Scorched

Chapter Nine: Just Friends

RAYMOND

The longer I spent with Jackson, the more relaxed I felt. He was so different than the dark and broody guy he played at school. Watching him with his little sister, I saw he was really gentle and caring. Even though she didn’t talk, he always seemed to know what she wanted, and what she was thinking. Goofing off in the park felt silly at first, but after a while it was just fun, running around and sliding down slides.

When Katie got tired of the park we piled back in the car and headed for a snack bar for some lunch. Jackson ordered some fries for Katie while we both got cheeseburger meals and milkshakes. I cringed as he squirted mayonnaise all over his burger. “You just ruined it,” I told him, as I used my teeth to open the ketchup packet and squeezed it out on my bun.

He pointed a finger at my ketchup, “You know that ketchup has more sugar than a bottle of soda, right?”

I just grinned as I sunk my teeth in for a big, juicy bite. Of course, ketchup oozed out of my bun and dribbled down my t-shirt. I grunted and grabbed a bunch of napkins to wipe it off. I swallowed down my bite of burger. ”You can dress me up, but you can’t take me out,” I grumbled. That’s what my mom always used to say when she made a mess at a restaurant or something. Jackson just laughed, and didn’t seem to care about the big old ketchup stain that now decorated the center of my chest.

We were sitting across from each other at one of the outdoor picnic tables. A big maroon umbrella had the table half-shaded. Katie sat next to Jackson. She had a very peculiar way of eating, ripping each fry into a bite-size piece, dipping it carefully in the ketchup, chewing it thoroughly and swallowing it before she took another small piece. She was very neat and clean and careful, which made me feel like even more of a slob.

Jackson talked easily while he ate. I envied how natural and relaxed he was. He waved his fries around in the air to illustrate his points before cramming them in his mouth. He ate his burger without dribbling the toppings all over the place. He waggled his eyebrows at me when he slurped at his milkshake. “So Williard told me I have to take an art elective to graduate,” he was saying, his green eyes flashing. “I have to choose between art, band, and chorus. And I don’t play an instrument.”

I almost choked on a French fry. “Uh, can you sing?”

He grabbed his chest and gave me a wounded look. Then he opened his mouth and started belting out a popular pop song. He was loud and terrible. Katie made a face and covered her ears with her hands. I laughed “I agree with Katie. You had better take art.”

He sighed dramatically. “I’m even worse at art, I can’t even draw stick people.”

I shrugged, “A lot of people can’t draw. They don’t grade you on talent. You just have to try your best and complete all the assignments. I took intro to art last year. It wasn’t that bad.”

He c****d his head at me. “Do you draw?”

“Not really.” I smirked, “But at least I can draw stick figures.” He threw a fry across the table at me.

I hadn’t had a guy friend since grade school. I had been hanging out with Molly for years now. And Molly was very black and white. She didn’t send me mixed signals. Maybe that's why I couldn’t tell if Jackson was being flirty or friendly. I was afraid I was misreading him, and I didn’t want to act like an i***t if I had it all wrong.

Like when he leaned across the table and put his hand over mine. His touch did weird things to me, like every nerve was tingling and on high alert. A warm feeling spread all the way up to my elbow, just because he put his hand over mine and squeezed it a little bit.

I never felt like that when Molly touched me.

He pushed his food out of the way and leaned across the table, looking deeply into my eyes. I felt trapped, like I couldn’t look away from that sea of green. “I really like you, Raymond,” he said in a low voice. I love the way he used my whole name. “You are really different from the other guys at school.”

I felt my face growing red, but I didn’t pull my hand away. I wanted to look away from those piercing green eyes, but somehow, I couldn’t. What could I say? I really like you too? That sounded stupid. You have beautiful eyes? Nope, no way. I finally tore my eyes away and looked down at our hands on the table. “You are different too,” I finally said. I wanted to kick myself under the table for being such a moron. However, Jackson seemed content with my answer, as he broke into a big grin and sat back.

“Yeah, don’t tell anyone,” he laughed, “I don’t want to ruin my image.”

It took forever for Katie to eat that one order of fries, the way she picked them apart and ate one bite at a time, but Jackson didn’t seem to be in any hurry. He insisted on paying for our lunch again, which made me feel uneasy. If we were just a couple of friends hanging together, shouldn’t I pay for my own food?

It's not a date, I reminded myself. He probably just feels bad because he knows I am poor. But he didn’t exactly act like he was from money either. He had an after-school job, and he drove an ordinary car. Not like Brooke Sawyer with her flashy Porche and designer handbags. As I thought about it, I realized that Jackson had never really talked about his parents, or what they did. I made a mental note to ask him the next time conversation lagged.

I wanted to ask him about Brooke Sawyer, but the right time and opportunity never came up. I wasn’t sure there would ever be a right time for that. “Are you dating the rich girl?” Didn’t seem appropriate when the guy had just bought me lunch. I was dying to know though.

Finally, Katie pushed away the carton of fries, indicating that she was finished eating. We stopped by the restrooms to wash our hands, and then piled back in his car. Jackson put on some music, but not too loud, explaining that Katie didn’t like loud noises. It was only a few blocks back to my house anyway.

This time I was careful to make sure I unbuckled my seatbelt. I remembered my manners too. “Thanks for today,” I said, staring at the door handle and feeling awkward all over again. “I had a lot of fun. Maybe we can do it again some time?” I cringed. Did I sound too hopeful? Too desperate?

“Raymond,” I jumped a little, because when he spoke, his breath tickled my ear. He had leaned over the console so that he was very, very close to me. He was so close I could see the flecks of gold in his green eyes. His expression was super intense, and his hand came up and cupped my cheek. I held my breath and shivered. What was he doing?

He leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. They were soft and firm at the same time, warm and dry, and it only lasted a second. He pulled back with a boyish, crooked smile. “Thanks for coming. See you on Monday.”

I’m sure I must have been wearing the stupidest shell-shocked expression. “Uh, yeah. See you,” I mumbled, reaching for the door and bolting out of the car. I looked back just to see Jackson sticking his tongue out at Katie in the back seat. He turned back and grinned and waived at me before he started to pull away.

I rushed in the front door and slammed it behind me. Leaning back into it I gasped for breath and touched my own mouth. “Holy shit.” I groaned, closing my eyes. “Jackson Lockheart kissed me on the lips.” I might be socially awkward, but I was pretty sure that “just friends” didn’t kiss each other on the lips.