The Swing Chapter Eight

Opening her eyes slowly, Chalice looked at the annoying alarm clock. It was six, time for school and all she felt like she could do was punch the clock. She crawled out of bed and got ready for another day. When she got downstairs Ace was sitting at her breakfast table. She just wanted to run back upstairs and fake sick before anyone saw she was up and well. 1

“Chalice, look who showed up. You didn’t tell us you made a friend.” Mrs. Rogers was standing there holding a bowl of cereal with a smile filled with way too much joy. She didn’t get that when she shook her head yesterday at the question having fun she meant no friends, no one to have fun with and definitely not with him!2

She decided to go along with this game and she would get Ace later. “Yeah mom, I didn’t tell you about Ace?”3

“No, but its ok. Ace told me everything.” She smiled that smile Chalice hated it, it meant she figured she had moved on and she didn’t, that was the last thing she was going to do. 4

“Well uh, Ace and I better get going. So come on Ace.” She hinted at him to get out of her kitchen and outside now.5

“What about breakfast.” Mrs. Rogers asked.6

“No time, lets go.” Chalice pulled on Aces jacket sleeve. 7

“What do you think your doing!” Chalice had Ace outside and they were walking to school. She was mad.8

“Look I can see you don’t want me around,” Chalice was happy with that answer, he was getting it. Then Ace kind of lowered his voice a bit so that Chalice could hear what he said, but making it seem like he was saying it in his head. “But yesterday you seemed ok.”9

“Yeah, but what was last night. You are really starting to seem like a stalker and I don’t want to deal with that.”  10

“Well, I don’t know, I was walking and I saw you so I figured I would sit down and try to get to know you.”11

Chalice was annoyed at him and really didn’t want to deal with him, but then she realized she didn’t have a reputation to keep, he did, and no friends to judge her, he did, and no one to tell her she couldn’t be his friend, but he did. The only thing that bugged her was the small fact that she was with Tom and Ace wanted to take his place. Chalice looked down at the ground in that way where she was trying not to admit she was wrong. “Ok. Well I thought you where stalking me or something.”12

Ace laughed at that, “Chalice, I have a great reputation of being everyone’s friend, why on earth would I change all that to be your stalker.”   13

Yesterday did seem like he was asking her out, but maybe he was just asking if they could go somewhere to get to know each other, to be friends. She felt so stupid now. “Oh, Im sorry, I guess I kinda, I don’t know.” Chalice didn’t know what to say.14

“Its ok we all have our moments. So can I ask again, what are you doing this weekend?”15

“Nothing.”16

“Cool, well Im having a party, it would be a great place for you get to know people and we can get to know each other.” Ace look at her with a smile, it was friendly and welcoming. 17

“Sure, my mom seems to like you so I don’t think Ill have a problem asking her if I can go.”18

“Oh don’t worry, I took care of that, you can go.”19

“You asked my mom?” Chalice had a shocked face.20

“Well, I was pretty sure I could get you to say yes and so I just asked her if it was possible if you could go and then Id ask you.”21

“Oh….By the way what was the everything you told her.”22

“Just how we met, don’t worry I didn’t say we were going out or anything. You really think Im like that?” We were at school and before she got a chance to say anything he walked into the building and was out of sight.23

The rest of the day she found herself looking for him, but she didn’t know why. Maybe she was desperate, or maybe she did want to be his friend. Finally Chalice just shook her head to get out of it. When she walked up to her locker at the end of the day Ace was there. “Uh, hi.”24

“Well I figured we live on the same street and all, so we could walk home together.”25

“We do?”26

“Yeah, Im a little further then you, I saw you struggling to find your key in your pocket when I was on my way home.”27

“Oh.” She opened her locker and started to pull her books out.28

“So, can we walk home.”29

“Yeah, sure.”30

“Good.”31

The walk home was new, Ace was asking her what she liked and they managed to laugh a couple times. “So whats your favorite season?”32

“Oh Fall easy.”33

“Why?”34

“Well summers to hot, springs almost the same as winter because by the times its warm, its summer, and winter is well.” And at the same time they said, “Way to freakin cold.” One of the times they started laughing.35

“Are you having fun?”36

“As much as I don’t want to admit it, yeah.”37

Ace smirked a bit, “Why not?”38

“Because that means my parents were right and Im not ready to say Ive moved on.”39

“You’ve moved on?”40

“Yeah, I made a friend and now I can finally say I like it here and Ill stay here.”41

“Cool.” It was silent the rest of the way home.42