Jasper

It was Saturday, January 20th, just a couple more hours until they would get here. Just a couple more hours of peace remaining in my weekend... and I was spending them scrolling on my phone. I know, not a very wise use of my time, but it wasn't like I had much else to do. With no schoolwork left to finish and no friends to hang out with, my weekends were always pretty uneventful.

That is, except for when he was invited over. See, after my old man dipped and me and mom were forced to move back to Montana to live with mémère and pépère*, my mom reunited with an old highschool friend, Rosa Keith. They caught up over drinks, and it turned out they both had kids the same age. That would be Daniel and I.

                                                                                                  *grandma and grandpa

Despite my distaste for social situations from a young age, our

moms practically forced us to spend time together. That's how the monthly tradition of Keith-Moreau dinners came about. 10 years later and here we still are.

I shoved my face into my pillow as I heard the commotion coming from downstairs, wishing I had used my alone time for something a little more productive. They were here. I recognized their voices, although muffled, through the floorboards.

It wasn't that I disliked them, in fact, I'd actually grown quite fond of Mrs. Keith over the years, almost like an auntie. It was her son that had me bracing myself. Dan was a part of the popular crowd at school, always getting into trouble, goofing off during class, sneaking into football games, typical.

We're practically polar opposites, but he still insists on talking to me whenever we're together. I'm used to his antics by now, but his energy levels always leave me exhausted by the end of the night.

I rolled over onto my back, scrolling mindlessly on my phone as I waited for my me-time to be intruded on. And of course, minutes later, there he was, standing in the door frame with that mischievous grin of his. I shot him a glare from out of the corner of my eye, but didn't turn my head. He chuckled, closing the door behind him.

"Watcha doin'?"

He asked, his tone as playful as ever. Somehow, what worked to fend off others only seemed to encourage him. He flopped onto the bed, resting his head on his fist, trying to sneak a peek at my phone. I sighed sharply, unimpressed by his shamelessness.

"What do you want?"

I asked, shutting it off before he could get a look. I let my eyes fall on him, cold and unamused. I knew why he was there. It was like his personal mission to annoy me whenever he came over.

He raised up his hands in surrender, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I just wanted to spend time with you."

He said with a grin, feigning innocence. It was clear he was up to something, he just wouldn't admit it. I scoffed.

"Yeah, right." 

I said, tone dripping with sarcasm. Like I was gonna believe that. Even if he wasn't just here to irritate me, that would have been unlikely. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a very likeable person.

"What, you don't believe me?"

He asked, putting a hand on his chest with an exaggerated pout. I rolled my eyes. He smirked. He was lucky. If it were anyone else trying to pull a stunt like this on me, I would have thrown them out already.

"No, I don't."

I said dryly, raising a judgemental brow.

"And stop pouting like that. It's not a look you can pull off, trust me."

I said snarkily, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back against the bed frame. I had to bite back a laugh when I saw him scowl in response. I wasn't being entirely honest though. He had one of those annoyingly attractive faces that made him look good no matter what he was doing. There was no way I was gonna let him know that, though. His ego was big enough already.

He tsked, furrowing his brows into a real pout this time. 

"You're just pretending to be immune to my charm."

He teased, that mischievous glimmer still playing in his eyes. I shook my head, the corners of my lips curling into a slight smirk.

"You wish."

I retorted, eyeing him up and down with a look that could only be described as a mean girl seeing a tacky outfit.

He chuckled again, a rather strange reaction for someone who just got insulted. Then again, he'd always been a weirdo. He rolled onto his back and stretched, his shirt riding up slightly.

"Y'know, I don't think I'm convinced."

He said with fake skepticism. My eyes flickered down to his exposed stomach for a second, and it must have boosted his ego, because he was smirking even wider now. Why did I even look in the first place? Ugh.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't find you charming, Daniel."

I said gruffly, shaking my head. I tapped my fingers on my bicep impatiently.

"Suuure."

He rested his arms beneath his head, not bothering to adjust his shirt. I stood up from the bed, exhaling sharply as I walked over to my desk chair and grabbed the hoodie off the back of it. I put it on over my tank top and grabbed my headphones, and I could feel Dan's curious eyes boring into me from behind.

"I'm going for a walk."

I said, my voice monotone as I made my way to the door. There was something nagging at me though, and I didn't know if it was the OCD or something else entirely. I paused next to the bed, just as I was about to leave.

Dan was looking up at me unsuspectingly, already in the middle of saying "okay", when I reached down and fixed his shirt, covering his exposed stomach. He trailed off, and the last thing I saw was his surprised expression and the color in his cheeks before I closed the door behind me.

Now why the hell did I do that?

I was sure I was just bothered by it because of my disorder, but it didn’t feel like it usually did. I decided not to overthink it, pushing the thought into the back of my head. I couldn't help but smirk to myself as I made my way downstairs though. That look on his face before I left was priceless. He really shouldn't make a habit of letting his guard down so easily.

Smells of dinner wafted up my nose as I walked down the stairs, sounds of Mom and Mrs. Keith laughing and cooking filling the air. Mrs. Keith was the first to notice me, making a high-pitched cooing sound at the sight of me standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Ah, Jazzy! There you are!"

She said in that overly-loving tone of hers. There was really nothing adorable about me, 6'2, well-built, with not a trace of warmth in my eyes, but she always acted like I was the cutest thing in the world. I cringed at the nickname, my cheeks flushing slightly.

"Hi, auntie. Hi, mom."

I said shyly, forcing a small smile. I almost never made an effort to match people's energy, but something about Mrs. Keith made me feel kinda obligated. I bowed slightly, waving at them both before continuing to the entrance of the house. I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my scarf, wrapping it around my neck.

"Leaving so soon?"

Mom asked, peeking around the corner from inside the kitchen. I turned around, already in the middle of putting on my headphones.

"Just getting some air. I'll be back in time for dinner."

I said with a nod, my hand resting on the doorknob.

"Alright, mon chou*. Just be careful out there, the forecast says it's gonna start snowing soon."

                                                                                                              *My cabbage.

She responded with a knowing smile, blowing me a kiss before returning to the pot of soup on the stove.

As I walked out the door, I could hear the faint sounds of conversation between them. I rolled my eyes, knowing that they were probably talking about Dan and I. It was painfully obvious why I decided to get some air right after Dan invited himself into my room. Putting my headphones over my ears and shoving my hands into my pockets, I started down the sidewalk, enjoying the cool evening air on my skin.