Champagne's for Celebrating, I'll Take a Martini
One
“Ah, you must be Arianna?”
Jack Barakat’s head shot up at the sound of an unfamiliar name.
“Carrillo,” the girl clarified. She was clearly a new student because he would have remembered a face that pretty. She had dark, dark brown hair that fell in soft unnatural curls and piercing green eyes. She wore Westridge High’s customary uniform consisting of a brown plaid kilt that she rolled so it stopped an inch or so above her knees and a clean white polo; the first two buttons left undone. Her navy blue sweater hung from her arm. He could just make out the gold script that read Westridge.
“Right then, Miss Carrillo. Find a seat and we’ll get started,” Mr. O’Connor said, crossing the girl’s name off his class list. She nodded and walked down the row to the first free desk she saw. It just so happened that it was right next to him. Jack turned his head to get a good look at this new girl, Arianna. She caught him staring and he could feel his cheeks burn as her green eyes looked him up and down. Great, he thought, now she probably thinks I’m a creep.
To his relief, her pink lips curled up in a small smile before she turned away, facing forward. Jack’s face still felt hot and for the life of him he couldn’t register a word of what Mr. O’Connor was saying. He was abruptly pulled out of his trance by a swift smack to the shoulder. He glanced over to his other side where his best friend Julia Reed was seated. They were next-door neighbors and had the brother-sister act down to a science. She was older than him by only two weeks, but she always felt the need to look out for him and did her best to keep him in line—not that it did any good at times.
She had a warning look on her face. She of all people knew how Jack could be. He was like a small child. He saw a shiny new toy and suddenly that was all he could focus on. It was all he wanted until he got bored and moved on to the next new thing. She knew deep down Jack was a good guy, but he like all people had his flaws. He disregarded her stare and turned back in his seat, pretending to be absorbing the lecture Mr. O’Connor seemed to be giving.
No matter how hard he tried to pay attention, though, all he could think about was the pretty girl sitting to his right.
Arianna Carrillo
***
Jack walked down the hallway, his backpack slung over his right shoulder and his opposite arm draped around a pretty blonde. Mandy Hudson was the captain of the cheerleading team and somehow managed to get away with wearing her uniform as much as she could around school. The short pleaded skirt and tight top made her the focal point in any guys' view. Jack was clearly no exception to this.
"Hey Jacko!" Julia waved as he and Mandy approached her locker. His best friend, Alex, was standing there as well. "Hi Mandy," she added in a less friendly tone, her smile becoming exaggerated and phony. Mandy looked her up and down as if Julia was a frog she had to dissect and gave a small, forced smile in response. The two didn't exactly get along.
"I better go…" Mandy turned to Jack, placing her delicate, finger-polished hand to his chest. "Can't be late for practice."
"Cheer practice?" Julia scoffed. "In the middle of school?"
Mandy turned back to Julia, shooting her a dirty glare. "Nationals are coming up and all cheerleaders have been excused from period 4 and 5 to practice the routine," she smirked as if this was supposed to impress her.
"Because that's what's important for the school…winning Nationals," Julia scoffed, her voice saturated in sarcasm. With an exasperated groan, Mandy whipped around, clearly too annoyed to stop and give Jack an obnoxious goodbye kiss the way she always did whenever she left his side. Julia couldn't help but giggle to herself as she watched the heated cheerleader storm off. Jack sighed, shaking his head at his friend.
"What? I wasn't mean!" Julia said, trying to hold back her laughter. "I'm sorry your girlfriend has a stick up her butt."
Already over it, Jack turned to his locker and began entering his combination. "Mhm."
"So anyway…Jack, does Mandy still want us to play at her party this weekend?" Alex cut in, leaning against Julia's locker. Julia's eyebrows raised.
"You're playing at Mandy's?"
"Yup," Jack nodded, pulling out his French textbook. "And if you behave yourself, maybe I could get you an invite," he added with a grin.
"Oh could you?" Julia's hands flew up to her chest as she feigned excitement.
"Ha. Ha." Jack slammed his locker shut. When he turned around his eyes stopped on a familiar figure. There she was, the brunette beauty, looking down at her schedule with a frustrated expression on her face. He said a hasty goodbye to his friends and took off in Arianna's direction. "Hey," he greeted. She looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his gaze.
"Hi," she smiled.
"You look like someone who needs help," he smirked.
"Do I?" she mused, arching a brow at the lanky boy. She noticed his dark scruffy hair with its tufts of blonde swept across his face. He had a big nose and big brown eyes to match. Jack flashed his signature smirk and grabbed Arianna's schedule from her hands.
"So you have French next. With me," he said, extremely pleased to have another class with the new girl. She took back the blue sheet of paper and folded her arms across her chest.
"Well I must be one lucky girl, huh?" she said dryly, but Jack waved it off.
"Since you're new, I'll cut you a break and save you fifteen minutes of wandering hallways and let you walk with me," Jack nudged her arm and she looked down, chuckling softly.
"That's a really great offer," she looked back up to Jack. "But you know, I kind of like exploring. So thanks, but no thanks," Arianna patted him on the shoulder and started walking off. "Oh, but Jack?" he turned around at the sound of her voice, his face still twisted up in confusion. "See you in French," she winked and walked off. In the distance, he heard slow clapping.
"Oh ouch," Alex laughed at his friend's expense. "That hurt from over here."
"Fuck you," Jack rolled his eyes and looked over to Julia who just rolled her eyes and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. She may have hated Mandy, but she didn't like Jack flirting with every girl in the school even more.
"I'm gonna go before Mr. Boehner gives me another detention," she said and disappeared into the small crowd of students and teachers on their way to their next class.
"Remember, practice at Rian's after school," Alex reminded him before he took off too. Jack waved him off with a nod and continued on his way to French class.
Jack Barakat’s head shot up at the sound of an unfamiliar name.
“Carrillo,” the girl clarified. She was clearly a new student because he would have remembered a face that pretty. She had dark, dark brown hair that fell in soft unnatural curls and piercing green eyes. She wore Westridge High’s customary uniform consisting of a brown plaid kilt that she rolled so it stopped an inch or so above her knees and a clean white polo; the first two buttons left undone. Her navy blue sweater hung from her arm. He could just make out the gold script that read Westridge.
“Right then, Miss Carrillo. Find a seat and we’ll get started,” Mr. O’Connor said, crossing the girl’s name off his class list. She nodded and walked down the row to the first free desk she saw. It just so happened that it was right next to him. Jack turned his head to get a good look at this new girl, Arianna. She caught him staring and he could feel his cheeks burn as her green eyes looked him up and down. Great, he thought, now she probably thinks I’m a creep.
To his relief, her pink lips curled up in a small smile before she turned away, facing forward. Jack’s face still felt hot and for the life of him he couldn’t register a word of what Mr. O’Connor was saying. He was abruptly pulled out of his trance by a swift smack to the shoulder. He glanced over to his other side where his best friend Julia Reed was seated. They were next-door neighbors and had the brother-sister act down to a science. She was older than him by only two weeks, but she always felt the need to look out for him and did her best to keep him in line—not that it did any good at times.
She had a warning look on her face. She of all people knew how Jack could be. He was like a small child. He saw a shiny new toy and suddenly that was all he could focus on. It was all he wanted until he got bored and moved on to the next new thing. She knew deep down Jack was a good guy, but he like all people had his flaws. He disregarded her stare and turned back in his seat, pretending to be absorbing the lecture Mr. O’Connor seemed to be giving.
No matter how hard he tried to pay attention, though, all he could think about was the pretty girl sitting to his right.
Arianna Carrillo
***
Jack walked down the hallway, his backpack slung over his right shoulder and his opposite arm draped around a pretty blonde. Mandy Hudson was the captain of the cheerleading team and somehow managed to get away with wearing her uniform as much as she could around school. The short pleaded skirt and tight top made her the focal point in any guys' view. Jack was clearly no exception to this.
"Hey Jacko!" Julia waved as he and Mandy approached her locker. His best friend, Alex, was standing there as well. "Hi Mandy," she added in a less friendly tone, her smile becoming exaggerated and phony. Mandy looked her up and down as if Julia was a frog she had to dissect and gave a small, forced smile in response. The two didn't exactly get along.
"I better go…" Mandy turned to Jack, placing her delicate, finger-polished hand to his chest. "Can't be late for practice."
"Cheer practice?" Julia scoffed. "In the middle of school?"
Mandy turned back to Julia, shooting her a dirty glare. "Nationals are coming up and all cheerleaders have been excused from period 4 and 5 to practice the routine," she smirked as if this was supposed to impress her.
"Because that's what's important for the school…winning Nationals," Julia scoffed, her voice saturated in sarcasm. With an exasperated groan, Mandy whipped around, clearly too annoyed to stop and give Jack an obnoxious goodbye kiss the way she always did whenever she left his side. Julia couldn't help but giggle to herself as she watched the heated cheerleader storm off. Jack sighed, shaking his head at his friend.
"What? I wasn't mean!" Julia said, trying to hold back her laughter. "I'm sorry your girlfriend has a stick up her butt."
Already over it, Jack turned to his locker and began entering his combination. "Mhm."
"So anyway…Jack, does Mandy still want us to play at her party this weekend?" Alex cut in, leaning against Julia's locker. Julia's eyebrows raised.
"You're playing at Mandy's?"
"Yup," Jack nodded, pulling out his French textbook. "And if you behave yourself, maybe I could get you an invite," he added with a grin.
"Oh could you?" Julia's hands flew up to her chest as she feigned excitement.
"Ha. Ha." Jack slammed his locker shut. When he turned around his eyes stopped on a familiar figure. There she was, the brunette beauty, looking down at her schedule with a frustrated expression on her face. He said a hasty goodbye to his friends and took off in Arianna's direction. "Hey," he greeted. She looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his gaze.
"Hi," she smiled.
"You look like someone who needs help," he smirked.
"Do I?" she mused, arching a brow at the lanky boy. She noticed his dark scruffy hair with its tufts of blonde swept across his face. He had a big nose and big brown eyes to match. Jack flashed his signature smirk and grabbed Arianna's schedule from her hands.
"So you have French next. With me," he said, extremely pleased to have another class with the new girl. She took back the blue sheet of paper and folded her arms across her chest.
"Well I must be one lucky girl, huh?" she said dryly, but Jack waved it off.
"Since you're new, I'll cut you a break and save you fifteen minutes of wandering hallways and let you walk with me," Jack nudged her arm and she looked down, chuckling softly.
"That's a really great offer," she looked back up to Jack. "But you know, I kind of like exploring. So thanks, but no thanks," Arianna patted him on the shoulder and started walking off. "Oh, but Jack?" he turned around at the sound of her voice, his face still twisted up in confusion. "See you in French," she winked and walked off. In the distance, he heard slow clapping.
"Oh ouch," Alex laughed at his friend's expense. "That hurt from over here."
"Fuck you," Jack rolled his eyes and looked over to Julia who just rolled her eyes and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. She may have hated Mandy, but she didn't like Jack flirting with every girl in the school even more.
"I'm gonna go before Mr. Boehner gives me another detention," she said and disappeared into the small crowd of students and teachers on their way to their next class.
"Remember, practice at Rian's after school," Alex reminded him before he took off too. Jack waved him off with a nod and continued on his way to French class.
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