Second Sucks

When I saw Jeremy sitting in first block the next morning, a wide smile stretched across my face. He had headphones in both ears, and was reading a book, so he didn't notice me as I walked over to him. I crouched in front of his desk and slipped a headphone out of his ear and put it in my own. The sounds of Jimmy Eat World filled my ears.

"Hey Cecily." he said with a smile. He turned his book over and stared back at me, giving me a chance to get a good look at him. His eyes and nose were slightly red, his hair was tousled, and he looked like he hadn't fully woken up.

"You okay?" I asked. "Where were you yesterday?"

"I was sick." he explained. "Actually, I'm still sick, but my parents forced me to go to school. I feel like shit."

I gave him a sympathetic frown and said, "Maybe I should come take care of you."

Was it just me, or did that sound like the opening line to a bad porno?

To my surprise, he smiled and said, "If you want, but you really have no idea what you're getting into."

---

And that was how I ended up in Jeremy's bedroom after school that day. His parents simply asked me my name and let us go, like it was an everyday occurrence- which thankfully, it wasn't. When we got upstairs, Jeremy even closed the door behind us, something that never would have happened in my house. I definitely liked his parents.

"Do you really want me to take care of you?" I asked as he sat on his bed, while I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. "Because I'm warning you now, I'm pretty awful as a caretaker."

He laughed and sat down on his bed as he said, "I didn't really, but I'd be forever grateful if you'd get me a ginger ale out of my fridge."

I looked around his room for a moment before spotting a mini fridge laying in one corner.

"I cannot believe your parents let you have a mini fridge in your room." I said as I grabbed a can of ginger ale, popped it open, and sat next to him.

"They hate it, because now I spend all my time in my room," he laughed "but I haggled them. Every Sunday is family night now, but it's worth it."

As we fell into silence, I looked around his room. It was a typical teenage boy's room- clothes on the floor, posters tacked up on the wall, and video games and movies neatly stacked on a shelf- but I was a little surprised to find a couple acoustic guitars lying in a corner. They weren't in bad condition, but you could tell that they were often used and well loved.

"You play?" I asked.

He nodded and said, "Back when I lived in Ocala, I had a little band put together, but once I moved up to Georgia things kinda stopped. Once I get outta high school, I wanna start it back up again, though."

"Can you play me something?" I asked.

There was a nervous moment where I thought he would say no, and I started to feel silly for asking, but he got up, grabbed a guitar, and said, "My voice is a little gone from being sick, but if you don't mind that, I can definitely."

As he strummed a few practice chords, he gave me a shy grin, then started to play.

"I went to sleep thinking about you and I woke up just the same. You made it so hard for me to close my eyes. Don't worry babe, this will be alright in the end, and I'll be your everything."

Almost immediately, I was in love with his voice. Despite the scratchy sound, it was soft and soothing, not perfect but perfect enough.

"How'd you like it?" he asked as he finished up.

"That was great." I said with a smile. "You're really talented."

"What about you?" he asked. "What's your talent?"

I shrugged and said, "I like photography. I guess I'm good at it."

"Maybe you should take some pictures of me sometimes." he said with a wink. I laughed and rolled my eyes, even though my heart had never been more for an idea.

---

A few hours later, after Jeremy dropped me off at my house, I laid awake in bed for hours, running over our conversations in my head. I was anxious to see him the next day, anxious just to have another conversation with him. The time I spent with him today only made me want him- and want him to be mine- even more. Before I drifted off to sleep, I made up my mind; I would make the first move, and I wasn't taking no for an answer.