In Too Deep

“So… you guys have been secretly dating since the day you were mugged?” Stella asked as they all gathered in the girls’ dorm.

Jackie nodded glumly from where she was sprawled across her bed. “We didn’t tell anyone because we thought everybody be really annoying about it.” She glanced at Scooter. “And we were right about that.”

“You knew about this?” Lexi asked, looking at her boyfriend quizzically.

Scooter shrugged. “I found out this morning when I tried to read Dina’s article... which wasn’t really her article. She figured it out first.”

“You weren’t going to tell us?” Stella asked Jackie, sounding a little offended.

“I was! I swear I was going to!” Jackie assured her. “Please, please don’t be mad at me.”

Lexi and Stella looked at each other, as if debating whether or not they should be angry. Before either one said anything, Jeffrey spoke to Jackie. “That was really dumb of you two,” he said bluntly.

Jackie groaned and buried her face in her pillow. “I know, I know. I’m an idiot…”

“And an obsessive-compulsive liar,” Lexi threw in.

“And she’s your best friend,” Dina said from where she was leaning against the wall. Stella and Lexi stared at her. “You’re making her cry.”

Jackie squeezed the pillow tightly, tears flowing freely from her eyes. “I’m… such… a bad…friend,” she got out between sobs. “And now… I can’t… see… Max… and I have… a giant hickey… and… damn it, I need some cranberry juice!”

Scooter and Jeffrey looked immensely uncomfortable at being so near a sobbing female, but neither one moved. Stella stood from where she sat on her bed and walked to the mini fridge, pulling out a small bottle of cranberry juice. She sat carefully on Jackie’s bed and nudged her shoulder.

Jackie lifted her head from her pillow and accepted the bottle. “Thanks,” she mumbled, sniffling.

Stella nodded. “Never lie again?”

“I promise,” Jackie answered.

Lexi stood up and walked over to them. “Then I forgive you.”

“Me too,” Stella said, and she pulled Jackie into a hug, which Lexi joined. When they pulled away, Lexi turned to the two boys.

“Please excuse us as we have a girly moment,” she warned, before glancing at Stella and erupting into squeals and giggles.

“You and Max! Oh my God!”

“I knew it was going to happen! Yay!”

“So, like, how far have you gotten?”

“Are you in looooooove?”

Jeffrey and Scooter moved to the door instantly, and Dina followed. “We’re leaving,” Scooter announced. “We’re going to see if Max is back in our room yet.”

“Tell him I hate his parents,” Jackie said.

“I’m sure he’ll feel the same,” Scooter said with a chuckle, shutting the door, allowing the girls to continue their moment.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Mr. McCauley,
Please assign Max Leopold a tutor. His parents have requested it.
Remember what I told you about Jackie Bodello. Keep them apart.
-Dr. Barrie

Mr. McCauley read over the note and surveyed his chemistry class. “I need someone with above a 95 average to tutor Mr. Leopold,” he stated. “Any volunteers?”

Two people raised their hands: dorky Jason and a very eager Jackie.

“Me! Me! Pick me!” Jackie said excitedly, bouncing in her seat.

Mr. McCauley rolled his eyes. “Jason, you will tutor Max for one hour, three times a week.”

Max groaned as Jackie sat back in her seat dejectedly. Jason turned to Max and smiled brightly. “Net ionic equations are awesome, aren’t they, Max? We’re going to have so much fun!”

“I… hate… my… life…” Max stated, banging his head against the desk with each word.

On the other side of the room, Stella patted Jackie’s arm comfortingly. “It’s okay,” she said. “You have all of us on your side. We’re going to help the two of you be together.”

Jackie glared at her friend. “If you and Lexi bring up the whole Romeo and Juliet thing one more time, I swear I will throw you both out our dorm window.”

Stella stared at Jackie, a smile forming on her face. “Jackie… that’s it!”

“What?” Jackie grumbled.

“The window!”

Jackie rolled her eyes. “I told you, I am not committing suicide. We’re not star-crossed lovers. Romeo and Juliet were complete dumbasses. Max might be one, but I’m not.”

“No, no, no, I’m not telling you to jump out the window to your death,” Stella said quickly. “We’re Room 204 and the boys are Room 304. Their window is directly above ours. I’m telling you to climb out our window and go up.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was a few minutes past midnight. Jackie sat on her bed, wide-awake and waiting. Stella and Lexi sat on their beds as well, attempting to stay awake, but dozing off every few seconds.

“Does this have to happen so late?” Lexi asked tiredly.

“Night is the only time Dr. Barrie won’t be watching!” Jackie snapped.

Finally, the signal came.

A small thump against the window made them all jump. Jackie leaped off her bed and opened the window, grabbing the twisted sheet (conveniently resembling a rope) that had been lowered for her.

“Here goes nothing,” she muttered. As she climbed up on the windowsill, Stella and Lexi came to her side, just in case she needed any help. Luckily, Jackie was able to wrap her arms and legs around the makeshift rope, and she started to inch her way up.

“Have fun, Juliet!” Stella whispered, giggling.

Jackie rolled her eyes and kept moving up. The windows were close enough together that it took only a few moments for her to make it just below her destination. Max stood at the window, grinning down at her.

“Why, hello,” he said in a bizarre attempt at an accent.

“Stop trying to be cool and get me the hell off this sheet,” Jackie grumbled, reaching one arm out for the windowsill. She pulled herself up, and Max helped her in as much as he could.

“Ow! That’s my rib cage, Max. You can’t just squeeze it as hard as you want!”

“Sorry for trying to stop you from falling!”

“Great. How did my pajama pants get stuck on the windowsill?”

“You’re wearing the ducky pajamas! Do you ever wash those?”

“Yes, I wash them! Now help me get unstuck!”

“They’re caught on that nail. Here, I got it…”

“No, I can get it…”

“Ow! That was my head you just elbowed, Jackie!”

“Whoops! I’m still stuck on this nail…”

“Just take your pants off.”

“No! I’m tugging on them.”

“Let me tug with you. One… two…”

“THREE!”

They fell with a slight crash on the floor of the dorm room, Jackie landing on top of Max. After catching their breath, they grinned at one another.

“Hi,” Jackie said, smiling down at him.

Max chuckled. “Hi.”

Jackie rolled off of Max and pulled him up. Looking around, she saw Jeffrey and Scooter fast asleep in their beds. “They don’t mind?” she asked.

“No, and I wouldn’t care if they did,” Max responded, pulling the twisted sheet fully into the room and shutting the window.

Jackie sighed happily and lied down on Max’s bed. Max shed his shirt and took his spot next to her. They enjoyed a comfortable silence for several minutes as Max softly stroked Jackie’s hand.

“I can’t believe your parents threatened Dr. Barrie,” Jackie said quietly.

“It’s weird,” Max commented. “They’re actually putting some effort into my life, even if it’s making it more miserable. I wouldn’t think they’d care enough to call Dr. Barrie and make her kick me off the paper and try to keep you away.”

Jackie grinned. “Emphasis on the try. I feel really rebellious right now. We’re disobeying Dr. Barrie, your parents, and the no-member-of-the-opposite-gender-in-dorms-after-9-PM rule.”

“Feels pretty good, huh?”

Jackie tightened her grip on Max’s hand. “Being rebellious… being with you…” she whispered, dropping a kiss on his bare shoulder blade. “It all feels good.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It went on for weeks.

Jackie would usually sleep at her desk in the newsroom during first period, seeing as she stayed up every night talking and/or making out with Max. Jeffrey and Scooter had been woken up several times and were starting to get annoyed, so they began to alternate rooms. One night, Jackie would climb up into the boys’ dorm, and the next night, Max would climb down to the girls’ dorm.

Dr. Barrie seemed to be around a lot more. Since both her job and the reputation of her school were at stake, she didn’t take keeping Max and Jackie apart lightly. She always had a sad look in her eye, though, because as they were well aware, she hated the situation almost as much as they did.

“It’s pretty funny,” Lexi commented one day at lunch, as she, Jackie, and Stella sat together. “At the very beginning of this year, you wouldn’t have had any problem being told to stay away from Max. Now you guys are sneaking into each other’s rooms every night to spend time together.”

Jackie didn’t respond. She had her head resting on her arms, and when Stella nudged her, they discovered that she was fast asleep.

“Must have been a particularly rough night last night,” Stella whispered, laughing.

“Jackie.” Lexi poked her head. “Jackie.” She poked her shoulder. “Jaaaaackie. I want your mashed potatoes. Wake up.”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Max appeared. He slid a bottle of cranberry juice on the table so that it ended up directly in front of Jackie. As he passed her on the way to his own table, Max ruffled Jackie’s hair, a smirk on his face, and then he was gone. It happened so fast, Stella and Lexi were sure that they were the only ones who noticed he had even been there.

Jackie raised her head sleepily, saw the cranberry juice, and grabbed it eagerly. As she gulped it down, Lexi leaned over to Stella. “Why didn’t I think of that?” she whispered.