So there was a song Jake was listening to on his way to school today. The Greatest by Michelle Willians. You know when you hear a song over the radio or something and how it plays through your head through the rest of the day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                 Jake

My confidence fizzed out all over again. 

Its been a busy day.

Then I waited.

Been at practice until dark.

‘Jake please don’t squeal like a school girl,’ I had to tell myself.

We’ve both been productive.

I think with all of us teenagers the suspense of next text is what we feed off of.

Tomorrow is looking to be another productive day.

With a groan to myself, I agreed.

Same here, parent’s haven’t let me off the hook yet. Fought myself an army of weeds today.

Now I regretted my last sentence because it seemed so lame.

Should beat getting helmet hair.

Wow, pretty boy status!

Maybe we should switch jobs tomorrow. I really hate weeds. More like they really hate me!

I heard recently you wanted to be on the team.

We texted from then on until midnight. I kind of hoped that wouldn’t become a habit. But for right now, it was great! We never ran out things to talk about when it came to football. Neither of us considered making a career out of it but it sure was nice to get caught up in something other than TV. He didn’t watch a lot of TV either which was another thing we had in common. I didn’t go to sleep until I got a goodnight text from him.

____________________________

Danny and I walked past each other saying hello at the same time when went separate ways in the lobby to get to our homerooms. Daniel found me on my way to Gym and told me not to keep his boy up too late very often. He also said he would be ok with that much later. 

I got the joke much later. 

Heather was out of sorts lately, or at least she pretended to be. 

The inseparable cousins were still with Katie and Andrea. It would be so weird not seeing them altogether. All the girls got along like a house on fire. Charles and Jimmy were talking about Marcus. The good news was that Marcus would be coming back to school tomorrow. 

“I’m still going to have more community service to do today,” I told everyone that was listening, “And I think I am winning the war.”

“Thank God!” Nick or Nikko said sumptuously.

“You know ever since Halloween you two have been dressing up the same a lot,” Lillian pointed out.

Most of us groaned in agreement.

This was like watching a ping pong match as they talked telepathically.

“This is seriously making my head hurt,” said Charles.

“Not entirely hard to manage,” snapped Heather.

Charles glared hard and opened his mouth to snipe something back.

“Gentle man if you’re going to fight over me at least be civil about it,” Jackie from the football game twitched by with hardly anything on her lunch tray.

“Well congrats,” Heather said looking down at a catalog, “You win.”

Then she stormed off clearly pissed off.

“Who does that anymore?” Charles acted testy shaking his finger and head at the same time.

Deep down we all knew he cared a lot about her.

“Let them sort it out guys,” I said before chomping on a subway sandwich.

I didn’t see Danny again this time after lunch was kind of a let down. Our science class however had library time today. I looked and spotted Danny at a table by himself. Then looked at where all my classmates were and then back at Danny conflicted.

Charles and Lillian motioned that they would cover for me while they all headed for the computers. I nodded right back. Surely they would tell the teacher that maybe I had to run to the nurses office because I had a bad headache. 

This wasn’t really ditching if you ask me.

“Hi,” my knee’s bent on their own but I got back in control of them.

His head popped up from the book he was reading. 

Fascinating it was a Twilight novel.

 “I’m not stalking you or anything. Science class is all here.” I blurted like an idiot and wanting to bang my head into the biggest book available around here.

He looked up more at me then and pulled a chair out. 

Wow no one has ever done that for me before.

I sat down trying not to be clumsy about it.

“Friends going to forge you a fake nurses pass? I know Daniel is pretty good at it too.”

I hadn’t thought of that. My face scrunched up in defeat and so I said the second dumb thing that came to mind.

“I’m a rebel.”

“You might get grounded another week.”

“It was worth it the first time maybe it will be the second time around too. Besides I’ll live.”

When there was nothing to say, “I think my parents have set this all up because they are evil. Just so they could sell me into slavery because I was so well trained and they wanted the money to go to the Bahamas.” 

A second never felt so long and his face didn’t change. But then he laughed and maybe a bit too loudly because the librarian was good at jumping out from behind any bookcase. She gave us both a glare. Danny looked apologetic pretty much because he was there a lot. I just stared her down right back because this may have only been my second time being here. I may as well have been begging for it.

“And where are you supposed to be?” She snapped at me.

I wanted to question her with a question like, why do her glasses make her eye’s look too close together?

It was out my mouth before I could help it. She was in my business after all.

That did it and I did not dare look at Danny because that would have been bad. Something just told me that. And when my brain is suggesting something as strongly as it was now, going with the suggestion it is. 

Someone nearby gasped though.

Thankfully Danny wasn’t brought into this. However Charles and Lillian were for lying. Charles didn’t mind and Lillian was defiant. If we were going to hell it going to be in style. 

Only both my parents got called and I paid a visit for the first time ever in the principles office. Mr. Sterling had a calm face and stood by the librarians side. She had a stupid name anyway so there was no point in mentioning it here. I got after school detention and so did my friends. Thankfully this could be kept quiet for them. Lillian was already in enough trouble. 

I checked my phone because most likely I wouldn’t be able to for a while. I was in the reception area where everyone was too busy to notice. Danny had already came to the rescue on that note.

Are you ok?

I smiled at his thoughtfulness.

I’m not afraid of the color orange.

No I guess you wouldn’t be and you were right about her glasses making her eye’s look like they were too close together.

My brain was right.

This could be my last time to text you like this 4 a while.

I wasn’t sure if adding the sad face was needed.

I have to get you back into being a good boy.

Ha-ha he didn’t know that many have tried and failed. I was always going to be me, all the good and bad. Though I did need to work on keeping my mouth shut on some stuff.

Oh well at least I got to meet U so its all been worth it.

I’m glad I got to meet you too.

Then that was it because I heard office door open as the librarian walked stiffly past me. Looks like I wouldn’t be checking any books out soon. Then I was dismissed to get back to class.

My mother was a force of nature itself when she got home. This was going to be my last day to get off early on good behavior and I ruined it. She even took my phone. I didn’t speak up because I was wrong for what I did. I knew better than open my mouth this time. So I stayed quiet and this lasted a ten full minutes. 

Italian’s, which she was full blooded of. When they get mad you’ll know it.

After everything was going to peaceful now I was kind of depressed. No going to the gym with the guys so I had to work out at home. It just didn’t feel the same. I thought about asking if I could at least go visit my grandmother but I didn’t want to bring her into this. This was my fault after all. I also hoped that if my parents found out about Danny that they wouldn’t blame him.

I also stopped sucking up and decided to just take my punishment as it was. Detention didn’t bother me because I was already too miserable to care. I didn’t get to see or speak to Danny at all that day. I stayed up past 2:30 in the morning stressing as to how I could keep in contact with him. So I was also very tired.

“Don’t worry man,” Charles told me when we got out of after school detention sided with Lillian, “It’s not going to last forever.”

“Someone really needed to stand up to her anyway,” Lillian filled in.

I tried to smile at them thankful that they stayed at my side through all of this. My face just didn’t want to work that way. Gosh I was so miserable and tired.

At home I continued to do the laundry. I sat on the washer while I waited wishing I had my phone. I also started to wish that I liked to read because at least that would have given me something to do. Book’s were just long and mostly boring to me. The characters always took too long to do things because all they ever did was think too much. 

Maybe if I was like them I would have thought about shutting my mouth to begin with. With a slap of my palm into my forehead because that was a trait that could have spared me of this misery. 

Bleh, I had to get out of this mood fast. Then I heard a car pull up the driveway as I put everything away. It had to be my dad.

I got out of sight seeing range because, out of sight out of mind I hoped. It kept me out line of fire with my mom. So I was in my room when I heard my dad moving around while I thought of this being Day 5 of imprisonment. I sat on my bed still bummed out when my dad came in the room.

“What’s gotten into you?” He and I didn’t have the chance to talk. I figured that maybe he wanted to back off knowing full well what my mother was capable of. Unlike her he would take things a lot easier. 

“Man, I think I’ve had enough,” there went my mouth again.

My dad went stone silent. Crap.

His footsteps came in the room and then the floor got real interesting to look at. He moved the desk chair over by me and sat in it properly. Here we go again. 

Please God make this quick so I wont feel anything.

“Is this about a boy you met or something?”

Dammed I was now for opening up my mouth again.

“I wouldn’t put it like that,” I started out still staring at the floor making myself calm down.

My dad waited.

“When I came home late yeah I had a really good time,” I said while my dad waited patiently. “His name is Danny Skye and he’s real nice but this is not his fault.”

I had to admit that I knew not many kids could have this kind of talk with their parents. I was real lucky to have them. I could have talked to my grandmother about this too if I wanted. She claimed she knew when she first held me. I would have preferred to talk to her about this than my parents because she understood me best. After all we both were a lot alike. 

It was my dad I had to deal with right here and now though. He would be easier to deal with than my mom because she would have started jumping to conclusions by now. So she did have a little of her mother in her. My dad didn’t say anything because he was a fair man.

“We got to talking and dancing so I really did loose track of time.” I still went on, “I did that. Then at school when I could have ditched class to meet with him at the library I chose not to because I wanted to go to Heather’s Birthday party. I just made bad choices.”

“A mouth like your mother,” my dad said, “She was like that around your age.”

Ha, I wouldn’t have guessed.

“But you are a good friend. Your friends are good friends,” my dad went on making the chair creak as he leaned forward,  “But you did make bad choices and there are consequences to those.”

My dad. Middle name Zen.

“There are consequences even when you do the right thing,” I decided to point out. After all I did read some stuff because of English class. A fact to add that class was torture alone itself. If after school detention took place in that class with another lecture. I would have ran from the room screaming.

“Yes and its up to you to decide if those consequences are what you want to deal with because only you can,” he replied. “At least when you are out of this house,” he added quickly.

Dang it, I was just trying to pull a really good argument like any other teenager would have in my place.

“Luckily for you, you have really good friends to go through with that right now,” My father sat back now.

So he must have been talking to Charles and Lillian’s parents which meant they were in more trouble than I thought. They were just too good friends to say anything about it. Man that kind brought a tear to my eye that they cared that much about me.

Compassion showed up whenever you needed it most. I think I am starting to think like my dad now.

“Tell me about Danny,” my father said now snapping me out of my head.

So we spent another five minutes about Danny.

“Sounds like a good kid,” my dad said after that, “I believe you. Your mother on the hand…”

“Is a force to be or not to be reckoned with,” I finished for him.

“Choose wisely,” said the wise man.

My dad at least got me when he understood how I still chose my friends over a guy. My mom would too but only after five to ten minute scolding. I also know she and I would end up talking about safe sex again. 

He asked if there was anything I wanted for diner. Food, now that cheered me up. So I asked for Burger King. My depression food would have been McDonalds. My dad happily agreed to my idea and asked if I wanted to come so I did.

We went out of town for some quality time. Despite that was grounded I was still under parental supervision. We both knew my mother might still have a slight disagreement. We ate and talked about how work was going for my dad. Then we talked about me with school over whoppers. I ate even every salt grain from my fries.

We disposed the evidence our crime and got back in time. Hey that rhymed! I should do this more often in English class.

So when we got back it was close to seven which wasn‘t even my normal bedtime yet. I meant to lay down for a nap because I was tired. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I kind of didn't want to end it there but it just seemed right. Also with another chapter on the way... no harm right? Anyways I picked Steven Strait to play as Jimmy Zane. I am totally stumped on the other actors.