8. 'Who's Hot' List

The first thing I notice when I get to the hallway where my locker is situated early Friday morning is Jude, laughing at something Cole is saying and banging his hand on his locker. 

I narrow my eyes, my hand folded around my hankie, two other stuffed in my jeans pockets. 

I'm about to ruin somebody's jovial morning mood. 

I march over to the two. I've just gotten there when my nose tickles on the insides, and I feel it coming.

I raise my handkerchief to my nostrils. 

"Aaacho!"

I sigh in relief as I wipe my nose. The two boys are no longer making noise, instead staring at me. I put my hand down and glare at Jude. 

"Oh shit," he mumbles. 

Nice word choice. 

"Nothing will happen, I promise," I taunt, imitating his voice from yesterday after he had handed me the sweet. 

He raises his hand in surrender. "Didn't you drink your chocolate?"

"You dragged me out after your little fight with your brother, remember? I don't think I even got a sip in."

"What are you guys talking about? Did you fight with Jared? When? Where?" Cole interrupts our conversation, giving his friend a perplexed look. 

Jude shrugs. "At the mall. He was bothering Jo."

Well, I don't remember that he was, but I'm not here about that...

"You gave me this cold, Jude. My throat's killing me!"

"It's not my fault you didn't take your chocolate," he claims. 

I reach into my pocket and retrieve a lozenge for my sore throat. I had one only half an hour minutes ago, but I can't wait any longer with this bothersome throat. "It so is. Even after he left, you insisted on dragging me out." 

"You should have made yourself a cup at home," he tells me. 

I pop the lozenge in my mouth and glare. The glare's effect is ruined when I feel a sneeze coming up and I have another 'aacho' moment.

When I look back up, Cole is giving me a sympathetic look. I get it, my nose is most probably red, and my eyes watery. 

"I'm sorry, Jo. You should never trust this idiot."

Jude rolls his eyes. "What do you want me to do?"

"Asshole," I mutter and take off for my locker. 

"I'm sorry," he yells after me. 

I flash him my middle finger, the devious part of my mind planning on how I'll get him back for this. 

______

"At nine o'clock..."

I'm already turning my head when Jen grabs my shoulder and holds me in place. 

"Wait five seconds before looking," she says, exasperated. "You don't even wait to hear what I'm talking about!"

I start ticking off the seconds in my head. Jen looks as if she is going to tell me what she is talking about, but the five seconds are already gone and I turn my head. 

My eyes clash with another pair. Bright dark ones that knock the breath out of my body. I'm frozen for a second, because his gaze is so intense. Then I'm looking back at Jen, my face burning up. 

"Told you to listen to me first," she says, a small smile on her lips. 

I groan and bury my face in my hand. "Oh God, why is he doing that?"

I can literally feel her roll her eyes. "You mean why has he been doing that for the longest time ever?"

I look up and gesture with my wrist. "He has a girlfriend now," I point out. 

Jen raises both her eyebrows at me as if there's some obvious hint I'm not getting. 

Jonathan Bernard Shaw, or as we call him Jon, is a senior too. We share one class, in which I try my hardest to avoid him because that's what I do when I get close to my crush after hours of hoping that I could see him. 

And Jen is right too, Jon has been staring for a long while. He is the one Angeline was teasing me about that day when we left the river. 

It doesn't matter anyway because he started dating this girl like two weeks ago. Besides, it's not like I ever wanted to date him. I'm not interested in dating anyone.

"Half of the cheerleaders want him," Jen supplies. 

Of course they would, he is not far below Jude Walker on the 'Who's Hot List'. They have wanted him since he trounced puberty and came out golden. Jon has the most beautiful caramel brown complexion, and this half kinky hair that's currently shaved on the sides and kept neat on top. To top it all, he grows out a bit of his sideburns. I love his side burns. I really really... 

Someone slaps my hand and I look up to find Jen giving me a skeptical look. "I thought you said you were, I quote, 'so over him'."

How can I ever? 

I nod. "Yes, remember the part where I'm too awkward so it's definitely a blessing that he has never actually approached me?"

"But you'd at least like to be friends, wouldn't you?" she challenges. 

I sigh and look down at my book. We are in the library for a free period. Jon is two tables away, sat with some of his friends. "Yeah," I say. 

"It's okay, you now have Jude to distract you," she says with a wink. 

I roll my eyes. The guy is lucky I'm feeling much better and my vengeful feelings are all gone. The lozenges worked on my throat, and other than a blow of my nose here and there I'm fine. 

"Okay, so I need you to come over today," Jen says, changing the subject. 

"To?" I ask, because Jen doesn't just invite me to her place if she doesn't want to ask something of me.

"To help me choose my dress for my date with Jax," she says. 

I groan. "No. No I won't. Ask Kate, or Bethany, or Christie, any of those friends of yours. I don't know anything about dresses. And don't forget I'm still not fine with you and Jax...dating."

It's weird. I used to help Angeline get ready for her dates, mostly because I got to make endless fun of her. But I don't think I want to hear about Jen and the guy Angeline talked about to me over and over again, almost numbing my ears. I haven't had a chance to ask him about it, but what would I say, anyway? 

It's weird, I repeat. For lack of a better word. 

"Av--"

"Maybe it's rebound, for him? He's hurting and trying to avoid it."

Jen sighs. "You don't get it, Ava."

Yeah, and I might never. 

___

Jude: Can we meet today? 

I look over my shoulder and yes, there is Jude at his usual table that's like two yards away from mine. Doesn't want to come over to the commoner table and talk to me? I reply anyway. 

Me: I thought you had a strict policy against meeting up on Fridays? 

Jude: We could meet for an hour since we cancelled yesterday. 

I honestly have nothing to do after school after wisely turning Jen down, so I don't see why not. 

Me: Okay. 

Then I add quickly, 

Me: 3.15 sharp. Don't be late. 

Jude: I always come on time ;) 

I scoff and turn by head around, to find him smirking at me. I roll my eyes and turn back to my lunch, somehow excited for the evening. 

Jude is for once on time, but he is also dragging Cole with him. I watch the two in silence, saying nothing as Cole takes a seat at the table. He flashes me a grin. 

"Hi, Jo."

"Hey," I greet back. "What are you doing here?"

Jude snickers. "Way to be welcoming, Avery."

I swear this guy is a stalker, I don't think anybody in this school remembers, or even knows, my first name in full. It's always been Ava, and I prefer it that way, even my parents never use the long form.

Cole leans back in his chair and knots his fingers together behind his head. "I had nothing better to do, so I came to confirm his impairment with numbers. And see you work your magic," he ends with a wink.

"Let him talk, while he actually needs this more than I do," Jude claims, taking a seat. 

"I had an A- last time, prick," Cole reminds him. 

"Yeah you did," Jude agrees, but I can see a punch line coming. "Only because Tiffany Marley allowed you to copy."

I give Cole a look, waiting for him to defend himself. Tiffany is one of the populars, and she is captain of the girls' basketball team and a top performer. I could have liked her if she wasn't a stuck up bitch who treats others like they didn't matter. 

"Yeah well she wanted favours too," Cole replies. "But I always manage a B+, so yeah I'm still bragging."

"How do you copy Maths?" I ask him, brow scrunched. It's not as if it's primary school where we had multiple choices...

"Many ways to kill a rat," he says with a wink. 

"Cheater," Jude accuses, bringing out his books. 

Jude and I end up doing our work while Cole goes and leans the back of his chair against the wall, concentrating on his phone. Jude and I are really getting into the mood when there's a major distraction. 

In the form of Nicki, who appears at the head of the stairs leading up to the balcony screaming my name — "JORDANNA!!"

My name is actually Jordan, but who said insane people get to call me that. 

She skips over to me, sketchbook and paint brush in hand, then stops abruptly when she realises I'm not alone. I groan and sit back as her big eyes move from me, to Jude, to Cole, and back to me. She walks forward, like a normal person, inching towards me. Today she is in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt that says 'I'm The Coolest'. I don't know about cool, but I can confirm crazy. 

"Uh, are these your, new study partners?" she asks, gazing down at me. 

I nod, holding back laughter at her appearance. Jude doesn't waste any time in pointing it out, though. 

"Is that blue paint on your hair?" he asks, narrowing his eyes at her. 

"I guess," Nicki says, her hand flying up to pat her wild hair. 

In there is another paint brush and two pencils. 

"I had art class last period," she explains, as if that's enough excuse for looking like a poorly worked on canvas herself. 

"Well, I'm glad you didn't have it first thing in the morning or you could have gone around looking like a clown all day," I say, which earns me a whack on my fingers with her brush. 

"I have a drawing to do. I thought I could do it here and keep you company," she says, flipping her sketch book. 

"You can take that table," I say, indicating one next to us that's empty. Then I give her a warning stare. "Silence, Nick. Please."

She whacks me on the head with her brush. "Don't call me that. My name is Nicki," she says to Jude, her eyes also flickering to Cole. 

Cole, who's now watching us, his phone abandoned and his chair no longer tilted back against the wall.

He flashes Nicki a small smile and waves. 

She waves back. "Hi Cole."

I think they share other classes other than the two I'm in with them. 

"Quiet like a mouse," she promises, hopping over to the other table.