his way over to the bed. “Dinner should be ready in five minutes. It was my turn to set the table.”
“Jared, after dinner I need a word with you in my office.”
Jared nods and as soon as his dad is out of sight he says, “Sorry. Was he being an ass?”
“No. He just wanted to know what I was doing in here. Like he was shocked you had a girl over.”
I write the answer to number 18 down as he answers, “I don’t.”
I peer up at him. “You don’t what?”
“You’re the first girl from school who’s ever been in my room.”
I make a face. “Well, now I feel special.”
“You should,” he teases. “Can I ask you something?”
I shrug. “Sure.”
“Why did you make that face when I told you, you were the first girl who’s ever been here? Is it really that hard to believe?”
I laugh. “Actually, it is. You’re super popular and everyone wants to date you.”
He rubs the back of his neck while a blush creeps across my cheeks. I did not just say any of that out loud. Dork.
“Everyone huh?” He asks.
“No. I meant most girls. I don’t want to date you.”
He frowns. “Why not?”
“Because someone like you would never like someone like me. So why would I pine over something I could never get?”
“Why wouldn’t I be into someone like you?”
I narrow my eyes. “Because I’m a Geek and you’re not.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. You know, for someone who’s supposed to be so smart, you sure have a lot to learn.” He rises from the bed and makes his way to the door. “Dinner’s probably ready.”