It Happened Last Year

I lead Jana up to my room, though I’m sure she remembers where it is. It is the same as it was last year, white walls and carpeting, white furniture, and white bedding with delicate purple flowers on it.

“You haven’t changed a thing,” she murmurs and wanders inside, looking up my bookcase.

“No, I didn’t feel like it,” I tell her while sitting down on my bed.

“Sorry about what happened at Knocks, Harrison usually doesn’t go there so I thought it would be okay.”

I shake my head. “Don’t be sorry. How would you have known? Stuff just happens.”

The house is quiet, as my mother is at work. She has a job at the local police station, obviously enough she is a police officer. It is silly, actually. Since she is a police officer, I expected her out of everyone to believe me. I was drunk, though, that didn’t help.

Jana sits down on my grey bean bag chair, the one I used to sit on every night and cry. I suppose the color suits it. Though, seeing someone as bright as Jana on it makes the bad memories fade. “You know, Hailey, I didn’t believe you at first, and I’m sorry for that. I didn’t understand back then.”

“I didn’t know you believed me at all.”

“I do know, after seeing him, how he just came up to you, how he called out as we were leaving. I don’t know, it seemed off. I believe you, Hailey. I think I have for a while. I should have shown you my support last year. When you told me about it, it frightened me, I didn’t think someone like that could go to my high school, you know?”

I nod. “I understand. If I were you I would have acted the same. How could that happen to our town, right? Everything here is supposed to be perfect.”

Jana smiles. “Let’s talk about something happy. You need cheering up. How was your first day back?”

“Besides Daphne giving me a hard time and a few other students, it was okay. I actually bumped into this guy before you grabbed me, but I didn’t recognize him. He was tall, built like a football player but he doesn’t seem like one, ridiculously good looking-”

Jana’s face changes, as if she knows something I don’t know. “Oh, I know who you’re talking about.”

“Who is it then?”

“That tall drink of water would be Daniel Todd, he moved here last year, after you left oddly enough. All of the girls have crushes on him, it’s pretty funny to watch them watch him. You can see the daydreaming in their eyes,” she explains. “You know what! Daphne totally went after him, but he showed no interest in her, it was great entertainment to watch her try so hard.”

I furrow my brows. “You’re no longer close with Daphne?”

“Heck no. After you left we stopped talking as much, and our friendship eventually died. I don’t miss her though. She’s turned into a sourpuss.” Jana combs through her hair with her fingers, brushing it from her face. “She’s with some football dumbbell right now. Though I think she’s chasing Harrison, since Daniel won’t even smile at her she must have moved on. I’m a people watcher.”

“You don’t say?” I joke and fall back onto my bed. “I don’t know how I’m going to survive this year.”

Jana scoffs. “Um, you have me?”

“Promise?”

“Like you never left.”

The next day I battle through Economics with Daphne, though she doesn’t say much. Our communication consists of her giving me dirty looks. Mr. Freeman constantly reminds me of Mr. Russ, which is another problem, and I begin to consider dropping the class.

When I make it to lunch I find Jana, which is much better than yesterday since I spend all of lunch sitting in the library reading a random book on adaptation. I spot her at a table off to the right, and I hurry over. There are two other people sitting down with her, and I grow nervous to approach them.

“Hey, Hailey, this is Taylor and Jordan,” Jana introduces me and I smile kindly.

Taylor is incredibly pretty and she is dressed very crisp, her cream sweater compliments her dark skin tone beautifully, and each of her curls are neat and tame. I begin to feel like a slob compared to her.

Jordan sits fairly close to her, and by their body language, I can tell they’re a couple. Jordan has a track shirt on, telling me he is on the high school track team.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

I sit down beside Jana. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Jana tells me more, “Jordan is a senior and Taylor is a junior. I met Taylor through Jordan. They’ve been together since the summer.”

“Well, you too look lovely together,” I smile again, wondering if I should stop or not. Maybe I look creepy, maybe I look sweet.

“Hailey here just moved back from Florida, and she has already discovered Daniel.”

My cheeks flush and I stare at Jana, wondering why on earth she just told them that.

Jana laughs. “Jordan is friends with him.”

“Our moms worked together,” Jordan explains, “he’s a pretty cool dude, but he steals all the girls.”

Taylor nudges him.

“Not that I care,” he adds. “He’s kinda private, that’s why no girl gets far with him. They all want a relationship, but he doesn’t share. You know, I would really appreciate if you would stop pulling me in on your girly conversations.”

Jana’s face lights up. “Speaking of the devil.”

I follow her eyes and find myself looking at Daniel as he walks coolly into the cafeteria. There is something so effortless about his movements, but he never stumbles or runs into anyone. He heads our way and my heart begins to race.

I turn back around and wait for him to reach us, my leg bouncing up and down.

It is weird to act like this again. Ever since Harrison, ever since Mr. Russ, I’ve been turned off by most guys, having no interest at all. I know it is because my incident with Harrison was traumatizing, and my situation with Mr. Russ was wrong on so many levels. After Harrison, I had planned on staying away from boys all together, heck, if they came near me I would freak out. In Florida, I felt like someone else, lying to myself, convincing myself that the guys were cute-something teen-like.

Mr. Russ-well, I don’t like talking about it, nor Harrison, but Mr. Russ was an adult. They aren’t equal, but they both left a major dent on me.

The crushing thing is, I had no one to talk to. With Harrison, no one believed me. With Mr. Russ, well, I was a minor, and he wasn’t. Why did I choose to protect Mr. Russ? Perhaps because our feelings for each other were mutual most of the time. He was rather gentle and soft-spoken, it helped a bit, but not enough.

Like I said before, I’m ashamed of it.

Daniel reaches us and I glance up casually. His eyes pour down to me, he studies me, then he turns to Jordan. “Are you going to Watts’ tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, why?”

He shrugs. “People keep asking me about it.”

Jordan turns to Taylor. “You down to go to Watts’?”

She nods. “Sure, how many people?”

“It’s probably a small thing,” Daniel tells her, and I watch the conversation with extreme interest. What is Watts’? And why do I suddenly want to be there if Daniel is going to be there?

Taylor looks to Jana. “You wanna go?”

Jana looks to me. “Let’s go.”

I have no one to look to, and I struggle. “Uh, I-sure?”

Daniel looks to me again, and I don’t know why, but I enjoy it. Stupidly, a blush seeps to my cheeks and I turn away before I embarrass myself.

Once Daniel is gone I glance at Jana. “What is Watts’?”

“He’s a guy on the football team. He throws these really laid back pool parties.”

“Oh, a party.”

Jana assures me, “it’s really not a party, more of a small kickback.”

Lovely.