Chapter One
Rani
“Rani!” my Mom called. “Come on, you’re going to miss the bus!”
I took the stairs, two at time, kissed my mother quickly on the cheek, and ran to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up. When I sat down, I could barely catch my breath.
“Jesus, Rani,” snorted my best friend, Tyler. “If you would wake up five minutes earlier, you wouldn't have to run at such a breakneck speed just to make the bus, you know.”
I coughed. “Shut up, Tyler,” I said between gasps. Not everyone is as fit or as perfect as you.”
He smiled at me and then looked out the window.
I reached into my backpack and grabbed a spare brush that I always kept handy. My blonde hair was so thick with knots, that it took almost all my strength to brush the tangles out. I just couldn’t figure out how I could go to bed every night with smooth hair, and in the morning look like a family of rats had taken up residence in it.
“Looking good,” sneered Katie, who was sitting across me. Katie, the bitch, looked as though she got up every morning at three a.m. just to get ready for school. Her hair was always in place, make-up just right, and she never had chipped nails.
“Screw you,” I mumbled in her general direction. I was definitely not in the mood to deal with her bullshit this morning.
Her eyes narrowed. “What did you just say to me?”
I knew she was looking for a fight, and I was so not going to let it happen. “Nothing,” I replied as innocently as possible.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she replied, still glaring at me. Then, thankfully, she turned to her neighbor to finish whatever conversation they’d been having, which I’m sure was regarding foreign policies, welfare, or world hunger.
I smirked.
Yeah, just the thought of that made me want to laugh out loud. Katie, who was pretty and popular, was also as vapid as they came. Conversations with her included - who wore it best at an award show, or which color of eye-shadow would make her eyes “pop,”
Pathetic.
I stuffed the brush back into my backpack, and zoned out the rest of the way to school, thinking about the future. I was in my senior year and could not wait to start college in the fall. I had already been accepted to the University of Minnesota, and am not a brainiac or anything, but I have to say that I do “okay.” Fortunately, schoolwork had always come pretty easy, and I’d never had to really worry about it. Tyler, on the other hand, was a totally different story. He’d excelled in sports, but had always struggled in school since the first grade. Many times in the mornings, I’d be quizzing him on the bus, and no matter how hard we’d studied together, he’d still only average a “C.” Anyway, as far as I knew, Tyler had not made any plans for the fall yet, and he hated talking about it, which drove me nuts. I‘d even tried pushing him on a few occasions, telling him the importance of college, but he’d get so pissed off.
“Rani,” he’d once said. “I already have a mom; I don't need you nagging me, too.”
I’d agreed and zipped my lips, hoping he’d eventually figure it out on his own. I just hated to see my best friend flounder.
Tyler.
He actually was a very good-looking guy - tall, with brown hair and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen on anyone. His body wasn't so bad either; all those years of football and hockey had given him muscles in all of the right places.
My other friends had always ribbed me about not going out with him, but even as good-looking as Tyler was, however, we just never really had a “spark.” I had certainly seen my share of “Rom-coms”, and according to those movies, I should have seen rainbows and butterflies when I kissed a guy. Hell, I’d settle for fluffy clouds and a horse. In fact, last year we’d both gone to a party at Mindy McGann's house. Mindy's parents had been out of town, and her older brother, Luke, had purchased a keg of beer for the party. I normally never drank, but that night I’d felt a little daring. So, I’d played Beer Pong with some classmates, and lo-and-behold, I sucked. Apparently, Beer Pong is a lot harder than it looks. In fact, twenty-five minutes into the game, I had already chugged five beers from my red Solo cup. It was then that I’d started to feel warm and a little dizzy. So, I’d gone in search of Tyler, who’d been sitting around the television playing video games with a bunch of other jocks.
“Tyyyyylerrrr,” I’d slurred and then giggled at the sound of my voice. When he didn’t answer, I’d repeated it louder. “Tyyyyylerrr! Come on, let's go.”
Tyler had looked at me with a furrowed brow. “Hang on a minute, Rani. I’m about to blast this zombie.”
“Tyyyyy…” I’d whined, but then had been unable to finish because the damn Beer Pong beer decided, in that very bad moment, to return to the party. I felt my mouth begin to water and I knew exactly what was going to happen. I tried to hold it in, but it was pointless, the beer was coming back and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it. I turned my head and the beer and cheese doodles that I’d been munching on earlier ended up all over Mindy’s couch and Jake Callun’s head.
“My bad,” I mumbled to nobody in particular.
“Oh, Christ, Rani,” Tyler had muttered. Then he’d, grabbed me around the waist and hoisted me up over his shoulder.
I then hiccupped-slash-burped and said, “sorry” to a horrified Jake, who was looking down at his coveted letterman’s jacket, which was now decorated with bits of bright orange doodles.
Thank God Tyler was a good athlete, because he had us out of that home in under ten seconds.
When we’d gotten to Tyler's car, he put me in the front seat and buckled me in like a child. “You’d better not hurl in my car,” he’d warned, getting in next to me.
Still slightly dizzy, I didn’t say anything, only closed my eyes as we drove.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he’d asked sternly after a few minutes of silence. “I mean, seriously, Rani?”
I still hadn’t wanted to talk, so I’d just shrugged my shoulders.
“Well, I certainly can't take you home in this condition,” he’d said with a sigh. “So, let's just go to a park and chill out for a while.”
I’d agreed.
When we’d reached the park and got out of the car for some fresh air, it had made me feel much better.
“Here,” he’d ordered handing me a stick of gum.
I’d popped the gum into my mouth and the minty flavor had never tasted so good.
“Better?”
“Yes,” I’d answered and then began to shiver from the chill in the air.
He’d noticed and removed his jacket. “Here, put this on”.
I’d thanked him quietly and then had slipped it on. The jacket had still been warm from his body heat and had felt awesome. Feeling better, I’d nudged in a little closer to him and then rested my head on his shoulder. “Tyler,” I’d whispered after we’d sat there for some time. “I don't really know what I’d do without you.”
He’d chuckled. “Right back at ya.”
Smiling, I’d sat up and then we’d both stared at each other in silence. When no words were spoken by either of us, I’d reached for him, gently pulling his face closer to mine. We kissed, and then kissed some more, and I was waiting for the fireworks, or some type of spark, but there was… nothing.
Eventually, we’d pulled away from each other and then both of us had started laughing at the same time. “Well I guess it is true,” I’d said, as our laughter died down.
“What?”
I’d smiled. “Men and women can just be just friends.”
Shaking his head and smiling, he’d unlocked the door and drove me home.