“And mine,” I threw in.
“Yes, our secret.”
No wonder Tut stared at Jules the way he did. I couldn’t blame him but that didn’t change the fact that I still wanted to bash his face in.
“You know, I said something that no one else knew. Sawyer knew.”
“Whoa buddy! It counts. Trust me. It counts.”
We both laughed.
“You torture Sawyer Tuttle, you know.”
“No I don’t! I’ve barely said a word to him since. I even wave to him now and again so he knows I’m not angry at him.”
“Even making eye contact with him is torturing him Jules. He’s seen you in your underwear. I’m pretty sure that’s all he ever thinks about when he’s around you.”
“No!” She said. I could almost hear it click in her head. “Wait. Seriously? It was so long ago. I’m sure he barely remembers it.”
“Trust me baby doll. He remembers.”
“Well, crap. Should I say something to him?”
“No,” I laughed, “not unless you want him to keep obsessing about you. No, the best thing for you to do is wear a large bulky jacket to Chemistry.”
More laughing. Poor Tut. Poor, can’t wait to punch him in the face, Tut.
The next day, I saw Jules at lunch and we picked up where our two hour phone conversation left off. We reminded ourselves of all the little things we did together growing up. I had forgotten what great partners in crime we had once been and definitely felt closer to her again. All it took was a simple phone call. It was like time had never passed us by.
I freaked out a little bit while waiting until the end of the day to see her during fourth period Chemistry. We were picking lab partners for the rest of the year that day and at lunch she agreed to be mine.
“Dude, what’s going on with you?” Jesse asked during third period, before the band started practicing.
He pointed to my bouncing knee and the drumsticks nervously twirling in my hands. I stopped all movement before I answered.
“Oh,” I said, clearing my throat, “nothin’.”
“Seriously, you’ve got something going on lately and you’re not telling me.”
“I really don’t.”
He didn’t buy it.
“Okay,” I said, sitting up, “but listen, you can’t say a word to anyone about this. I’ve been talking to Jules...Julia lately and she’s skittish. I don’t want to scare her off.”
“Awww man! Elliott!”
All heads turned our way.
“Shhhhh! Keep your voice down.”
“Elliott, you can’t go out with Julia Jacobs,” he whispered.
“I can do whatever I want Jesse.”
He got unusually serious for a moment and his face and voice grew menacing.
“You’d be smart to stay away from her Elliott. Trust me, you’d be the smartest person in the world to stay away from her.”
“Whatever Jesse. That’s enough ordering me around. Class is about to start.”
I tried to pass off what Jesse said but it really rubbed me the wrong way. It wasn’t so much what he said, but how he said it that gave me the willies. I decided to ignore it. I had better things to think about, like Jules’ hair and skin.
After rocking it out for an hour and a half. I thought about changing my sweaty t-shirt but was too excited to see Jules. My hair even stuck to the back of my neck, I was so sticky with sweat.
I threw my book bag onto my shoulder, stuck my sticks in the back pockets of my jeans and hauled over to Mr. Belkin’s Chemistry class. I sat at the lab table in the back with my little friend Sawyer Tuttle. I say little, but the guy was at least six foot two with a broad chest that could probably take a few punches, darn it.
Jules wasn’t there yet so I took my sticks out of the back of my jeans to play with on the lab table while I waited for her to walk in. I really got into whatever it was I was playing because when she strolled in Tut had to shove at one of my elbows, causing me to drop one of my sticks, to get my attention that she was there and not because he thought Jules and I were talking. I’m pretty sure he didn’t have a clue that Jules and I were talking. It was because she was drop dead and that didn’t escape even one of the guys’ attention in that room.
No one wanted anything to do with her but they could not disagree that she was the most beautiful girl in that school. I knew. They all knew. Hell, she was the most beautiful girl in the entire world. It kind of infuriated me that Sawyer Tuttle noticed her; that all or any of the guys noticed her, really. It infuriated me even more that Tut thought I’d want to be one to delve into whatever private thoughts he was having about her.
I don’t know what got into me but I stood up, leaving the stick on the floor, eyed Tut like a dog eyes a piece of meat and walked right up to Jules. Placing my hand at the small of her back, I leaned into her ear, breathing in the scent of her hair.
“You haven’t changed your mind have you?” I whispered.
“No, Elliott. When Mr. Belkin asks me who my lab partner will be I’ll be sure to say your name. Now sit down and stop being mean to Sawyer, despite our history he’s still one of the few here who treats me nicely.”
She smiled and lightly tapped me twice on the face sending a short burst of sparks cascading from my cheek. I just stared into her eyes with a huge grin on my face. She was original, my Jules. Original and too smart, for my own good.