Resistance Is Useless

27.
Andy

I was lying on my back in my bunk, wiggling into a pair of skinny jeans, after our long day at the beach. Our bus was parked behind our hotel, and everyone was getting all of their things for the night together. Some of us were already heading up to their rooms, but a few of us were still changing and packing. I grabbed a t-shirt that was next to my pillow and pulled it over my head, before slipping on my chucks. I put my feet over the edge of my bunk, getting ready to hop out when my phone began ringing. I quickly padded around my messy bunk until my hand hit it. I picked it up to see that the number calling was one I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?” I said, leaning back against the wall of my bunk.
“Hello, is this Andy Kress?” a woman asked.
“Mhm,”
“Hi, this is Rachel Callem,” she said. I knew I recognized her voice! She was the principal of the school I student-taught at last year.
“Oh, hi! How are you?”
“I’m great, you?”
“I’m doing well,”
“So you’re probably wondering why I’m calling,” Mrs. Callem said. I laughed quietly, and waited for her to continue, “Jennifer Welsch called me earlier today and told me that she’s going to be taking a new job at a school in New York next year.” Miss Welsch was the freshmen and sophomore English teacher I shadowed last year during my student teaching. I had a feeling I knew where Mrs. Callem was going with this phone call…
“Yeah…”
“And we would love for you to take her spot next year. You did so well last year with the kids, and you’re certainly qualified!”
“Oh—My gosh. I-I… Im mean, yeah. Yes! Yes, I would love to teach next year,” I was so excited I would barely form a sentence.
“Great! I’m so glad to hear that! So if you’re on board, I’d like to talk to you more about next year. When would be a good time for you to come in?”
“Sure, um, I’ll be out of town until next Saturday, so maybe that Monday?”
“Sounds great, I’ll send you an email about times. Talk to you later, and thank you so much!”
“No, thank YOU! Bye.”
“Bye.” She said. I tapped the “end call” button on my screen and threw my phone to the side.
“JAAAACK!!! Jack! Jack! Jack! JACK!” I yelled, jumping out of my bunk.
“What?! What’s wrong?” he called from the front lounge. I ran in there to see Alex, Jack, Matt and Evan starring at me with looks of panic, as if they expected me to have a major head injury.
“I GOT A JOB!” they all sighed with relief. Jack stood from the couch and gave me a hug.
“That’s awesome!” he said. I grabbed his hands and started jumping up and down.
“I know! Oh my gosh! I’m so excited! I’ve wanted this job for such a long time and now I have it and I just can’t even believe it and I’m just so happy and excited and I—”
“ —Andy! Calm. Down,” Jack said, putting his hands on either one of my shoulders, stopping me from jumping, “Where’d you get a job?”
“Teaching 9th and 10th grade English at this little independent school in Baltimore!”
“The same school you were at last year?” he asked. I nodded.
“You worked there last year?” Evan asked.
“Yeah, but I only student taught, this time it’s all me!” I sighed, “I’ve wanted to teach english for years, and I’m finally going to be doing it!”
“Andy, we’re so happy for you!” Alex said, as he stood to give me a hug.
“Aw, thanks guys,” I said, “Well, I’m gonna go call my parents and tell them,”
“Kay,” Jack said, “We’ll be in here,”

Jack.

Andy gave us all a beaming smile and walked off of the bus with a bounce in her step. We were all just sitting there thinking to ourselves when Matt’s phone rang from the pocket of his skinny jeans, making everyone jump slightly. He pulled it out and answered, walking towards his bunk to take to whoever was calling.
“I’m going on up,” Evan said, following Matt out of the room, leaving just Alex and I sitting on the sofa.
“It’s weird that we’ve only known her since the beginning of this tour,” Alex said.
“You’re right,” I agreed, “Seems like much longer than that.”
“So if she has this teaching job, she’s not gonna come on tour with us again,” He said with some disappointment. I nodded.
“Hm, it’ll be quiet around here without her.” I snorted in agreement. Andy, Alex and I, when together, were by far the loudest people in the whole band and crew.
“And if she’s a teacher, and we’re on tour, you, I mean WE, probably won’t get to talk to her very often, and I know how much you, I mean WE, all like to spend time with her.” I rolled my eyes at Alex. I knew where he was going with this. “But you know, sometimes, when you’re away from people, you stay close to them when you’re DATING THEM.”
“Fuck you.”
“I’m not kidding, Jack! What happens when both of your lives get busy and you loose touch? Hm? I don’t want you to be too big of a pussy to ask her out and regret it later. You’ve never been this nervous with girls before, so I don’t see what the big deal is! The worst she can do is say she just wants to be friends. And even that is unlikely, because it’s pretty fucking clear that she has feelings for you too!”
“Really?” Alex nodded in response, giving me that “no shit!” look. “But, I don’t know… I just don’t know if I could handle her rejecting me,” I said
“But dude! She won’t! How many times do I have to say it? Just lay it all out there, and be completely honest about all of your feelings, and it’ll work!”
“Are you sure? Because I seriously can not loose her.”
“AND YOU WON’T! If I know one thing, it is that you two are meant to be together. I’ve never seen a girl bring out the best in you like she does, or make you this nervous! She’ll want to go out with you. I fucking promise,”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“I’m gonna do it.”
“Really? Finally!”
“But I mean it’s almost eight… I should probably wait til tomorrow…”
“NO! Do it NOW! Go right now!”
“Now?”
“YES!!!!!” Alex yelled. With that he pulled me off of the couch forcefully and pushed me towards to door. “I’ll bring your shit up to the room, just find Andy and talk to her!”
“Okay! I can do this!” I said, mostly to myself. I took a deep breath and walked across the parking lot into the hotel. I entered the lobby and quickly looked around for people I recognized. I saw a girl enter an elevator to my right, that I knew without a second thought was Andy. I ran over and caught my hand in the elevator, causing the doors to reopen.
“Oh, hi.” She said, giving me that smile that I would never get tired of. I smiled back and stepped inside the elevator next to her. The doors closed again, and I took a deep breath in through my nose, catching the smell of Andy’s shampoo and perfume and thought to myself, “Oh god. I can’t do this!”