everything sounded great. He paused and pushed around his food and took a sip of his Coke. I just stared at him and read his energy. He was really struggling with this next part. I reached out my hand and held his hand in mine to let him know I was there to support him. “My mom died suddenly three years ago from an aneurysm. She was just 39 years old. My dad did his best to be a single parent while grieving his wife. I’m not sure he grieved enough. A year later he would come home and lose himself in a bottle of Jack. I tried helping him, but it usually ended badly and I would just make sure he ended up in his bed to sleep it off.”
“Oh my God, I am so sorry.” I would have never imagined that Jay’s mom died.
“So last summer he must have stopped off at a bar on his way home from work. He was so plastered and I was so pissed that he drove drunk. I dumped his booze down the drain and he punched me in the face. Split my cheek open. The next day, when my dad was sober, he saw what he had done to me. He promised me he would be a better dad and was going to go into rehab. So Soren’s parents offered to let me live with them till my dad got clean.” Jay looked at me and must have seen the tear forming in my eye. “I told you, you might cry.” I snickered and nodded.
“Boy, I just don’t get it. I mean, you have been through more than most kids our age and yet there is this amazing positive energy coming from you. People are drawn to you. You’re so charismatic. You don’t let that awful stuff taint you. It’s amazing.”
“And there goes my hat size. Thank you for inflating my head.” He laughed. “Thanks for the compliment, but this is just who I am, I don’t know how to be any different.”
“Well, I am truly sorry you have had to go through all of that. Sounds like your dad’s turning things around and hopefully he will appreciate the son he has and be there for him. Your mom died really young. Does your family have heart problems or was her’s random?”
“Her death was a shock to the family. No one had died young like her - we all tend to live into our 80’s.”
“It must have been hard to lose your mom.”
“It was, it is. I miss her all the time.” Jay sat up a little straighter and I could feel his energy change. “Anyway, that’s my story. It’s not a secret but please don’t broadcast it to everyone.”
“No worries, thanks for sharing it with me. I feel like I got a huge piece of the Jay puzzle handed to me.”
“Jay puzzle huh? Not much to figure out here,” he laughed.
“I beg to differ.” The bell rang. “Time to finish this day. Thanks for confiding in me.” Jay and I headed inside to dump our trays. I made a pitstop in the restroom before heading to my locker. That was a heavy piece of info Jay dropped on me. When I was washing my hands, the bathroom door opened and in walked Becca and two of her Blondesquad friends.
“Ahh Brogen, I’ve been wanting to have a little chat with you,” Becca said in her sing-song voice.
“Oh yeah? Are you disappointed that I didn’t move out of state or whatever the heck that rumor was you were spreading?” I snapped.
“OOoo, snippy snippy. Did that accident jar something loose in that head of yours? I’m wanting to talk about you and Jay. Was I wrong to read your hints that Jay and I had the green light to get together? Because this little lunch date you two have shared, doesn’t fly with me”
“You don’t own him. Apparently you’re too shallow for him to get interested in. You’ve flung your hair, boosted your boobs, shook your butt and yet he still seems to gravitate toward me. Guess Jay cares a little more about what’s inside than some stupid, superficial Blondezilla.”
I stormed past her, slamming the restroom door behind me.
“Oh my God, I am so sorry.” I would have never imagined that Jay’s mom died.
“So last summer he must have stopped off at a bar on his way home from work. He was so plastered and I was so pissed that he drove drunk. I dumped his booze down the drain and he punched me in the face. Split my cheek open. The next day, when my dad was sober, he saw what he had done to me. He promised me he would be a better dad and was going to go into rehab. So Soren’s parents offered to let me live with them till my dad got clean.” Jay looked at me and must have seen the tear forming in my eye. “I told you, you might cry.” I snickered and nodded.
“Boy, I just don’t get it. I mean, you have been through more than most kids our age and yet there is this amazing positive energy coming from you. People are drawn to you. You’re so charismatic. You don’t let that awful stuff taint you. It’s amazing.”
“And there goes my hat size. Thank you for inflating my head.” He laughed. “Thanks for the compliment, but this is just who I am, I don’t know how to be any different.”
“Well, I am truly sorry you have had to go through all of that. Sounds like your dad’s turning things around and hopefully he will appreciate the son he has and be there for him. Your mom died really young. Does your family have heart problems or was her’s random?”
“Her death was a shock to the family. No one had died young like her - we all tend to live into our 80’s.”
“It must have been hard to lose your mom.”
“It was, it is. I miss her all the time.” Jay sat up a little straighter and I could feel his energy change. “Anyway, that’s my story. It’s not a secret but please don’t broadcast it to everyone.”
“No worries, thanks for sharing it with me. I feel like I got a huge piece of the Jay puzzle handed to me.”
“Jay puzzle huh? Not much to figure out here,” he laughed.
“I beg to differ.” The bell rang. “Time to finish this day. Thanks for confiding in me.” Jay and I headed inside to dump our trays. I made a pitstop in the restroom before heading to my locker. That was a heavy piece of info Jay dropped on me. When I was washing my hands, the bathroom door opened and in walked Becca and two of her Blondesquad friends.
“Ahh Brogen, I’ve been wanting to have a little chat with you,” Becca said in her sing-song voice.
“Oh yeah? Are you disappointed that I didn’t move out of state or whatever the heck that rumor was you were spreading?” I snapped.
“OOoo, snippy snippy. Did that accident jar something loose in that head of yours? I’m wanting to talk about you and Jay. Was I wrong to read your hints that Jay and I had the green light to get together? Because this little lunch date you two have shared, doesn’t fly with me”
“You don’t own him. Apparently you’re too shallow for him to get interested in. You’ve flung your hair, boosted your boobs, shook your butt and yet he still seems to gravitate toward me. Guess Jay cares a little more about what’s inside than some stupid, superficial Blondezilla.”
I stormed past her, slamming the restroom door behind me.
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