The New Boy??
After that day, Jake and I were caught spending a lot of time together. But I don't know, he's like art, I just can't help but feel like me when he's there. He's sweet and considerate and he doesn't expect me to be anything . . .and he doesn't get pissed when I'm bitchy, because yea I know I am a lot. Oh and one more thing he's not new. He's been at Brooklyn High School of the Arts since sophomore year and I truly regret not meeting him sooner.
On this particular Friday after noon, we sat at the Yogo Monster on 7th avenue.
"Jake, whatcha thinking about," I said wondering exactly why he was so quiet.
"You, me, other things," he replied looking out the window behind me.
"What other things," I said hoping that would kill the ever present awkward silence.
"Let's walk," he said completely dodging my question, while picking up his strawberry flavored frozen yogurt and pulling out my chair. I stood up and took my vanilla frozen yogurt with chocolate chips while silently following him. I walked alongside Jake silently all the way from 7th avenue to Prospect Park. He stopped long enough to pay the man working at the Carousel. Then he turned to help me up onto the platform. Even though I could've done it myself, I let him help me up. We found a seat in one of the two dragon pulled chariots.
"Salina, what are your plans for the summer," he asked knowing that school had just started again.
"Um, I haven't really thought about it," I said wondering where this was going.
"Spend it with me. My dad's gonna force me out of the country. It's supposed to make me well rounded," he said turning to hear my answer as the Carousel started spinning.
"Are you sure you wanna take me. I don't even have a passport," I said looking directly into his sparkling sapphire eyes.
"Yea, taking you would be nice," he said slowly placing him arm around my shoulders, as if scared I'd push him away.
"Jake, what's your dad like," I ask wondering why he used the word force when he said he was leaving the country.
He shoulders tensed as he said, "He's a very respectable man," and that was it. He said it as if it had been force fed to him repeatedly.
I chose to drop it. If he didn't want to discuss it, I'd let it go. I had more than my fair share of secrets. After the short ride in the dragon pulled chariots, we hopped on the train and rode until we were at 42nd street. We walked past my two favorite movie theatres and kept going. I had no idea where he was taking me but I followed silently putting my trust in him.
After taking a cab to the East side, apparently he couldn't bare to be underground any longer, We stopped in front of the Grand Hyatt, a hotel on East 42nd street. He took me to the elevator and we rode to the penthouse. A rich boy . . . wow.
It was beautiful. The walls were an amber color and the furniture ranged from white to brown shades. There were ash wood floors and a fully stocked bar towards the back of the room.
"Wow," I said wishing I lived here, "You live here."
"Yea," He whispered almost like he was ashamed, "with my dad."
What was so bad about his dad. I don't think I ever got to truly meet someone's dad. Mine died when I was three, Jasmine's died before I moved here, Renee's dad left her mom because she tried to kill him, and I never met any of Rebecca's parents. Well there was one but he's back in Mexico. This guy that I liked, named Enrique's dad, but he shouldn't count because he was barely around and when he was he wasn't sober.
