Jaided Read Free Page B

fun?"
    "Well ... besides soccer, I, um, mm, I like to read, and go dancing."
    "That's awesome." Garret nudged Blaize gently. "Jeez, Blaize, stop talking so much. You’re hogging the conversation."
    Blaize rolled his eyes. He didn't find it amusing.
    "What's your deal, man? You’re never talkative, but jeez."
    "Shut up, no one asked you." Blaize went back to doodling on his notebook.
    Jaide felt a little awkward during the rest of the class period. She was relieved when the bell rang to release them for their next class, one she was excited about. It was Computer Aided Design, which she found very interesting.
    Bhrade was in the class also. She smiled when she saw him. They talked all period. The class flew by, along with Creative Writing, where both Bhrade and Blaize were with her. By the time lunch rolled around, she was starving and even more sore than she had been that morning. Bhrade, Blaize and Jaide met up with the other boys in the cafeteria. She realized this was her new crowd, and she would be hanging with them for the rest of the school year.
    She liked that thought.
    They all got in line. Lunch was sandwiches of all types, with fruits, vegetables, and other goodies. She picked a lunch that would be healthy but filling to give her energy for practice. She noticed the boys didn't care much, and just grabbed whatever looked good. They sat down at the normal table and dove in. Jaide thought the boys seemed to be acting a little weird, shooting each other purposeful glances and nudging each other, with the exception of Blaize, who seemed to be the only one not interacting. This went on for about ten minutes. It mostly seemed directed at Chance but every time she gave a questioning look, the boys looked away innocently.
    "Ok guys, what's up?” asked Jaide. “You're all acting weird."
    The boys all looked around at each other, and then to Chance.
    Bhrade nudged him. "C'mon," he whispered under his breath.
    "Why me?" Chance muttered quietly.
    "Because …...” Bhrade hissed firmly.
    "Ok, ok." Chance straightened in his seat, hesitated, then, "So ... Jaide ..."
    "Yes?" she asked, trying not to laugh.
    "How do you like the school so far?"
    "It's good, I like it."
    "Cool, cool ..."
    Leith nudged him.
    "How are your classes? Good?"
    "Yeah, Computer Assisted Design is my favorite so far. I'm looking forward to Trig, too. Why do you ask?"
    "Oh, you know, just curious."
    "Oh, for Christ’s sake, Chance!” Bhrade blurted. “Get to the point."
    "Ok, ok."
    "What is it, Chance?"
    "Umm well, the guys and I ...you see ... that is, I ... we were just wondering if you ... you know, if you have a boyfriend."
    Jaide’s head shot up, her face puzzled. Then she smiled. "No guys, I do not have a boyfriend."
    There was a collective sigh and a few smiles, and she couldn’t contain her laugh.
    Chance recovered quickly. "Not that we care either way, of course. We were just curious."
    "Right," she said, her laugh fading into a friendly smile.
    A loud voice interrupted.
    “What’s wrong with this picture?” bellowed Coach Robinson.
    They all looked up to see the coach at the end of the table, shouldering a case of bottled water. "Umm ... "
    He dropped the case hard on the table and grabbed Bhrade's soda, holding it aloft. "Pop? Before practice? And with your sore muscles?" He shook his head in disgust and tossed Bhrade’s soda into the trash behind him. He grabbed Alex's and Chance's juice and read the label. "High fructose corn syrup? Come on, now. Water, folks, water! You need to keep hydrated to keep your muscles strong and healthy." He tossed all the juices and any other drink on the table into the trash, and handed out a 2-liter bottle of water to each of them. "There you go. Congratulations on making the team, everyone. See you at practice."
    He walked off to find more soccer players to harass. The boys looked dubiously at their giant waters.
    "He's right, you know. It’s good for us."
    The boys shrugged, but to Jaide they all