Page 10 of That Boy (That Boy 1)
EXACTLY NONE!
So while I was trying on jogging shorts, she was trying on boys. Well not literally, but she did get herself a date and well, supposedly one for me too, with this guy's friend. Who I might add, is clearly not capable of getting his own dates. I mean, he is not very fortunate in the looks department. So aside from the fact that I already have a boyfriend, I'm sure I will be coming down with something highly contagious this Friday.
Then it hits me.
Renner.
Allison Renner. Phillip's girlfriend, right?
Is he calling me from her house? No, it's past ten, his school night curfew.
As if he needs one. I swear he's the only person I know, and quite possibly the only teen in the entire universe, who prides himself on being home before curfew.
I look across the street and see his bedroom light's on.
I answer with a polite, "Hello."
"JJ this is Allie," Allison says, using the name her friends call her.
No shit.
"Hey Allison, what's up?" I answer, trying to sound pleasant, but purposely NOT using the name her friends call her.
Cuz this is weird. I mean she and I aren't good friends. Honestly, we're not friends at all. In fact, I really don't care for her much. She's very annoying and talks a mile a minute. It's like she hardly needs to breathe. The boys at school make crass remarks about what else that would make her good at. Boys are sick. Anyway, she acts like she owns Phillip, and they've only been dating for like three weeks. I don't think she'll last much longer though.
I've never spoken to her on the phone before, so naturally I get the feeling I'm being set up. You know, like when your friends call you on a three-way call, but pretend that only one of them is there and she tries to get you to say bad stuff about the other friend, who is secretly listening, and then they both get mad at you?
"Um JJ I have a quick question for you it's about Phillip well I'm sure you guessed that and I mean I know you guys are neighbors and good friends and well I really need you to tell me something because I really like Phillip and I don't want to be stupid and not believe him but I also don't want to be stupid and be like cheated on."
God, she talks fast!
"Allison, Phillip is not cheating on you!" He wouldn't! He's not that kind of guy. I mean granted, he'll be dumping her soon, but it will be because her clinginess is driving him mad. As in she is always complaining he spends too much time with me. But that's beside the point. "What would ever make you think that?"
"Well I just called him and he answered the phone in this sweet sexy voice and he never talks to me like that," she pouts.
"What did he say?" This should be good. Did he call her another girl's name?
"He said, Hey Princess," she says, imitating his velvety smooth voice.
Oh shit.
Double shit.
Surely he didn't. He would never tell.
I'd kill him!
I glance over to his house and see his bedroom light flickering off and on, on and off.
I'm assuming that is some form of SOS.
I hear the IM tone from my computer, and I'm sure it's a message from him. I've got to stall this girl. "Um, Allison, did you ask him who this Princess is?" I ask as I run over to my computer.
"Yeah I did."
"Well, what'd he tell you?"
There is an IM from Receiver (Phillip). It's just one half of a word. ASH.
I send him back an IM from Cess. Everyone thinks it stands for Excess, which I tend to do everything to, but Phillip set up my instant messenger account, so it's really short for Princess. I write: U OWE ME, USE CALLER ID NXT TIME STUPID!
"Um JJ you know who it is don't you so could you please tell me first so I know if he's lying to me?"
"Sure Allison," I say bored. "Phillip's sister, Ashley's nickname is Princess," I lie.
Totally lie.
Her Royal Queeness, possibly.
Her Royal Highness, Ruler of the World, perhaps, but NEVER a lowly princess.
"Oh thank goodness," she gushes.
She's all happy now and rambles on, "I mean I wanted to believe him but I just didn't know what to think and I mean his voice sounded all sweet and gentle and I guess it would make sense that he'd talk to his sister that way."
Not.
They fight like crazy.
He really loves her, but he says that it's his job to annoy her. And he does.
But I'm not really listening to Allison ramble. I'm lost in thought. I never realized it before, but Phillip does have a special voice he uses when he speaks just to me. It's one of the reasons I love talking to him before I go to sleep. It's sort of soothing.
I don't think I would've ever qualified it as sexy.
Pul-eezzee. That's just silly.
But when I talk to him, it's kind of like I do a brain dump, tell him about my day, the good, the bad and the ugly, and then he tells me what I should do. Of course, I usually don't do it, but talking to him is kind of like getting a mental massage.
Allison says, "Thanks JJ see you at school."
I hang up and call Phillip, while I type ITS ME PICK UP on the IM.
He answers, "Hey Princess."
Okay, so it is kind of dreamy.
"You owe me," I tell him.
"No, you owe me. I could've just told her the truth."
"Yeah well then I would've had to kick your ass, and I'm afraid that might be damaging to our friendship and your reputation."
He laughs at me.
Quite possibly because my chances of kicking his buff ass are very slim indeed. But since I could do it when we were young, I cling to idea that I still could.
He finds this humorous and told me recently that he would love nothing more than for me to try. Of course then Danny piped in with the kind of nasty comment only a boy can make, so I let it slide.
"Enough of your girl problems. Mark called me tonight and wants to hang out Saturday."
Mark was a hot coworker of mine at my short-lived attempt at waitressing. He's 19, in college, and totally hot. Did I mention that? Thick wavy blonde hair, big muscles, great body, hot car. He's what Lisa would call a Trifecta.
Hot guy. Hot bod. Hot car. Trifecta, baby.
Unfortunately, he only seems to see me as his cute little work friend.
Yeah, it blows.
But I'm totally infatuated with the guy. I can't help it.
Whenever he calls, I drop everything and change all my plans in order to go hang out with him.
Last time, I even ditched my new boyfriend, Dillon. And Danny gave me all sorts of shit about that. He was like Dillon is my friend, you can't just be doing that. But honestly, I didn't think it was that big of a deal because Mark and I always just sort of hung out together. And Dillon told me as long as it's just a friend thing, he was cool with it.
Unfortunately, it HAS been just a friend thing.
Until last time, that is.
And this time, he asked me to go out to dinner somewhere kinda nice, which made it sound like an actual date. So I am really excited!
"What should I do, Phillip? I'm kinda supposed to go to a movie with Dillon."
"Kind of?"
"Okay, we have a date," I reply curtly.
"So what'd ya tell Mark?"
"Um, that I'd let him know," I lie.
"You know, I don't know why you always jump every time that guy calls, and then when he doesn't call, you get all depressed. What's that line he always says?"
I sigh. "When you least expect it, expect it."
"Yeah, what the hell does that mean anyway?"
We've been over this many times before, but I reply, "It means just when I'm at the end of my rope waiting to hear from him, and close to believing I'll never hear from him again, that's when he calls."
And he does. He's got it down to an exact science.
"I'm just saying, that isn't exactly the best way to treat a girl you like."
"That's the problem, Phillip, we're jus
t friends, so it's not like I can complain about it."
"I thought you kissed him last time you went out," Phillip says, referring to my just friends status.
Uh, yeah. And I've been reliving it every night and during all my classes for the past few weeks. He was such a good kisser. And it was perfect, exactly how I had imagined it. I had thought, this is it. He wants me, we'll be together and it will be amazing.
Then.
One week.
