Part 12 - Confess!

Jase dropped his tray with a thud, a defensive action which shook his drink, and a bead of coke formed on that slight gap between the lid and the straw. He looked me and Amanda in the eye, in turn, and no-one spoke a word as both of us held his gaze. I slowly brought a chip to my mouth, and the crunch was overly loud in a momentary quiet of the crowd in the food court. If only they had tumbleweeds at Erina Fair. And someone to whistle that bit you hear in every western.

‘I’m not telling.’ Jase stated, attempting to cut us off at the pass, before we got started. Too late, the cattle were already stampeding, a storm of questions from me and Amanda:

‘Tell us what?’ ‘Who you like?’ ‘How much you like her?’ ‘Does she like you back?’ ‘Have you asked her out yet?’ ‘did she say no?’ ‘did she say yes?’ ‘she said no, that’s why you won’t tell us who she is?’ ‘how long have you liked her?’ ‘Is she single?’ ‘If you’re not going to make a crack at her, would you care if I did?’ ‘Keegan!’ ‘Sorry, I meant could Amanda have a crack at her as well?’ ‘Excuse me?’ ‘Fine, can Amanda have first crack?’, at which point she hit me on the arm, knuckle right on the bone. And there we both were, pointedly looking at Jase for a confession.

‘See this?’ he said, waving an arm in front of us. ‘Brick Wall. Deal with it. Your food’s getting cold.’
‘It’s a salad dear, it’s already cold.’ Amanda countered.

Hmm. Time for phase two of ‘Get Jase To Tell Us Who He Likes.’
‘Keegan?’ Amanda motioned for me to lean closer, and then she whispered in my ear, ‘He usually cracks after that, what do we do now?’ I’m trying to think of something, but all I can think of is her breath on my neck, the smell of her hair.
‘Hows about we whisper for a little longer to rattle his nerves?’ I ask, trying to stop my voice from shaking.
‘Do you think that’ll work?’ she asks, but what do I care? Just stay this close for a little longer.
‘There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?’
‘we might actually spend this time to think of something.’
‘aaah, good point. Hmm. Just a sec.’ Just another moment with her cheek a bare inch from mine. That bloody vanilla spray that Anna wears as well. Gotta pull out now, and make do with a plan that just dropped out of thin air.

‘If you don’t tell us, we’ll have to invent a rumour.’

‘Oh no you don’t.’ said Jase, looking worried now. Cracks appearing in that brick wall.

‘Everyone will think you like the girl we say you like, and the girl you like will think you don’t like her, but the girl you don’t really like.’
‘Huh?’
‘It’s a bad scenario, Jase.’
‘I’ll deny everything.’
‘That’ll only prove it, You know how gossip works in this town.’
‘School.’
‘Whatever.’
Amanda perks up, now she knows where I’m going. ‘So really, your only course of action is to confess.’
‘Really?’
‘Yup.’ He’s cornered now.
‘Damn.’