Forbidden Love

10

Jaxon

It's Friday now, I just got home from school. I'm too busy staring at my wall—the left wall—to want to do anything else. It's almost staring back at me. I wish it would suck me in and keep me in there. Maybe if I stare at it hard enough it will. I'm stressed about everything. The first week of school was a bust, not that I thought it would be anything but. I've sucked in all my classes, and on top of everything, I haven't been able to go to football practice because of Luna.

Although I was adamant about talking to Coach Turner, I made the decision to wait to talk to him until Luna actually agrees to continue tutoring me. He has less of a chance to turn me away. I wish Luna would just change her mind already. I mean I went through the trouble of sneaking on Paxton's phone to find her number. She should be thankful I put so much of my precious time into her.

Paxton's name appearing on my phone screen takes me out of my thoughts. "What's up?"

"Wanna come to Ty's with Isaac, Maddi, and I?"

"Not really. I'm not hungry."

"Why do you sound so depressed, man?"

I lay down and slam the back of my head against the pillow. "I'm just annoyed." Seems like annoyance is the only emotion I have these days. It's exhausting.

"You know, so am I. I keep getting dress coded."

"Probably because you keep ditching the blazer."

"I'm a hot person! I sweat easily!" Paxton starts going on a rant about how unfair the school code is, and I get it. Sometimes we all just need a break from all the rules and expectations that life demands.

"I don't know if I'm gonna be able to play football and it's starting to really bother me." I blurt out.

He pauses briefly as he absorbs my new information. "What? Why can't you play? Is Coach not letting you meet with him? I can talk to him for you if you want."

"No, it's just Jacobs and Turner said I could only be on the team if I get tutored." I admit. I hate how incapable it makes me sound. How weak. But Paxton is my best friend, and the guy has so many things on his brain that I'm sure me needing tutoring is the last thing he'll think about in the morning.

"Then get tutored, bro. I've gotten tutored before by this one chick for a quiz. I could hook you up with her."

I really don't want a strange girl around my house or around me. "No thanks. Luna Stone helped me earlier this week, but she said she wasn't gonna help anymore."

"Luna? Really? Why not?"

"Because she's selfish."

I hear him laugh. "She's like the least selfish person I know. Maybe it's because you can't play nice with her brother."

"Don't remind me." I roll my eyes.

"He's cool. You should hang out with him someday."

"Paxton. Seriously. Shut up."

"Whatever. I'll talk to Luna, okay? But in the meantime, get over to Ty's."

"You'll talk to her? Don't make it sound like I'm desperate or anything."

"You kind of are desperate."

"I'm hanging up now."