Jessica Thompson

IV. Miss Ducky

Jessica's POV:

He stood there, eyes scanning the hallway once more.

"Is there something wrong with your eyeballs, Barrett?" Brody asked Todd.

Todd gave him a half-a*s shrugged, "Just checking out chicks, ya know," he replied, cooly leaning back against the lockers after giving one his friends a bro shake.

"Don't you have a girl?" One of his friends asked.

He shrugged again, giving off his infamous smirked, "Ain't a crime to look," he responded.

I shut my locker.

Ever since we entered high school, Todd completely changed. Everyone changes, whether it was their hair color or fashion taste. Everyone seems to try his or her best to become more refreshing or more attractive in some way.

Todd was already good looking and naturally athletic, so he doesn't have to try much. Although I wished he would stop it with the whole douchebag personality, he took up to look cool.

Our eyes met once again, and instead of his usual avoiding self, he gave me a small smile. I, on the other hand, gave him a blank expression and walked away.

He is Brody's friend, not mine, and I rather stay away from their circle as far as possible. I know most of the guys, and they bring nothing but troubles. It could be vandalism, pranking, or merely vicious cuckoo in the head ex-girlfriends.

The whole day was typical, filled with boring, dull speaking teachers who demanded the school board pay them more despite barely doing any work. Then there are the other teachers who treat their classroom as if we are all in college despite some of us can barely tie our shoes and still flip girl skirts while running down the hallway.

Unlike elementary school, the girls like it when the guys flip their skirts, particularly if they're hot. When you're good-looking, you can get away with things, but when you're not, it's just creepy.

Todd gave his pal a firm gripping looking shake when he rushed down the hall and flipped nearly three cheerleader skirts where they responded with a high pitched. "Hey!" but they would send them a flirtatious smile.

One of the guys tried to flip my skirt during freshman year, and Brody broke his arm, saying I'm off-limits. After that, no more skirt flipping, even though I rarely wear one after that incident.

"It's like they are giving each other CPR," Krista grumbled while Brody choked Victoria with his tongue.

"I don't understand why you're so hung up with Brod; there are other guys in school who are interested in you," I comment, unzipping my backpack.

"I know," she tucked her hair behind her ear. "But Brody is my Prince Charming," she grumbled, pouting her lips, pounding her head against the lockers.

I released a deep breath, understanding it's time to play cupid. "Why don't you go out on a date to get Brody jealous," I suggest the worst idea in the world.

"That's the worst idea in the world," she read my mind.

I shrugged, lifting my heavy bag with my thigh. "Yeah, but it gives you a chance to see if Brod has some feelings for you," I explained, hoping it somehow made sense.

She nodded, "But, wouldn't it be bad to pull a third person into this?"

"Use someone you know," I replied, shoving my C- test at the bottom of the backpack, praying my dad doesn't ask about it later.

"How can I make Brody jealous with someone I already know?"

I shrugged, "Fake Love. Lie your lungs out; I don't know," I glanced at her while she looked like she was in immense deep thoughts.

After a few asses groping from Brody to Victoria, I realized that perhaps I shouldn't suggest the jealousy thing. "Maybe it's not a good-"

"No, you're right," she cut me off, then stood up straight. "I'm going to go find a fake gay boyfriend from another school."

"Wait. Why gay, and why not this school?"

"First, a straight guy will totally fall for my sexiness." She flipped her wonderfully straight black hair back. That line was not egotistic at all.

"Second, Brod knows nearly every person at this school," she shrugged, "Can't let him know I'm dating a gay guy. Kind of crush the whole jealous plan."

I stood there, watching her as she whips out her phone. "Now, if you excuse me, I have some hot looking guy that makes Brod look like a little p***y boy to dial-up," she smirked deviously, and even though I was the one who suggested it, I know the plan won't end well.

She started typing her phone with lightning speed while murdering both Brody and Vanessa with her eyes. "You will see Brody Thompson, that I am one f*****g sexy b***h that you're missing out on," she hissed.

One thing that school taught us is how to text without looking, totally irrelevant in life, but it feels fantastic being able to multitask. Well, it's not entirely useless since it teaches us multitasking.

I understand that I should be a good friend and person, stopping her before things get out of hand. However, recently, things have been boring, so I'll see how it goes. I'll step in if things get out of hand. Maybe, just maybe, she will end up with the gay guy.

Total plot twist.

Then again, that would make him bisexual.

"Good luck," I finally said, and she gave me a head nod then walked away, speaking on her phone as if she is on an urgent mission.

Technically, this is an important mission for her.

I turned my head to see Todd scaring the living pee out of me. "s**t, you scared me," I placed a hand on my beating heart.

He smirks, "Krista trying to make Brody jealous?"

"I don't think it's any of your business," I responded.

"It is my concern."

I snorted, "Amuse me," my tone has the right amount of over sarcasm

"He's my bro, my hoe."

"No, he is my bro, and I think I would retch if he is my hoe," I felt disgusted, even thinking of that. "Anyways, stay out of it," I warned him, making me a total hypocrite since I poked into their business.

Although she did ask me for advice, and hence I gave advice. Even though it's horrible advice, it's still advice.

"How come you can poke a stick between them, but I can't poke my stick?"

"That sounds disgusting," I said, slowly causing him to chuckle in amusement. "Why are you here?"

"Why can I not be here? It's a free country," he smiled, eyes analyzing every single one of my features.

I released a deep breath and shut my lockers, turning my full body towards him. "I know why you're here."

He c****d a brow, "You do?" His voice was filled with uncertainty.

"Look, we both know you're hot." I started causing him to throw me his famous panty wetting smirk.

He crossed his arms, steadily leaning his shoulder against the lockers. "You think I'm hot?"

I snorted at his sudden burst of egotism, "Yeah, like you're so hot, it's giving me third-degree burns," the sarcasm was rolling smoothly off my tongue as if I've been speaking to him for years even when I haven't.

His smirk twisted into a genuine smile, and he started cracking into a ruffling laugh catching some attention from the students, probably wondering why we are in the same breathing zone.

I cleared my throat. "So, let's cut the whole flirting around thing." I waved my hand around.

He formed a fist, covering his mouth, attempting to lower the laugh. "Flirting?"

I nodded, "Yeah, flirting; you know where you are trying to act cool in front of me. Get my number while I try to play hard to get. Eventually, due to your third-degree burning me, I'll give in. So, let's skip all the cat and mouse chasing games. Why don't you put a baby in me...right now." I tried my best to hold a straight face while Todd was barely hanging onto the lockers.

"Oh, yeah, and after my parents disown me and your brother beat me into a coma. When I wake up, let's purchase a trailer house together, and maybe if we are lucky after all our years of slaving for the government, we can own a dog," he pauses for a second.

"Nah, with the high taxing rate nowadays, we should steal one. Perhaps from our angry old neighbor who always yells at our kids to stay off his mini scale lawn, Edward Edweirdo," he responded in a teasing tone, surprising the hell out of me.

I never expected him to make such a comeback since we haven't spoken since elementary school. After my brother beat him to the hospital, I visited Todd and smacked my coloring book on his broken leg, where the doctors and nurses had to drag me out.

Yeah, I had a lot of pent up anger issues due to all those times Todd was bullying me.

"What's wrong?" He stops laughing. "You're not responding."

I scratch my head, feeling my hair weaving in front of my face. "Because you're talking to me. We haven't really talked since I attempt to murder you with my coloring book."

Todd released an uneven breath, "I deserve it. I was a jerk," he mumbles.

"It's the past now," I gave him a smile causing him to chuckle awkwardly.

"What change?" I quickly ask.

"Huh?"

"After all these years, why are you talking to me again? Why not middle school or freshman year or last year?" I asked, remembering all the times he purposely ignored me.

"Because you hate me," he responded with a causal wryly smile, casting his eyes in a downward manner.

"I don't hate you," I clarified, "Who says I hate you?"

He tightened his grip on his backpack and then pointed a finger at me, "You did."

I pointed a finger at myself, "I did? When?"

"When you attempt murder on the boy who flipped your skirt. You were crying and yelling at me while I was at the hospital to never talk to you again because I embarrassed you in front of our whole school."

I remember now. I was called Miss Ducky. People kept quacking for a whole year because my panties were ducks.

"You haven't answered my question, why are you talking to me now?"