Chapter 1: Do You Really?
Do you really want to know me? Really? Because this story isn’t simple. It was kind of a mess that just grew into something I couldn’t attempt to handle. Well, if you really want to know…let’s start with me. My name is Rena Solis. I am sixteen years old and a junior at Walterville High School. Walterville is one of the many suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Well I am not some superhuman or anything interesting like that. I’m barely noticed but my parents, that’s something different. My parents happen to be pretty amazing; you may or may not have heard of them though. Rebecca and Richard Solis are two of the best detectives in the country. With that, my parents happen to be away a lot since they began doing consultations in serious cases with government agencies and various police departments about four years ago. My parents are great even though they are not always around, and aren’t always up with the latest in Walterville High. They care and I probably talk to them every day no matter what.
When they are not around though I always have Aunt Krystal, she’s my mother’s younger sister by 15 years. Krystal is thirty and since she is always with me she hasn’t exactly settled down yet. She is a nurse and seriously one of the kindest women I’ll ever know.
I think I’m losing my train of thought maybe I should tell you a bit about Walterville High, where the story actually takes place.
Walterville High School has 1700 students. Yes, our school is in the thousands. Now I’m not going to pretend that I know all 1700 people in the school, and I am worshipped or whatever. I will tell you how it really is, no lies needed. The week of importance was in the first week of April. The Junior Dance was at the end of the week and Caitlin was trying to persuade me into finding a date.
“Ren? Are you listening to me?” Cait said after her boyfriend Josh grabbed their trash and headed to the football table.
I rolled my eyes, “what is wrong with wanting to go alone?” I asked, for the last month Caitlin has made it her mission to try and find me a date for the Junior Prom, and frankly I wasn’t interested. There was no one I wanted to go with… at least that she knew about.
David looked over at us, “can we not have this conversation again?”
“Yeah I’m with Dave on this one” I said stirring the remaining mashed potatoes on my tray around, avoiding Caitlin’s glare.
“Dave, you could solve this whole problem if you just went to the dance” Caitlin said turning her glare to Dave instead. Caitlin Cooper and David Reed were my best friends and pretty much my only friends at Walterville High School. Caitlin had been my friend since we were in diapers, and Dave since last year. Caitlin did a lot of things that pretty girls did. She was a cheerleader, who dated football players, and loved to highlight her already naturally blond hair. She wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box, and I think that’s why I had Dave around; to actually have an intelligent conversation with someone.
“Cait, I told you I don’t do dances for the hundredth time.” Dave said sounding exasperated.
I looked up at Dave, “It’s okay, you don’t have to go… hell I don’t even want to go.” I said finally putting my fork down and moving my tray away from me.
Caitlin’s glare returned to me, her brown eyes full of anger and hurt. “But what about that beautiful dress you got?”
“Cait… I was only going because you begged me.” David cleared his throat trying to calm the animosity between Cait and I.
“Fine … you win Cait.”
Cait jerked her head up to look at David surprised, “WHAT?”
“I’ll go with Rena.”
“What makes you think I want to go with you, Dave?”
He shrugged, “Because I’m your… one of your best friends and you love me.”
I chuckled, “Okay, but you have to match my dress” I said standing to put away my trash.
“Oh thank you so much! Dave you will have so much fun you won’t regret it!” Caitlin said as she ran to Josh to tell him the good news. Not like he actually cared when there were so many more important things in the world to talk about like football… and oh yeah football.
Dave followed me, because we had our next class together, “I don’t know why you said yes.” I said as Caitlin was far enough away.
“Ren, I’m not letting her torture you a whole night alone. I mean what are you going to do when she’s dancing the night away? “His face actually showing his worry for me, definitely a great best friend.
I looked away, embarrassed I didn’t even think of that. “I know I didn’t think it all the way through but I don’t dance any way.” David walked into the classroom before me and took a seat at our lab station.
“You will with me,” he said with a smile that made me smile back.
“I know.”
“Then what’s the problem?” he asked curiously.
“You didn’t wanna go.” I said stating the obvious.
“I’m not gonna let Cait make you go with one of Josh’s douchy friends. Besides I know who you’re waiting for and it’s not going to happen.” David said giving me a sympathetic look.
David knew I had a huge crush on someone, but I tried not to let Caitlin know because she would obviously be upset, and perhaps murder me. So David was my confidant in all things boys or boy, ironically.
I sighed and turned to pay attention to our Chemistry lecture, or more specifically the monotone man babbling about appropriate ways to balance equations.
My mind quickly drifted away again. The junior prom was one of the biggest occasions of junior year. Caitlin was nominated for Junior Prom Queen and she wanted all the support she could; that’s why I had no choice but to go. I looked over at Dave, thankful that he was going with me. I don’t know what would have happened without him. He was great and really my best friend even though I could never admit that to Caitlin. His hazel eyes narrowed on me as he noticed me looking at him, “What?” he mouthed as he turned to face me. I shook my head and turned back towards the professor. It was funny that Dave and I were only best friends.
Aunt Krystal thought we would be dating soon, but there was always something in the way. At first, it was David’s immense crush on Caitlin, but I couldn’t blame him for that, every guy liked Caitlin Cooper. In her own words, she was hot and everyone knew it. Her insane confidence was probably the main reason she always had a date to anything, if you asked me.
After actually getting to know Caitlin he preferred me to her, saying she complained more than she breathed… after this week I think he had a point. He was everything most girls would like in a guy, at least I would.
He wasn’t necessarily Caitlin’s type which was usually dumb jock. David was a jock. He was on the soccer team, but he was slightly muscular from his after school job at his dad’s bike shop. He was constantly lifting bikes, and well his arms were pretty ripped because of it. He also had a face that wasn’t terrible to look at but his obvious thirst for knowledge turned Caitlin off about as much as Josh’s idiocy turned me off. He was decently tall too, not that I’m a giant or anything. Dave was 5’10 and I was 5’3 it was a distance, but I always liked guys tall.
No matter how annoying she was, Caitlin would always be one of my best friends. We were friends since we were born and not even her obsession with boys could completely hinder our relationship. I know though my little secret crush would totally hinder that relationship and that’s why David was saving me with this dance.
The bell rang, I looked over at him, “Have fun in study hall… behave.” Dave said as he threw his backpack over his broad shoulders.
“Yeah, yeah, you say that everyday,” I said following him out into the hallway.
“Well I just wanted to keep it fresh in your mind,” Dave said as he turned into his classroom, “see you at your locker?” Dave added before he walked in. I nodded and started walking to my next class.
Slam! “I’m so sorry” I said as I looked up to see the guy I ran int
o. “I’m s-s-s….” I was at a loss for words. Did I really just run into Jesse Harris?
“No problem, Ren” he said as he walked to his locker beside where I was standing. I leaned forward and grabbed my bag off the floor, red faced. I almost ran to study hall. I sat in my usual seat since we were in alphabetical order and watched him pass by and take his seat two rows in front of me.
It was even harder to focus today knowing that I made such an ass out of myself…. Right in front of Jesse Harris! Jesse Harris was beautiful… I don’t know how long I really liked him but I knew I couldn’t make it go away, believe me I tried. He had almost black hair and a light tan that came from being out in the spring sun already. But the thing that really stuck with me about Jesse was his eyes. They were like a blue that was nothing like any other blue in the world. They were vibrant and soft all at the same time, the only thing that I could possibly compare his eyes to was the ocean… and not that murky dark water we normally see in places near me, but the bright blue water that is known in the Caribbean. A shining, shimmering vibrant blue, that I had never seen on another person. I remember when I first met him and he looked at me with those eyes. I gasped surprised by what I saw, and maybe I fell for him then. But I doubt it. At least I denied it if I did.
You see Jesse Harris is off limits for one very important reason. He was Caitlin’s first love and after their breakup he didn’t even talk to me. Why would he, I was just Caitlin’s geeky friend? He wouldn’t like me after being with her, even if we had great conversations before their nasty split.
I couldn’t pull my gaze away from him today and I think even he noticed. He turned and looked at me oddly. I tried to hide my gaze but I knew I looked guilty, my face was probably as red as an apple.
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