53 Minutes That Changed My Life

“Knock, Knock, Knock,”

“Aw man,” I mutter pausing Beauty and The Beast to get the door. I wonder who it is, who could it be at 9:30 at night?

“Hello,” Jeff said as I opened the door.

“Hey,” I said going back to the couch to continue watching Beauty and the Beast. He followed me and when he saw what I was watching he raised his eyebrows. I just looked at him and said, “Don’t judge,” he smiled and came to sit next to me.

I rested my head on his shoulder as Belle and The Beast danced around the ballroom. We sat there for about a minute in a non-awkward silence until he said “So where’s Sierra?”

I lifted my head and scooted over. Can he not spend just a minute with me? “She went out with some of her old friends.,” I pouted, “I had a lot of homework so I stayed here, plus I don’t really know her middle school friends, we met out freshmen year of high school.”

Jeff noticed that I was offended and scooted closer to me on the couch and put his arm around me, “Are you done with your homework now?”

Still offended I scooted over even a bit more forcing him to move his arm and answered, “Yeah, why?”

“Maybe we could go see a movie or something,”

I point to the TV screen. Jeff chuckled and answered, “I meant in the movie theaters,”

Maybe he didn’t mean it like that so I answered, “Well, maybe not the movies but I would like to go to that frozen yogurt place down stairs,”

That jaw-dropping smile spread across Jeff’s face and he answered, “Get your stuff and lets go,”

So I jumped off the couch, ran into my room to change out of my sweat pants and tee into the some skinny jeans, a long sleeve shirt and my Carolina hurricanes jacket. I giggled as I remembered this was the jacket I wore the first day I met Jeff.

Running back out I saw Jeff playing with Ebay, man Jeff is just so cute I just love the way- CRASH!!

Next thing I knew I was face to face with the floor. “Oh my gosh, are you okay?”
I heard Jeff ask from behind me.

“Yeah I’m fine, sorry I’m a bit of a klutz,” I said really embarrassed.

Jeff just chuckled helped me up and said, “Maybe you’re too tired to go all the way to the frozen yogurt shop, you want to come to my apartment instead? We could make ice cream sundaes,”

Jumping up from the floor I agree, ”Yeah, that would probably be better,”

On the way out, I run into the doorframe. I felt my face turn bright red.

“Are you okay?” Jeff asks like he already knows the answer.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I answer.

“Well incase anything else happens,” he puts his arm around me, “I’m right here.”

We look at each other and started heading towards the elevator. As the doors slid open and we got inside it felt really awkward. Just standing there with his arm around me. All you could hear was the cheesy elevator music.

Jeff cleared his voice and asks, “So are you and S- “ he caught himself afraid he was going to hurt my feelings again, “Are you going to the allstar game?”

I shook my head. “Why not?” he asks trying to sound casual.

“Because we can never go to games, between school and how expensive the tickets are, we never get the chance to go,” gosh, I hope I didn’t sound like I was asking him to get me tickets because that’s seriously not what I meant.

“If I asked you to go, would you?” he asks as the elevators open to his floor and we walk out.

Sighing I responded, “I don’t have tickets, so I couldn’t”

He frowns answering, “but do you know that I’m playing?”

“No, really?” I say sarcastically, as we reach his door and go inside.

“Hey is Justin here?” I asked. Now it was my turn to feel bad.

He takes his arm off me goes into the kitchen and grabs a Sprite from the fridge. “Jeff, I didn’t mean it like that I just want us to be alone together,”

I do kinda think Justin is cute but Jeff is 100 times better!Luckily Jeff believes me. I really do like him. I could never date him though. I mean, no doubt I want to but I could never do that to Sierra, could I? “No I couldn’t” a voice tells me. She does it to me all the time with all the guys I think are cute. She’s just really cool, how could I compete with that? Like last night when we went bowling. I just told her to ask him out because I know I would never be able to do it myself.

“What?” Jeff asks getting over it, looking at my troubled expression.

Shaking out of my thoughts I answer, ”Nothing, it’s just- no, nothing,”

Jeff smiles coming to sit besides me on the bar stools,” C’mon, tell me,”

I didn’t know what to say. I know that he probably likes Sierra better so I don’t want to say what’s on my mind to make him feel guilty but what else am I suppose to say?
I don’t want to lie to him so I just answer, “You’re going to ask Sierra out aren’t you?”

Jeff’s smile fades but before he can answer Justin walks through the door with Cam, (yes, as in Cam Ward).

“Hey rookie what’s up?” Cam asks.

“Oh nothing,” Jeff answers not taking his eyes off me.

“Well, it’s getting late maybe I should go,” I say doing the best I can not to cry.

“Oh, were you guys having a moment?” Justin asks sounding dumbfounded.

I shake my head afraid that if I say another word I’ll start crying. “Well, bye,” I said almost halfway out the door. My eyes are tearing up so I run for the elevator.

Jeff tries chasing me down but the elevators already closing. “Madeline, please don’t go.”

I lift my head up thinking the doors are already closed but I see his face and he looks devastated.