High School Hijinx Ch. 01

A month later he attended their funeral. Shot dead on the street by a drive-by gone wrong. The cops had been quick to react, tracking down the gang responsible and busting up their operation within the next two weeks, but the person who pulled the trigger had disappeared, nowhere to be found.

Alex didn't care, nothing would bring his parents back. Nothing would give him the opportunity to tell them how much he loved them, something he, in his mind, should've done more. The cops had told him that they were dead before they hit the ground, that their nerves couldn't have sent the signals into their brains fast enough for pain to register. It brought a grim sense of relief that at least they didn't suffer in their final moments. But it didn't bring them back. Nothing ever would.

He was forced to sell the house, and the Ford Escape that they used as the default transport. That gave him enough to find a small apartment in a less-friendly part of town, with enough of a down payment to pay the bills while he found a better job. He ended up working a construction gig a few miles away. It paid well enough, but it was hard work that kept him in shape.

A shape that his best friend was currently admiring while she leaned on the hood of his car.

"What are you still doing here Bree?"

She ran up and looped her arm around his, the faint scent of her sweet strawberry shampoo countering the bitter memories.

"Do I need a reason to want to hang out with my best friend?"

Alex checked his watch, surprised to see that detention had only lasted a half hour.

"You've been sitting out here for thirty minutes Bree, you could've been home by now. Taking a nice hot shower, relaxing in a nice comfortable bed."

She slapped his arm as they decoupled and got in the car. Once they were inside she resumed her hold on his arm.

"Don't make me regret my decision dude. I figured you'd need a friendly face after a session with the she-devil. Plus I really didn't want to ride the bus. Boys stink."

He shot her an accusatory look, "So now I stink? Enjoy the walk home, stop and smell the flowers since you can't stand my stench."

She tightened her hold on his arm as he mock struggled, "You wouldn't dare."

He stared her down, "You wanna bet?"

She held his gaze for almost a minute before she blinked, causing Alex to let out a victorious laugh.

"Haha, I win. Get out."

"Nope."

"Out."

"Not happening."

"I hate you."

"You love me."

Alex sighed in defeat, turning the key in the ignition before backing out of the parking lot and turning left onto the main road.

"Where are we going?"

"Bernie's. Are you disagreeing with my selection of ice cream shop?"

She quickly silenced herself, "Of course not, you're the one behind the wheel."

"Good, now quit bugging me or we're going to Taco Bell."

She looked at him in horror, "You know I HATE Taco Bell."

He grinned, "Exactly, now be quiet and play some good music."

~~~

"So how come you got out an hour early? And why did you look like someone kicked your puppy when you came out?"

He told a half truth around a mouthful of mint chocolate ice-cream.

"She took it easy on me because apparently I'm failing by six percent. Due to that, I wasn't exactly bursting with joy upon my exit."

She mirrored his previous shock, "I thought you were passing? If you're failing then we should be studying, not eating ice-cream, damnit."

"Calm down Bree. She offered me some extra credit to get my grade up. And we aren't studying because A, I don't have notes TO study, and B, you deserved some ice-cream for waiting on me."

She sat her small cup of strawberry sherbet down on the glass table as disapprovingly as possible.

"The point stands, you need to study. Get up, we're going to my place and getting my notes, and you WILL study for at least an hour before you leave, otherwise I know for a fact you'll just set them down and forget until Monday."

Alex nodded as if it made perfect sense, yet remained in place.

"Finish your ice-cream and I'll think about it."

She crossed her arms, "No. We go study."

Alex sat his cup down and renewed their earlier stare down, "Finish your ice-cream."

She lasted nearly as long as she had before, but in the end, she blinked.

"Damn you and your unblinking super powers."

She picked up her cup and resumed eating, an obviously fake scowl on her face, "One of these days I'm gonna win. Asshole."

Alex squinted at her, "Take it back."

"No."

"Bree."

"Alex."

Alex resumed his eating, "Okay then, be like that. I'll remember."

~~~

The two had been on the road to Brianna's house for a few minutes before she took hold of his arm and lay her head on his shoulder.

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"I lied..."

He shot her a confused glance that she couldn't see.

"About what?"

"You smell good. I lied."

He laughed, "Thanks? You do too. I like your strawberry shampoo. Might have to pick some up myself."

She snickered, "If you start smelling like a girl then you definitely have to come out as gay."

"Never gonna happen."

"Awww c'mon. I've always wanted a gay best friend."

"Sorry Bree, I'm straight as a circle."

It took her a moment to process, but she quickly burst out in laughter.

"I knew it!"

Alex deadpanned, "You think I'm playing?"

She saw through his facade, "There's no way. I would've noticed."

Alex brought his eyes back to the road, "Who knows? Maybe I'm a good actor."

He pulled into her driveway, noting the lack of the black sedan that Brianna's mother drove.

"Stacey not home?"

"Nah. She had to pull a double shift at the hospital. Come on, time to study."

~~~

"Aha! I get it now."

Alex looked over to find his study buddy watching him with a strange glint in her eyes.

"See, you aren't handicapped after all."

Alex grinned in triumph, "Just to clarify, the power of the exponent and whether or not it's a negative or positive will change the value of the integer?"

Bree nodded, "Yup, but keep in mind that the progression doesn't go on forever. Once you hit a certain value on the exponent, the integer will reset back down to the base number and the table will just repeat itself at the same intervals."

Alex sat up and ran his fingers though his hair. His brain was mush from all the cramming they had done in the last hour, but he was sure that he wouldn't be walking into his study session tomorrow completely clueless.

He drew his companion into a one-armed hug, "Thanks Bree, you were a real help today. Even if you did eat my wallet with that triple scoop at Bernie's."

She accepted his embrace before slapping his arm, "Shut up dork. You offered."

"I did, and I'd love to stay and annoy you some more, but I have to get home. Work comes early tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll let you out."

She followed Alex through the house to the front door where he slipped on his shoes. Brianna admired the way the muscles in his forearms flexed as he knelt down and tied the laces on his black Nikes. She followed the muscular contour of his back as the tight shirt stretched over his skin, her gaze moving lower until she reached his firm buttocks.

She blushed, unable to stop herself from fantasizing over her long time friend. It was natural, she reasoned. Not her fault that he happened to be so damn sexy. Her heart fluttered in her chest when he stood up and turned to face her, noticing the rising blush that crept up her face.

"You good Bree?"

She nodded.

Alex sighed and opened his arms, nearly thrown off balance when she shot into his embrace.

He laughed and rubbed her back in a soothing gesture, "Calm down, woman. You act like you're never gonna see me again."

She squeezed him tight, breathing in his masculine scent as an irresistible feeling of safety and warmth enveloped her body.

"I need hugs. It's the least you could do after making me wait outside all day."

"What?! Lady, you chose to stand outside and wait. Plus, it was a half hour, definitely not all day."

She huffed, "Be quiet and hold me."

"Keep up the attitude and I will take away your hugging privileges."

She knew he was joking, but she still did not like that idea at all.

Brianna whined, "Why do you have to leave? I'm sure mom wouldn't care if you stayed over."

Alex sighed, "I have work in the morning, Bree. Plus, don't you think that would be a little weird? We haven't done that since we were kids."

Her mind loved the prospect of having Alex stay the night. The thought of sleeping in his warm embrace made pangs of longing shoot through her heart.

"Not at all. We could just go get comfy and watch corny movies until we fell asleep. What's weird about that?"

Alex conceded, "Fine. That doesn't change the fact that I need to shower and brush my teeth, and get up at 6 AM for work."

"We have a shower, and I have some spare toothbrushes in the bathroom."

"I'd still need a change of clothes, and my work boots. Not to mention my hardhat and toolbelt."

"Ughhhh. Why do you have to be so responsible?"

Alex laughed, "Because money pays for gas and car insurance, and I have to work to make money. They wouldn't keep me around very long if I decided not to show up for my shift."

She wasn't ready to give up yet, "What about tomorrow?"

"I have work Sunday too. And I have plans after work and won't be done until late."

Just then, an idea formed in her mind.

"Okay, well after all that, you could grab some clothes and your work stuff and stay here. That way you could just wake up and get ready for work Sunday."

She had him cornered with that one, and he resigned himself to meet her halfway, lest she get the impression that he was blowing her off.

"I'll think about it. Clear it with your mom and we'll see. Deal?"

She knew it was the best offer she was going to get, she just needed to convince her mother. Unlikely, but she had to try.

"Deal."

"Okay, now that that's settled, do you mind letting go?"

She pouted, "I don't wanna. You feel good."

"Bree, I have to go home. C'mon now, if your mom says it's okay then you'll get all the hugs you want tomorrow night."

She finally relented, mentally forcing herself to let go. Once she did, it felt like her temperature instantly dropped by ten degrees. She shivered, already missing the warmth of his strong body.

"Fine. Goodnight Alex."

He turned to leave, "G'night, sweet dreams."

~~~

Alex woke up at six AM on the dot, stretching languidly across bed while he forced himself awake. Ten minutes later he was freshly shaven, leaving just enough stubble to complement his youth with a hint of maturity. Five more minutes and his teeth were brushed. Another fifteen and he was stepping out of the shower and donning an old pair of faded Levi's, complimented by a plain grey v-neck.

His boss, Jeb, had made it clear that a plain shirt and a pair of old jeans would go a long way in the construction business, and Alex had been taking his advice since his first day on the job.

"Ten minutes early, every day, and you'll never be late to anything. Make it a habit and you'll look better in the future when you decide to go for promotions in whatever it is you end up doing."

Alex had burned that knowledge into his memory, along with a number of other life lessons his boss had imparted upon him.

Two hours later Alex was nearly forty feet high, standing on the construction scaffolding with his harness firmly secured to the steel support beam he was currently working on. The familiar weight of the thirteen pound Milwaukee impact wrench strained his arms as he tightened a series of one inch bolts into an L-shaped connector, securing the steel cross beam onto the supporting metal.

~~~

At 4:50 PM Alex pulled into the driveway of a smaller ranch style house. Light blue siding complimented a various assortment of plants and flowers that surrounded the grey brick of the foundation.

Alex easily recognized the owner, a petite Asian woman, probably in her early 30's currently sitting barefoot and cross legged on a wooden swing-bench. Book in one hand, iced-tea in the other, Ms. Suomi looked nothing like her teaching alter-ego. She wore a blue button-up long sleeve that hung loosely on her slim frame, a tight pair of black leggings providing a sharp contrast as they accentuated the shape of her toned thighs. Her attire said 'teenage girl wearing her boyfriends oversized shirt', rather than the typical fitted button-up shirt and skirt. Instead of a crisp bun, her shoulder-length black hair was unrestricted, swaying back and forth in the warm breeze.

She greeted him with the hint of a smile as he stepped up onto the porch, her voice devoid of the usual chill.

"Hello Alex, you're here early," She glanced up from her book, noting the textbook in his left hand. "And you actually remembered to bring your book. So far so good."

Alex was still in his work clothes, not having had the time to go home and shower and change into a fresh pair, a fact that did not go unnoticed. She crossed her arms and the thin smile disappeared.

"Although apparently that consideration did not extend to your clothing."

Alex was embarrassed, "I'm sorry, I might have an extra pair of shorts in the car, but I don't think I have another shirt. Sorry, Mrs. Suomi."

She sighed, "Well I guess it can't be helped. Go grab them, and while we're in my home you can call me April."

Alex nodded and headed back to his car, "Yes Ma'am."

The front door opened up into a small area that branched off of the kitchen to the left, which then to the living room, where the checkered linoleum flooring gave way to blue carpet, almost the exact same shade as the house's siding. Ms. Suomi called out from the room to his left.

"Leave your boots outside. The room at the end of the hall to the right is the bathroom. Go change and put your pants outside."

"Yes Ma'am."

He did as instructed and turned right into the hallway. There was another door opposite the bathroom, which Alex guessed was probably the bedroom. He changed quickly and cast his dirty jeans outside before making his way to the small living room.

Ahead and to the right there was a large glass and wood cabinet tucked into the corner which shelved a number of miniature porcelain dolls, ceramic plates and tiny cups. Each one looked to be hand painted, with no specific design in mind. A few feet to the left of the cabinet was a pair of abstract paintings, nothing more than an expression of art and paint spread across a square foot of white canvas.

Ms. Suomi- err, April, sat with her legs folded underneath a small coffee table in the center of the room, a large teacher's edition textbook dominating her half of the space.

"Come, sit down."

Alex sat down on the opposite side and mirrored her book with own.

"We're going to start from the beginning, so turn to page 492 and follow along with me."

~~~

Almost two hours later, they both decided they needed a break.

"I'm impressed Alex. You said you didn't know any of the subject material but you seemed to have a pretty good grasp on the exponent modification table."

He nodded, glad to have her approval, "Yeah, last night I told Bree about how I was failing and she practically dragged me back to her house to study. It nearly made my head explode, but at least I was able to learn something."

Ms. Suomi tensed up at the mention of his late-night study session.

"You didn't mention our tutoring session, did you? Despite the good intentions, rumors of a student coming to a faculty member's home is a fast track to losing my job."

Alex gave her an obvious look.

"I might be failing, but I'm not an idiot. I know how it would look. Bree just thinks you took pity on me and offered a bunch of extra credit to do over the weekend, which is technically the truth."

She relaxed at his words, "Good. I'm sorry Alex, I wasn't implying that you're an idiot, as you put it. I just know how teenagers are. The rumor mill reaches us teachers too, you know. Also, what did I tell you about calling me by my name?"

"You're right, I apologize. I guess I should've clarified."

"It's fine, I'm glad that you sought help from a friend as well. Putting all of your eggs in one basket is never a good idea. Now, I'm going to go fetch us some refreshments, does tea sound good?"

Alex nodded, "Tea would be great, thank you."

April disappeared into the kitchen for few moments before she returned with two glasses of dark liquid.

Alex sipped his drink and grunted in the way that teenage boys do when they find something especially tasty.

"Wow. That is really good, April. I might have to steal some of this on my way out."

She resumed her place on the other side of the table and laughed, "Thank you Alex, but you need to work on that. I'd like it if you didn't sound like you were having a stroke when you say my name. A lady might get the wrong impression."

Her laughter drew his gaze down to her bouncing chest where he was both pleasantly surprised, and somewhat concerned to see the top two buttons of her shirt undone, as well as the total lack of a bra. Her modest breasts were naturally perky and formed an enticing crevice of cleavage that subtly peeked out from it's shelter. He subconsciously licked his lips before he caught himself, immediately checking her face to see if she had noticed.

"I don't mind if you look, Alex, but try not to stare. There is a fine line between an appreciative glance and ogling. The former is flattering, the latter is not."

Alex wasn't stupid. He knew she was flirting with him. Hell, he knew it yesterday. What he didn't know, was what to do about it, so, he pressed his luck.

"Sorry, but just to be clear, the tea is my reward?"

She considered that for a moment before nodding, "I suppose it could be an incentive."

They both knew he wasn't talking about the sweet beverage.

"And if I continue to improve?"

Her eyes narrowed a fraction, "Don't push it, young man."

Wisely, he backed off, "Yes Ma'am."

"Now," She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. "Let's see if we can get these equations out of the way."

Thirty minutes later he was practically pulling the hair out of his head.

"I don't get it! How do the answers keep changing on the same problem just because they're in a slightly different place inside the parentheses? I don't understand how it completely changes the answer when you put the two under the negative exponent versus just simply doing away with the little bar in the middle and straight up dividing it."

April cleared her throat, "Alex. Look at me."

He did, doing his best to ignore the mouth-watering display just below her neck.

"Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think."

He followed her instructions, doing his best to let go of his frustration.

"Remember your lessons on division from Algebra one, what did you have to account for when dividing a negative number using the 'little bar in the middle', which is called a vinculum, by the way."

Alex wrecked his brain, thinking back to the excessive amount of notes he had taken in the class. After a moment, he had his answer, but it didn't solve his problem.

"Reciprocals? But that doesn't apply because it has an exponent."

"Yes and no. Reciprocals is correct, but it does still apply. Remember PEMDAS. First you do the parentheses, which is where the exponent is. Next you figure the exponent, which gives you the value that you need to replace the base with. After that, you factor in the reciprocal if the number turns out to be negative, and you have your answer. Now, open your eyes."

He did, his eyes automatically focusing on her chest, where the next two buttons had somehow come undone. Her breasts were almost completely visible now, barely covered by the sides of the shirt that were pulled together by the last remaining button. If she would've shifted to either side, her nipples would've clearly been visible.