Page 41 of Finding Fate

12

Drawing Attention

“And so another year begins,” Jet said as he climbed down from the gym bleachers when the back to school orientation assembly was over.

“Ugh, don’t say that,” Annie groaned, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and making her way down the steps.

“Why are you complaining, sis, miss top of the class and hardly studies at all?”

Annie threw her sister a look. “You’re still top ten, Izzy, and it’s not about that. I don’t want summer to be over yet. It was one of the best we’ve had in a while.”

“It was a good summer, wasn’t it?” Tucker replied from Jet’s side.

“Yeah, it was.” Isabel stood up to follow Annie, but the gym spun around her. Tucker grabbed her elbow to steady her.

“You okay, love?”

She waited a few seconds until the room was still again. “Yeah,” she answered. “I just feel kind of off. I’m still fighting that cold Leo gave me, I think.”

“Just how I wanted to start my senior year,”she thought as Tucker guided her down the bleacher steps by her arm. She noticed some other students nearby staring inquisitively at them and shifted uncomfortably next to her boyfriend. “I must look like an idiot right now, nearly busting my butt in the gym before homeroom even starts.”

“I guess we should go get our class schedules before one of the teachers finds us just standing around,” Jet suggested when he saw Ms. Lane, one of the counselors, eyeing them from near the doors.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Annie replied, “but let’s meet up by our tree and compare when we’re done. I want to know how many classes I’ll have you guys in.”

They all agreed and headed off towards the alphabetically arranged tables.

Isabel watched as Tucker bumped fists with his buddies, Kyle and Corey when he joined his line, Jet just making the cut off for the next line over. The group he started talking to pointed directly to her, and several more eyes caught her gaze as she looked around. She was used to some attention due to who her best friends were, but this felt different.

“Why are so many people looking at me today?” Isabel asked as she waited with her twin in the A-D line.

Annie flashed her an ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ expression. Isabel shrugged.

“Oh, come on,” she said in exasperation. “Tucker’s been a hot commodity at this school for the past three years. Girls love to flirt with him, just hoping to get the chance for a date, while lots of guys just wish they could get that kind of attention. Think about it… You leave school last year as best friends and come back this year glued to each other’s sides. People are bound to be curious.”

“But Tucker and I went out together this summer. People saw us.”

“Yes, but, my dear introverted sister, were you out in public with Tucker enough for the entire high school body to have seen you? Some people probably just thought it was a rumor until this morning.”

Isabel nodded, realizing Annie was probably right. They grabbed their schedules and headed to their favorite tree in the courtyard to wait for their friends.

* * *

“Good hustle out there today, Patterson,” Coach Lyson said when Tucker finished a sprint down the track. Others didn’t start trailing in for several seconds.

“Thanks, Coach. Just trying to stay in shape for basketball in the spring.”

“Well, keep it up. Now head off to the showers before you’re late for your next class.”

“Right, Coach,” he replied, taking off.

“Dude, I still don’t understand why you don’t go out for football,” Jet said, wrapping a towel around his waist as he stepped out of the showers. He and Tucker headed over to their lockers to change. “The team could really use a player like you.”

“Because there’s too much that can go wrong. What if I tore up my knee or a shoulder or something? It would fuck up my game. I could kiss playing in college goodbye, and forget about going pro. Besides, track keeps me in just as good of shape,” he replied as he applied deodorant.

“You could tear something running track, too, ya know.”

“There’s a lot less risk, though.”

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