Tuxedo
45. Missing her
🤍🖤💜 Jacob 💜🖤🤍
This week was better than my first one at school. I underestimated how much I would miss Coco. Bought me a huge side pillow.
No use.
There is no warmth!
Coco’s farewell bought me and Natalie back on talking terms, But I can see she still avoids me. Or maybe I am reading too much into the situation.
This is the reason I need to keep myself busy. So I would just stop thinking about her. I should get out of the house tonight.
It’s Friday night after all.
West & team is having another get-together, but I don’t want to meet David & Sam outside our practice matches yet. At school, I am spending my time around West, Norris & girls. But I am irking Norris company a little. David’s words from that night come to my mind whenever I meet him.
‘What? That is a fact! Ask Norris.’
Natalie is right. Not talking to each other at school is a good decision overall.
She & West aren’t on good terms. Norris probably spread rumors against her. The team often made demeaning jokes about her. West assured me it won’t happen again. But to be honest, I am not sure if I can trust West when it comes to Natalie. Despite his confession and assurance, I cannot ignore the fact that such jokes made rounds in his presence earlier and he didn’t do anything. If they were friends, he could at least have some decency and made some efforts to stop those earlier.
I am not sure if I can do much to help her situation, apart from raising my objection if some shit happens. I get it now why she stopped talking to me in the first place. So I am not offended anymore that she is trying to keep her distance. After all, we are not on radio silence anymore.
So I guess that’s a plus.
I browse my phone while listening to music on my headphones and notice I haven’t replied to Hanna yet.
Oops!
Hanna: Wanna catch up. Been forever since we last hang out.
She had texted me 3 days ago. We didn’t catch up much after our breakup months ago. Because it would be odd to hang out with your ex.
Right?
It was a pretend relationship. She saved me from Sadie big time. We broke up when she wanted to take things seriously with her now-boyfriend. We couldn’t take Sadie lightly, so Hanna had to stop visiting me at home, too. Somehow, Sadie always knew who visited my place. It was very creepy, to be honest.
Considering I have nothing to do after school. I really have no excuse for why I haven’t replied to her. I really need to get my head out of the sand and talk to her.
Me: ‘Tonight?’
She replies after a while.
Hanna: ‘Yayyyyaaaa… I am so glad you moved. Lol’
Me: ‘Your Golden boy coming?’
Hanna: ‘Nah. He is out of town with his parents.’
Me: ‘My place or yours?’
Hanna: ‘Out somewhere?’
But where?
My phone starts buzzing as I contemplate.
West calling…
“Where are you?”
Oh, oh He is about to invite me to the party.
“Not home?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?
Dang!
“Of Course Telling you!”
He sighs,” Jacob! Come to the party tonight.”
“I am meeting someone!”
“Well, you can bring her to the party… if it’s the girl you were talking to then we would love to meet her!”
“I don’t know if she-”
“Jacob!” There is a warning in his tone. Damn, he is using his caption voice.
“I have given you guys enough time! Get over what happened last week & Join the party tonight. I don’t wanna get any more grilling from coach because you guys are not getting along in team!”
Yeah, I knew this day would come.
Me: ‘Looks like we are going to a party tonight.’
Hanna: ‘Huge one small one?’
Me: ‘No idea. Probably it’s a team get-together. I don’t know.’
Hanna: ‘Alight I am in.’
Hanna: ‘What should I wear?’
Me: ‘uhmmm clothes?’
Hanna: ‘No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.’
Ouch, That’s offensive.
46. Tuxedo
🤍🖤💜 Jacob 💜🖤🤍
Hanna reaches my place in an hour and she is wearing a God-Damn dress like she is visiting a Gala.
“What the hell, Hanna?”
“What! I asked you… What should I wear?”
As if she didn’t know any better. You would think if you are meeting some friend after months, you would at least try to avoid conflict.
I roll my eyes, and she defends herself. “How would I know what kind of get-together it is?”
“Even I don’t know that! Am I standing in a tuxedo?”
She scoffs, “To wear one, you need to own one.”
That makes me chuckle. Damn, I missed her.
Mom was happy to see her and wouldn’t stop complimenting her. But either she or I have to change. I would rather be underdressed instead of being overdressed.
She needs to change and we need to leave. Quick!
But she wouldn’t stop talking to mom as if she met some long-lost friend. So I grab her by her arm and drag her to June’s room.
“We are late!!”
“It was nice talking to you, Ms. Rachel…. Ouch ouch, Stop Pulling! Have some decency, Jacob...”
June is super excited to meet her. I sigh, thinking there will be another long-lost sister’s conversation. But to my astonishment, June finds a decent dress for her to wear in record time. By God’s Grace, it fits her fine.
“But it’s too loose,” Hanna says.
“Are you saying I am fat? Oh, God… I am a year younger than you… Don’t tell me I am fat.”
“No Girl you just have bigger boo-”
“GUYS!!” I say, walking out of the door.
“Oops sorry.” Hanna quips and lags behind me.
I am surprised June didn’t ask if she could tag along. But whatever… It works in my favor.
As I sit in my car she asks,” So… How are you doing?”
I chuckle. Finally, she remembers she is here for me. Not for Mom or June.
We catch up with general things while driving. As we reach the location West shared with me, she gasps and smacks my arm.
“Oh, God! My dress was perfect!”
Ok, probably she is right. But the point is, I don’t have a tuxedo.
“Well, it was… if you were here planning to hook up with some rich dude.”
She scoffs and we get out of the car. The house is huge, with dim lighting and the ambiance is beautiful. Looks like it’s someone’s birthday. Party has barely started, and it’s getting messy in a few places already. The dimly lit ambiance is hiding everything perfectly.
“How do these people handle house cleaning after a party?”
She rolls her eyes. “Cleaning crew! Rich people do rich things. Don’t think small, Jacob.”
We take some drinks and she gushes over how much she has missed me, how I am a good listener and how her boyfriend bores her sometimes.
“Probably he is bored with listening to all your stories. So he is only reciprocating the favor.”
“You too think that’s the problem?”
Who else thinks this way?
Before I can answer, I see West and a few guys coming toward us. David is with them, too. Here comes our patch…
“Just a heads up… My team might think I am into you and we met recently.”
She raises her eyebrow. “Still not over our pretend relationship, Jacob?”
After David’s remark about Natalie sleeping with me, I don’t want to admit my crush on her to anyone. Unless we do start seeing each other. But the way she is still keeping her distance, I don’t see any chance of that happening. She isn’t interested in me.
So it’s better to play safe and let them assume Hanna is the one. We catch up with the team. I and David make small talk. Everyone takes great interest in Hanna, as it’s the first time they have seen me with a girl.
They try to embarrass me. I internally thank God that my real crush isn’t standing here to watch me get grilled.
