Anywhere But Here by JL Paul Page A

counter, waiting for them to bring their sports drinks and other purchases to me.
    “Rena,” Isaiah said with a smile.  “How are you?”
    “Fine,” I said as I watched Fin dig in his pockets to produce a wad of crumpled bills.  “How was practice?”
    “Tiring,” Isaiah said, his lips peeling back from straight, white teeth.  “How’s the job?”
    “Boring,” I replied as I shot quick glances at Fin.  His stiff posture and clenched jaw screamed of his obvious displeasure with me.  I swallowed a sigh and lifted a brow at him.  “Still mad at me?”
    His head shook slowly, back and forth, his bangs barely moving.  “I don’t know what I am when it comes to you, Rena.”
    Isaiah’s eyes darted between Fin and I, his discomfort becoming more and more apparent as the tension thickened.  “Hey, Fin – I’ll catch you later, dude.  I gotta jet.  I’ll see you around, Rena.”
    “Sure,” I said, my eyes not leaving Fin.  The bell tinkled again and once the door shut, I slid my elbows on the counter.  “Okay, look, I have issues.  I don’t want to talk about them but I guess you deserve to know why I’m so…”
    “Mental?” Fin supplied.
    I would have smiled but for the seriousness on his face.  “Yeah, I guess,” I conceded.  “I’m sorry I keep getting all moody and stuff on you but I’m working on it.”
    He set his sports drink on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.  His eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the honesty that I hoped was on my face, and his shoulders relaxed a smidgen.  “I don’t know what to think about you.”
    “I don’t know what to think about you, eit her,” I shot back, fury building.  “Look, I’m trying to be on the level, here.”  Frustration gripped me as I struggled to explain myself – to make amends.  I dropped my head, my nose pressing against the counter.  “I seem to be constantly apologizing to you, huh?”
    To my amazement, he chuckled.  “Yea h, we definitely have some kind of … weird … friendship…thing going on here.”
    I lifted my head a few inches to gape at him.  “You think?”
    “How about we start over – try again?” he suggested with such innocent vulnerability all over his face, I couldn’t resist.
    “Okay.”
    “Great,” he said as a huge grin broke out on his mouth.  He handed me some cash as I rang up his drink.  “I’ll meet you at your locker in the morning.”  He winked and my heart did a silly little dance.
    “Sure.”
    Once he left, I finished my duties in a better frame of mind, a little anxious to see him in the morning.
    ***
    I was actually looking forward to school Tuesday morning when I nosed my car into a parking place.  I snatched my backpack from the passenger’s seat and hurried into the building.  It was quite early but a few students wandered the halls, congregating near lockers to gossip or exchange class notes.  Heads turned my way and the whispering started, but I was growing used to it. 
    I opened my locker and emptied the books from my bag, exchanging them for the ones I’d need for my morning classes.  Just as I slammed the door shut, Fin arrived.
    “Hey,” he said, his mood buoyant but still a little leery.
    “Hey, yourself,” I said with a smile.   I leaned against my locker and took in his appearance as my heart began to beat a little faster.  He was dressed in jeans and black sneakers.  His long sleeved t-shirt stretched across his chest and I couldn’t help but realize just how attracted I was to him.
    “I have to be honest with you,” he said as he rested his back against the locker next to mine, “I wasn’t sure what sort of mood you’d be in today and if last night was actually a fluke.”
    I snorted, a tiny bit put out by his comment, but, whatever - I’d earned it.  “Yeah, well, maybe I decided to try.”
    “Good,” he smiled, his eyes lighting up.  “So, do you have to go home again this weekend?”
    “No,” I said as my lips