My Fair Lady

Jakob avoided Chloe the rest of the week. He sat next to her in class and said basic things such as "Good morning," "Hello" and "Goodbye." Anything other than that, such as asking for a pencil or if she was going to be busy later that night, was a rare, if not never happening, treat. His behavior confused Chloe as she wasn't sure what she had done wrong.

What confused her was that she and Jakob had gotten along so well after the little incident at Divulge. They rode around with Frankito and talked for hours about anything and everything. Chloe even missed curfew because she was having so much fun and she lost track of time.

Chloe had maintained contact with Frankito. He called her almost every night to talk for a little bit. He always made jokes to make Chloe laugh. She looked forward to his calls every night because her phone didn't ring often as she only had a few acquaintances and even less real friends.

Chloe set her hairbrush down and applied mascara to her lashes. She climbed out of the sink she had sat in to apply her makeup and pulled the slightly loose black dance pants up by their silver sequin belt. She adjusted the red and silver sequined halter midriff she had to wear for the dance team.

It was the first Friday for the first football game and Chloe was slightly nervous. She felt awkward in front of the entire student body, especially with not much clothing on. She could perform songs, dance and dialog in front of millions of people, but just for the 300 students of her school made her stomach feel queasy.

She heard a knock downstairs and she quickly grabbed her dance bag and went down the stairs. "Hey Frankito." She greeted as she opened the door. Frankito was taking her to the game. Her parents were coming later once their faculty meeting let out.

"Damn, Chloe. You take my heart away." Frankito placed his hand over his heart and gave her a pathetic look. "Shall we go?" He offered her his arm.

"Yeah." Chloe took his arm and he escorted her to his SUV to take her to the game.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"3 tickets please."

"Okay, that's 21 dollars sir." Jakob took the money from the patron and put it in the metal money box. As an ambassador, he had to help work at the football games either at the concession stand or ticket booth. He hated working the booths because they were both so hot in the blazing California heat and because it was the same four or five ambassadors working every time. The others did nothing but expected to get all the credit.

"I can't stand them." Landon, another ambassador, complained as he glared at two other ambassadors, Bethany and Erin, flirting with the opposing football team across the way. "They don't do shit and are the favorites, but if we skipped out we'd get chewed out by Mrs. Canton."

"I know." Jakob agreed as he gave a lady several tickets. "They wouldn't even be ambassadors if their daddy's didn't buy them on. They're as dumb as dirt. Erin asked me yesterday if a number two pencil meant that the pencil wrote in two different colors."

"Your kidding right?" Landon pulled out a fresh money pouch as his was full.

Jakob shook his head. "Nope. That just shows you that girls like that have only two options in life: strip joints or marrying into money."

"One ticket for the whore-show bitch."
Jakob cocked an eyebrow at the person giving the request. "Why? South Valley cleaned up it's half time porno? Why're you here?" Jakob took Frankito's money and gave him a ticket.

"I'm with Chloe." Frankito shrugged in the direction where the dance team was going to the field. "She asked me if I wanted to come and I said yeah. I love it when a chick takes charge."

"Oh." Jakob didn't look his friend in the eye but instead he looked at the bills in his hands as he counted out money. "Well, I'll see you later. Save me a seat."

"Yeah." Frankito gave Jakob a curious look. "You okay man?"

"I'm fine." Jakob insisted as he continued to count money in a way to avoid Frankito's stare. The truth was, he did not like the fact that Frankito and Chloe were getting so close. He glared at Frankito's retreating back and could see Chloe laughing with Lauren about something as they headed down to the field.

An idea flicked on in Jakob's mind. He could have Lauren get all the dirty information about Chloe and Frankito. He knew Lauren and Chloe had been getting along and surely Chloe would have told Lauren something.

With a more satisfied vigor, Jakob took a patron's offered money, his mind on something else besides game tickets.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Why do you care Jakob?" Lauren asked Jakob in her deeper, airy voice as they stood behind the concession stand after the half time show. The dance team had a few minutes to get something to eat and drink before they went back down to the spirit line. "If Chloe is talking to Frankito, why should it bother you? I mean, you're still hung up on Katrina."

"No I'm not." Jakob hissed just as his eyes lifted to see Katrina in her peppy cheerleading uniform a few feet away. "Seriously, I'm not." He insisted as he brought his gaze back to Lauren. "Tell me Lauren, what is the deal?"

Lauren gave Jakob a look that insisted that she did not agree with him. However, she sighed and pulled him back a few feet away from listening ears. "Okay. Chloe kinda likes Frankito, but I'm not really sure if she likes him in that way. I'm not sure if she knows. She likes the companionship because, in case you haven't noticed, nobody talks to her because she's a scholarship student and we all know how strange scholarship kids are."

Jakob pulled Lauren down the building a few more feet. There was a group of people coming towards them and rumors and gossip spread fast around Hillcrest. "Yeah, but she's different."

"Totally." Lauren looked around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. She pursed her lips as if she were about to deliver unsavory information. "Frankito asked her out on the way up here. But," Lauren pulled on Jakob's retreating body. He was visibly upset and angry. "She hasn't given him an answer."

"Why?" Jakob didn't know why he was getting so worked up over that piece of information. His friend was going to get with a great girl. He should be happy.

"Because..." Lauren stopped.

"Because what, Lauren? Tell me." Jakob had an anticipating air around him.

"Because she likes you."