Chapter 4 - Chapter Four

Jet wasn’t at school the next day. Of course, Tia knew about this, but she was disappointed all the same.

“Miss Green,” her teacher barked. “I know it’s a Wednesday and it’s the middle of the week, but that’s no excuse for you to daydream.”

“Sorry, Ms. Cutler,” she murmured.

Ms. Cutler resumed her teaching while Tia resumed her daydreaming.

Jet didn’t come to school on Thursday or Friday either. Tia wondered where he was.

Saturday dragged on for Tia. Usually she went out with Sarah and Carrie, maybe sometimes with Gary, one of her good friends, but this Saturday, she declined all invitations out, saying that she had homework to do. She did have homework to do, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to do it on a Saturday. Besides, it was Maths homework. She wouldn’t be able to understand it anyway.

She put her iPod on loudspeakers and Lady Gaga’s voice blared out of the speakers. She grimaced, mentally cursing Carrie for putting Lady Gaga’s songs on her iPod. And setting Love Game as her ringtone. “Let’s have fun, this beat is sick, I wanna take a ride on your disco stick” wasn’t really an appropriate song to have blaring out when you were staying down after school to talk to your teacher.

She changed the song so that Lady Gaga was no longer singing her heart out, and Supermassive Black Hole started playing. At least it was loud.

Someone knocked on the door and Jet poked his head in after Tia told whoever it was to come in and to make it quick because she just wasn’t in the mood.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said.

“Hi.”

Muse was crooning “ooh, oo-ooh, you set my soul alight” in the background. Tia abruptly took her iPod of the speakers.

“Uh, so. I haven’t seen you for a while.”

“Yeah. Can I come in?”

“Sure. Make yourself comfortable.”

“So, where have you been for the past few days?” she asked him as he kicked off his shoes and sat cross-legged down on her carpet.

He shrugged. “Not at school, that’s for sure.”

She knew he didn’t want to talk about it, so she changed the subject. “Can you help me with my Maths?” She handed him her Maths homework.

“Quadratic formula. That’s easy.”

“No, it’s not,” she argued.

“Here, let me show you.” He began to explain them to her. “So?” he asked her fifteen minutes later.

“I think I understand,” she said, almost joyfully. This was the only time she understood Maths properly.

“Here. Do this one.”

She obliged, and he grinned at her. “You’ve got it,” he said.

“Thanks. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“Well, for starters, you would probably still be in the well.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Speaking of wells,” he said, “how’s the guy who pushed you down one?”

“He hasn’t spoken to me at all these few days. Didn’t even look at me.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes, it is.”

He looked at her and caught her eyes “It is good, right?”

“Yeah, of course it is,” she said. She didn’t tell him about Sherman not talking to her and also telling the rest of the whole freaking year not to talk to her. Of course, with the exception of Sarah, Carrie, Gary and Letitia, the really nice girl who talks to everybody.

“Shades,” he said.

She groaned. “Do I have to?”

“Off.”

She warily took off her sunglasses and placed them among the others on her dresser.

“That’s a lot of shades.”

“I need them.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Well, I like wearing them.”

“Even at night? Doesn’t it make it really hard to see?”

She shrugged. “You get used to it after a while. I find it really bright right now.”

“Don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll get used to it after a while.”

She rolled her eyes at him.

“How’s your leg?” he asked her.

“It still hurts a bit, but otherwise it’s okay.”

“Good, good.”

“Are you staying for a while longer?” Tia asked him hurriedly, not wanting him to leave.

He looked down at his watch. “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t,” she said quickly. “Although I suppose you should leave before dinner, otherwise you’ll have to endure that torture again.”

He grinned. “No, if I stay for dinner, you’ll have to endure the torture. I get to smile and be amused.”

She shot him a look.

“Alright. I’ll hide when you have dinner.”

“Wait, you have to pretend to leave, and then sneak back in the window.”

“Are you serious?”

“There’s a ladder at the back of the house. After you leave, just climb back in to my room again,” Tia said in a low voice, limping down the stairs and somehow dragging Jet with her.

“Fine,” Jet grumbled as she opened the door.

“Oh, be careful not to climb into my parents’ room by mistake,” she whispered to him.

His eyes widened. “How—”

“Bye Jet,” she called cheerfully before slamming the door in his face.

“Has Jet left already?” Tia’s mother asked in dismay.

“Yes, mom.”

“Such a shame. I was going to invite him over for dinner.”

“That’s why he left. He couldn’t stand the food.”

Tia’s mother clicked her tongue disapprovingly and told her not to lie before disappearing into the kitchen.

When Tia finally got back to her room, Jet was already inside, looking through her books.

“Whoa. That was fast.”

He grinned. “I was about to climb into your parents’ bedroom by accident when I heard your dad snoring, so I opted for the other window.”

“Wise decision.”

“You really like reading,” he remarked, gesturing towards her full bookshelf.

“Yeah,” she admitted. “I love reading. I used to read a lot, but I’m reading less and less now.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t have time anymore.”

“Never give up things you love for things you don’t like but need to do.”

“Is that why you don’t go to school?” she asked him suddenly. “To do the things that you love?”

He stared at her for a moment. “No,” he said softly after a while. “I don’t skip school to do things I love. I skip school to do what I have to do.”

Tia wanted to tell him that school was the thing that he had to do, but again she sensed his reluctance. This time she didn’t drop the topic. She wanted to know.

“Where did you go?” she asked him. “Why weren’t you at school?”

He looked at her for an immeasurable length of time. Finally, he shrugged. “I just don’t like going to school.”

“How about the thing you have to do?”

“It’s nothing,” he said, looking away.

“Tell me,” she begged him.

“I will one day.”

“Promise?”

He smiled at her, his hair falling across his bright blue eyes and making him sexier than ever. “Promise.”

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