The Second Wave

Hey Beckett!" Jack exclaimed as he threw his arm around my shoulders.
"Hey," I said, not sharing his same level of enthusiasm.
"What's the matter? You're not still mad about yesterday, are you?"
"A little."
"Hey, I told you last night that I was sorry. It was just... I was a little upset about losing, that's all."
I threw his arm off at looked at him with hard eyes, "Dude, it's a stupid game. Not a life and death situation."
Jack shrugged, "Nobody's perfect. How about we just forget about it and move on, okay?"
"Fine. For now anyway."
"That's better. So," he said as we started to walk, "you'll never believe who I just saw down at the Pub."
"Who?"
"Jenny," he said, elbowing me in the arm.
I rolled my eyes but I couldn't help a small smile from emerging, "Shut up."
"I'm serious though! I mean, when are you gonna ask her out already?"
"She'd never go for a guy like me," I told him. "She probably thinks I'm stupid and clumsy just like the rest of the town." "
Well, you know what they say..."
"No. Actually I don't."
"Stupid is as stupid does."
I laughed, "Is that supposed to be encouraging?"
"Worth the try," Jack said. "You know what?" He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around so we started walking in the opposite direction. "I'm taking you to the Pub right now, and I'm not letting you leave until you've at least had a conversation with the girl."
"No. Jack," I protested, trying to dig my heels in to stop up from heading in that particular direction. "This really isn't a good idea..."
"Oh but my brother it is. I think you'll find it to be a big boost in your confidence level. You know, I was talking to Lindsey the other day-”
"What the heck does your sister have to do with this? Besides, I thought you two didn't like each other."
"She has everything to do with this. Besides, I now have a new found relationship with my sister since I realized she has some killer advice when it comes to the women species. Having a gay sister does have its perks, believe it or not."
"Wait, are you saying your sister has a crush on Jenny?!" I asked, getting concerned about where this conversation was going.
"No! No, no, no oh my goodness no. She's going steady with this other chick. My point," at this he pointed his finger to the sky, "is that, she too, has some expertise in this particular subject. She was just saying to relax and be yourself. Girls like that. Now, be careful not to be so relaxed that you look like you don't care. They don't like that so much. Also, don't try so hard; just let it flow and go wherever it takes you. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." A little more insistent than before, Jack urged me forward and I stopped resisting so much, figuring it would make the whole ordeal much easier for the both of us.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt just to stop by for a little while, I thought in an attempt to reason that this was a good choice.
When we reached the Pub, I stopped my walking and leaned up against one of the buildings, graffiti scrawled across its surface in millions of colors and messages. The buildings here rose so high and were so intact, that it was almost hard to remember that there had once been a war going on. But we knew. You could see it the little signs here and there. Claw marks in the pavement, the abandoned tank in the center of the park. All constant reminders that life will probably never be the same again.
"You okay?" Jack asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
I ran a hand through my hair and let out a deep sigh, "Is this really all that necessary?"
"Definitely." He said, grabbing me by the shoulder to pull me closer to the doorway. "Now don't make yourself look like a coward. You can do this. Be the tiger!"
"Be the tiger?" I asked, looking back at him as I stepped inside, the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol filling my lungs. "What the hell does that even mean?"
"Nothing really. It's just supposed to sound awesome and... well... awesome." We walked over to a table in the corner and sat down, a waitress coming to take our orders.
"I'll just have a water," I told her.
"Some scotch," Jack said with a flirtatious wink.
Even though the waitress knew that we were under twenty-one, she soon produced a bottle with three glasses, one with my water and the other two for the scotch.
Some things have changed since the end of the war. Drinking age, for instance, used to be twenty-one. But basically after the destruction of the U.S. Government, people began to drink as young as thirteen. It was the most common way people seemed to deal with all the damage. That still doesn't mean that anyone could wander into a bar and order a drink. You had to be at least seventeen or eighteen to do that.
"Anything else?" She asked with a smile at Jack.
"Well actually-”
"We're fine, thanks," I interrupted.
The waitress walked away from our table, but not without taking one last glance at Jack.
"What was that?!" He asked, smacking me on the top of the head with his hand.
"That was me trying to keep you in control," I said with a faked serious expression. "How do you do it?" I asked, being serious for real now.
"Do what?"
"Make it look so easy! You and girls, that is. It's like you're lady switch is always on while mine's stuck on off."
Jack shrugged, "I dunno. You just gotta do it. Have a lot of confidence in yourself."
"Pff. Good luck with that." I replied.
"See? I think that's your problem. You spend so much time thinking about what others say about you that you have no room to feel sure of yourself."
I scoffed, "Yeah. You got that right. And exactly how much time have you been spending with Lindsey? You're starting to sound like a girl."
"More than I should, I guess. You know, you should try it sometime."
"I'm good, thanks."
"You're loss," he said, popping the top off the scotch.
I took a drink from my water and looked around the Pub, the dim yellow lights flickering over the shabby room, tables and chairs thrown everywhere in an attempt to fit in as many people as possible in the small space.
There.
I spotted her across the room at the bar, sitting on a stool and talking with some guy. I immediately felt something between intimidation, and determination. Intimidated with nervousness yet determined by it at the same time. I would overcome this.
I would overcome this. I knew that I was probably making a bigger deal out of this than it was worth, but I couldn't help it. I just had this feeling that people were gonna start giving me grief. They always do. I had no idea why I'd been chosen to be their little scapegoat, but I was starting to get real sick and tired of it. Maybe it was time to stop letting it get to me. Jack was right. I just needed to stop caring about what others think about me and concentrate on being myself.
Ugh. Now I was starting to sound like a girl.
Here goes nothing, I thought as I drained the last of the water from my glass.
"Well don't you look determined," Jack commented. He reached to the middle of the table for the bottle but I snatched it up first. "Hey!"
"Sorry, Jack," I said, walking away towards the bar, "but I need this more than you."

==-=

She said yes. I couldn't believe that she had actually accepted instead of turning me away like some random admirer. "Really?" I smiled. "You'd really go out with me? The town scapegoat?"
Jenny smiled, "Yeah! Do you think I just accept everyone who asks me out?"
"No! No, of course not. I just though you would laugh at me like everyone else does."
"Well they're all a bunch of idiots, laughing at a smart young man like you. Most people think it's wrong to be different but I like that about you. It makes you more interesting than everyone else in this stupid town."
I laughed. A laugh that came easily instead of forced like it usually did. "Oh. So I'm interesting, am I?"
"Yeah. Besides," she said before taking a small sip of her drink, "you got a cute butt."
"Uh... Thank you?"
Now it was her turn to laugh, "You are most welcome. Hey, listen, do you want to get out of here? I've never been a big fan of getting to know my boyfriend at the public bar."
"Sure," I said and left a tip on the counter and grabbed the scotch bottle before escorting Jenny to the door. I had no idea where Jack had run off to, nor did I care. My guess was that he'd gone off to make out with the waitress because I hadn't seen either one for quite some time. As we stepped outside, I realized that it had quickly gone from sunny, to complete overcast, the clouds appearing as if they would burst at any moment.
Jenny shielded her eyes and looked up at the sky, "Looks like it's going to rain soon."
"Wanna go inside somewhere?"
"No. I think we'll be fine. And if it does rain," she looked at me, "we can always run."
I found that I was already feeling more relaxed around this girl. My smiles and laughs felt more natural and came more often. It was definitely different but I welcomed the change with open arms. We strolled down the sidewalk, the bottle of scotch dangling between us.
"So. Beckett," Jenny said looking down at her feet. "What sort of things do you like to do?"
I sighed, "I dunno. Never really thought about it. A lot of things, I guess. Parkour and free- running for one. Um... Used to like capture the flag until everyone started ganging up on me. But I mostly stay home and draw."
"You draw?" Jenny asked and I could hear the smile in her voice.
"Yeah. Do you?"
"Well. I do, but I'm not very good. Are you?"
"I suppose," I told her with a shrug. "I never really had anyone look at it. You know, I could always help teach you to draw better if you'd want."
"Oh, Beckett! I'd love that! It sounds like so much fun!"
I looked over at her, "You think?"
"Yeah. Just a nice, quiet get-together; don't you agree?"
"Yes. Yes it does." I stopped to look at her, her light brown hair pulled into a high ponytail and her hazel eyes gazing up at me eagerly. "How about tomorrow? I could pick you up around three."
She nodded, "You know Beckett, you're nothing like I thought you were."
"Is that a good thing?" I asked, setting the bottle down.
"Definitely a good thing," she said. Tentatively, she reached up and circled her arms about my neck. I inched myself closer until our bodies were only inches apart and I rested my hands on her hips, feeling more sure as I felt her back relax. I leaned forward until our lips found each other, a quick but, at the same time, intense moment.
I smiled, "That was nice," I told her.
She smiled back at me, her teeth brilliant white pearls, "Yeah. You know... that was actually my first time I ever really kissed someone."
"Me too," I said and I pulled her closer once more for another kiss, the clouds opening up in an onslaught of rain.

==-=

Later that day, when I finally caught up with Jack, he asked me slyly, "So. How'd it go with Jenny?"
And all I could say was, "Jack, ol' buddy, I think I'm in love."