Status: Completed
Psyche
5
The thing about the school cafeteria is, you have to choose where you sit carefully. You either sit in a group you don’t know (this is assuming you don’t have friends or your friends don’t have the same lunch period as you), or sit totally alone and everyone notices till there’s that one person who feels sympathetic and sits with you, even if you don’t want them to.
Jamie doesn’t have to worry about that today. He sits with Alexandria at one semi-empty table. Just two tables over is Jean and his friends.
“Is it always this crowded?” Alexandria asks in an attempt to start a conversation. She realized from the first day she has to work to get Jamie to talk. Jamie pulls at a long thread on his shirt before he replies.
“Just first period.” He shrugs and glances at her while she stares around. She has a boyish body and face, which is great because Jamie has the physique of a preteen girl. They’re like the obese man and dwarf lady couple.
“All right then,” she murmurs, before a shadow looms over, taking up their space.
Jamie can’t let his dopey smile drop fast enough. Jean sits right next to Alexandria, and he smells spicy, almost like peppermint. Why do boys have to wear such strong cologne?
Jamie shrinks back. Jean is here for Alexandria. The only times he acknowledges Jamie is when he needs help with assignments.
Jamie’s seen Jean around since 6th grade, but Jean’s a grade above Jamie. It’s only in Jamie’s sophomore year that he has two classes with the Jean: the ones Jean failed and needs to pass.
Basically, Jamie gets to see more of Jean, even if Jean doesn’t bother with him too much.
The first thing Jean ever said to Jamie was in middle school and it was, “Sorry, excuse me.” The first thing he says to Alexandria is, “Hey, I’m Jean Paul. Jean for short.”
“Hi,” she says.
“My friend wants to know where you got your dress,” he asks, and Jamie glances over to see some of the people at Jean’s table looking at them curiously. Some of them are smiling.
Alexandria tells Jean she made it, and when Jean suggests she come over and sit with his group, she doesn’t hesitant when she says, “I’m sitting with Jamie.”
The eleventh time Jean has ever smiled at Jamie happens then, and Jamie has to hold back from smiling. Jean’s teeth are an unusual white. Jamie wonders if Jean ever considers doing toothpaste commercials. “You can come too,” Jean says. Jamie thinks Jean can be the kindest person there is, but how much of it is him being genuinely nice over just really wanting Alexandria to come sit with him and integrate her into his scene?
The jealousy starts then. It’s not overwhelming and ugly yet, but he still wants to be somewhere other than there.
“How about next time? I have to talk to Jamie, in private, about something,” Alexandria says it in a way that sounds believable and not an outright rejection.
It’s funny the way Jean bites his lip, trying not to let his frown show as he says okay and that he’ll see her in class next time before walking off.
He’s probably never been turned down before.
When Jean settles back into his group, Alexandria chimes, “Geez, Jamie, are you scared of him?”
His face burns hot and he tries to play it off. “What?”
She smiles sincerely, head resting on her hands. He doesn’t like the way her eyes turn a lighter shade of green, and he’s scared his attraction to Jean shows.
She doesn’t let on she knows, and opts to say something else. “You’re so cute.”
He can’t think of anything to say, so he risks eating the hardened Jell-O and pretends he didn’t hear her.
She laughs and it’s just as loud and obnoxious as he predicted.
Jamie doesn’t have to worry about that today. He sits with Alexandria at one semi-empty table. Just two tables over is Jean and his friends.
“Is it always this crowded?” Alexandria asks in an attempt to start a conversation. She realized from the first day she has to work to get Jamie to talk. Jamie pulls at a long thread on his shirt before he replies.
“Just first period.” He shrugs and glances at her while she stares around. She has a boyish body and face, which is great because Jamie has the physique of a preteen girl. They’re like the obese man and dwarf lady couple.
“All right then,” she murmurs, before a shadow looms over, taking up their space.
Jamie can’t let his dopey smile drop fast enough. Jean sits right next to Alexandria, and he smells spicy, almost like peppermint. Why do boys have to wear such strong cologne?
Jamie shrinks back. Jean is here for Alexandria. The only times he acknowledges Jamie is when he needs help with assignments.
Jamie’s seen Jean around since 6th grade, but Jean’s a grade above Jamie. It’s only in Jamie’s sophomore year that he has two classes with the Jean: the ones Jean failed and needs to pass.
Basically, Jamie gets to see more of Jean, even if Jean doesn’t bother with him too much.
The first thing Jean ever said to Jamie was in middle school and it was, “Sorry, excuse me.” The first thing he says to Alexandria is, “Hey, I’m Jean Paul. Jean for short.”
“Hi,” she says.
“My friend wants to know where you got your dress,” he asks, and Jamie glances over to see some of the people at Jean’s table looking at them curiously. Some of them are smiling.
Alexandria tells Jean she made it, and when Jean suggests she come over and sit with his group, she doesn’t hesitant when she says, “I’m sitting with Jamie.”
The eleventh time Jean has ever smiled at Jamie happens then, and Jamie has to hold back from smiling. Jean’s teeth are an unusual white. Jamie wonders if Jean ever considers doing toothpaste commercials. “You can come too,” Jean says. Jamie thinks Jean can be the kindest person there is, but how much of it is him being genuinely nice over just really wanting Alexandria to come sit with him and integrate her into his scene?
The jealousy starts then. It’s not overwhelming and ugly yet, but he still wants to be somewhere other than there.
“How about next time? I have to talk to Jamie, in private, about something,” Alexandria says it in a way that sounds believable and not an outright rejection.
It’s funny the way Jean bites his lip, trying not to let his frown show as he says okay and that he’ll see her in class next time before walking off.
He’s probably never been turned down before.
When Jean settles back into his group, Alexandria chimes, “Geez, Jamie, are you scared of him?”
His face burns hot and he tries to play it off. “What?”
She smiles sincerely, head resting on her hands. He doesn’t like the way her eyes turn a lighter shade of green, and he’s scared his attraction to Jean shows.
She doesn’t let on she knows, and opts to say something else. “You’re so cute.”
He can’t think of anything to say, so he risks eating the hardened Jell-O and pretends he didn’t hear her.
She laughs and it’s just as loud and obnoxious as he predicted.