on,” Jensen urged, sounding intrigued.
“I think Leesh is going to get back together with Jibby! She and James broke up last night.”
“Damn! I had no idea they weren’t getting along.”
“I know! She never even said anything to me about it. Jibby told me he’s been spending time with her lately, and then she mentioned all she and James did was fight. When I brought it up today she was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing.”
“Well, some people just aren’t meant to stay together or have long-distance relationships ... but some people aren’t us,” Jensen added in a somber voice.
My heart felt like it skipped a beat. “Oh, Jensen,” I breathed, unsure of what to say next.
Apparently, he didn’t want to go there because he changed the subject so fast I got proverbial whiplash. “So, I was calling about spring break.”
“Are you still coming home?”
“Yeah, but I can’t stay for the whole thing. I have to come back early.”
“Oh. Will you be staying at Gabe’s or your house?”
“Probably my house, or if you’re not too pissed off at me for acting like a dick during my last visit, maybe I can stay with you?”
What’s this? I perked up at the mention of him staying with me. “Of course, but my spring break is a week earlier and I won’t be here during the day.”
“That’s alright. I can drive you to school and we can have lunch together. Maybe work at the store a little while I’m there. Are you working that week?”
“I guess I can try to take a few days off since I’ll be working full-time during my break.”
Jensen seemed to like that idea and asked me to go for it. “Well, I’d better call home and see if Alicia is in a drug-induced stupor yet.”
“She was headed to bed with painkillers when I left. I’m not sure how good those pills are, but if she’s still up, I’m sure she’d like to talk,” I finished.
Jensen told me he loved me, and then he was gone.
Getting up slowly off the couch, I put the phone back in its cradle and thought about my life with Jensen. I went to the kitchen and reminisced over the roses he left there the last time he had come to town. Although dead and long gone, I felt as if I could almost smell them. I turned the light on over the sink and eyed my bag by the couch, thinking it was probably as good a time as any to do homework. Reluctantly, I pulled out my books and started in.
Jibby called the following morning just as I was putting a load of laundry in. “Hey, girl!”
“Jibby! How’s life?”
“Listen, I was calling to ask your opinion on something. Oh, and to tell you that I’ll take Alicia to school on Monday. She doesn’t want to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn with you.”
I laughed. Of course she didn’t, but I wished she had told me herself. “Alright, I get it. Only the birds and I are up that early. So, what can I help you with?”
“I think I’m going to take Alicia to lunch on Monday and ask her out.”
“Really? That’s great!”
“Do you think she’ll say yes? I mean, we had kind of a shitty break-up last year and our relationship wasn’t really ... um ... built on a foundation that would last.”
“Yeah, she told me. I think this time around it’ll be different. She told me she likes you, too,” I confirmed, hoping I wasn’t betraying Alicia’s trust. After all, she hadn’t sworn me to secrecy.
“Fuck, yeah!” he yelled in my ear. He was obviously excited about making it official and being an item once again. “Wait, you don’t think I should back off and give her time, do you? I mean, she just broke up with that James guy. Don’t girls need time to be alone, or some shit like that? Anyway, that’s what Kate says. Something about it taking one month for every three you dated to get over someone.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “If she needs time she’ll tell you. What does your heart say?”
“I don’t know. Shit ... I guess it feels like the right time to ask her. She and James haven’t gotten along for a while, maybe a month or more. Tragic relationship.”
“Tragic?” I wasn’t sure what he meant.
“You get what I mean.”
I actually didn’t. “Whatever. Just ask her. Like I said, she’ll tell you if it’s not the right time. If she does, just remember it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to be with you.”
“Yeah, yeah … alright. I’ll see you tomorrow and tell you what she says.”
The two of us hung up without me saying that I’d probably know much sooner than tomorrow her reaction—our lockers were close and we talked all the time.
As predicted, I found out before Jibby told me that he and Alicia were officially back together, although not as I’d originally thought. Having gotten out of zero-hour early, Krissa and I wandered into the commons to people-watch and low and behold the two of them were there together. Just as I was about to call their names, in front of everyone and without a care in the world, Alicia pulled Jibby toward her and kissed him right there to a chorus of hollers, whistles, and clapping. Krissa freaked out over it and I couldn’t help the shit-eating grin I had plastered on my face. Nate and Aria were somewhat oblivious to what was going on because Aria was in the stage of fulfilling every craving she had by eating everything in sight. Nate seemed to be going through a stage where he was just existing. I wasn’t sure of another way to put it. I didn’t see him much in zero-hour and imagined he was falling pretty far behind. I supposed it had a lot to do with the way his life had turned out and the fact that soon it would make an even more drastic change.
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