The Night You Took Away a Little More Than Just My Breath

"What do you have next?" I asked Jamie as we walked out of first period.

"Uhm..." Jamie said as she took out her schedule.

"Hey Jamie-was it?" Jordan said as she pushed me aside and started walking in between us.

"Yeah." Jamie said as she smiled at her.

"I'm Jordan." Jordan shook her hand while smiling. "What school did you come from?"

"Just the one on the other side of town." Jamie said.

"Oh, our rivals." Jordan said. Jamie chuckled and nodded. "So, why'd you transfer?"

"Well.." Jamie said as she thought of a way to explain it. "My mom and Johno's dad are getting married so we moved into his house early."

I never heard Jamie say my name before until now. She said it so softly and my name just rolled off the tip of her tongue perfectly. I also loved how she called me Johno instead of John.

Jordan shifted her eyes and they fell upon mine. "Oh, why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Jordan, we don't talk anymore." I simply said.

"Well, when did you find this out?" Jordan said. "Did you keep it away from me? You knew Casey had a daughter and didn't tell me!"

I glanced at Jamie and her eyes were widening from Jordan's quick change in mood. Jordan always gets this way around me after we broke up. She's impatient and bitchy for no reason. "Come on Jamie, I'll show you to your next class." I said giving Jordan the hint she should stop trying walk and talk with us.

"What the hell was that?" Jamie asked as she looked over her shoulder to see Jordan walking in the opposite direction.

"That was my ex girlfriend." I sighed. "We just broke up like, last weekend."

"Awh, why?" Jamie said. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Well we were together for about five months." I said as she followed me when I turned to walk down another hallway. "But I started to loose interest in her. I was trying to find ways to break up with her and then literally the next day I saw her cheating on me at the mall."

"What'd you do?" Jamie asked as she looked up at me.

"I walked over to them and laughed, played it all cool and then told them I saw them kissing each other." I said. "That's when-" I stopped and took Jamie's schedule from her, looking down at the room number I continued. "That's when she started to scream sorry and make up a bunch of excuses."

"Wow, well that's stupid." Jamie said.

"Yeah." I said. "Well, this is your class. Want me to meet you here after?"

"Please." Jamie laughed. "I'm sorry."

"No, no." I told her. "It's fine. Have fun." I winked at her and then leaned down to give her a hug. She wrapped her arms around my back and squeezed my body against hers a little.

"I'll try." She said, and walked into her Art class.

- - - - -

"Hey!" Kennedy stood up and directed Jamie over to our table as she was coming out of the lunch line. Jamie walked over and Kennedy pulled out the chair next to him for her. She sat across from me and sat her bagel down on the table.

"Hi." She smiled at Kennedy.

"How's it going so far?" Jared asked her.

"It's fine. It would have been horrible if Johno wasn't showing me around as much as he is." She said.

"Yeah, well what are brothers for?" I said, chuckling.

She looked up and laughed as she ripped apart her bagel. "Can I see your schedule?" Kennedy asked her.

"Yeah." she said and handed him the folded up piece of white paper.

Kennedy unfolded it and looked at all her classes and teachers names. "We have math together, that's next period."

"Oh, good. Now you can show me where the room is and Johno doesn't have to be late to another one of his classes." She laughed.

"Yeah." I laughed along. "What do you have after math?" I asked.

"English." Jamie said as she looked down at her schedule.

"Oh, that's close. I'll show you were that is." Kennedy said.

"Yeah, and after English all you have to do is go to the nearest exit of the school and then go out to the back of the school." I told her. "Cause the gym is in a separate building. It's easy to find and I'll be waiting out there for you."

"Okay, thanks guys." Jamie said. Kennedy and I nodded as I pulled out my journal from my book bag. "What's that?" Jamie asked.

"This?" I said as I opened my journal. "Lyrics and stuff."

"Oh, that's cool. Can I see it?" She asked.

"Actually, not now. But you can in gym. I think we're just walking the track today so I'll bring it with me."

- - - - -

"So, it's your journal?" She asked as she flipped through the pages. "And not lyrics?"

"Right." I said looking up at the sky. The weather was warmer than usual for Arizona march weather and it felt so good to just walk around the large track. It was just Jamie and I walking alone from the others. The gym teacher made her wear a rental if she wanted to walk with me, which was pretty lame, but Jamie put it on anyways.

"Can I read some?" She asked.

"Yeah, let me pick one for you to read." I said and took my almost full journal from her. I started to write one a month before my parents divorce. The first few pages were about how they fought and fought. But I didn't want Jamie to read that, it was boring to me. So instead, I let her read about my first day at work. "Here you go, read this one."

"Out loud?" She asked as she took my journal back.

"Sure." I said.

"Okay, 'Saturday, November 19, 2005.'" She read. "'So, today was my first day of work at Johnny Rockets. I already met a few really cool people. Taylor, a pretty 21 year old, stood out the most to me. She was very, very kind and helped me out with most of the things I had to do. She's really fun to talk to, too. We could talk about everything and anything for hours and hours. We'd never run out of things to say. We acted like best friends that have known each other for years today. She even told me about her life, the many parties she crashes/throws, etc. I'm actually looking forward to the next time I work with her. When I got home Jordan was there, I told her how it went and everything about Taylor and how cool she was. All Jordan did was get annoyed and jealous and suggest I not work with her. I was like 'I can't control who I work with...'" Jamie read and laughed.

"Do you like to party, like Taylor?" She asked.

"Yeah, I guess." I said. "But I don't do it much. Do you?"

"Yeah, I love to. I go to parties like, every other weekend." She said.

"Yeah, well your old school is labeled the party school." I said, and she laughed. "Here, want to read some more?"

"Sure." She said, handing me the journal.

I decided to read what I wrote the night I found out our parents were getting married. "I'll read it for you." I said and began, "'Sunday, March 5, 2006. Tonight when I got home from work I entered my house to see my dad, and Casey sitting at the dining room table awaiting me to get home. I sat down at the table and my dad told me he had important things to talk about with me. I sat there and listened as he continued to inform me that he and Casey will be getting married, and Casey will be moving in by the end of the week with her daughter, Jamie. I'm not upset with the fact that they're getting married and I'll have a new step sister, I'm just upset that they didn't tell me until now..." I trailed off.

"I was upset too." Jamie said. "But I think she told me we were moving before you were told." Jamie laughed.

"Well damn." I said. "But enough with this," I said closing my journal. "Let's play the question game."

"Okay, but you go first cause I've never played before." She said.

"All we do is ask each other questions and answer them." I said. "But I'll go first since you want me to."

"Okay." She laughed.

"Okay." I said, thinking of a question to ask her. "Um, do you have lots of friends from your old school?"

"Yeah." Jamie didn't hesitate to answer. "I had two best friends but one of them recently moved away. I had lots of friends and acquaintances too. I could say I was popular, but not like, one of those snotty girls. You know what I mean?"

"Oh yeah, I know." I said. "I'm the same way, except I have four other best friends, girls that just swoon over me, and jealous guys that think I'm crazy for not paying attention to girls. I'm picky about my girls."

"That's not really the same way..." She laughed slightly.

"I know, whatever." I laughed. "You're turn." I said.

"Just ask you any question?" She asked.

"Any question."

"No matter how personal or offensive?"

"Nope." I smirked. I was up to tell her anything she wanted to know truthfully.

"Okay then," She laughed. "Uh, what do you look for in a girl?"

"Well, she has to be super easy to approach, outgoing, kind, honest, trustworthy." I said. "She has to show me as much love as I show her and I'm not gonna lie, she has to be attractive."

"You don't seem too picky." Jamie said.

"Oh, but I can be." I laughed. "How'd you get into the modeling business?"

"My mom." Jamie sighed. "I'm thinking about quitting though, but she'd be pissed."

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"It's just too much work," She said. "I have to stay this exact size, not gain or loose weight, I always have to 'look my best' where ever I go just in case some photographer for the modeling business that knows of me is around. It's getting pretty annoying."

"Oh, that's sucks then." I chuckled.

"Yeah. Well what about you, your job? You've been working there since November, is it still the same?"

"Yeah, it's still going good. A lot of people probably think it's a pain to be a waiter at a restaurant that's busy twenty-four seven, but it's actually pretty fun. The people there are still really cool and friendly, it's just an easy, fun job."

"Oh that's cool. Are they hiring?" She joked. I laughed along with her as we continued walking around the track. "I think it's your turn."

"Okay," I said. "Um, do you like my band? Honestly." I laughed.

"I honestly do." She said. "Who writes the songs?"

"I do." I said.

"Really?" She said. "Your lyrics are really good."

"Thanks." I said. "I'll let you read more that haven't been recorded."

"Are they in your journal?" She asked.

"Nah, they're in my closet at home." I laughed. "But anyways, is it my turn?"

"Yeah, I think so." She said.

"You don't mind personal questions, do you?" I asked.

"It depends." She laughed. "But ask it anyways."

"Okay," I said. "Are you-are you a virgin?"

"Nope," she said. "Are you?"

I laughed at myself and looked down. "Yeah."

"Awh, that's cute." she laughed. "But why?"

"Why what?" I asked.

"Why are you a virgin?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, I guess it's because I was just raised to not have sex before marriage. And after all, I did say I was picky about my girls." I laughed. "And plus, I really want to actually love the person I give it up too. I'd rather make love that just... fuck. You know?" I said. "So it doesn't look like I'll be loosing it any time soon."

"Oh, well that's good." She laughed slightly. The conversation died down a little but we kept walking. The situation turned into and awkward silence so I spoke up.

"How many?" I asked.

"How many, what?"

"Guys." I told her. "How many guys have you been with?"

"Just one." She said. "Not too long ago, either."

"Oh." I said. "What about boyfriends? How many boyfriends have you had?"

"Maybe about 2 or 3 serious relationships, I guess the others don't count." She said. "What about you? How many girlfriends?"

"Like, three." I laughed again. "I don't have that much experience with the opposite sex."

"Awh, well how far have you gone with a girl?" She asked.

"Just kissing," I said, feeling like a kid. "I've only made out once or twice."

She laughed. "Once or twice?"

"Don't laugh at me." I joked. "It's not nice." I frowned.

"Haha, oh well I know a girl." Jamie said. "And you might like her."

"Oh yeah?" I said.

"Yeah." She replied.

"And who exactly might this girl be?"

"My best friend, Alexis." Jamie said.

"Oh well, guess what!" I said.

"What!" She laughed.

"I know a guy." I mocked. "And I think you might like him."

"Oh yeah?" She said. "And who might this be exactly?"

"One of my best friends, Kennedy."