I went to bed that night very confused. Was this the same Jamie that I had been warned to stay away from? Was this the same Jamie who supposedly used girls like he used a tissue? Did that Jamie kiss me so gently and not go any further? The longer I pondered, the more tired I became. I drifted off into a fitful slumber, dreaming about the solutions to my problem. Alex or Jamie?
The loud beeping at six the next morning awoke me with a start. It was still dark out and my body shivered as the piercing Minnesota cold seeped into my room through the microscopic cracks of our home. I slipped out of bed, already naked, the same way I had gone in the night before. My skin prickled and my nipples hardened as my body, warmed by the blankets, was exposed to the cool morning air. In the dark, I found my bathrobe and slipped it on as I crept across the hall to the bathroom. I had it on less than five seconds and as I entered the bathroom, I let it fall from my shoulders. I turned the water on, testing the temperature of the water until it was hot enough. I climbed in, still groggy, and let the water slowly rouse me from my sleep. I exited the shower ten minutes later, warm, fresh, shaved and clean. I brushed my long curly hair and put it up into a ponytail, letting it air dry. I put on a satiny, lavender bra and a black thong. I looked into the mirror. I felt very sexy. I found a pair of wide leg khakis and a pastel pink turtleneck sweater. I donned them quickly and put on my suede loafers. Feeling warm, sexy and cute, I descended the staircase to the living room. It was about six thirty by then. My father and mother were in the next room, at the stove, cooking eggs and bacon together.
“Morning, sweety,” my mother greeted with a smile as I entered the kitchen. I returned it.
“Morning, mom.”
“You want some breakfast? Your father and I don’t have to be to work for another forty-five minutes. We'll make you some if you’d like.” I smiled again.
“Sure, mom, that’d be great. Thanks.” My father put two more strips of bacon into the frying pan.
“So, kiddo, how was your first day?” he asked.
“It was really good, dad. I’m actually going to be performing in the play. It opens in February.”
“You’re performing in the play? Wow, you don’t waste much time getting in on stuff, do you?” I laughed.
“It was by accident that I got the part. Alex was giving me a tour of the school and he brought me into the auditorium to see where they do all of their productions. It was cool. Mr. Kline, the drama teacher, wanted to know if I acted and when I said yes, he had me read lines with Alex. He liked it so much that he gave me the lead.”
“The lead? That’s amazing! So, what play is it?” I thought for a moment.
“To be honest, I just don’t know. I was so excited about getting the part, I forgot to ask. Rehearsals start today, though. I’m sure I’ll find out then.” My parents laughed and shook their heads simultaneously. My mother put a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast in front of me. I ate and talked with them until five minutes of seven. “I have to go,” I mumbled, shoving the last piece of toast into my mouth. I ran upstairs to brush my teeth and then I ran back down to the living room.
I grabbed my coat and purse and went out to my car. The icy wind blew in my face as I opened the door and I was immediately chilled to the bone. I slipped inside my car and tried to turn the engine. It started but died again, and I couldn’t get it to turn over again. I opened the hood quickly and took a look inside. My radiator was cracked. I had forgotten to winterize my car and use straight anti-freeze. It was negative 4 degrees. I let the hood down and hit it hard.
“God damn it!” I yelled. “God-fucking-damn it all.” I kicked the tire.
“Need a ride?” I heard a voice yell from a bit of a distance away. I turned around to see Alex in his jeep, on the road in front of my yard. I nodded quickly, grabbed my things from my car and ran to his. I climbed into the passenger seat, my fingers going numb.
“You put water in your radiator, didn’t you?” he asked with a smirk.
“Yeah,” I replied. “In Boston it rarely gets this cold.” He took a look in his mirrors before driving forward.
“Well,” he said, “this isn’t Boston.” I gave him a sideways glance and rolled my eyes. He reached out with his right hand and grabbed my frozen left one. He rubbed it slowly, returning the circulation and warmth to my fingers. After I regained feeling in my nearly frostbitten fingers, I intertwined my fingers with his. He looked at me and smiled. We said nothing more and drove to school. He cut the engine after we parked and he shook my hand slightly. “Do you know where you’re going?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I’ve got to go to the office and pick up my schedule.”
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure you knew where to go. I’ll see you after school at the play rehearsal, then.”
“Okay,” I replied. He lifted my chin slightly and leaned in to give me a kiss.
“Bye bye.” He exited the car first and jogged to the furthest entrance. I gathered my belongings and went into the front entrance to the office. I was in the office about fifteen minutes before I was seen. The elderly woman with thick glasses gave me a copy of my classes and schedule and pointed me in the direction of my physiology class. I strolled along the halls until I found room 201. I peeked in the door before I walked in. Everyone was sitting down at the lab benches talking as the teacher finished his final preparations on the computer. I surveyed the room and I was surprised to see that everyone I had met the day before was in that room. The class was small, only 11 people. Ten of them were guys.
The solitary girl I saw was beautiful. She had flawless skin which was framed by long platinum blonde hair, straight and flowing. Her low-cut, long sleeved tee shirt revealed a line of cleavage formed from the push up bra that she was wearing. Her jeans were low rise, exposing the skimpy straps of her pink thong. Pearly white teeth were accentuated by colored lips. They came together to form a perfect smile. To my amazement, Alex was sitting right next to her and he put his hand around her waist. The girl smiled at him and turned. They kissed. My heart sank. I bit my lip and forced myself to walk into the room. I plastered a polite smile on my face.
Jake spotted me first and gave a smile and a wave. Tom and Aaron followed his lead. I smiled and gave a low wave. Jamie, who was next to Alex, looked at me and smiled. I smiled warmly at him. I presented myself to the teacher, who pointed to the vacant seat next to Jamie. I took my seat without saying a word.
“Hey, Brandee,” Jamie greeted. “How’re you?”
“Fine, Jamie, thanks for asking. How about you?”
“Doing great,” he said. At mention of my name, Alex whirled around behind him, breaking the kiss. He looked at me quickly in the eyes, but I diverted my attention to the stray eraser shavings that were scattered across the countertop in front of me. “Listen,” Jamie started quietly, “about last night, I-” he stopped. A lost tear had dropped from my eye onto the black table. “Are you okay?” he asked. I wiped away the remnants of the salty water.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied with an automatic smile. “Just yawning. I’m a little tired.” I glanced in Alex’s direction.
“Well, anyway, about last night. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s okay,” I told him, patting his hand. “It was nice.”
The teacher rose and did role call.
“Angel Baret?”
“Here.”
“Jared Black?”
“Here.”
“Tom DeLaney?”
“Here.”
“Scott Douglas?”
“Here.”
“Jamie Endrin?”
“Here.”
“Quentin Farrell?”
“Here.”
“Jake Giangregorio?”
“Here.”
“Alex Harrington?”
“Here.”
