Angie Chapter 1: Aerin and Jerad
Jerad
I'm a nervous person. I don't like people. Well, I don't like a lot of people. Girls, personally, scare me. The friends I had, the ones I left behind, thought it was strange. Of course, we were in middle school. Dating was the biggest priority. We were still in our little kid ideologically perfect world. Nothing mattered but the moment.
So simplistic.
High school's bound to be different.
Hi. I'm Jerad.
—
I have dark hair, hazel eyes, and I'm 6'1 “. I like only one thing in the world: fishing.
Go ahead and laugh, I'll hate you even if you don't. You're an average high school student. Your normal and conformist and do what you're told.
So yeah, I hate you already.
Ever since Dad ran off, man that's so messed up to say, my family's gotten a little crazier.
Also, my new school doesn't offer the language I've been taking for the past three years. Man, why is Spanish everywhere? Is French really that un-needed?
And yeah, I'm a guy who not only wants to take French, but likes taking French.
So, Je parle fran% 26 # 231; ais.
—
Orientation was dull, but I think the highlight of my day was Aerin embarrassing me in front of the student parking lot. Gotta love older sisters.
It almost makes me feel sorry for little Johnny. Sara's gonna be a bitch.
Ha.
She's only two minutes older. That'll really make all the difference to her though, I'm sure. You may not believe it, as you cough behind your hand to hide your laugh, but I was a bit of a loner in middle school. And, as much as I hate conforming (ew), I think having someone to talk to outside of family would be incredibly awesome.
'Cause I'm lonely.
—
I found all my classes okay, but I think my favorite ones are the study hall I have after my lunch, and the English class that follows it. There's a girl in them that's. Familiar. I was only eight-or was it seven?-When I moved, so it's possible I knew her.
Hoping I wasn't being a creeper, I went to talk to her after class.
“Hi” Stupid voice cracks. She giggled though. That's a plus, right?
“Hi. Are you new? ”
I shrugged. “I'm new to high school. Aren't all the freshmen? “She giggled again. What's up with girls and their freaking giggling?
She's pretty.
She flipped her almost shoulder length honey brown hair out of her face, and smiled. She had dimples.
“I'm Marty. What's your name? “A note struck within me.
“Marty? I whispered. “Mar-Mar?”
She gave me a look, mostly of disbelief, but also a look of dawning hope. “Jer-Jer?”
I think my face just split in half, I'm smiling so big.
“Marty McConnell, I haven't seen you since the end of third grade.”
“Jerad Porter, you fiend. How come you're back? “She slapped me on my arm, before dragging me to her locker. The freshmen hallways centered on the English and history classrooms, so our last period was right by our lockers. Mine was a bit of the ways up, but we were still in the same hallway.
“Umm, dad decided to give us the jump, so were dirt poor and mom had twins.” She gave me a look.
“Stop lying.” She started shoving books into her backpack. “When'd you get so tall?”
Well, if she wasn't going to believe me, then I wasn't going to bother to correct her.
“Umm, around sixth grade. I was the first one in my grade to get the voice cracks and growth spurts. “Not to mention other. visible side effects of being a pubescent male.
Getting a hard-on in the middle of class for no reason has to be one of God's many methods of hating us by messing with our bodies.
Anyway, awkward middle school years aside, this girl in front of me has been on my mind since the day she tried to run after my car when we moved. Her older brother-I think it's Matt-had to grab her and hold her back. She kept screaming.
I think I cried.
She was such a tom boy back then. She taught me how to fish.
Speaking of fish ..
I grabbed her hand.
And ran like hell.
—
There was spot when I was younger, when I would sneak out on babysitters and homework (yes I was quite a terror), and I would yell to Mar's window and race her to this pond in the woods by our houses. It was really secluded, a lone rotting picnic table, and a pond bubbling with springs. It was icy, clear, and filled with fish.
Sometimes we would catch frogs too, trying to catch the biggest, or the loudest. Once I think we snuck out at night and swam, looking at the stars.
I think I've missed her and the place just about equally.
I dragged her there, and was disappointed at the scum choking the pond, the frogs silent, and the trees covering the sky from view.
There was graffiti on the new cement picnic table, garbage clutching the weeds, no animal in sight.
I felt my heart squeeze.
“What happened?” I asked, looking at her heart broken face.
“You left.” She said, voice sounding choked.
I squeezed her hand as tight as I could.
—
I was lying in my room, the thought of doing my homework at the back of my mind. I kept thinking of Dad. My ninth birthday, a month or so after we moved, he got me a brand new fishing pole. I kept it, but there were no ponds or lakes near where we lived.
Just another time he was a little too late.
Dick.
I suppose you're thinking I'm being a little rough on him, but you would be too after having someone you loved, trusted and looked up to betray you.
It's no party fun time.
Then again, I hate you.
Conformist.
I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite too, with my baggy jeans and outdated band t-shirt.
I have that stupid shaggy hair that everyone and their brother seems to have, but mine's out of lack of caring, not out of wanting to look cool.
Not that it makes a difference.
I rolled under the covers, barely remembering to take off my shoes, and fell asleep.
'Night.
—
Mom woke me up. I was going to be late, and Aerin decided to be a bitch and leave me, so I dressed and ran to school. I wasn't tardy at least.
While I ran, I focused on the rising sun, the breath forming mist in the cold fall air, the lone planet hanging by the moon in the multi-colored sky. The grass looked painted, almost frosted. I skidded on some mud, and slipped up the school steps.
I saw Marty at her locker. She smiled at me again; dimples making her eyes look warm.
Yeah.
I grabbed the stuff from my locker, and passed through the day in a daze. I did my homework in class, hoping to have a semblance to good grades now that I was in high school.
I always do well on tests anyway, I just don't do homework.
Study hall I went with Marty to the library. She talked to some of her girly friends, some of them from track or what may have been soccer.
“What sport do you play?” I asked her. She gave me another smile. I smiled back.
“Umm.I play almost everything. Whatever I have time for. I'm also in all advanced classes, although not AP. Freshmen have all the fun. “I laughed.
“What was middle school like for you?”
“Oh.umm, I played sports, joined chess club-dorky stuff. I had a boyfriend last year, but it was nothing serious. “Oh. “What about you?”
“I didn't have any friends, just a couple of losers like me. I did badly in school. I didn't get to fish. And I missed you everyday. Does that about sum it up? ”
She gave me this. Look. She felt sorry for me.
I don't want any pity dammit.
She patted my arm. I looked away.
“Want to hang out after school. Matty's met back up with Aerin. You can meet his girlfriend Leena. She's super nice. I think she and Aerin aren't getting along very well though. Leena's very.possessive. Matty's hers. And he is, but Aerin and him are like you and me: platonic sibling affection. ”
Why do I feel cold so suddenly?
I just smiled and followed her home.
Jerad
I'm a nervous person. I don't like people. Well, I don't like a lot of people. Girls, personally, scare me. The friends I had, the ones I left behind, thought it was strange. Of course, we were in middle school. Dating was the biggest priority. We were still in our little kid ideologically perfect world. Nothing mattered but the moment.
So simplistic.
High school's bound to be different.
Hi. I'm Jerad.
—
I have dark hair, hazel eyes, and I'm 6'1 “. I like only one thing in the world: fishing.
Go ahead and laugh, I'll hate you even if you don't. You're an average high school student. Your normal and conformist and do what you're told.
So yeah, I hate you already.
Ever since Dad ran off, man that's so messed up to say, my family's gotten a little crazier.
Also, my new school doesn't offer the language I've been taking for the past three years. Man, why is Spanish everywhere? Is French really that un-needed?
And yeah, I'm a guy who not only wants to take French, but likes taking French.
So, Je parle fran% 26 # 231; ais.
—
Orientation was dull, but I think the highlight of my day was Aerin embarrassing me in front of the student parking lot. Gotta love older sisters.
It almost makes me feel sorry for little Johnny. Sara's gonna be a bitch.
Ha.
She's only two minutes older. That'll really make all the difference to her though, I'm sure. You may not believe it, as you cough behind your hand to hide your laugh, but I was a bit of a loner in middle school. And, as much as I hate conforming (ew), I think having someone to talk to outside of family would be incredibly awesome.
'Cause I'm lonely.
—
I found all my classes okay, but I think my favorite ones are the study hall I have after my lunch, and the English class that follows it. There's a girl in them that's. Familiar. I was only eight-or was it seven?-When I moved, so it's possible I knew her.
Hoping I wasn't being a creeper, I went to talk to her after class.
“Hi” Stupid voice cracks. She giggled though. That's a plus, right?
“Hi. Are you new? ”
I shrugged. “I'm new to high school. Aren't all the freshmen? “She giggled again. What's up with girls and their freaking giggling?
She's pretty.
She flipped her almost shoulder length honey brown hair out of her face, and smiled. She had dimples.
“I'm Marty. What's your name? “A note struck within me.
“Marty? I whispered. “Mar-Mar?”
She gave me a look, mostly of disbelief, but also a look of dawning hope. “Jer-Jer?”
I think my face just split in half, I'm smiling so big.
“Marty McConnell, I haven't seen you since the end of third grade.”
“Jerad Porter, you fiend. How come you're back? “She slapped me on my arm, before dragging me to her locker. The freshmen hallways centered on the English and history classrooms, so our last period was right by our lockers. Mine was a bit of the ways up, but we were still in the same hallway.
“Umm, dad decided to give us the jump, so were dirt poor and mom had twins.” She gave me a look.
“Stop lying.” She started shoving books into her backpack. “When'd you get so tall?”
Well, if she wasn't going to believe me, then I wasn't going to bother to correct her.
“Umm, around sixth grade. I was the first one in my grade to get the voice cracks and growth spurts. “Not to mention other. visible side effects of being a pubescent male.
Getting a hard-on in the middle of class for no reason has to be one of God's many methods of hating us by messing with our bodies.
Anyway, awkward middle school years aside, this girl in front of me has been on my mind since the day she tried to run after my car when we moved. Her older brother-I think it's Matt-had to grab her and hold her back. She kept screaming.
I think I cried.
She was such a tom boy back then. She taught me how to fish.
Speaking of fish ..
I grabbed her hand.
And ran like hell.
—
There was spot when I was younger, when I would sneak out on babysitters and homework (yes I was quite a terror), and I would yell to Mar's window and race her to this pond in the woods by our houses. It was really secluded, a lone rotting picnic table, and a pond bubbling with springs. It was icy, clear, and filled with fish.
Sometimes we would catch frogs too, trying to catch the biggest, or the loudest. Once I think we snuck out at night and swam, looking at the stars.
I think I've missed her and the place just about equally.
I dragged her there, and was disappointed at the scum choking the pond, the frogs silent, and the trees covering the sky from view.
There was graffiti on the new cement picnic table, garbage clutching the weeds, no animal in sight.
I felt my heart squeeze.
“What happened?” I asked, looking at her heart broken face.
“You left.” She said, voice sounding choked.
I squeezed her hand as tight as I could.
—
I was lying in my room, the thought of doing my homework at the back of my mind. I kept thinking of Dad. My ninth birthday, a month or so after we moved, he got me a brand new fishing pole. I kept it, but there were no ponds or lakes near where we lived.
Just another time he was a little too late.
Dick.
I suppose you're thinking I'm being a little rough on him, but you would be too after having someone you loved, trusted and looked up to betray you.
It's no party fun time.
Then again, I hate you.
Conformist.
I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite too, with my baggy jeans and outdated band t-shirt.
I have that stupid shaggy hair that everyone and their brother seems to have, but mine's out of lack of caring, not out of wanting to look cool.
Not that it makes a difference.
I rolled under the covers, barely remembering to take off my shoes, and fell asleep.
'Night.
—
Mom woke me up. I was going to be late, and Aerin decided to be a bitch and leave me, so I dressed and ran to school. I wasn't tardy at least.
While I ran, I focused on the rising sun, the breath forming mist in the cold fall air, the lone planet hanging by the moon in the multi-colored sky. The grass looked painted, almost frosted. I skidded on some mud, and slipped up the school steps.
I saw Marty at her locker. She smiled at me again; dimples making her eyes look warm.
Yeah.
I grabbed the stuff from my locker, and passed through the day in a daze. I did my homework in class, hoping to have a semblance to good grades now that I was in high school.
I always do well on tests anyway, I just don't do homework.
Study hall I went with Marty to the library. She talked to some of her girly friends, some of them from track or what may have been soccer.
“What sport do you play?” I asked her. She gave me another smile. I smiled back.
“Umm.I play almost everything. Whatever I have time for. I'm also in all advanced classes, although not AP. Freshmen have all the fun. “I laughed.
“What was middle school like for you?”
“Oh.umm, I played sports, joined chess club-dorky stuff. I had a boyfriend last year, but it was nothing serious. “Oh. “What about you?”
“I didn't have any friends, just a couple of losers like me. I did badly in school. I didn't get to fish. And I missed you everyday. Does that about sum it up? ”
She gave me this. Look. She felt sorry for me.
I don't want any pity dammit.
She patted my arm. I looked away.
“Want to hang out after school. Matty's met back up with Aerin. You can meet his girlfriend Leena. She's super nice. I think she and Aerin aren't getting along very well though. Leena's very.possessive. Matty's hers. And he is, but Aerin and him are like you and me: platonic sibling affection. ”
Why do I feel cold so suddenly?
I just smiled and followed her home.
