Totally in Sync

Chapter One

Puck

Wednesday

I didn't want Gracie to know I was watching her, so I took a few indirect glances of her in class. It was high school and my parents hadn't allowed me to date until I was sixteen, which wouldn't be until November. Frankly, I didn't care. I hadn't actually had a girlfriend however and in high school I didn't know what that meant. I just knew that it was “forbidden” and I happened to like her.

“Hey Puck,” my friend Mason caught me in my daze.

“What?” I rolled my eyes, mad that I had to look away.

“It's five minutes until the bell,”

“Really?” I said annoyed. “That's what you interrupted me for?”

He thinks when I glance at the spot where Gracie is, I'm reading the clock; honestly, I could care less about the time.

“Dude, how do you manage to not get called on the entire period?” Mason whispered behind me.

“I have psychic powers,”

“Can you use the Force?”

“No Mason, I'm not a Jedi,”

“Are you sure?” Mason raised an eyebrow.

“Yes Mason,” I sighed, looking back over to Gracie.

“You know, you should really ask your mom for a watch,”

RIIIIIIIING!

“And that's the bell,” I said, not having to explain why I don't want a watch.

Walking down the halls to gym class, I smiled at a poster on the wall. There was homecoming next week, and everyone was going. This particular poster said: GO JUNIORS! SHOW YOUR BOBCAT SPIRIT BY ATTENDING HOMECOMING! $8 TO ENTER, ADDITIONAL CONCESSIONS NOT INCLUDED.

Then at the bottom of the page was Gracie Adams signature. I checked the halls which were now empty because the bell had rang. I pulled my phone out and took a picture of it. Then I rushed to the guys locker room knowing I would be late. When I put my shorts on I noticed a mirror. After I put my shirt on I walked over to it and examined myself. One flaw in my perfected look was my hair. It was like I didn't even try. Which might have been the case. I tried getting my hair wet and smoothing it back a little. I reexamined myself and finally decided it wasn't going to work, I would be late anyway, and ran to the gym.

I clasped my hands over my ears as Coach T blew that obnoxious whistle of his that called all the boys together.

“I apologize, I realize that this isn’t the customary or “standard” way of class, but today we will be going over….” he pauses for emphasis, “Dancing.”

Moans of confusion, disappointment, and disbelief, made their way through the crowd of dumbfounded students.

“Well, you know what, I don’t really care. Dancing is for sissies so I’m gonna run,” Retorted Dyllan in the back of the huddle of boys. Dyllan had always been a troublemaker and a class clown, and he didn’t seem like changing anytime soon. Carter, Dylan's closest friend, who was more of a sidekick than a friend, followed close behind as Dylan jogged away from the group. One frustrated boy after another split from the class to run laps around the gym. I stayed where I was.

“You're not gonna run?” Coach T asked.

“No coach, I like dancing,” I said then thinking that wasn't a good answer I added, “And my mom wants me to get better.”

“Cool,” coach t said calmly, then, watching the boys run laps yelled “Boys! Get over here and dance or else you're going to the principal's office!”

They did. None of them wanted a talk with their parents about why they didn't want to dance.

“Puck, you get a hundred for today. The rest of the boys get a zero,” the coach stated. “Now, everybody stand up and listen.”

One of the boys looked at his watch, it was Carter. “Coach, we've got like five minutes left of class.”

“Fine, but you're still getting a zero, and it's a quiz grade,”

The boys glared at Carter.

“Don't look at me, look at the guy who got the only hundred!”

Suddenly all thirteen of the boys were focused on me. My mind was screaming: run! Get out of there before they make you into a piece of ground beef! I did. For once, I was glad Gracie wasn't looking in my direction.

Now I was back in the halls, trying to casually get behind Gracie. After enough people passed I saw her in the crowd. Just a glimpse of her was enough to get me through the day. (That sounded stalkerish and I mean that sentence in the most non stalkerish way) no more periods left. I thought. Now I can go home, lay in bed, and rant to my cat about how my day went.

I felt relieved as walked out the school doors. My mom is always the first one in the carpool line, which is good, in the sense that I get home faster. Bad in the sense that I don't get to say my silent goodbye to Gracie.

“How’s school?” My mom asks as I close the door to the not-as-new Toyota Avalon.

That's such a silly question that almost no teenager answers honestly. I thought about saying ‘Good mom, I have a crush on this girl and you're lucky I'm too shy to talk to her because otherwise I would already be dating her.’

Instead I say, “Good,”

“What was good about it?” My mom asked.

“Umm…I don't know, I guess gym class was fun,”

She smiles. I knew she would. She knows I don't like sports, and she thinks gym has just sports. Parents are so gullible.

My cat was enthusiastic that I was home. Usually, Leo would run up and rub his furriness all over anything that stuck to it. It was like he was saying: yeah I know you're gonna have to lint brush this, but you think I'm cute so you're not going to move that foot. This is one of those times. So I just stand there in the doorway, until Leo loses interest and walks off to the couch. Then I walk downstairs to my not-so-sweet-suite, drop my bag, and fall in my bed. Staring at the ceiling I notice a stain shaped like a hand, remembering the time I got a sticky toy from the gum ball machine and decided to throw it at the ceiling as hard as I could. I also remember forgetting about it months later when it finally fell off. I know I should be studying for the science quiz I have coming up, but I can't. Every time I try to read over the textbook, certain words remind me of Gracie. For example the atom would remind me of her last name and then I would get distracted from there. So I sat up, walked over to my computer and checked my emails. (At least I can get that done) scrolling through the emails I find myself bored. I have an email from Mason asking me how gym went, an email telling me not to forget to study for the science quiz, and an email about the dance. I open up Mason's email and hit reply. Then another email shows up, so I have to close out of the draft, and check what that says. I almost knock my desk over when I read who it's from. It says:

From:Gracieadams@gmail.com

To:Puckanderson@gmail.com

Subject: Partay!

Hi, I’m having a party Friday night and I was wondering if you wanted to go. I don’t know how many girls are coming, but we will watch football and play games. If you're in, just email me.

I email back in like 0.2 seconds.

From:Puckanderson@gmail.com

To:Gracieadams@gmail.com

Subject: Partay!

Yes I'm in and do you want my number so we can text if anything comes up? Here i’ll just give it to you now if you don't mind. It's 273-589-345.

I hit send. Then I wait. And wait. C’mon, she should've answered by now. Why isn't she answering? Maybe her mom called her, I reassured myself. My phone rings, and I don't know how I got there so fast but I'm there phone in my hand. It's not Gracie. It's Mason. I press ignore. Now I go upstairs to the kitchen and observe where my mom is. Currently she is reading the newspaper. Mom always does that. If she’s reading the paper, you can get stuff past her, but only if it's interesting.

“How's the paper?” I ask

“Good. Did you know there are toilets that are voice activated? Fascinating!” She says, not looking up from her paper.

“Cool,” I say in my most enthusiastic voice. “I was wondering if I could go to a party Friday night.”

“Sure, depending on whose it is,” My mom said.

I bit my lip, I hated lying, but had gotten used to it.

“It's Mason’s,” I said.

“Oh cool, is it like a birthday or something?”

“It's more like a Friday night football get together,” I knew this would make her more likely to say yes, because have I mentioned I didn't like sports? Maybe, once?

“Yeah, I’ll give his mom a call,” she said.

“Yeah, Mason said they were going to a concert later, so they might not pick up,” I lied, again.

“Oh, well, I better do it now then,” my mom said folding her paper and getting up.

My phone rang. It was Gracie. I didn't want to ignore it.

“Is that Mason?” My mom asked.

I had to lie. I was trapped. A tug of war between two girls I loved. And I had to choose which way to lean.

“Yeah, I’ll tell him you want to talk to his mom,” I said, then going back downstairs I picked up on the last ring.

“Hey,” I said, trying to be calm.

“Hey, Puck, just wanted to let you know the party will be from six thirty to eight thirty for people that aren't sleeping over, and six thirty to seven thirty in the morning for people who are,” Gracie said over the phone. “Also bring CD’s of your favorite songs, if you could print the lyrics that would be great.”

“Yeah, sure, I can bring my football too, in case we play football,” I said, knowing I don’t own a football.

Now I was booming with excitement. I was going to a party, that my mom only half knew about. Gracie had invited me. Me. Out of all the hot guys in our grade. Now all I had to do was figure out a way to get there and buy a football.