Page 7

T his week has been stressful. I've been running laps to finish the yearbook and prepare it for printing. Despite the busy schedule I have been finding time to complete my projects and final assignments. Sifting through my camera roll to find pictures for my collage required several hours of searching.

I finished my art project on Tuesday but still need to find a final photo to print. I needed to fill a blank space that appeared at the very edge.

I inquired Mrs. Greene about what should go in the blank space and received a disconcerting answer.

"Well, it's a board about your life. You included your family and friends on this board but you forgot to mention someone who should be there. she hints, smirking. I spent a moment thinking but quickly started asking her questions.

"Do I have to?"

He becomes a regular part of your daily routine whether you agree with it. she shrugs, her positive tone persuading me.

I decided to look for a picture because I was exhausted from working on this project. While searching for photos I overlooked some embarrassing ones until I spotted an image, I captured earlier during the school year.

It had to be a school camera because of the exceptional quality of the image.

The picture's dark background made me believe I was looking at Jaxon carrying his helmet after a game in Friday Night Lights.

The drizzle left his jersey muddy, and his hair soaked which caused his eyeblack to smear down his face as he walked off the field. When I examined the photo for a moment, I found it to be a very good representation of him.

I promise I will spend too much time helping this child. I succeeded in capturing a flattering photo of him.

I transferred the picture to a document before printing it. After I placed the glue on the poster's edge, I backed up several steps to view the completed project. The poster appeared perfect from a distance, and you couldn't tell it was him unless you saw the number on his jersey.

That's all I could say about Tuesday.

Wednesday proved uneventful because I had no tasks to complete.

I tried to ask Jaxon to begin the poster, but he was unavailable because the first Savannah League Game approached. We only need two hours to finish this, but we haven't managed to find that time yet.

The clock keeps moving forward as Thursday afternoon progresses.

Remember to cheer on your fellow Trojans this coming weekend when they play at 2 pm! First game this Saturday!" The speaker delivered his announcement as the final bell sounded.

I navigated through a crowd of students to reach my locker so I could remove unwanted items. I emptied my bag and realized I needed to have a conversation with him. I needed help because completing this task alone was impossible for me.

As I walked outside, I made my way toward the field where practice was beginning. After saying hello to everyone during my walk I located Jaxon sitting by the bench. "Jaxon!" As I approached him, I sang out his name.

Jaxon stopped tying his laces to look up before frowning. I'm not excited to see you either. I respond with a comment based on his facial expression.

"What do you want?" He questions me with obvious irritation because he already dislikes my presence.

I disregard his behavior as I say "Well, it's Thursday. I want this poster done."

He stands up and grabs his helmet. He teases me by saying "I'm your favorite hangout buddy apparently." while he tousles my hair.

"No." I whack his hand away. "I want a good grade. You happen to be an obstacle." I point at him. "Yeah, right." he rolls his eyes.

"Rowan! Let's go!" The sound of the coach's yell reaches me from across the field.

Much of the team has gathered at the fifty-yard line. "After practice," he says shortly. With sharp sarcasm he states that I supposedly crave time spent with him so badly.

He's purposefully telling me the same thing over again to irritate me because it's clearly effective. I still don't want to spend time with you. I groan.

"Keep telling yourself that."

I roll my eyes before muttering "I hope your leg breaks." I mutter at him. With a smirk he says to me, "I can break a lot of things Em," before walking away.

I take in a breath and scowl. Ew. I did not need to hear that. I spin around to see him jog toward his teammates. I walk back to school for the yearbook club with a shake of my head.

I really just want to finish this task.

The yearbook creation process turned out to be much more stressful than it usually was. We completed the book's finishing touches before presenting it to Mrs. Greene.

When we reviewed the yearbook, everyone gave their approval and many club members departed. I stayed behind to finish another sketch.

The mistake I made spoiled my previous sketch, so I haven't redrawn it since then. The task became difficult because I spent endless time staring at the blank page.

I sketched multiple ideas, but none satisfied me which led me to restart several times.

I had the option to pick one of those sketches but refused to submit anything less than my best work because I knew I could achieve more.

Mrs. Greene remains my only favored teacher at school which makes extra effort worthwhile. She is the best. Over time I have developed a close bond with her because she has permitted me to have lunch in her room multiple times and given me support during art class and yearbook club supervision.

I decided to stop working after spending an additional hour without making any progress and then proceeded to go home. When I arrived at my house the time was at six o'clock.

After taking a quick shower and eating dinner I explained to my parents that I would be on the opposite side of the street while watching a hockey game in the living room.

I simply responded to the "Project" when they questioned me about my plans.

Dad gave a nod before returning to the living room while Mom responded to me with raised eyebrows and a smile.

"I don't want to talk about it." I ended her fantasy thoughts and exited through the front door. They share the same behavior pattern through and through. My mom along with Lucille has always tried to bring Jaxon and me together although I'm not sure what that looks like to them. The measures they used to stop our bickering were extreme but clearly unsuccessful.

Whenever they get the opportunity to bring us together, they seize it. Their attempt to bring us together seems amusing but it becomes too much for me at times.

They can't help it, though. Their children have nothing in common despite their parents being best friends.

Not ideal.

After climbing their porch steps, I approach the front door and knock multiple times. Before I reach the door, I hear quick movements inside and then a sharp voice Camdenls out to me.

"Emmy!" Ro squeals.

"Hi, Ro!" I instinctively raise my voice an octave. Lily stood behind me and greeted me with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"Just my favourite person on the planet." I make a joke while stepping into the house. "Where is he?" I ask.

Her eyes lit up at my question. I believe my polite tone instead of my usual angry voice made the difference.

"He's upstairs." She flashed a smile as she guided Rory back into the living room. My nod accompanied by a specific look revealed my presence was not voluntary but required due to a pressing deadline. My sole purpose for being here was to finish my work before leaving. I ascended the steps and then veered right to reach his room.

I stood ready to knock on his door when it unexpectedly swung open. Jaxon appeared surprised by my presence when the door swung open behind him.

I approach tasks with directness and efficiency. Jaxon showed me he was impatient when he pushed me aside and moved into the hallway himself. Could we delay this for a bit because I forgot about another obligation? I forgot I had something to do." he rushed, backing down the corridor.

I turned towards him with furrowed eyebrows. "Woah, woah, woah. What kind of activities could you possibly need to attend at 8:13 in the evening? I took out my phone.

He shrugged and walked down the hallway. My disbelief fueled my pursuit of him as we descended the staircase and approached the front door.

"Excuse me, Jaxon, what–"

Return within sixty minutes but avoid any further complaints. He rolls his eyes before slipping on his final shoe.

Feel free to relax or engage in any activity you typically enjoy while at my place. "What–" My mouth closes as soon as he closes the door between us.

My eyes fixed on the door while I tried to grasp the reality of what had just occurred.

The car lights illuminate through the door's glass. He better keep his word. One hour. I hope this will last for one hour but I'm unsure about what will happen.

He would likely find value in the person involved rather than the task at hand.

Gross. Whatever. I can spare one hour. Maybe two, but that's pushing it.

Upon entering the living room, I notice Lily's worried expression. "I'm sorry for him. I can call him back if–"

"No, " I shrugged. Let him go. It's fine." I sighed, becoming a little frustrated.

Lily appeared to understand my expression and turned to watch the television. I relaxed into the couch and observed the cartoon Lily turned on for Ro.

Reflecting on his recent behavior made me feel even angrier. I swear he's the worst.

The first hour passed by the slowest. I waited to hear the door unlocked but it remained silent.

Lily took Ro upstairs and put him to bed at 9:00. She came down to stay with me but after chatting briefly she went back upstairs shortly thereafter.

Despite knowing he wouldn't return within an hour I chose to begin working on the poster.

I selected the simplest topic that came to mind.

Everyone teaches themselves this information because it is simple to draw. The act of drawing it appeared as though I worked independently.

I had placed the poster board on the coffee table before starting to work on it. Before she went to bed Lily brought me some markers which I thanked her for.

I began drawing the entire system on paper with pencil while adding a title and basic images and made connections between all elements using lines.

My work met my satisfaction levels when the time approached ten o'clock. I completed my contribution to the project with those actions. He could complete the remaining work if Jaxon decides to return.

Each minute that passed after 10:00, I became increasingly more annoyed. Maddox came into the living room to keep me company after trotting over but he could only calm down my anger to a certain point. By 10:30, I had concluded. He ditched me.

He fucking ditched me.

I fucking hate him.

As my need to express my anger grew stronger, I found the only person—or maybe pet—I could converse with was stretched out at my feet. I swing my legs off the couch before flipping around so that my head meets my feet. "Your owner's a dick. Did you know that

Maddox?"

My voice prompted Maddox to lift his head and perk his ears.

"I mean, who does that?" I ask. I've figured out the answer, but I just groan and fall silent.

Maddox refuses to utter any words as he continues to stare at me with his beady eyes. When I reach up to stroke his head Maddox leans into my hand to respond. Because he continues to get on my nerves, he has done so again so now I will stay put until he returns.

Why?

My desire to speak with him exists but arguing seems inevitable. That maybe it. I may want to argue with him. I derive some enjoyment from our arguments because I find the process of debating with him enjoyable. During our arguments he continues to irritate me on a consistent basis.

I stopped thinking about it by shaking my head. I removed my phone from my pocket to see what time it is.

11:03

Well, shit.

I tell myself that I want to engage him in an argument but there's a possibility I'm not fully conscious. My eyes feel heavy, but I scan his room to find something to occupy myself with. It didn't take much effort to locate the Rubik's cube on his desk.

Since it remained unsolved, I picked up the Rubix cube to keep myself busy until his eventual return. Each side of the Rubix cube received nonchalant turns and rotations from me so I didn't make any progress toward solving it.

His lamp was the sole thing that kept me from falling asleep because it lit up the corner of his room. Despite having that light to help me stay alert I found it very challenging to keep my eyes open.

My senses were probably dulled by extreme tiredness because I felt my heart skip a beat upon hearing the door handle move. What made me fail to notice him approaching from the staircase?

The door opens to reveal his entrance until he halts suddenly upon seeing me. "What are you doing here?" he asks.

"You left me here, remember?" I questioned him. I rose from the chair to remind him that he gave me one hour.

"But that was–"

"Hours ago?" I finished his thought for him. "Yeah, I know." With a sigh of resignation I placed the cube on his desk.

He advances a few steps as the door shuts quietly in his wake. The light was strong enough to reveal his face clearly which made me see the smear of lipstick on his cheek.

I knew it.

I felt disappointment rather than anger at him after rubbing my eyes because fatigue made me too tired for anger. "You suck." I sighed, shaking my head. His lips twisted into a careless frown while I did not stop talking.

It was only one hour that I requested from you. One hour, Jaxon—two at tops." I was fighting back a yawn. You left me alone to go to a hookup. I tried to keep my eyes open while I looked at him. He stared at me with his dark eyes which concealed his emotions.

I'm guessing he's either irritated with me or simply doesn't care at all.

I decided to stay put because I wanted to complete what I started. My goal was to complete this task successfully.

I let out a sigh before I walked past him to enter his bathroom. Taking two tissues from the box I wet them under running water and headed back to his room.

The tissues damp in my hand I clung to as I slowly moved toward him until I reached his side. His back rested against the desk while his arms remained crossed as he continued to stare into my eyes. It seemed as though he was mounting a defence, but I couldn't tell what he was defending.

Nor did I exactly care.

I recognize you didn't choose me as your partner because you care but selected me to annoy me. "But a little decency would be nice."

My voice sounded low and slightly rough because I was exhausted. After I removed the lipstick from his cheek, I tossed the tissue into the nearby trash can.

I noticed his eyes narrow when I took that action and found myself shocked that I performed it. Shrugging it off, I backed away.

"You need to apply some color to it," I inform him. "And what are you gonna do?" he asks as I turn away.

"I'm taking a nap. Wake me up when you're done." I lay down placing my stomach on the surface of his comforter.

Do you really want to stay there? He asks me a question while the desk makes a noise which suggests he leaned away from it.

"Why do you ask?"

He states bluntly "I could've had sex there."

My lips pull into a smirk because I'm working hard to keep from laughing. "You value your personal belongings too much." "I bet you use the guest room for girls."

The room fills with sound from a marker cap popping while he chuckles quietly to himself.

"Yeah, whatever."

I find myself closing my eyes by habit whenever I come across a comfortable place to rest. "Just remember to wake me up." I hum against the pillow. No other noises reached my ears before my eyes became heavy and my body released tension.