He Doesn't Look A Thing Like Jesus; But He Talks Like A Gentleman

Chase sighed as she stood on her tiptoes looking around the crowded school hallway Friday morning. She hated fighting with Alex, and she hadn't seen him since their little dispute when she dropped him off at his house two days earlier. He hadn't even show up to the family dinner the night prior. When she asked his parents they tried to push it aside, but they were livid, Chase could tell, and they had no idea where he was.
The family dinner had just been awkward. She'd had some forced conversation with Dawn, who she'd never quite clicked with as well as she had with Alex, and pointedly ignored her grandfather. She wasn't able to look him in the eye, for the unrealistic fear that he would see right through her and know that she was a traitor. That she was socializing with a Barakat. That six days prior, she'd been...intimate with him. Thinking that thought in the presence of her grandparents and parents alone was enough to make her blush.
Looking at the clock on her cell phone, she saw that she had ten minutes before the warning bell rang and informed her that she had two more minutes to get to Chemistry. Deciding this gave her enough time, Chase went over to Alex's locker and waited. He would have to show up there at some point. She waited, smiling politely as people walked by and greeted her on their way to their destinations. Five minutes later, she was just frustrated, and the grouped people around the halls started to thin out until there was no one else in the hallway except Chase, and a couple making out against a water fountain.
That looks highly uncomfortable Chase thought stalking off away from the locker, more sad then angry.
"Chase! hey, Wait up!" A male voice that she could place hearing, but couldn't remember specifically where. Turning around, Chase was surprised to see Tommy Scott running up to her.
"Hi?" she said more like a question then a greeting. Tommy gave her a smile that would have made her stomach flutter two weeks ago, but now it just made her feel obligated to smile back.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked.
"Aren't we talking now?" Chase responded in playful banter.
"Yeah, I guess we are. But I was wondering if you would be into going with me to the Blink concert Sunday."
Chase nearly died, she'd taken her time getting online to order tickets to their concert and when she had finally logged onto Ticketmaster, the show had already sold out. This was her shot to go.
"Absolutely." Chase exclaimed giving him a big grin, and Tommy returned the smile taking out his cellphone. "What's your number?" he asked.
She recited it to him, and he promised to text her later so they could plan out the details of when they could meet up. The warning bell rang and they two said their farewells, as Chase hurried off.
Jogging to Chemistry,Chase looked down at herself and tried to point out a difference, a single difference in herself. She couldn't find one, So why, she asked herself was she all of the sudden getting the attention of males?
Walking into her class, as the bell rang Chase was winded.
"Just in time Ms. Gaskarth," Mr.Addison said appreciatively, and she sat with a smile. Her first and only priority was sitting in her seat and catching her breath, Chase didn't realize that the seat to her left wasn't occupied until after. This meant she wouldn't have to deal with Jasyn today. It was a Friday,and she had just gotten a date for Sunday by an attractive boy. This day was getting better and better.
+++
Alex hung his head low as he approached his lunch table. His usual crowd was there. Rian, Kelli and Kerri, and Chase. He hadn't talked to Chase since his rude stunt a few days earlier and didn't feel like going with his family the night before. He had pulled a real fast one there. He hadn't told his parents his intentions of skipping and had gotten chewed out when they got home, from his father. Alex kind of liked the anger being turned to him instead of between the two of them, but it was short lived because soon, as it always did, the matter turned into a blame fest between his mother and father about how the other had ruined him, and spoiled him and his sister.
"Alex!" Rian called out with a smile, "Where have you been dude?"
Kelli and Kerri turned with wide smiles and greeted him as well, but he was nervous for Chase's reaction. She didn't turn to him at all.
Alex threw his energy drink down on the table with a facade of happy. "Long night," he slowly drawled with a lopsided grin.
"You weren't at dinner." Chase observed taking a sudden interest in her hair, looking at the ends.
"Yeah." he didn't know what else to say.
"Can we talk?" Chase asked getting up.
"Sure," Alex agreed glad that they were getting the situation out, and not skirting around it.
Chase lead Alex over to an empty table and sat, and Alex in turn took the seat opposite of her.
"Are we fighting?" Chase asked.
"I think we are."
Neither of them had experience with this aspect of their relationship.
"But I don't want to be," he quickly added.
"Me either. I need you," she gave him a half smile.
"AWW!" Alex said with a sarcastic feminine voice, and a downward hand flap then wrapped Chase up in a hug.
It seemed the whole cafeteria around quieted, and awkwardly looking around, the two realized hundreds of eyes on them.
"Weird..." Chase trailed off and Alex looked around him slowly, making the effort to meet people's eyes and embarrassed they looked away. No one liked to be caught staring. Each of the Gaskarths sat there in silence, wondering if they should go back to the other table. Chase opened her mouth to say let's go back, but instead, she slipped, "So, I have a date on Sunday."
Alex cocked his eyebrow intrigued, "See what happens when we don't talk in over 24 hours? I miss everything. With who?"
Chase bit her lip, "Tommy Scott."
Alex didn't like her response. At all. Opening his mouth to voice his opinion, he just as quickly closed it to prevent himself from upsetting his cousin, and decided to think about the words before they left his mouth.
"Him?" he asked carefully, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah...I don't know. It's not like we're going to be dating or anything it's just one date-,"
"Because," Alex continued, "He really hurt," Jasyn, "that Barakat girl. He's a cheater." he worried.
"It's just one date," she restated, "and it's to the Blink concert I couldn't get tickets for," A huge toothy grin appeared, "Which is the main reason I agreed."
"Of course. Ok, for Blink I agree it's ok. Hell I'd go out on a date with him to go to Blink."
Chase smiled happy to have her Alex back.
"Just," he hesitated.
"-be careful." she finished for him.
+++

Tommy Scott smiled in spite of himself. He'd gotten a date with one of the most popular, pretty girls in school. And it didn't hurt that she was hated, and probably envied by a girl that had broken his heart. Or, his ego. Whichever, same thing.
It would also probably piss Jasyn off that Chase was getting her ticket for the concert. The one she was really looking forward to. At first he thought about asking Tara, but she seemed to be on an emotional roller coaster since they had hooked.
The day prior he was weighing out the options in his mind, and decided to go for a run. Getting into his car, and going to the park he threw on his running shoes and started on the trail. Stopping and squatting on a stump near a clearing for a break after about thirty minutes, he took a large swig of his water bottle. Bringing the bottle away from his lips he took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
Reopening them, and taking in the silence of nature, he admired his surroundings. Scanning and analyzing everything around him, then he saw a figure he would never picture in a place like this. Well a place like this while he was sober. Jack Barakat was sitting alone at a picnic table looking nervous. An emotion that Tommy had never seen on him before. He was tapping his leg rapidly, and looking at his phone sporadically. Then he would look up and around, and back on his phone. It was a routine.
Tommy watched in amusement for a while, but after about 5 minutes, he started to feel like a bit of a stalker, and would most definitely be embarrassed if someone had caught him and called him out on it. Starting to jog away, he was stopped by Jack's voice. "You Came," he heard him say. Peaking through the trees Tommy bobbed his head around to see who Jack was talking to. He heard a female voice respond, "Were we planning on meeting?"
Resorting to squatting a bit Tommy could finally make out who the small girl was. Chase Gaskarth? He thought in utter confusion. If the banter had thrown him off, the fact that she sat down comfortably beside him didn't help things. They were now speaking in hushed tones he couldn't make out and seeing their expressions was also hard since he was behind nature's seeming roadblocks.
Slowly, quietly, and feeling nosy, he retraced his steps to the stump to where he was before. "You're accusing me of using you? Really Chase?" he heard the anger in Jack's voice.
"ok, Then it's because you feel guilty...I shouldn't have told you I was a virgin. I didn't want your sympathy. I just, I needed to tell someone. To make it more real..."
Tommy was trying to read between the lines. Chase was a virgin. Meaning...that she wasn't anymore? And she was having a heartfelt conversation with Jack? All the confusion was taken away when Jack returned back with a
"It's not because I feel guilty, It's because I like you."
Picture clear. Jack had slept with Chase. She lost her virginity to him. Something had been hazy about it, maybe he'd taken advantage of her, that she thought he felt guilty about. And now he liked her. How, pathetic. Tommy thought.
He watched and listened as Jack listed the reasons why he liked Chase. Like he'd had to, Tommy thought, every guy at school had a hard on for the unattainable Chase Gaskarth, but were too afraid of her burly cousin and his friends to do anything about it.
Then he watched as Jack scooted closer to the girl whispering in her ear. And she hadn't reciprocated. That's when his plan formed.
Get Chase. She obviously wasn't sold on Jack, yet. And it was the ultimate get back. Get back at the Barakats and get back on the map. Jack liked her, and Jasyn hated her, and it was completely perfect.
+++
Chase got into her car after school with a smile. Everything about the day was perfect. Except the fact that she hadn't seen Jack, which could or could not have possibly been a good thing. Putting in a mix CD of her favorite songs from Broadway Shows, she quietly played a song from her favorite, Spring Awakening. Carefully pulling the car out of the school parking lot, once she was out of sight from the school she blasted the song and started to sing at the top of her lungs.
"What the hell?" she asked no one in particular interrupting her groove as she pulled up into a line of traffic. The cars on this popular road were backed up so far that she couldn't see the accident that must have been the cause of the bumper to bumper situation. Turning down the music, putting her car into park with no sign of movement ahead of her, and opening her phone she clicked on her contacts. She scrolled carefully down the list, and ended up at Jack's name. Choosing it she watched as the screen for composing a text message opened up. Pausing and considering the options, she instead shut her phone. Texting him could lead her into trouble. Turning the radio up a little, she looked back up in front of her and quickly caught a glimpse of someone in the corner of her rear view mirror. And they were sitting in the back of her car.
Her breathing stopped, she screamed, whipped her head around, gaining whiplash, and slammed down on her gas as if subconsciously trying to speed away. Luckily, she was parked so her car just revved up violently, causing the person in front of her to beep in irritation at what they took as her impatience.
Jack began laughing, completely pissing Chase off.
"THIS IS SO ILLEGAL! I COULD HAVE GOTTEN INTO AN ACCIDENT AND DIED IF I CAUGHT YOU BACK THERE WHILE I WAS DRIVING!" she yelled in anger.
"But you didn't." Jack pointed out still chuckling.
"You're a real...ASS!"
"Look," he said calming a bit, "I'm sorry. I wanted to hang out."
"You could have texted!" Chase retorted.
"You could've too. Why'd you close out the screen?" Jack challenged. Chase was flustered, and got even more confused when Jack just opened the car door and got out of the car, however a moment later he let himself in the passenger's seat of her car.
"This is dangerous." she said sarcastically, "someone could die."
"die? isn't that drastic? I don't think that anyone would actually kill one of us for being with the other."
"No I meant that I will either kill myself, or you in a rapid reaction to your annoyances in the car. I could drift over a line."
"Who knew you were so homicidal?" Jack asked in good humor.
Finally the car in front of Chase moved, and an excited, "yessss" escaped her lips as she pulled up.
"Oh yeah, a whole two feet," Jack continued.
Chase narrowed her eyes, "Where, pray tell is YOUR car then Jack?"
"Jasyn took it this morning. Doctor's appointment." he replied smiling. He knew it would shut Chase up since it was due to her own doing that she even needed an appointment.
The two sat not talking as the woman singing in one of the songs on the CD's voice hit a crescendo, causing Jack to smirk.
"Hairspray huh?"
"You know what show that is huh?" Chase didn't miss a beat, and Jack loved it.
"Touche."
"I have a date with Tommy Scott on Sunday." Chase let it sit there waiting for Jack to respond.
"Tell me it's not the Tommy Scott I know that it is," Jack pleaded.
Silence answered his question.
"Chase, please take my advice, don't do it. You're way to good for that piece of trash," Jack had spite in his voice.
"It's just one date, to the Blink-182 show," she countered slowly.
Jack scoffed loudly, "That's rich, looks like he gave you Jasyn's ticket. Sweet guy."
Chase didn't know what to say. She felt bad taking Jasyn's ticket, only because of Jack though, yet she still desperately wanted to go to the show.
"...sorry."
"You didn't know. It's not your fault, except for accepting his offer. But I guess it's excusable. Because it's blink. And because I will be there to protect you."