Unshed Tears

Jake placed himself in a chair beside her, his jean covered knee brushing against her own jean clad leg. Then he jumped as she let out a small scream. “Damn!” she smacked the side of the monitor. She sighed and crossed her arms across her chest.

“Let me see,” Jake said. He pulled back her chair and leaned across her. This gave May a pretty nice view.

Looking sideways she checked out his ass. The boy wore baggy jeans, but they weren’t falling off his ass, so they were some place between skinny jeans and baggy jeans. He wore a plaid black and red belt. The back of his shirt rode up just a little. Jake had no tan what so ever, but she could see that from his arms. Besides being pale he was skinny, like a stripper’s pole. Long legs lead down to black and red shoes. His jeans where a little short when he sat, so she could just see the black socks he wore. Scanning over the rest of him, she noticed a thin chain hanging around his neck. His ears where hidden behind thick black hair, but she guessed he had his ear pierced. It seemed likely.

He leaned back, smiling triumphantly. “Ta dah!” he said folding his arms.

She blinked her long lashes and dragged her eyes back to the screen. It was glowing with life, when moments ago it had been a screen of dim blue death. She poked the mouse hesitantly. When it came to the school’s technology, one could not have high expectations. The curser moved! Her jaw fell in shock and then she laughed. “You’re sir are a miracle worker.”

He just grinned and shrugged off the compliment.

Time flew by as they sat in silence, each listening to music. Her fingers flew across the key and before the bell signaling the end of class had rung, she had a three page paper flooded with information. She pressed save as and then print. Slumping back in the chair she grinned at the new boy. His light pink lips formed a smirk. Her face dropped, confused.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. “What?” Voices sounded odd after close to forty minutes of blaring music.

“Your smirk,” she said pointing to her face as she mimicked him. “Normally there’s something more behind a smirk then with a smile or a grin.”

The bell rang. It was just a little ding compared to her music. Slowly she pushed back and stood up cracking her knuckles. She pulled the papers from the printer, put a staple through them and made a quick look over her shoulder at Jake. As they crammed themselves into the tiny hall, she waited for an explanation.

She was pushed into the wall, causing her to bite down on her own tongue. There was a snicker and then life moved on.

A strong hand was placed on her shoulder, and she jumped.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded, “Just answer my question.”

They weaved past a crowd of brightly dressed girls in short shorts and received a mix of glares and flirty smiles. She rolled her eyes, hoping he wouldn’t land in the popular crowd. She couldn't picture any of them accepting him there, allowing him to wear black and use eyeliner, but she had to admit she didn't really know him. Tomorrow, Jake could be a different person, and tomorrow someone might think emo worked on tall attractive boys, just not short, chubby girls named May Castel.

“Well,” he began, “It was just really cute how focused you were.” Jake’s words where all slurred together, in a rush.

Warmth rushed to her face and May felt her cheeks heat up and knew they must be bright pink. On her pale complexion there was no way to hide a blush. Opening another door, she climbed up stairs and entered another class, just as the warning bell rung.

She heard him chuckle as he slipped into the chair behind mine.

“What?” she asked. Glaring at him through her straight dark hair, she twisted to face him. Jace Anderson had been her first serious crush, and it had lasted almost a year so far. To top that off, she didn’t get complimented often, so May was filled with a mix of emotions, most of which were leading her to a new and very sudden crush on Jake. There was a pleasant sensation that accompanied being complemented, and while she had already decided he was attractive, and good with fixing old computers, now he was being nice, and that was a great quality.

“Nothing. But, when do you stop at your locker?” He changed topic.

A sigh of relief or disapointment, she wasn’t sure which, passed over her lips followed by a reply, “Before or after lunch.” Her bag was heavy with notebooks and binders, and her bag left a dent in her shoulder at the end of the day, but the price of stopping at her locked during each break was too high. It meant potentially being late, and potentially running into Jace… or anyone else who might want to torment her on any particular day.

The annoying bell signaled the beginning of class.

“Cool,” he whispered in her ear.

She smiled as she sunk into her seat. Behind her, Jake tapped his fingers. The clock ticked, and time moved like molasses. Boring or humiliating classes always took the most time to get through. Both Jake and May kept checking the time, watching as the seconds ticked by in a monotonous motion of the clock hand. About half way through the class, she got out her note book and begun writing. Her imagination was running wild as she pictured a new story line. The bell startled her, causing her to jump in the hard seat. Behind May, Jake snickered. They walked out of class, Jake still laughing at her in a gentle manner.

“Tell me class gets better?” he asked. The two of them walked side by side, our hands brushing each other’s. She tugged at her lose shirt, just to get her hand away. When she was done fixing her clothes, she ran her hands through her dark brown hair.

May nodded. “Of course they do.” Her tone was sarcastic each word was pulled out.

He pouted and ruffled her hair. Swinging open a door, she staggered back from the smell of bacon.

“No need to be sarcastic,” Jake said stopping beside me. “Bacon?”

She shook her head and walked in to the room. Dumping her bag on the floor she looked around the room. “Dude, why’s it smell like bacon?” she asked the room. A couple of kids shrugged, but she was ignored even by band kids. A normal day for her was good if she could avoid being bullied; so, being ignored was nothing.

Class went by in a flash. She stuck her nose in a book and listened to the ipod. Jake pulled up a chair beside her and turned up his own music. In forty five minutes the bell rang. Kids moved about the room wasting time as they collected our things. It was time for lunch. She slid outside and grinned at the vending machine.

“Classy,” Jake snickered. He pulled out some change and bought a soda as she bought her lunch. Her pale cheeks flushed pink and she began to shake. Sitting down on a bench,shelooked up at Jake’s pale face. His hair covered half of his features once again.

I sighed, “Uh, Jake I…”she wrung her hands and looked away, “I don’t exactly have other friends so if you want to go find a group of people or something I’d totally understand. I don’t want to drag you down to my pathetic level,” she began babbling, words coming out in a rush. She was embarrassed and her heart hammered. Normally she didn't have to admit to her situation, or accept that she was such an outcast. It didn't hurt if she didn't have to think about it. It hurt when she had to see Jace and remember how alone she was, and that she hadn't always been. It hurt now that she had to say something to Jake.

Jake smiled and sat down beside her. The only way she knew, was because his leg brushed against hers again. Color flooded her face, and she buried it in her hands. A laugh rumbled loud over the new commotion. More kids came to the veranda to get snacks and stare at the Goth/Emo kids; she wasn't really sure what they considered her, but she heard different names fall from their lips from day to day.

“Yeah because I want to hang out with them,” Jake said and elbowed her side. A group of girls walked past giggling. A short strawberry blond skipped up to where they were sitting, her friends all smiling. She didn’t recognize this blond; though a lot of the blondes looked alike and May didn’t spend much time trying to learn their physical differences.

Poking his arm, the girl grinned, “Jake!”

He rolled his eyes and looked at her. His light brown eyes hung on her.

“Good to see you too,” she pouted. “Who’s your friend?” For the first time, she faced May. The girl had the same light brown eyes as Jake, but her face was rounder and she had freckles. She waved her manicured hand and had a genuine smile. Her teeth formed a perfect smile and were a glowing white.

“Susie, this is May,” Jake said in a flat voice.

Grinning, Susie said, “I’m glade her brother’s found a friend.” She waved and skipped away, her hair swishing back and forth. The mob walked away laughing and smiling.

Her jaw hung slack for a long moment and then May found a fraction of her voice and she stuttered, “You, you ha-have a sis-sister?” It wasn’t so much that he had a sister, or that she hadn’t known, after all they had just met and they hadn’t spent a lot of time talking about themselves, too comfortable with their simple conversations and easy silences. She was shocked that his sister looked like that, or more precisely nothing like him beyond their eyes. He dressed like May, and his sister was already part of the in crowd with a group of friends.

“Twins,” he said crossing his finger. “We’re like this.”

She was two breaths away from passing out, when Jace found them, his timing awful, per usual. Instantly her jaw snapped shut and she formed a smirk powered by mild annoyance and a slight sense of accomplishment; after all, she had managed to get him to see her and it was on a day she wasn’t alone.

Jace stopped in front of them and nodded to Jake. He looked May over with his shinning eyes. His curly brown hair slid around his ears and his bangs managed to fall into his face without covering his eyes.

He smiled. “If I lose my friends over this I will blame you.” Jace was still grinning, but his tone sounded completely serious.

“Jake this is Jace,” she said, smirking and resisting the urge to slap him across his handsome face.