Cool With A "K". PART 7 - CHAPTER 2

"Oh my god! Please?
"No, Chris!"
"Why not?"
"No! You don't need it!"
"Since when are you the boss of me?"
"Since I'm older and Mom said I was in charge of you!"
"Ange, I'm fifteen! I don't need you here to babysit me!"
"Well, if Mom was here right now she would say that you don't need that!"
"Please, Ange!"
"NO!" Uhg. My little bro, SO annoying right now. He was begging me to let him buy a Lady Gaga CD. So juvenile, I know.
"Angie!"
"No!"
"You just don't like her."
"Who? Mom?"
"No! Lady Gaga!"
"Oh, shut up Chris!"
"How can you resist? Fashion! Put it all on me Don't you want to see these clothes on me..." Chris started dancing. I looked around nervously. "Will you shut up? People are looking at us!"
"You are such a hater Angie!"
"Fine! Buy the stupid CD!" 
"Yes! Thank you Angie!" Chris hugged me. I rolled my eyes. 
Alice was four or so yards away, looking at music, pretending to not hear her friends arguing like stupid kids at Target. "Come on, Alice. He won." 
Alice turned around. "Oh."
We went back to Alice's house, her mom greeting us at the door. "Hey you guys!" she smiled welcomingly. I smiled back, "Hey Mrs. Coleman." I said. 
"Hello, Mrs. Coleman." Chris said, trying to show her how much more polite he is than his sister.
The three of us went into Alice's room. Alice's room was kind of cool, but not really. It was very very neat, I'll give her that, but it always smelled like disinfectant wipes. She probably had a whole drawer of them.
Alice's dog, Henry, came in. I couldn't believe Alice had a dog. They slobbered and pooped etc etc. What could be dirtier? When I asked Alice about it a few months ago she said that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's mouth, which I thought was ridiculous but let it pass.
There was a knock on the door. The dog went crazy and Alice got up and opened her bedroom door. Leo was standing outside. When Alice opened the door, Henry jumped up at Leo, barking furiously. Leo yelled and Alice laughed, "Sorry Leo!" Leo walked in and Alice shut the door. Leo saw Chris and sighed, not hiding the fact that he thought it would just be Leo and two girls. Chris rolled his eyes, "Sorry to disappoint you by my presence."
"No, no...." Leo said. The wall between the two boys seemed to be getting thicker, they argued more, they made more and more snotty comments, etc. I guess Leo thought hanging out with a gay kid was "uncool". But then again, when that jock from the football team, Brandon, got in a fight with Chris, Leo punched the goon in the nose, defending Chris. Somehow, that seemed to make the boys even more tense. Maybe when Mouse was joking about Leo being in love with Chris, Leo took it seriously and wanted to prove her wrong.
"Whatever." Leo said and he sat down on the floor with us. Mouse arrived later and we just talked.


At school the next day, Chris walked through the hall. He heard voices. He turned to where they were coming from. Jamie! She was kissing Jesse! Chris's heart sank, he didn't know what to think. Jamie said that Jesse was stupid. Did she do that to make Chris back off? Chris felt warm tears fall from his eyes. Jamie saw him, "Wait! Chris wait!" Chris took off. He ran to the other side of the lockers. Jamie caught up with him. 
"What do you want?" Chris's voice was shaking. 
"Chris, I'm sorry." Jamie said. She wanted to tell him that Jesse tried to kiss her and she still hated Jesse, but she didn't think Chris would believe her. 
"Don't worry. It wasn't any of my business. Plus, y-you're a girl... and he will always prefer a girl.... oh, it's just a stupid crush...." Chris's voice wavered and cracked. 
"Chris..." Jamie said. "You don't need Jesse, you have us! In fact, I used to have a crush on you!"
This was news to him. "Really?"
 Jamie nodded. She started talking about how all of Chris's friends and his family loved him. Chris nodded and Jamie held out her arms. Chris excepted the hug and he thought he heard Jamie sigh, a little dreamily, but not very noticeably. So the tension broke between Jamie and Chris. Next step, Leo.