Jo
MY PLAN HAS two phases.
Phase 1: Avoid Flynn except when it's necessary to be around him.
Phase 2: Limit physical contact with Flynn.
Now you may wonder. How is this going to work if the whole school believes we're dating? I've wondered that too but it's the third day since I set my plan into motion and it's been going great.
For three mornings, I've convinced Flynn not to give me a ride to school with the excuse that my mum has recently been hell-bent on giving me a ride to school herself. Meanwhile, Woody gives me a ride to school but on my request, parks in an inconspicuous area so I can easily sneak into the building without anyone noticing. Also, I don't share many classes with him so I don't have to see him all the damn time.
Also, I've tried to stop Flynn from kissing me. Three days ago, I told him I had a particularly infectious mouth sore and I don't know if he bought it, but he's been giving me forehead kisses or kisses on the cheek instead.
But today, I woke up with a headache. And that's probably because I had only two hours of sleep. It was one of those nights when I desperately needed someone to talk to. And even if Flynn gave me the permission to interrupt his sleep if I ever needed someone to talk to, I didn't do that because midnight conversations with someone I'm trying delete my feelings for isn't going to end well for me. So I just lay there on my bed, with my eyes wide open and stared at the ceiling until the slightest grip of fatigue came to me around 4:00 a.m.
Now I'm stumbling down the stairs with a desperate need for coffee but when I get to the kitchen, I see the note mum plastered to the fridge. The last item reads coffee beans. We're out of coffee. How in the world are we out of coffee? I open the cabinet and find a roll of coffee but it's for grandma. If I take one, I'd probably be awake till next week.
I discontentedly settle for a cup of tea and pull my hoodie over my head as I step out of the house. Woody can't take me to school today because he caught a cold last night and mum can't take me to school today because she's working an early morning shift. I need a goddamn car for myself but that's like wishing for pigs to fly. Not with the kind of money I have.
My hand itches to take out my phone from my pocket and call Flynn but stubbornness and pride won't let me. So I settle for walking and then I leave my porch and hike to school.
By the time I get to school, I'm exhausted and thirsty. Students are clustered around the outside and some are headed into the hallway already. The cacophony of loud voices and slapping shoes coupled up with my sleep-deprived headache makes my head beat like a thousand drums. I pull my black hoodie further down my head and walk behind the cars in the parking lot.
Just before I can take the next step, a body sidles up to the car beside me and blocks my path. I crash into their chest and freeze because I'd know the owner of that cologne any day, any time.
When I look up, Flynn is staring at me blankly. He's wearing a black Tee as always and he's leaning against the back of this random car with his arms folded across his chest. But when I look at his handâbless his heartâhe's holding a cup of coffee from Sprouts. Just what I need to start my day. But with the look on his face, I doubt I'm getting my hands on that anytime soon.
"Sup." Is the lamest thing I come with as I take a step back and fiddle with the straps of my bag.
He looks behind me. "I don't see his truck anywhere."
"What are you talking about?"
He flips the hoodie away from my head. "I know Woody's been dropping you off since Tuesday."
I swallow and then I narrow my eyes at him. "Have you been stalking me?"
"No." He says pointedly. "I've just been sitting in my car and observing you sneak around the parking lot like a thief in the night."
Heat blooms in my cheeks. "I don't know whatâ"
"You wanna tell me what's going on?" He leans further against the car and holds the coffee by the head. He's still folding his arms. It's hard not to look at them.
"With what?"
"With you. Why have you been avoiding me?"
"I've not."
He starts to speak again but my throat burns with thirst. "Look, can we talk after I drink that coffee in your hand?"
He frowns. "It's not for you."
"It's for who then? Semia?" I hate the disdain that coats my words.
He arches a brow. "You're the only one I get coffee for."
My heartbeat echoes in my ears. "Yeah, well, you just said it's not for me. So? Who's it for?"
He stares at me for a beat and then he hands me the cup. I take off the lid and chug it down in a go.
"Did you sleep at all last night?"
I shake my head as I drink. It's like I'm experiencing another source of life.
Flynn sounds concerned. "Why?"
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. "Couldn't sleep. Happens every once in a while." I hand him the empty cup. "Thanks for the coffee."
"And your mouth sore?"
"Oh, uh," I clear my throat and grimace. "Still hurts."
A tiny smirk lights his poker face up. "You just chugged a steaming cup of coffee without wincing. Seems pretty fine to me."
I lick my lips and give him a pointed look. "It comes and goes."
"Sure it does." His hand snakes around my waist and he tugs me towards him. "You're not a very good liar, Jo."
My breath gets stuck in my throat. "We're gonna be late for class."
"I'm not letting go of you until you tell me why you've been trying to avoid me for the past three days."
I'm speechless. Because he's closer than he has been in the last three days and when I look at his face, I realize I've missed staring at the beauty spot that is close to his mouth and wondering how green his eyes are.
"No reason?" He pauses. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No."
"Alright then." He says. "I'm glad your non-existent mouth sore is gone now."
I click my tongue and exhale because I know he knows I was lying. I separate myself from him and then I start walking towards the hallway. He's right behind me, ignoring some of the students that are staring at us.
"You said you were going to submit an article of yours?" He asks and I nod, glad that he's not right in front of me to see through my lie.
"Yup." I enter the hallway and make a beeline for my locker. I was so close to kissing my plan goodbye when he held my waist at the parking lot.
"Well? How'd it go?"
"Um, good." I type in my combination and tug my locker open. He leans against the next locker while I rummage through my stuff.
"Did he ask you on a date yet?"
I grab my Spanish Textbook while I think of another lie. "No, but he told me to drop by today."
He raises a brow. "For what?"
I slam my locker shut and shrug. "Who knows? There's only one way to find out." Bullshit.
He directs his gaze to the floor like he's thinking about something and then the question that has been itching every corner of my brain jumps out of my mouth. "And you?"
He looks at me. "What about me?"
"Did anything come up with Semia? You know, cos that's the point of all of this, right? Seemed like she wanted to talk at the field the last time."
He jams his hands into his pockets. His face doesn't show any emotion. "She's texted me a few times."
A lump forms in my throat. "That's good."
"She also invited me to her house party on Thanksgiving."
"Cool." I hug my books tighter to my chest. "You should go."
"I'm supposed to have a date."
"I'm not going." I instantly say. I'd rather cry myself to sleep on my birthday than go to a party where I'd be lost in the popular crowd while she'd probably be at a corner ogling him. "But you should go. She's not going to want me there anyway. Besides, everything is falling into place now."
It's like she's always around because I see a glimpse of her red hair at the corner of my eye and when I turn, she's talking to a group of girls about seven lockers away.
I look back at Flynn and when I do, the bell rings. When a girl wearing a yellow scrunchie on her wrist, walks past us, I tap him on the shoulder. "By the way, can I have my scrunchie back now?"
"It's not here."
"Well, where is it?"
He shrugs. "Finders, Keepers."
"Technically, you snatched itâ" he cuts me off and takes me by surprise when he dips his head lower and shuts me up with his mouth. And just like that, my three days worth of hardwork flows down the drain because whatever it was I was feeling three days ago, intensifies when my lips part and his tongue teasingly skims mine.
I like how he kisses. It's never rushed or sloppy or forceful. He kisses me slowly, almost lazily as though he could spend the rest of his day kissing me without getting tired. Those type of kisses that leave me satisfied and yet unsatisfied. The ones that leave me wanting more.
He pulls away and the tip of his nose grazes mine. His lips graze mine as he speaks. "I'd walk you to class but I have somewhere to be."
"It's early." I say, looking up at him and wondering where he's always running off to. Maybe it's because our first class is English or maybe it's because of something else I'm unaware of.
His dimple sinks into his left cheek. "I'm aware. I wasn't planning on showing up in school today." I almost melt under his gaze. "I just wanted to see you."
He brushes my hair away from my face. "See you soon." And then he's turning around and heading out the door, leaving me with tingling lips and a thousand and one unanswered questions.
Students walk past me in a blur as I watch him leave and then I hike my bag higher up my shoulders and turn around. Semia walks right past me then and she sends me a cold smile. It makes me wonder if Flynn kissed me because she was close or because he actually wanted to. Carter's bed head comes into my line of vision and then, I'm calling his name since he's not that far from where I am.
He turns around and his eyes scan everyone behind him but when I wave a hand, he grins and walks over to me.
He ruffles my hair with his hand and I slap it away. "Hey Jo."
"Are you going to be busy after class?"
He nods. "Kinda. I've got to see Coach and there are some things I've got to take care of. Something wrong?"
"No," I shake my head. "I justâI just wanted to know some things about Flynn. And you seem like the best person with answers."
He hums and then he nods. "Okay. How's lunch sound?"
I smile. "Perfect."