Bryce, Jake, and I are sitting in class playing with clay. We are contemplating what we are going to create out of this single piece of clay. There’s a metaphor, or a life meaning thing, in that statement, possibly about me molding my life, I think, but I am too busy gossiping with Bryce and Jake to care.
“So Jakey, heard it’s all Facebook official. You and Whitney are going out.”
“Uh, yeah, I guess so.”
“You don’t seem that thrilled.”
“She’s not exactly what I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I thought she was perfect, but she’s kinda clingy. And, I swear, about the only time she kisses me is in front of Dawson. It pisses me off. Plus, she told me that if I wanted things to progress then we needed to be going out.”
“Progress, how?”
“Sex.”
Bryce says, “I’d tap that. She’s hot.”
“Yeah, she is. We’ll see. It better progress pretty fucking quickly is all I’m saying. There’s plenty of doable girls here.”
“And now that everyone knows you’re, like, practically the next King, lots of girls want to be doable.”
“I can’t believe she told everyone that. It’s kinda embarrassing.”
“Dude, if it gets you laid, who cares?” Bryce asks.
I punch Jake’s arm gently. “I would have done this earlier, had I known.”
I stand in front of him and do a little curtsey.
Bryce comes over by me and kneels. He’s cracking up the entire time.
“Shut up. It’s stupid really. I’m like one hundred and thirtieth in line or something. A whole lot of people would have to die for that to ever happen.”
Bryce says, “Just think, England gets nuked, and you’d have to go back and rule the devastation.”
Yeah,” I giggle, “and you could take Whitney to be your queen. How cool would that be?”
Jake laughs. “You know how she always brags about how her ancestors came over on the bloody Mayflower?”
“No,” I say, and Bryce goes, “Yeah, all the time.” We look at each other and laugh.
Jake looks at me. “You know the kind of people that came over on the Mayflower, right?”
“Uh, explorers?”
“No, hoodlums, criminals, people that couldn’t make it in England. England was glad to be rid of them. No way they’d want her back. Someday, I’m gonna tell her that. But not until after I get some.”
“That’d make Dawson laugh his ass off,” I tell him.
Bryce says, “Speaking of Dawson, what’s up with you two?”
“I don’t know. We’re hanging out, having fun. It’s new. Chill. I like him.”
“Are you worried they’ll get back together and dump us?” Jake asks.
“Well, we aren’t going out. He says he doesn’t like her anymore, and I think he had a lot of rebound girls this summer, but does that mean he’s ready for a relationship with me or anyone else? I really don’t know.”
Bryce smirks at me. “It looks like your relationship is doing just fine.”
“Stop insinuating shit. I hate when people do that. If you wanna know something or say something, just say it.”
“You seem pretty tight, like, having-sex tight.”
Jake shakes his head and frowns. “Wait. So, I’m going out with Whitney, can’t hang with other girls, getting zero, and you aren’t going out with Dawes, he can do what he wants, and he’s getting it? Dude, that’s jacked up.”
“I never said he’s getting it, but, yeah, pretty much. He asked me if we should be going out, but I said no. I mean, I don’t wanna rush things. I want to be sure he’s over her, and even though he says he is, I’m still not sure. Plus, I’m still kind of getting over someone myself.”
“Heard what your ex did to you. That was pretty low,” Jake says sweetly.
“Oh my gosh! How do you hear this stuff?”
“Football practice. We stand in line a lot. We talk.”
“Dawson told me,” Bryce says.
Jake studies me closely. “Riley told me. Does he have a crush on you? Because someone said something about you and he came unglued.”
“What happened?”
“Well, someone made a remark about you and Dawson and it, um, well, it was sorta derogatory toward you. Riley slammed him up against the locker and told him to shut the fuck up.”
“What?! When was this?”
“Yesterday after practice.”
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wait. Who said something about me and Dawson?”
“Uh.”
“Tell me!”
“Um, it might have been Peyton’s bro.”
“Aiden?!”
“Yeah.”
“What did he say?!”
“That Dawson was just using you. Well, actually, he used a different word than using. Sorry.”
“I told Dawson last week that his reputation sucked. It needed a makeover. Does my image need a makeover? Do you guys think I’m slutty? Do people think that?”