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

“Good luck,” Alex waved goodbye to Chase as they reached her Chemistry room. As promised he’d taken her to school, a latte in hand with a cheerful smile for the morning.
Chase sighed, “Yeah,” she gave her cousin an unsure smile and entered the room. Surprisingly Jasyn Barakat was already there sitting in her seat scrolling through her iPod. The only problem was, although she had her ear buds in, the volume of her music was ungodly and the lyrics could be heard crystal-clear, clear across the room.
Sitting in her seat waiting for the morning announcements, Chase sat, slightly irritated and took a large sip of her frothy, delicious drink.
The rest of the students started pouring in a few minutes later. The second day of school, along with every other day following, didn’t have as much appeal as the first; and it was evident on the face of each and every teenager that walked through Mr. Addison’s door.
Finally as the clock hit seven fifty one, the PA system came on, and started with the pledge of allegiance to which, every student stood in unison. It was routine. After attendance was taken, Mr. Addison handed each person a worksheet used to assess what knowledge they held about the topics they would be covering this year.
As soon as the paper hit Chase’s desk, she instantly started it. By the time everyone had the small packet, she was already done with the front side of the first page.
When he’d handed all of the packets out, he walked to the front of the classroom to address the class.
“Okay, I want you to turn to the last page of the packet,” he instructed unexpectedly.
Chase quickly flipped to the back of the packet. It was a ‘getting to know you’ sheet, asking usual question about favorites, etc.
“I want you to get in your lab groups,” Mr. Addison continued, “And ask these questions to your lab partners. You will be with these people an awful lot, so you should know a little about them.”
Chase groaned aloud, and as did Jasyn, neither realizing how audible they were.
Awful lot, is right. Well the awful part is accurate anyway. Maybe I should have listened to my father…
Chase made no movements as the students around them moved to get with the people in their group. Jasyn didn’t move either and the two of them sat there for a full moment not acknowledging one another. That is until, the teacher walked over to them.
“Girls,” he started in on what Chase felt would be a long lecture, “As I told both of your parents last night, I will not make any exceptions in my chosen partners. Frankly I’m surprised that as adults they are encouraging the tension and segregation between the two of you, but that is another case.” He paused as if awaiting a response from Chase, or Jasyn. Yet, he never received one and instead continued in a gentler voice, “Listen, I could care less if you two hate each other or fight out of this class. But for the eighty minutes for the four times a week you’re here in this classroom, I request that you at least behave civilly to one another. Even if it includes just working together with no words. Understood?” he asked looking each of them in the eyes.
“Yes Mr. Addison,” Chase agreed looking down.
“Good.” He smiled brightly at the prospect of progress, “Now get to work you two.”
Reluctantly Chase turned to Jasyn, who still hadn’t spoken one word yet.
“I think he’s right,” Chase sighed. “Listen, I really need this grade. And I know you don’t care about me at all, and I don’t care about you either. But I have a feeling that you need good grades in here too.” Chase paused, and the silence in Jasyn confirmed Chase’s presumptions. “So can we just in this one class, put everything aside to work, and go right on to pretending like the other doesn’t exist as soon as we leave that door frame?”
“Fine. But I Still hate you,” Jasyn said. The scariest part was it was not malicious at all. Just stated as a fact. As simply as if she’d just said H20 is water.
Chase nodded her head. “Well obviously…So,” she looked down at the sheet. “What is your birthday?”
Jasyn looked at Chase like she had three heads. “Okay, I agreed to work on CHEMISTRY together. We’re not going to be best buddies and discuss our favorite colors. Here,” she said handing Chase her sheet, and taking Chase’s sheet. “Fill it out,” she said.
“Ok,” Chase said happy to be in avoidance of the fake, awkwardness that was sure to be involved in friendly conversation.
+++

“What do you mean you forgot?!” Chase asked her cousin in obvious distress and she was sure he could hear it in her voice though he couldn’t visually see her through the phone.
“I’m sorry. It just, slipped my mind,” he apologized again. “What do you want me to do, just ditch the girl to leave and get you?” he asked taking on a sarcastic tone.
“Yes!” she cried looking down at her outfit feeling pathetic. Tapping the floor with the heel of her black knee-high Steve Madden boots and looking down at her black leggings and Red knee length tank top shirt-dress, Chase bit her lip. She’d gotten dolled up to go with her cousin to a movie. Now just because didn’t feel like going out to be sociable she was making Alex feel bad for going out on a date.
Sighing gently, Chase quickly recanted her previous request. “It’s okay, just forget it.”
“Are you sure?” Alex questioned skeptically, wondering where his uptight cousin had gone.
“Yeah have fun.”
“I’ll be over tomorrow.” He promised and without a good-bye Chase hung up the phone. Even though she’d let it slip, it still hurt her that he’d forgotten their plans.
Walking into the living room, Chase plopped onto the loveseat adjacent to the couch that her parents were sitting on watching a movie.
As soon as she sprawled out, she gained her mother’s attention but not her father’s. He was wrapped up in the film the two were watching. Chase pretended to text on her cell phone to ignore her mother’s awkward stare.
“Chase, aren’t you going out?” she questioned taking in her daughter’s appearance.
“I was,” she sighed “Alex bailed.”
“Well don’t you have other friends?” she was blunt and it earned a scoff from Chase.
“No.” she said sarcastically pretending to take a deep interest in the people’s conversation unfolding in front of the screen. The man seemed to be breaking the woman’s heart. He was trying to leave, yet the woman flung herself at him with tears streaming down her face.
Chase’s mother would not give up on the topic.
“You have no other friends? From cheer, school, anything?” she said right back not missing a beat.
“Grace,” Bob Gaskarth spoke for the first time, cautioning his wife.
“What? Bob, the girl is trying to tell me she doesn’t have friends, which is obviously a lie. I’m worried about her. She never wants to be social. The only people she ever seems to hang out with is Alex and that friend of his.”
“If the girl wants to stay home, let her stay home. You’ll be missing her company when she’s out of the house in a dorm.”
“Hello,” Chase said waving her hand at her parents. “‘The Girl’ yeah, sitting right here.”
Her parents continued to bicker and Chase resigned, standing up.
“Ok fine. I’m going out,” she said grabbing her car keys off of the table she’d tossed them on.
Grace Gaskarth got a satisfied smirk on her face. “Good. Have fun.”
“Wait, Chase you don’t have to go out,” her father contradicted.
“Its fine dad,” she sighed sending her father an eye roll that only he caught.
+++

This was a bad idea. Chase thought as she looked around the overly crowded house. Chase never felt completely comfortable in a chaotic scene, especially parties. She enjoyed drinking or attending a more low-key get together with close friends. Everywhere she looked, she got surprised greetings. No one expected her to be there. Including Chase herself. Looking for someone she could hold a conversation with, anywhere, she went from room to room peaking in. However all that did was alert more people that infamous, little miss prissy, was actually at a house party. Entering one of the downstairs bedrooms in Tara’s extremely large house, Chase saw a crowd of people chanting and egging someone on who must have been in the center. For a moment, the semi circle opened, and Chase spotted Jasyn Barakat doing a keg stand. One leg held by her boyfriend Tommy and another by a boy with an unrecognizable face.
Chase turned around disgust clearly written on her face. That’s just trashy, she thought turning and running straight into Tara.
“YOU CAME!” she cried loudly over the blaring music, and Chase had to smile at the girl’s excitement.
“Yeah, I told you that I would come to check it out,” she said with a smile looking Tara in the eye. Her saucer dish eyes, had pupils that covered almost the whole iris. She was clearly on something.
“Did you take something earlier,” she asked in a joking manner, trying to mask her motherly concern.
Tara covered her mouth, her face portraying one similar to a caught in the cookie jar look, and then she started laughing. “Maybe.” She responded.
“Well you just, just look out for yourself there,” Chase said patting her on the shoulder affectionately walking away.
Deciding to leave Chase looked around for an exit, trying to retrace her path to the front door.
Fifteen minutes later, and Chase was pissed.
Although she hadn’t thought it plausible, the party had gotten more people to show up, and moving was nearly impossible. Finding the front door, or any door leading anywhere, besides the severely secure enclosed backyard, was impossible. And forget asking for directions, when you subtracted the people paying attention to her, then from that the people that could actually hear her over the music, and trying to find someone stable enough to give her accurate directions out of the house, there was no one left.
Chase found herself frustrated and angry at her everyone. The people at the party for being complete morons, Alex for ditching her, her mother for pushing her out of the door, and even her father for not defending her enough.
Finally finding a hallway that didn’t look familiar to her, she finally let out a sigh of relief. This is the way out, she told herself. However, to her discontent it was not the exit. Instead it was a study. And there was one boy in there pouring himself a drink, his back to her. A boy Chase wasn’t supposed to talk to. Banned by her family. The family that she was mad at. Maybe that’s why she decided to greet him somewhat cordially.
“Hi,” her voice said before her mind could process what she was doing, and the boy startled jumped, causing Chase to laugh.
A sound that Jack Barakat had never heard before; a sound he shouldn’t have enjoyed. A sound that everything in his being, in his DNA, should have hated, but didn’t.
“Hey,” he said surprisingly sounding almost, sweet.
In that moment, the awkwardness set in for both of them, and each of them stood there unsure what to say, if anything; waiting for the other to speak.
Jack broke first, having the least willpower of the two.
“So what is Chas-,” he stopped and took on a more sarcastic tone, “What are you doing here?”
“It’s a party,” Chase said with an eye roll and the same amount of enthusiasm used at a funeral.
Jack downed the alcohol in his cup in what seemed to be one gulp, and turned back to Chase.
“Yes. I know that. But what is Miss holier-than-thou doing here, and talking to the forbidden Barakat nonetheless.”
“Wow,” Chase feigning impressed. Jack looked to her confused. “I didn’t know you knew how to speak in such big words,” she explained.
“Big, defines me.” He smiled a smirk, and Chase couldn’t help but laugh out in astonishment of the bad joke. Jack’s smile turned into a goofy grin, and Chase couldn’t help but be warmed.
“Well, I’m here because I needed to get out. Away. And I’m talking to you because…well. I’m not entirely sure. But it might be to stick it to my family.”
Jack shrugged bending over and opening the cabinet, pulling out another glass. Chase looked at him wondering what he was doing. He continued to pour the amber colored drink into both cups and handed one out to her. “Here.”
Chase stared at the glass and shook her head no. The last time she’d drank, she’d regretted.
“Come on. I dare you,” he said staring her in the eyes.
The words sparked something in her, and to her and his surprise she reached out and took the cup from his hand and downed it contents. It stung her throat, but went down in one swift second.