Date The Jock
Monday, January 5, 2004
“Be my girlfriend.”
Those words were stuck on her mind all day.
“Aren’t you with Alyson?”
“She’s got a boyfriend. Besides, I’m done with cheerleaders.”
Amanda Hillel stared at the entrance to the café near Beacon Hill Secondary. She just got out of her classes. She was about to have her first date in Boston, and it was with a basketball jock.
Amanda never really found jocks attractive. Sure, they looked handsome, but she preferred guys who were punks, emos, and goths. Tall, skinny, and pale with messy black hair. Those were the boys she was into.
Yet Andrew? He was skinny and he was taller than her, but that was it. Well, he just gained his messy black hair, but it was spiky.
Then again, she knew nothing of this guy. Just stuff whatever Derrick told her. A bully who demands the entire male student body to worship him like a god. A spoiled brat who’ll get his car before he could legally drive. A guy who only cared about getting into the good colleges.
He also called the boy “dumb.”
Amanda sighed. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to go back to dating. She felt like she was a pawn in whatever game Alyson Bauer and Andrew Hawthorne were playing.
Alyson Bauer.
That girl was something else. She was strange, weird in an unconventional sense. A popular cheerleader who wished to live an entirely different life. Yet she loved being a villain, the mean girl. She was a cruel girl who could ruin someone’s reputation with the snap of her fingers.
She also had a crush on Amanda.
It made sense as she was friendly to her behind her friends’ backs. Yet she was scared of everyone, mainly her Christian family.
That was another thing that made Alyson’s situation strange. She was Jewish. Her parents and sister were Jews. They observed Hanukkah, yet they worshipped Jesus? She never knew anyone who was Jewish that practiced both Judaism and Christianity. She even asked her aunt and her parents about those people.
Her parents were dismissive, telling her they didn’t really care as long it wasn’t hurting anyone. Her aunt was stern about it. She told Amanda they weren’t really Jews since they believed in Jesus.
At least her aunt didn’t know about Alyson’s Christian upbringing. Amanda felt a need to protect Alyson. Yet Alyson also didn’t identify as a Christian. She referred to herself as Jewish and that was it. A clear sign that she wanted to be her own person.
Amanda felt a presence standing next to her. She looked to see it was Andrew Hawthorne. He had a scowl on his face, as if he didn’t really want to go on a date with her.
Amanda asked, “Are you sure you want to do this date?”
“Yes,” he said coldly.
“I mean, we don’t have to do this. You seem to be in a pissed off mood.”
“We’re doing this, and that’s final.”
Amanda sighed. She rolled her eyes and said, “Fine, but change your fucking attitude for once.”
As she was about to grab the handle, she saw Andrew’s hand on it. He said in a calmer tone, “You’re right. I am acting like an asshole. It was just a rough day for me.”
Amanda stared at him. She never really got a good look at him. He had blue eyes, the bluest she had ever seen. Yet they could cut into someone’s heart with no effort. The opposite of her own set of blue eyes. His face was pale due to the cold winter days. His hair was hidden with his beanie.
He was quite pretty under the gray sky. Possibly the prettiest boy she had ever laid eyes on. She could see why Alyson was fond of him. Soft face and sharp blue eyes. He could be a tough guy, but he looked like someone who could be kind.
Andrew said, “I’ll pay for everything. Let me make up for my attitude. After this, I’ll let you decide whether or not you wanna move forward.”
Amanda’s eyes widened. He was actually being kind and apologetic towards her! Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give him a chance, but did he mean everything he was saying?
Amanda said, “Okay, we’ll do this date.”
Andrew smiled. Amanda looked away, feeling her face warm up. She didn’t think she would get flustered over a pretty boy, but she did.
Amanda walked in while Andrew held the door. She was going to give the jock a chance. See who he really was underneath the scowl.
A boy hiding behind whatever drove him to date a girl like her.
