Mike, at least, was pleased by the obvious coolness between me and my lab partner. I could see he'd been worried that Fredward's daring rescue might have impressed me, and he was relieved that it seemed to have the opposite effect. He grew more confident, sitting on the edge of my table, on top of my homework-documents, to talk before Biology IV started, ignoring Fredward as completely as he ignored us.
I'll admit it: I flirted back.
The snow washed away for good after that one dangerously icy day. Mike was disappointed that it didn't hold so that maybe he could get a chance to save me, but was pleased that the beach trip would soon be possible. The rain continued to pour though, and the weeks passed.
Jessica made me aware of another event looming fat on the horizon—she called on the first Tuesday of March to ask my permission to invite Mike to the Girls' Choice Spring Dance in two weeks.
"Um." Jesus, where to begin? "I don't know if you noticed, but Mike is a fag. And I don't see why you need my permission to ask him today, let alone in two weeks."
"Are you sure you don't mind... you weren't planning to ask him?" she persisted. I swear to God.
"No, Jess, I'm not going," I assured her. As much as I hated Mike's being such a horse, dancing was also glaringly outside my range of abilities.
"It will be really fun." Her attempt to convince me was halfhearted.103 I suspected that Jessica enjoyed my inexplicable popularity more than my actual company.
"You have fun with Mike," I encouraged.
The next day, I was surprised that Jessica wasn't her usual gushing self in Trig and Spanish. She was silent as she walked by my side between classes, and I was afraid to ask her why. If Mike had turned her down, I was the last person she would want to tell because she apparently hadn't heard me call him a fag while she asked me if it was okay to ask him out.
103. A cruel irony: Jessica was actually born with only half a heart, and as a result has faced a lifetime of health problems.