Airel - Aaron Patterson [10]
I heaved one more time, then started to feel like it was going away. I walked to the sink and avoided looking in the mirror. “Whatever it is… it sucks!” I splashed water on my face and washed out my mouth. The water tasted sickening and sweet. Ugh! Probably better ask Kim if she has any gum…
“Are you pregnant?”
I looked up in the mirror at my friend, shocked, and shook my head. “Kim! A million other girls…” Only Kim would blurt out that question, and at a time like this, in a dingy café bathroom after I had just thrown up. “Pregnancy requires sex, which I haven’t had. I am not pregnant!” I was wondering, was she just joking around or did she really think I could possibly be pregnant?
“Hey! I had to ask. I mean, hello, it’s the most obvious question.”
“Yeah, but do you understand what asking the question means?”
“Okay, fine. I’m sorry. But you need to go see a doctor. Something is definitely up.” Kim fiddled with her hair and looked at me with her big green eyes. She looked really confused and concerned all at the same time.
“I hate doctors.” It made my stomach hurt just thinking about going to a doctor. “I’m fine, it’s just the flu or something like that.” I stood up all the way, testing things. “See? All better. Got any gum?” Kim gave me a stick of some over marketed tropical-vacation-in-a-wrapper, and I took it, chomping into it savagely. “Let’s go. I’m still hungry and I need to get to the mall quick. I gotta put this bad start to the day behind me.” I lifted my hands in the air and spun around like a little girl in a summer dress, as if this would show how good I was supposed to feel.
After one last look at my hair, we left the bathroom and headed back to our booth. I tried not to look at the grizzled old people, other customers, who were regarding us as if we were from Mars. I didn’t care at the moment. Besides, they were all scrappy old men anyway. But I did have a feeling, an undeniable sense of being watched. It took over all my senses and I felt the hair on my arms stand up on end. I didn’t even know I had any hair on my arms, but it was all excited about something.
Standing in the doorway were two guys. One was James,—yeah—the James, as in, star quarterback… and walking through the door right behind him was Michael Alexander. It was a slo-mo moment. He was gorgeous and I probably looked like I was about ready to drool, my mouth hanging open.
Kim and I both stopped dead in our tracks. As soon as we did, they both looked at us. Michael looked like a Greek god as he stood tall in the doorway with a light colored t-shirt on that made his shoulders look like they were going to rip the fabric apart.
I looked away quickly, as if I hadn’t seen him, and started for our table. My face flushed yet again. Kim, on the other hand, gushed and giggled as only Kim can do. “Hey, I can’t believe you guys are here! What are you doing?” She walked toward them invitingly, which was a bad thing. That meant he was going to end up at our table, and then…
You can do this… don’t be a baby. Act normal for once in your life and talk to him. Don’t think about what to say. Just act like you’re not a total idiot. Michael had an easy walk as he moved toward our table. He was wearing a faded pair of blue jeans. I can’t remember what James was wearing. Who cares?
I sat down, smoothing my hair, regretting that I had not spent more time on it this morning. I was caught with a grab-a-handful-and-be-done-with-it ponytail and there was nothing I could do about it. My hair was probably sticking up everywhere, like I was seriously one of those girls who went out in their pajamas. I cringed inside, hoping he wouldn’t get the wrong impression.
“Kim and Airel, right?” Michael’s voice was deep and smooth, sending unwanted shivers up my spine. This was just plain stupid, not to mention the way he seemed to not even notice my discomfort. I thought that he was a nice person and that he probably made every girl feel like