Status: Complete!!
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
Chapter 17
Jared's P.O.V.
As soon as I got into the car I slammed my hands against the steering wheel. I’d messed it up – I shouldn’t have just tried to kiss her, she probably thought I was an idiot. She probably thought I was stupid, and I’d probably just messed up our friendship. But I wish I would have just gone through with it and kissed her; I could still feel her breath against my skin, the nerves of being so close to finally kissing her.
“What took you so long? Where were you?” Marcus asked as I walked in the door.
“At a friends’ watching my brother’s game,” I answered, kicking off my shoes and heading for the kitchen to find a snack.
“Whose place?” he asked, and I bristled a little bit.
“Kassidy’s,” I answered, and he snickered a little.
“Really? Dude you could do so much better,”
“Shut up! You don’t even know her!” I shot back at him, and he began to laugh in earnest.
“Dude, I don’t have to know her – I have two eyes,”
“Shut up or I’ll punch you Marc; you don’t know her, and you have no right to say that about her. She’s smart, and funny, and pretty,” I felt my blood boiling a little bit and my fists clenched.
“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes and headed upstairs to his room.
I stomped into the kitchen, my bad mood intensified; between my idiocy at screwing up kissing Kass and now Marcus being an ass I was ready to punch something. Or someone.
~*~
I knew I’d screwed up, I just hadn’t known how badly. A month and a half had went by and Kass hasn’t even looked at me, let alone spoke to me. It was bothering me; even affecting my playing. I didn’t know how to bring it up to her, and I couldn’t make myself focus during a game. The guys had all noticed, but didn’t dare ask. My brother Eric had even called me to see what was up, but I couldn’t tell him.
“Dude, you’ve got to pull yourself together; talk to her or something,” I jumped when Eric spoke to me. He and I’d become close friends over the past couple of months, and he’d never made fun of me because of Kass.
“I can’t – she won’t have anything to do with me,” I sighed, and he rolled his eyes.
“Have you tried?”
“Once or twice – she just ignores me and walks away,” I admitted, and leaned against my locker. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her, and felt my heart sink and my breath catch again. Something was different about her lately, and while at first I hadn’t been able to put my finger on it I’d noticed the way her clothes hung looser on her frame. I was starting to get a little worried – she wasn’t heavy before, and I was afraid that if she wore clothes that fit her frame now she’d be too thin.
“Just a second,” Eric had perked up when he saw her and Alanna, and made a beeline for them. I tried to call him back without being obvious, and panicked a little bit before hiding behind the door of my locker. They talked for a bit, Kass obviously being shy about it, before cracking a cute little smile. I felt almost sick to my stomach – knowing she’d talk to him and that he could put a smile on her pretty face when she wouldn’t even look at me.
After a minute or two they said goodbye, and Kass and Alanna continued on their way – passing me without so much as a glance. Eric walked back to me, a grin on his face.
“What the hell was that?” I hissed, and he shrugged.
“You should be thanking me; I might have just got you a chance to explain yourself,”
“Huh?”
“I invited her to that party Friday night – I said that you’d wanted to ask her but you’ve been really busy lately and hadn’t got the chance to,” I groaned, slouching against my locker.
“Now she really won’t go,”
“She said she would,” he said, surprising me.
“She what?”
“Yup, she agreed to go,” he repeated, and I was surprised. Maybe I would get a second chance.
As soon as I got into the car I slammed my hands against the steering wheel. I’d messed it up – I shouldn’t have just tried to kiss her, she probably thought I was an idiot. She probably thought I was stupid, and I’d probably just messed up our friendship. But I wish I would have just gone through with it and kissed her; I could still feel her breath against my skin, the nerves of being so close to finally kissing her.
“What took you so long? Where were you?” Marcus asked as I walked in the door.
“At a friends’ watching my brother’s game,” I answered, kicking off my shoes and heading for the kitchen to find a snack.
“Whose place?” he asked, and I bristled a little bit.
“Kassidy’s,” I answered, and he snickered a little.
“Really? Dude you could do so much better,”
“Shut up! You don’t even know her!” I shot back at him, and he began to laugh in earnest.
“Dude, I don’t have to know her – I have two eyes,”
“Shut up or I’ll punch you Marc; you don’t know her, and you have no right to say that about her. She’s smart, and funny, and pretty,” I felt my blood boiling a little bit and my fists clenched.
“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes and headed upstairs to his room.
I stomped into the kitchen, my bad mood intensified; between my idiocy at screwing up kissing Kass and now Marcus being an ass I was ready to punch something. Or someone.
~*~
I knew I’d screwed up, I just hadn’t known how badly. A month and a half had went by and Kass hasn’t even looked at me, let alone spoke to me. It was bothering me; even affecting my playing. I didn’t know how to bring it up to her, and I couldn’t make myself focus during a game. The guys had all noticed, but didn’t dare ask. My brother Eric had even called me to see what was up, but I couldn’t tell him.
“Dude, you’ve got to pull yourself together; talk to her or something,” I jumped when Eric spoke to me. He and I’d become close friends over the past couple of months, and he’d never made fun of me because of Kass.
“I can’t – she won’t have anything to do with me,” I sighed, and he rolled his eyes.
“Have you tried?”
“Once or twice – she just ignores me and walks away,” I admitted, and leaned against my locker. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her, and felt my heart sink and my breath catch again. Something was different about her lately, and while at first I hadn’t been able to put my finger on it I’d noticed the way her clothes hung looser on her frame. I was starting to get a little worried – she wasn’t heavy before, and I was afraid that if she wore clothes that fit her frame now she’d be too thin.
“Just a second,” Eric had perked up when he saw her and Alanna, and made a beeline for them. I tried to call him back without being obvious, and panicked a little bit before hiding behind the door of my locker. They talked for a bit, Kass obviously being shy about it, before cracking a cute little smile. I felt almost sick to my stomach – knowing she’d talk to him and that he could put a smile on her pretty face when she wouldn’t even look at me.
After a minute or two they said goodbye, and Kass and Alanna continued on their way – passing me without so much as a glance. Eric walked back to me, a grin on his face.
“What the hell was that?” I hissed, and he shrugged.
“You should be thanking me; I might have just got you a chance to explain yourself,”
“Huh?”
“I invited her to that party Friday night – I said that you’d wanted to ask her but you’ve been really busy lately and hadn’t got the chance to,” I groaned, slouching against my locker.
“Now she really won’t go,”
“She said she would,” he said, surprising me.
“She what?”
“Yup, she agreed to go,” he repeated, and I was surprised. Maybe I would get a second chance.