My blood approves

“I really don’t,” I yawned and pulled the covers up over me more.

“Why haven’t you answered my zillions of text messages or phone calls?”

Apparently, Jane thought it was the perfect time to argue, and she yanked my covers off of me, forcing me to talk to her.

“Because there were zillions of them,” I retorted and grudgingly sat up.

“Ugh,” Jane groaned. She sat down on the bed next to me in a terrific huff and exhaled dramatically. “There wouldn’t have been so many if you just answered me.”

“Sorry,” I muttered.

“Well?” Jane looked at me.

Her expression had softened and she’d apparently forgiven me, which was pretty amazing actually. There was only one Cardinal Sin for her, and that was ignoring her, which I had somehow managed to do for almost two days.

“What?” Her quick forgiveness stunned me, and I didn’t really know what she was trying to get at. Was I supposed to thank her or something?

“Have you talked to him?” she asked plaintively, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I should’ve known. All she really cared about was Jack, otherwise I doubt she even would’ve known that I hadn’t talked to her in two days.

“Him who?” Milo visibly puffed up at the mention of a guy, preparing himself to defend my honor or whatever would need defending. That was completely ludicrous since Milo was the kid at school that got shoved into lockers, and he was younger than me. I don’t know who exactly he could protect me from, but it would be a pretty sorry excuse for a guy.

“Jack!” Jane answered him like it should be completely obvious. What else in the world could she possibly be talking about? Then when she realized by Milo’s expression that he had no idea who she was talking about, she looked completely stunned. Her mouth literally fell open. “Oh my god, Alice! You didn’t tell him about Jack?”

“I have not, no,” I shook my head. In fact, I hadn’t planned on telling Milo about Jack until I had things sorted out better, but thanks to Jane, that would no longer be an option.

“How could you not tell him?” This fact just completely flabbergasted her.

She couldn’t grasp a world where one didn’t incessantly talk about Jack.

“I don’t know, Jane,” I sighed. “It just didn’t come up.”

To be honest, her instant obsession with Jack was the first thing about him that truly made me nervous. If he had this affect on her, what was he doing to other people? And why wasn’t I the same way? And why would he even want to bother being around me when girls like Jane would do anything just to be near him?

“Wait.” Realization flashed across Milo’s face, and I would’ve cut off my leg to keep him from completing his thought. “Is Jack the guy you went out with last night?”

“You went out with him?!” Jane gasped. Her eyes got so big, it was almost cartoonish.

“We just went out to a concert. It was no big deal.” I used every fiber of my being to keep my tone casual and nonchalant, but I heard her sharp intake of breath.

“Who is this guy?” Milo demanded. Jane’s expressions were making him nervous, and he was really doing his best to look as threatening as he possibly could.

“Jack is just like the most amazing guy ever,” Jane explained eloquently.

“He’s just a guy,” I countered, once again using my ultra-casual voice, and even adding a shoulder shrug for good measure.

“How can you even say that?” She was offended that I’d referred to him as “just as a guy.” In her mind, he’d been stacked up with the gods and should only be gushed about in revered tones normally reserved for shoes and hand bags.

“You know what, I just don’t get it.” I decided that I’d been going about things the wrong way. I’d been asking Jack why other people liked him when I should’ve been asking the people why they liked him. “What is it about him that you like so much?”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I’m not.” By then, I was already beyond irritated, but I tried not to let on.

“But you’ve met him!” Jane insisted.

“I know that!” I gritted my teeth and plowed on. “And I still don’t get it.

You’re like crazy about him. You’ve got to be able to articulate what it is that you’re attracted to.”

“He’s just…” Jane fumbled for words, which I didn’t get. He’d obviously been the only thing on her mind, so why couldn’t she explain him? “It’s like…

There’s just something about him. It’s completely indescribable. I just want him.

More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”

“Huh.” That was all I could think to say.

“You’re telling me that you don’t want him?” Jane asked me in total disbelief.

“No, I don’t,” I said honestly. I liked Jack in a really weird, insistent kind of way, but not like Jane. It was much simpler and less carnal. Or at least that’s what I gathered from the way she talked and acted.

“Then why are you sneaking around with him?” Milo asked.

“I don’t know.” There was no way that I could explain it to him since I didn’t fully understand it myself. Something about Jack made me want to keep him a secret. “I guess cause he’s older. I didn’t want you to worry.”