Crushing on the Geek(9)

Tamara's hands wiped her clammy palms on the legs of her jeans before opening her sweet tea. Wednesday morning has trickled by like a clock with broken hands. Her stomach was growling, but Tamara pushed the food on her plate around in circles. Hayden was going to talk to her today. What was she going to tell him?

“Hey,” he slid into the seat next to her, one arm resting on the back of the chair and the other on the table, “Did you get all of the…girl problems solved?”

“What? Oh, yeah. Everything's fine now. It was all along. It was just a big misunderstanding.”

“So what are you doing today after school?”

“Hanging out with Amber.”

“We can reschedule if you're too busy, Tam,” Amber said when she arrived. Her eyes were wide and her gaze aimed directly at Tamara.

“No, I want to hang out with you tonight.”

“Are you sure? I don't mind. Really I don't,” Amber leaned her head to the side and opened her eyes widely.

“No, I haven't gotten to hang out with you in weeks.”

“Go hang out with him,” Amber said, pointedly.

“Hey, I like her,” Hayden grinned.

“So do I,” Josh said sitting down next to her.

“That's good because I'm your girlfriend and you're stuck with me,” Amber said, sticking out her tongue, “but no, Tamara, go have fun!”

Hayden looked at her. She studied his brown eyes and arched eyebrows. He was waiting for an answer. Why the heck did Amber have to do this to her? She didn't like to be put on the spot like this.

“Are you sure?” Tamara asked Amber.

“Yeah, I can hang out with Josh instead.”

“No, you can't, babe. I have to work today, remember?”

“Oh yeah, I'll be okay though. I'll probably just go to the library.”

Tamara's phone vibrated.

“It's my mom, I got to take this,” she said and stepped away from the table, “What do you want?”

“You have to babysit Tina and Tally tonight.”

“I'm supposed to hang out with Amber tonight! It's not my night to babysit!”

“Sorry, but there's a sale at the mall and I'm going to be out late.”

“Of course, there's a sale at the mall! Maybe that's where we were going to go!”

“You can go on Friday!”

“No, I can't. Friday I have chess and Amber always hangs out with Josh on Fridays! Can't you wait until tomorrow to go?”

“No, they'll be nothing left then.”

“That's sort of the point I'm making.”

“Tamara, shopping is my thing, leave it to me, okay, girl? I'll pick you up after school so you'll be home on time.”

“Fine!” Tamara said and hung up the phone.

“Looks like I'm not hanging out with either of you,” Tamara said rejoining the others, “I have to babysit the brats.”

“That sucks! Well, what about Saturday after the tournament?” Hayden asked.

Tamara glanced at Amber, who nodded violently.

“That sounds good.”





Chapter Three





By Friday afternoon Tamara was able to beat the computer player on the easiest level of the chess program she had downloaded to her laptop, but she was still unable to beat Hayden or any of the others.

“Checkmate.” Hayden called for the third time that afternoon.

Tamara crossed her arms and sank lower in her chair. Her sneaker clad foot tapped against the tiles and her fingers tapped on her arm.

“You're getting better,” Hayden said, reaching across the table to brush a stray lock of Tamara's hair away from her face. She moved out of his reach and brushed it behind her ear.

“You don't have to be nice about it, Hayden,” she said, pushing herself back up so that she was sitting in the chair properly once again, “I know I suck.”

“Did you learn to play volleyball in a day?”

“No, I actually don't remember learning to play. I was born with that talent.”

“I don't remember learning to read,” Hayden arched an eyebrow, “but I'm sure people remember teaching me. When something becomes second nature we often think we were born with it.”

“So what talent were you born with?” Tamara asked.

While she waited for Hayden to answer Tamara placed her pieces back onto their proper squares. He wouldn't meet her eyes as his hands moved across the pieces.

“I was born with the right to exist,” he finally answered.

“I hate to break it to you, but I think we're all born with that,” Tamara laughed, leaning her elbows on the table.

“Maybe, but not everyone does.”

“Not everyone exists?” Tamara arched an eyebrow and curled her lips into a questioning look, “Um.. That doesn't make any damn sense.”