“Travis! I'm not going to tell you again! Get up!”
I roll over and look at the time. S***! She’s right; I am so going to be late to school. I cannot afford another tardy. Coach wont be happy about this either. One more tardy means detention, detention means no basketball practice, no basketball practice means one ticked off coach.
I jump up, find the closet shirt and throw it on along with the closet pair of pants I can find. I practically stumble down the stairs and bump into my mom.
“Travis if you would get up the first time I wake you, you wouldn’t struggle to get out the door on time.”
“I know, mom. I enjoy the rush.” I give her a smile and a kiss on the cheek.
As I am rushing to my car I hear my mom yell from the door to drive the speed limit and drive safe.
If I really felt the need I could get my 2014 Camaro to go as fast as my heart desired, but coach would be more mad if I was stuck doing community service rather then a tardy. I finally pull into the school parking lot, with a few minutes to spare.
I jump out of the car, and sprint to the doors. I walk as fast as I can to get to my locker. I look down at my phone when I bump into someone.
“Hey! Watch where—“ I look up and see the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. She has gorgeous green eyes and blonde hair that flowed down her shoulders like a waterfall. I looked a little more to find she had a perfect body, the most perfect body I had ever seen.
“I'm sorry. I was just tying to get to class and—“
“No no, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to get upset, I was trying to hurry to class too.” I let out a little laugh and picked up her book.
I put out my hand, “I'm Travis by the way.”
She took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Jessica.”
Before I could say anything else the late bell rang and she hurried off. I went to turn around when I saw something lying on the ground. I reached down and picked up what I assume was her cell phone.
***
“Mr. Jackson. You’re late to class, again.”
I’m not sure why she ever expects me to be on time, but whatever. “Sorry Miss. Ture.”
I went to take my seat when she said something she doesn’t usually say, “Why don’t you come up to the front of the class and explain why you were late today.”
I look around as I stand up from my seat. Why is she doing this to me? I have been late a hundred times before and she has never cared. It’s not even a real class! Its just homeroom. I'm about to give a smart-ass comment on why I was late when I see the girl I ran into not even ten minutes before. I couldn’t even speak I was amazed. She has been in my homeroom all four years of high school. How did I never notice her?
I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was, or if she was even paying attention. What do I even say?
“We are waiting Mr. Jackson.” I turn to see Miss. Ture with her arms crossed and tapping her foot.
“ I, uh, woke up late.”
“Is that all?”
What more does she want? I woke up late so the rest of my morning was off.
“Well yeah that’s it. I mean I did run into,” Oh dang what was her name. Jamie? Jenna? Jessica! “Jessica. So I had to help her pick up her stuff.” I saw Jess’s head pop up from whatever she was reading. Our eyes connected but she quickly looked away.
“Is this true, Jessica, or is Travis just trying to get out of trouble.”
I look at Jessica to see what she is going to say.
“Well yes, he did run into me, and yes he did help me pick up my books.” I was still looking at her when she tossed a small smile my way. My heart did a little fluttery thing, that it has never done before.
Miss. Ture looked puzzled, like she couldn’t believe Jessica backed up my story. “Okay well that doesn’t excuse you Travis. You will still receive a tardy.”
No! I can’t get a tardy. Miss. Ture walks back to her desk to write me my tardy. I walk back there and I can feel everyone’s on me.
“Miss. Ture is there anything I can do to not have a tardy? I really can’t have a detention, Coach would kill me.”
“You should have thought about that before you were late too many times. There is nothing I can do.”
She wrote out the tardy and detention paper and handed it to me. I went and sat back down with my papers.
The bell rang and even though I was upset I was determined to talk to Jessica again. I jumped up and caught up with her.
“Hey Jessica!”
“Oh hey Travis. What’s up?”
What was up? I hadn’t even thought about what I was going to say to her. “Um well…oh here’s your phone,” I handed her the phone she had dropped, ”you must have dropped it when you dropped your books.”
“Thank you Travis. I wondered where that went.” She laughed and grabbed the phone from my hand, when she did her hand brushed mine. It was like an electric shock went through us.
“So do you want to go to lunch with me?”
She looked around, and then looked back at me. “Um I don’t know.”
“Oh come on Jessica, it’s just lunch.”
“Okay. I guess it couldn’t hurt. See you then Travis.”