Jenny

With the weekend gone, and school back in session, things changed. It was reality day number one, and I felt like a ton of bricks were weighing me down. Mom wouldn’t let Draven go home, and somehow I think he was okay with that. He loved the T.V. and the warm food. I couldn’t blame him, and I preferred him at our house rather than that shit hole apartment he called home. He may as well live on the streets if he was planning on going back there. I wanted to ask him about it, but there was never a right time. 

By Sunday night he was feeling much like himself again. He was able to get around on his own, and he managed to carry on a conversation with my Dad, which shocked the hell out of me. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but they were fine with each other. More than fine, actually. I think I even heard Draven laugh at something my Dad had said. 

My parents seemed okay having him there, like it was no big deal that a teenage boy (not just any teenage boy, we were talking about Draven Lepage) was sleeping on our couch. Not one word was even said to me about us sleeping on the couch together. I thought they’d freak out over it and ground me until my eighteenth birthday. 

But instead, I got nothing.

Radio silence.

On Sunday night, I took him over to his apartment to pick up some clothes. I just waited in the car for him to go up, and never mentioned anything about his place. Again, it just wasn’t the right time. He never asked to stay there, and I didn’t blame him. The moment Mom mentioned laundry; his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. She said she’d be more than happy to wash a few things for him. So, we made the quick trip across town for him to grab a few things.

In the midst of being sick, he somehow managed to become Mr. Nice Guy, and everyone in my family suddenly loved that he was around. Maybe the fever fried a few of his brain cells. Maybe everyone caught the fever. Whatever it was, there was some highly contagious crap around my house.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved having him around too, but he had no clue that I had these newfound feelings for him. And I had no clue what was going to happen once his personality changed back. It was only a matter of time. Right?

Once we got back to reality, everything was going to change. 

Including me.

I got up and took a quick shower before school, lingering a little too long in front of the mirror. My hair was misbehaving. I couldn’t find anything to wear. And all the while, I knew it was just nerves holding me back. People were going to notice us when we showed up at school together. The “talk” was going to begin. They’d misconstrue things, and by the end of the day we’d probably be expecting our third child. 

“Only fifty-seven more days,” I told myself. I could keep it together for that long if it meant Draven would have a place to stay. Assuming my parents actually took him in for good. 

Besides, no one besides Lo and myself knew how I was feeling about Draven. I’d chalk it up to hormones and bad judgment. Unless…

Unless he told me he felt the same way. 

The two of us stood in the kitchen awkwardly waiting for Mom to tell us bye. Trevor had already left; a friend of his picked him up. 

Draven was feeling well enough to go to school, which surprised me. Mom told him he should stay home another day, but he said no. He said he couldn’t miss any more school if he was planning on graduating. Of course, he earned a student of the year award just for that one remark. I’d give him two hours at school before his true colors come shining back through, and I was being generous.

Things were all fine and dandy inside the house, but I had no clue what they’d be like once we were outside these walls. Would he go back to being the biggest pain in the ass ever? What would people say when we showed up at school together? Dammit, I needed coffee.

“Let’s go to Maxwell’s before school.”

“Whatever you want, Jenny Baby.” 

Great.

I knew I was being too generous. We weren’t even going to make it out of the house before the douche bag returned.

“Mom!” I called out. “We’re leaving. See you later.”

“Okay,” she called back. “Have a good day at school kids.”

I held my finger up towards Draven’s face. “Not one word.”

You could ski on those pearly whites of his, as his smile grew wider. I knew he was going to have something smart to say, and I was ready for it.

“Let’s go,” I told him. I grabbed the keys off the counter and headed out the door. 

***

Once we pulled into the school parking lot after grabbing coffee at Max’s, everything changed. There was no re-setting the clock once we left the car. Which was the main reason I was still sitting in it. 

The lot was half full with students making their way in, while some were still lingering by their cars. 

I knew how childish my fears were, especially when I talked it over with my Mom. But this was different. This was real. These people really did have that much control over me, and there was nothing I could do to change that. I just had to figure out a way to adjust for all our sakes, and hope like hell it didn’t backfire.

“You planning on sitting in the car all morning?” Draven’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“Oh, uh,” I hesitated. “No. We should get inside before we’re late.” 

I didn’t take another second to mull it over. I stepped out of my car, and grabbed my backpack from the back seat. 

My ears were burning red, and I kept my head turned down. 

No eye contact. 

Social anxiety was a bitch.

It’s funny how a few people could be let into my world, when most people weren’t allowed. 

“You alright?” He asked me as he walked directly beside to me towards the school.

“Fine,” I snipped.

“They can’t eat you, you know,” he whispered before he walked the opposite direction.

I looked around checking to see who was staring, but I got nothing. To my surprise, there wasn’t a single person looking in our direction. I’d completely overreacted. Or maybe, people didn’t care about my life as much as I thought. 

Either way, I’d say it was a win for the day.