Chapter 7: Contenders
Friday, 9/25/15
Dear Diary,
I'm still trying to get over Aaron. It strikes me as odd that Phoenix hasn't made fun of me about him yet. I mean, obviously he's made a few comments but he hasn't made any about how Aaron flat out rejected me with no remorse whatsoever. I guess he hasn't realized it yet. I guess I'm not surprised, now. He doesn't always catch on fast. Idiot...
On a lighter note, I'm helping Alice out. I've joined homecoming committee. I'm still not going to go to homecoming, though Phoenix has taken it upon himself to find me a date. I only joined because Alice is interested in the girl running the committee and I'm secretly a hopeless romantic. And, though I want to quit the committee because of Phoenix's unwanted presence, I've decided to stick it out. Besides, homecoming is the 6th of November, which is only a little more than a month away.
In other words, Avery's compiled a list of colleges in which she intends to get applications for. I managed to steal the list from her, claiming that I want to look it over to make sure that they had good academic programs as well as sports programs, but in all honesty, I just wanted to see how far the schools were. And to my surprise, they were all out of state. I guess, in a way, it made me sad to see that she had no intentions of staying in state for school. I know it shouldn't have surprised me because she's been talking about leaving ever since she entered high school, but I never thought she'd actually do it. I know she can make it on her own, but I'm scared for her. I don't really want her to leave. I'm going to miss her. Who can I talk to about boys? And who can I rant to about Phoenix without them assuming that I like him?
Avery told me that my junior year would be the hardest, and so far, it has proven to be true. Though we've barely made any progress into the school year; we're barely a month in, I still have a heavier work load than I've had in both my sophomore year and freshman year combined. Good thing I'm not in any AP classes or else I'd probably have no time to even write this.
Unfortunately, I have to cut this short because my mother's calling me for dinner and Phoenix is here. Knowing him, he'd probably slip into my room and read these entries if I leave my diary out on my bed for my later return.
I'll write again soon,
Gracelyn.
+ + +
"Tall guys? Average height guys? Short guys?" Phoenix inquired as he sat beside me. I turned to look at him as I basically ripped my hands through my hair. I thought I'd seen the last of Phoenix last night. He had gone home at around ten but returned 12 hours later.
"It doesn't matter," I told him bluntly before turning back to the television. I was watching a movie when my brother's best friend barged in, taking me by surprise. After telling him that Leo was at work, he shrugged and plopped down on the couch beside me, pulling a notebook out of his bag. I only glanced at him before going back to my film. I was able to watch it for two seconds before the questions began rolling off Phoenix's tongue.
"Any hair color preference?" he asked as he scribbled my previous answer down.
"No," I answered curtly.
"Facial hair?" he continued and I immediately turned to look at him.
"Phoenix, I'm trying to watch a movie," I snapped.
"Yeah, and I'm trying to find you a date to homecoming," he responded. "You think you'd be a bit more considerate seeing as I'm doing you a favor."
I sighed, running my hands down my face. "Okay, look, Phoenix, I don't care what he looks like, alright? I just want a guy that's funny, smart, and can hold a conversation."
"Okay," Phoenix nodded as he wrote down my words.
"And we need to have some common interests or else there will be nothing to converse about," I explained.
"Common interests," he nodded as he wrote.
"Do you even know what I'm interested in?" I asked him.
"Of course I do," he replied.
"Really? Then what am I interested in?" I inquired with crossed arms.
"Blond jerks, yelling at me, and, uh," there was a pause as he looked around the room, "movies."
I scoffed. "Yeah, good luck finding a guy with those interests," I said as I rolled my eyes.
"I got it!" he grinned, gaining my attention. "My football coach!"
I gave him a flat look as I turned back to the television. "Haha, very funny."
"What do you like?" he asked me, earning a shrug.
"I don't know...stuff," I shrugged.
"Like?" he furthered.
"I just said that I don't know! What changed in the three seconds between that sentence and this one?" I barked. His eyebrows shot up as he stared at me. He slowly dropped his pen to the paper and began scratching away. "What are you writing?"
He tilted the notebook so I couldn't see it, leaving me to stare at the back of a professional looking clipboard, most likely his mother's. He laughed as if what he was writing was funny. This caused my curiosity to grow more. With furrowed eyebrows, I stared at him. "Nothing," he answered, though I knew it was a lie.
I leaned over on the couch, moving to the next cushion. He was pressed against the arm of the sofa. I reached out to grab the clipboard but he slipped off the couch, nearly falling on his butt. I stood up, trying to see what he was lettering. "What are you writing?" I called as he began jogging away.
I got up, running after him in my pajamas, which I was too lazy to change out of. He ran down the hall, towards the stairs. I chased after him, following closely behind him. "Who's chasing who now, Grace?" he called behind him.
"Shut up," I reiterated. "And my name is Gracelyn!"
He was taking the stairs two at a time and I grabbed one of his feet, causing him to stutter step at the top. I practically launched myself at him, pulling his arm as I almost fell. I managed to catch myself as I basically shoved him against a wall. I reached for the clipboard in his hands, grunting as he held it in the air. I wasn't tall enough to reach it.
"I guess you'll have to jump for it," he told me with a smirk. I moved closer to him in an attempt to use his height to my advantage and basically climb up him using his shoulder. I was considerably close to him, closer than I've been in the past- aside from that stupid kiss (that I never want to talk about again) and the times I was forced to hug him. His green eyes looked a few shades darker as they flitted across my face. I glared at him as he draped his free arm around my waist. "If you want to kiss me, all you have to do is ask."
I immediately wrinkled my nose and moved away from him, shoving him so his shoulders hit the wall again. "You're disgusting."
"Disgusting, flirtatious- I see no difference," he replied. I didn't bother to respond. I only stormed down the steps.
Once I reached the landing, the sound of the front door opening greeted my ears. Seconds later, Phoenix bounded down the steps, nearly bumping into me. Leo stared at the two of us with a look of confusion on his face. I didn't bother to say anything. Instead, I returned to the living room, grumbling unhappily about missing my movie.
+ + +
At homecoming committee on Tuesday, Phoenix yanked me to his side when Valerie announced that we'd be working in pairs again. I sighed and stared at Alice, who was gazing at Valerie. With a sigh, I followed Phoenix to the computer lab where we were supposed to email several staff members in hopes of gaining some chaperones.
The last thing I wanted was to be alone with Phoenix. He hadn't forgotten about helping me find a date to homecoming. In fact, he'd been asking me questions these last few days and writing my answers on his stupid clipboard. I want to burn that thing. We arrived at the lab and Phoenix held open the door for me.
Aside from the librarian, the computer lab was empty. Phoenix led the way to the back, walking to the computer at the far end of the room. I sighed as I sat down, logging in. I grew uncomfortable under Phoenix's gaze so I turned to look at him. "What?"
He opened his mouth to say something before closing it. Deciding to speak this time, he opened his mouth. "I've narrowed down our choices."
"Our choices?" I asked him.
"Your homecoming date," he told me as he pulled out a yearbook from his bag. "This is from last year so the pictures are a little outdated but maybe you'll recognize a few of them."
"Okay," I told him cautiously as I stared at our school's yearbook. He flipped open to a page he had marked with a sticky note. He leaned over and plopped the book in my lap, pointing to a picture in the middle of the page.
"Marcus Anderson," he told me, despite the fact that his name was beneath his picture. He was dark skinned with brown eyes and a pretty white smile. If I'm not mistaken, he's in my art class. "Junior class treasurer, co-captain of the soccer team- or at least he was last season, and he volunteers with children every Wednesday."
"Alright," I nodded as Phoenix stared at me.
"So?" he asked, earning a shrug.
"Well, he's cute and he sounds interesting, but does he even know I exist?" I inquired.
"I choose guys that I know personally, so if you want them to be aware of your existence, I will make them," he told me.
"Okay, well, he sounds good," I informed Phoenix.
"Don't make up your mind just yet," he warned me. "I have three more guys."
"Alright, well hurry up. We have an email to send out."
"Andrew Becker," he drawled as he flipped to the next page, which was also marked with a sticky note. I immediately recognized him. How could I not? His brown hair, pale skin, and green eyes have made my acquaintance several times- and not always in a good way. "President of the senior class, tiered #2 in their class rank, and captain of the debate team."
I gave an awkward laugh as I looked away. "No thanks."
"Why not?" Phoenix inquired.
"We kind of know each other," I explained as I rubbed my forearm.
"What do you mean 'kind of?'" he furthered.
"Well, you see...last year, I attempted to join the debate team, but I didn't know we had to try out. I only signed up because I needed to improve on my speech. He was the captain, but I think it's because they didn't have many people to begin with. And, not to be rude, but I think they should've accepted anyone who applied because they only had 3 people," I explained. "But, to make a long story short, I sort of called him stupid and broke the debate team's plaque."
"What? How?" he asked.
"Don't ask questions. Just cross him off the list," I replied.
"Okay," Phoenix nodded.
"Who's next?" I asked.
"Wade Helford," Phoenix told me as he flipped through the yearbook a few pages. He pointed to the boy he would be describing momentarily. "You probably recognize him from the games. He's on the football team. I guess he's funny. I know he thinks you're pretty."
I stared at his picture. He's cute, I guess. I mean, I wouldn't say he's my type, not that I really have one. He has braces and black hair, but other than that, there isn't much to look at. I recognized him, though. He's waved at me a few times in the halls, but other than that, I don't see much of him. "How do you know he thinks I'm pretty?" I asked.
"Because he called you pretty," Phoenix replied as if my question was stupid.
"Oh," I replied. "I don't know about him. Who's the last person?"
"His name is Elliot Velazquez," Phoenix informed me as he flipped to the last sticky note, placing the book back on my lap. "He's from Spain. He has an accent, but he speaks English fluently. He likes reading and baseball. He's going to try out when the season starts up."
My eyebrows rose slightly as I stared at the boy in the picture. He's easy on the eyes. Brown, curly hair and hazel eyes with skin that's just the right amount of tan. "Yeah, he's nice."
"Nice?" Phoenix asked.
"Nice looking," I trailed as I stared at the picture. "Very nice looking."
Phoenix snatched yearbook from my lap with a wrinkled nose. "Don't make things weird."
"What?" I asked.
"So I guess you're into Elliot, yes?" he inquired, earning a nod.
"Yeah," I nodded. "Sign me up for whatever he's selling."
"Again, don't make it weird," Phoenix grunted as he slipped the yearbook back into his backpack.
"So when can I talk to him?" I asked Phoenix, earning a shrug in response.
"I see him during study hall," Phoenix admitted. "So I can ask him if he's going to homecoming. Hopefully he doesn't think I'm asking him because, face it Grace, you're no competition compared to me."
I scoffed as I glared at him. "Just get him to talk to me."
+ + +
The following day, I was walking down the hall towards the lunch room when Phoenix called my name from the opposite end of the corridor. I immediately whipped around, ready to insult him when I saw that he had a friend with him, but not just any friend. He had Elliot with him. My eyes widened but I managed to collect myself in the time it took them to reach me.
"Hey," I greeted them with a smile.
"Elliot, this is Grace," Phoenix nodded at Elliot. "Grace, this is Elliot."
"It's nice to meet you Grace," Elliot smiled at me, earning a large smile from me.
"It's nice to meet you, too, Elliot," I nodded.
Phoenix had his nose wrinkled as he coughed. "Well, I've got to go see one of my teachers. I'll see you two in the cafeteria," he blurted.
I wanted to ask him to stay so he can help Elliot grow more comfortable around me but he just walked off down the hall. I turned to see Elliot looking around the corridor quietly. I wanted to cringe at how obvious Phoenix made it. "So you're from Spain?" I inquired.
"Yes, I am," he nodded. "Can you tell from my accent?" he chuckled, earning a laugh from me as well.
"Phoenix told me that you were," I responded.
"Phoenix has told me a lot about you, as well," he nodded. "He told me that you take Spanish. Is that true?"
"Yeah, it is," I told him. "I think I'm quite good at it, too," I lied. If I'm being honest, I have a C+ in that class, and I'm not quite sure how I managed to get that; I think I deserve a D, or perhaps an F.
"So if I speak to you in Spanish, would you understand?" he asked as we walked to the cafeteria.
I shrugged. "Maybe."
"¿Eres la novia de Phoenix?" he inquired, speaking fast and confusing me completely. He noticed my lost look and grinned. "Did you catch that?"
"Not really," I confessed.
"I asked if you were Phoenix's girlfriend," he responded. A horrified look overcame my features and I resisted the urge to vomit on the floor. "By the look on your face, I'm guessing you are not."
"You guess correctly," I nodded as I shivered in disgust at the thought of being with Phoenix.
"If you are not dating Phoenix, how do you know him?" he asked curiously.
"Well, he's my brother's best friend. We kind of grew up together," I admitted.
"So you must know him well?" Elliot inquired.
"Unfortunately," I sighed.
"Do you know why he asked me about homecoming? It seemed as if he was hinting that he wanted me to ask him. I enjoy our friendship, but I am not into him in that way," Elliot asked me with a scared look on his face. I immediately keeled over and laughed, holding my stomach as it began to ache in pain.
I managed to regain myself as I slowly stood up, looking at Elliot and chuckling. "How long have you been here?"
"Since August," he replied, still cautious.
"There's a lot you have to learn about Phoenix," I explained. "He's into girls; in fact, he's considered a player."
He let out a sigh of relief. "I was very scared. It would have been very awkward to reject him."
"He was probably asking because he was curious," I explained. "Though I don't like him very much, he's decent to most people. He probably just wants to introduce you to some of his friends."
"You do not like him?" he asked curiously.
I sighed and shrugged. "He's been a bit more tolerable as of late, but no, we aren't the best of friends."
"May I ask why you are not?" he inquired.
"Well, he hasn't always been nice to me," I confessed for some odd reason. Perhaps it was his beautiful accent or the aura that surrounded him, but I felt I could talk to him.
"But Phoenix seems to be a nice person," Elliot explained. "And it seems to me that he likes you very much and considers you a good friend of his."
I immediately felt bad. Here I was badmouthing Phoenix to Elliot when it seems that Phoenix is speaking me up for the sake of romance. I smiled at Elliot and shrugged. "I guess I consider him an older brother, and who actually gets along with their older brothers all the time?" I lied through my teeth.
Elliot nodded as we reached the cafeteria. "This is your stop," he nodded at the doors of the cafe.
"You're not eating?" I asked him curiously. He simply shook his head.
"I'm not hungry," he explained and I smiled at him.
"Well, I'll see you around," I waved as I entered the cafeteria. He nodded at me, waving back.
I was standing in the lunch line when Phoenix approached me. "How'd it go?" he inquired, earning a shrug from me.
"He's cool," I replied.
"Cool?" Phoenix asked, earning a nod. "What do you mean cool?"
"He's very easy to talk to," I admitted. "And he seems like he's an open book."
"Is that a bad thing?" Phoenix asked, sensing the uncertainty in my voice.
I shrugged, looking at the floor. "I don't know. I just can't imagine dating him. He seems like someone I'd consider a friend. I'm not sure yet."
Phoenix sighed. "Come on! You think he's cute!"
"I think he's hot," I responded. "But I don't know, we didn't have a spark."
"You just met him! What do you expect?" Phoenix asked. "He's funny; he's smart; and he's capable of holding a conversation- you just witnessed that! Those are things you want in a guy!"
"I'm just a teenager! I don't know what I want!" I replied.
"You seemed pretty damn confident when you were listing off necessary qualities!" he retorted, earning a sigh from me. I dragged my hands down my face.
"Listen, Phoenix, I'll talk to him some more but I really don't think it's going to go anywhere," I told him. With an annoyed look on his face, Phoenix returned to his table with my suspicious looking brother.