Status: Updates Weekly
Bottled Blue
Nineteen
My relationship with Jett took a very different turn from that moment on. He came over after school like usual and plopped his backpack down under my hanging clothes. I was already sitting on the other side of the small space. I watched him remove his jacket to reveal a thin cotton t-shirt with the M&M logo on the front. He sat down and finally looked at me.
“M&M’s?” I asked, eyebrow raised.
“Huh?” I motioned toward his shirt. He looked down and ran a hand over his chest. “Oh, right. I forgot.” Then he shrugged. “It was clean.” I nodded slowly.
“Okay.” He reached for his backpack and pulled out the science journal.
“So, what’s the subject today?”
“DNA still.”
“What should we do?”
“Well, it’s my turn, so….” I leaned forward to lie on my stomach and took the notebook from him. I kicked my feet back and forth while I flipped to the next blank page. “I don’t know.” He pulled a book off of my shelf.
“Well, there is a whole section on sperm back here, but I’m gonna go ahead and guess you don’t wanna write about that.”
“Definitely not.”
“What about like—plants and shit? Don’t they have DNA? That’s how they grow longer roots or whatever?” I looked up at him again.
“Like plant evolution?” He shrugged.
“Sure, I guess. Didn’t we go over that last semester? Like one plant mutates with deeper roots, and its offspring do the same until all the plants of that species have deeper roots?” I blinked a few times.
“You actually remember that lesson?”
“Must have been paying attention that day.”
“I guess so.”
“So, does that count?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“You’re not worried about getting a bad grade?” I laughed, and he smiled. “Yeah, stupid question. Alright. Plants it is then.” He flipped through the pages of my book. “Aha, see. Right here.” He showed me the page with the little diagrams on plant evolution.
“Very nice.”
“Still—it’s your paragraph.”
“I can do it. Gimme your pencil.” He plopped down on his belly beside me so we were side-by-side on the cushions. I reached for his pencil, and our fingers brushed against each other. I looked up, and he smiled again.
“Are you blushing, Blue?” he asked. I yanked the book away and sat up again.
“Don’t be stupid. Of course not.” I set it on my knees so I could hide behind it. He chuckled and sat up across from me.
I read over the passage about plants and then scribbled down a paragraph in our journal. Jett was quiet while I was busy. And when I finished, I peeked over the edge of my oversized book to see what he was doing. He was reading something again.
“What are you reading? Sex 101 for Dummies?” I asked. He looked up.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Of course, I’m joking.” He smiled and showed me the book. This time I was shocked. “Sense and Sensibility, really?”
“It was the first thing I grabbed from your fiction section.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I don’t really get it.” I set the book down and took it from him.
“To be honest, I don’t either. I really like Jane Austin movies, but the books are hard for me to follow. It’s actually just—really boring.” He laughed.
“I’m glad you agree. I didn’t want to come off as stupid.”
“Do you read?” I asked.
“Yes, Inglewood. I can read.” I rolled my eyes.
“I meant do you enjoy reading?”
“Sometimes. I liked this book.” He tapped the Kama-Sutra for Women book my mom gave me. I groaned and shoved the book back onto the shelf. “Do I really annoy you, Aasha?” he asked quietly. I looked over my bookshelf and didn’t answer. Instead, I reached for one and handed it over.
“You might have better luck with this one. I don’t know—if you’re into science fiction. It seems like it might be your cup of tea.” He ran his hands over the cover.
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. What’s this about?”
“It’s a classic. The funniest book in the entire world.”
“What makes you think I’d like it?” I shrugged and sat back down. I pulled my legs in and wrapped my hands around my ankles.
“I don’t know. It’s my dad’s favorite book. You seem like the type to enjoy good humor.” He nodded.
“Can I borrow it?”
“Sure, just make sure to return it.”
“I will.” He slid it into his backpack and zipped it back up. Then he looked back at me. The light didn’t reach this side of the house very well. I also had scarves over the window. So the tiny room was dim and hazy with desaturated light.
“You never answered my question,” he pointed out.
“Which one?” He looked like a king sitting amongst all my cushions and scarves. Or a genie in a bottle.
“About if I really annoy you or not.” I looked down at my feet and wiggled my toes. I was wearing socks my mom got me for Christmas. They had robots on them.
“Not really,” I admitted. “I don’t actually hate everything. Or you. I just….”
“Have a dry sense of humor?”
“I guess so.” He stood up and began to pull his jacket back on.
“Then I’m revoking my promise.”
“What do you mean?” He buttoned himself up and reached for his backpack.
“I told you I’d leave you alone as long as I believe you didn’t like me. And I think you actually do like me. So I’m not going to leave you alone.”
“For fuck’s sake, Kanellis.” He just smiled and left my room.
“M&M’s?” I asked, eyebrow raised.
“Huh?” I motioned toward his shirt. He looked down and ran a hand over his chest. “Oh, right. I forgot.” Then he shrugged. “It was clean.” I nodded slowly.
“Okay.” He reached for his backpack and pulled out the science journal.
“So, what’s the subject today?”
“DNA still.”
“What should we do?”
“Well, it’s my turn, so….” I leaned forward to lie on my stomach and took the notebook from him. I kicked my feet back and forth while I flipped to the next blank page. “I don’t know.” He pulled a book off of my shelf.
“Well, there is a whole section on sperm back here, but I’m gonna go ahead and guess you don’t wanna write about that.”
“Definitely not.”
“What about like—plants and shit? Don’t they have DNA? That’s how they grow longer roots or whatever?” I looked up at him again.
“Like plant evolution?” He shrugged.
“Sure, I guess. Didn’t we go over that last semester? Like one plant mutates with deeper roots, and its offspring do the same until all the plants of that species have deeper roots?” I blinked a few times.
“You actually remember that lesson?”
“Must have been paying attention that day.”
“I guess so.”
“So, does that count?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“You’re not worried about getting a bad grade?” I laughed, and he smiled. “Yeah, stupid question. Alright. Plants it is then.” He flipped through the pages of my book. “Aha, see. Right here.” He showed me the page with the little diagrams on plant evolution.
“Very nice.”
“Still—it’s your paragraph.”
“I can do it. Gimme your pencil.” He plopped down on his belly beside me so we were side-by-side on the cushions. I reached for his pencil, and our fingers brushed against each other. I looked up, and he smiled again.
“Are you blushing, Blue?” he asked. I yanked the book away and sat up again.
“Don’t be stupid. Of course not.” I set it on my knees so I could hide behind it. He chuckled and sat up across from me.
I read over the passage about plants and then scribbled down a paragraph in our journal. Jett was quiet while I was busy. And when I finished, I peeked over the edge of my oversized book to see what he was doing. He was reading something again.
“What are you reading? Sex 101 for Dummies?” I asked. He looked up.
“You’re joking, right?”
“Of course, I’m joking.” He smiled and showed me the book. This time I was shocked. “Sense and Sensibility, really?”
“It was the first thing I grabbed from your fiction section.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I don’t really get it.” I set the book down and took it from him.
“To be honest, I don’t either. I really like Jane Austin movies, but the books are hard for me to follow. It’s actually just—really boring.” He laughed.
“I’m glad you agree. I didn’t want to come off as stupid.”
“Do you read?” I asked.
“Yes, Inglewood. I can read.” I rolled my eyes.
“I meant do you enjoy reading?”
“Sometimes. I liked this book.” He tapped the Kama-Sutra for Women book my mom gave me. I groaned and shoved the book back onto the shelf. “Do I really annoy you, Aasha?” he asked quietly. I looked over my bookshelf and didn’t answer. Instead, I reached for one and handed it over.
“You might have better luck with this one. I don’t know—if you’re into science fiction. It seems like it might be your cup of tea.” He ran his hands over the cover.
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. What’s this about?”
“It’s a classic. The funniest book in the entire world.”
“What makes you think I’d like it?” I shrugged and sat back down. I pulled my legs in and wrapped my hands around my ankles.
“I don’t know. It’s my dad’s favorite book. You seem like the type to enjoy good humor.” He nodded.
“Can I borrow it?”
“Sure, just make sure to return it.”
“I will.” He slid it into his backpack and zipped it back up. Then he looked back at me. The light didn’t reach this side of the house very well. I also had scarves over the window. So the tiny room was dim and hazy with desaturated light.
“You never answered my question,” he pointed out.
“Which one?” He looked like a king sitting amongst all my cushions and scarves. Or a genie in a bottle.
“About if I really annoy you or not.” I looked down at my feet and wiggled my toes. I was wearing socks my mom got me for Christmas. They had robots on them.
“Not really,” I admitted. “I don’t actually hate everything. Or you. I just….”
“Have a dry sense of humor?”
“I guess so.” He stood up and began to pull his jacket back on.
“Then I’m revoking my promise.”
“What do you mean?” He buttoned himself up and reached for his backpack.
“I told you I’d leave you alone as long as I believe you didn’t like me. And I think you actually do like me. So I’m not going to leave you alone.”
“For fuck’s sake, Kanellis.” He just smiled and left my room.