“Hey, at lunch we have to go over the list,” Matt says, sliding up next to me. Of course he isn’t talking about an actual paper list but a running list of names memorized in his head. New targets for his family’s business. Now that we are in middle school, we actually get to take on some work for his dad by checking on the school-age kids in the program and helping them out if needed. It’s feels like I’ve been waiting years for this and I can’t wait to start.
Matt’s family business was called the family business for that very reason. Being part of that family was a big deal. It took trust and a whole lot of togetherness to make it work. My parents dedicated their lives to helping the Jakobe’s and I’ve always felt a sense of pride for what they do. I didn’t mind the individuals, children, or families that came in and out of my home because it was for a good cause. I could never fault my parents for helping others survive. Our house was a designated safe house within the organization. We lived in Minnesota, the hub of the activity. One day, Matt and his sister, Molly, would take over the business and I had always planned to pick up where my parents left off. I may be only thirteen, but I could already see myself doing this job forever.
I guess that’s why my friendship with Matt Jakobe was inevitable. All it took was a front tooth missing smile from him when we shared a class in second grade. My soul recognized his. Best friend to best friend. I smiled back at him. It was innocent to the outside observation, but to us, it was as significant as if he had slashed his palm open, then mine, and slapped our hands together. Easy. Comfortable. Safe.
“Jason will meet us there,” Matt tells me, and I nod in return. I’d yet to meet Matt’s other best friend. He lived on the other side of town and went to the other elementary school, so we’ve never actually met. I hear his name all the time though.
My world is pretty small with who I see and spend time with. My closest friends are Matt and Julia. Julia is like me, and her parents work for Matt’s family as well. If my family didn’t work for the Jakobes, I don’t know if my parents would approve of my friendship with Matt. Not only because he’s a boy but the fact he gets into trouble a lot too. He also likes to pull small pranks around town, sometimes causing damage around town and in some instances, requiring Matt to work off the debt of repairs.
I manage to make it through the rest of the morning with ease and eventually, I start to calm down. I fall back into the peace I get with a schedule and fixed lessons. I already know my favorite classes are going to be social studies and English this year. I guess I’ll see how I feel about math and gym after lunch. It’s the first year for gym that we have to change into different clothes in a locker room. Nothing about this is exciting and most of the girls in my class are dreading it.
Surprisingly, Matt is waiting next to where the line for lunch forms; his gaze quits scanning the crowd when he spots me. I smile and fall into place next to him.
“Anything sound good?” I ask, feeling my stomach rumble. Because I was running late, I didn’t get breakfast this morning on my way out the door.
“Eh tacos. So it could be really good or really bad.” He grins and hands me a tray.
“How are your classes?” I ask, making conversation and keeping an eye out for Julia. She said we had the same lunch, but I haven’t seen her yet.
“Not bad.” Matt shrugs. “A lot of kids from the other elementary so far and the majority of the targets are in my morning classes,” he adds the last part in a lower voice. I nod my head, taking a peek around.
We make it through the line, with our trays loaded, before finding an open table. My eyes wander around the cafeteria and notice this lunch period is a mix of seventh and eighth graders. A few kids peek in our direction and I start memorizing their faces.
“How many are on the list here?” I ask, after taking a bite of my taco. The cheese and meat melt together in my mouth and it’s safe to say this is one meal I will not mind having here.
“Six,” Matt tells me, before biting into his own hard shell. As he’s chewing, I notice the room start to buzz with low levels of excitement.
My head whips up right as a tray lands next to mine. “Anyone sitting here?” It could have been the way his long dark hair fell over his stunningly dark eyes or the way his perfectly white top teeth sank into his bottom lip, either way, I felt something inside me snap like a rubber band right around my heart. It hurt at the same time it felt claimed.
“Finally,” Matt huffs, while wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Kelly, this is Jason. Jason, this is my buddy, Kelly.”
My eyebrow lifts, and I realize my eyes are still glued to Jason, even though he already sat down. Somehow he managed to shake up my world and tilt it upside down with three simple words, one ordinary question, and my brain felt like it was scrambled in my skull. What was happening?
“Hi,” I manage to squeak out, before lowering my gaze back to the table. I silently count to ten and try to focus. He’s just a boy. It’s just like having a second Matt around.
“Sup, Kell?” Jason says and smiles at me before turning his attention to Matt. I’m relieved to not be under his scrutiny while also sad at the same time. The war with my emotions takes me by complete surprise. “You don’t remember me do you?”
My head shakes, and I still can’t take my eyes off him. “Should I?”
His lips turn up in a grin. “We met once in second grade, I think? Before my parents moved us across town. The three of us hung out at recess.”
My mind filters back over the years and I keep coming up empty, until an image of three kids swinging at the park pops in my head.
“I totally forgot about that.” Matt suddenly laughs and I smile. Jason shrugs it off and takes another bite of his food.
“I got that list,” Matt announces, breaking up the nostalgic moment. His eyes dart up then down, taking in the whole room like he’s been trained to do. I’ve been taught as well, but Matt is way better at it than me.
“Is your whole family in?” I question, looking briefly to Jason and smiling, so it doesn’t look as if I’m discussing such a serious topic with him.
He gives me a light-hearted smile back. “My parents are. My dad does runs mostly, and my mom takes calls.” His hand lands on top of my head and rubs gently.
The touch of his hand sends sparks of energy over my skin and I fight the urge to shiver because he’s touching me.
“We have six total in our grade. Three in grade eight,” Matt tells us. He goes over each name and I file them in my brain, memorizing and reminding myself to pay attention today and tomorrow during attendance.
“Can you chat with the girls?” Matt asks, his brow raised. “Every time Jase or I try, they get all skittish.”
As I take a bite of my apple, I nod. My eyes flick from Matt to Jason, not really understanding why the girls won’t talk to them. Shrugging, I go back to my meal while the boys continue to talk about some WWF wrestling match next Thursday night. They make plans to hang out and I realize then that I’ll be sharing Matt with both Jason and school. I peer at them both under my eyelashes. They’re grinning and talking smack; yet, for some reason, I’m completely comfortable. Jason slides easily into a spot in my world I didn’t know needed to be filled.