Chapter 9 Thinking about Davis

THINKING ABOUT DAVIS!

~

"Claudia, what is wrong with you; are you okay?" Chloe asked walking toward the door with the car keys and a brown paper bag in the other hand. I pulled myse lazily from the door scratching the back of my head.

"Oh, Uhm...you're still here!" I blurted out walking past Chloe briskly.

"You didn't answer the question girl, are-you-okay? If not completely, partly?" Chloe interrupted Claudia. My feet were on the stairs while her hands held onto the rails firmly, she slowly turned to her forcing a smile.

"Oh yes I am, what are you doing here? It's not 5 pm yet." I snapped them she shuddered instead.

"Sure it's not but I live here don't I!" Chloe snapped with a bit of challenge in her voice.
"I'm off...I'll take longer than usual because Henson and I would visit the church. Tell Mom and Dad!"

"Oh okay!" I snapped as she gave a couple of smiles turning to the door knob, a sound interrupted the short silence. I was confused at first but then I remembered that I now owned a cell phone, if Chloe finds out then I'm as good as dead.

"Did you hear that, what's that sound?!" Her brows furrowed looking in my direction. 
"I heard nothing, besides what sound?! Chloe just goes okay, I'm gonna just go upstairs take a shower and catch a nap. Ugh!" I sighed

"It has been hell throughout the day."

"We were talking about the sound, not your nap or something?! Anyways, you're still gonna explain to me what happened that you stomped in like that. Peace unto you." Chloe sarcastically added, I watched her exit through the door then I followed from behind to make sure that she was leaving, Chloe could be nosy most times and I wasn't ready for another suspicious phase. I peeped through the blinds, she was pulling out of the driveway and slowly hitting the road, off she goes. I heaved a deep sigh. I headed for the stairs, running as fast as I could; stomping into my room, and slamming the door. I flopped into the bed after taking off my bag pack, I unzipped the zipper that almost ripped a few strands of my hair.

"Ouch!" I took out the phone and there! There was a notification, a message from Iffy.

How do you feel about the phone?!

I stared at the words for a couple of minutes, I couldn't believe the fact that I owned a gadget. Recently, my dad got me a brand new desktop and a laptop but then my activities were monitored, I guess it's the price you pay for having a computer literate like my dad. I barely see a movie, watch documentaries if it weren't spiritually inclined, nor do I visit social media platforms. My life sucks, my family sucks the most. My mind flew back to the text again, I guess I was too overwhelmed to reply.

Great! Great!

I replied then added a smiley emoji, I shouldn't be caught lacking with the modern trends. The three dots appeared meaning she was typing, I waited patiently; I had the whole day to wait for Tiffany.

I was thinking maybe you'd like to attend the student's karaoke night tomorrow. It's going to be fun!

Okay. I took a deep breath. This would get tricky I reminded myself, my parents would be a hindrance, and no one else.

I'd like to but my dad, that's the problem. I can't be out after 7 pm! Ground rule

I wrote back. I was concerned about what she'd feel, I didn't want to disappoint her either way, maybe it was because of the pricy gift she got me.

I have a solution. See you at school, Claude!

She wrote back with some exciting emojis. I placed the charger and the carton into the drawer next to my bed, no one intrudes on my room so I might be 80 or 90 percent safe. I almost forgot that after school I always take a shower, work on my assignment if there's any, and finally take a nap. I glanced at the small clock, it was 45 minutes past 4 o'clock. I got off my clothes walking into the bathroom, I stood in front of the mirror staring at my reflection. I wanted this. I wanted this and I got it. I walked into the shower, I enjoyed the water splashing on my face; the feeling was right. For once in my life, I was beginning to recognize myself not as the regular churchy reserved Claudia but as a refined one. Did I just mention REFINED? Just the verge and not completely, I had a lot to figure out and it was a bunch. I squirted the shower gel into my hands and massaged my skin, I suddenly needed company; I needed to be with someone; not just anyone but DAVIS. It was always about Davis, I wanted Davis. The more I rubbed the flannel against my skin the more I pictured him, it was only a few days and he was taking over my thoughts. How could he not understand that I was more than infatuated at the moment, why could he not see me differently, maybe not as a lover but as a friend? I felt the heat erupting inside me and maybe between my hips. Oh god, what is happening to Claudia Collins? I stopped rubbing and massaging. I should rather stop thinking about Davis and proceed with the peaceful bath I was taking.

07:10 pm,

I was in the kitchen helping Mom prepare the table for dinner, she and Father were discussing a new business they ventured into a month ago. Mom was opposing him about the receptionist whom she assumed was too sexy for a job like that.

"You could at least offer her a job honey, it's hard to come around one these days!" Father reminded me while he leaned on the wall demarcating the kitchen and dining room. "I knew that you'd say something like that anyways, we should avoid sin when we see one..." Mother countered sarcastically

"Or maybe you should stop judging every person out there, it's not humane." Father retorted. At first, I thought that it was a tease-me-i-tease-you kind of conversation but it slowly grew intense and unnecessary. Mother even went ahead to say that Father was conforming to the world and that he was beginning to fancy half-naked women. I laughed inside me, if only they knew that I had broken the number one rule 'NO PHONES UNTIL AFTER SENIOR HIGH' then they'd stop arguing over a girl who's probably getting her nails or hair done or maybe cooking or partying or with her boyfriend; like I wanted Davis earlier.
 "Claudia?" Mother called out almost raising her voice, I realized that I had been wiping a clean fork for over five minutes now.

"Huh?! Sorry, I was only Uhm...and..." I stuttered, of course, there was no excuse for that action. 
"Just sit already, what will a teenager like you think of that's getting you deep in thought?!" Mother shrugged

"Her education...her future, what else?" Father defended with a teasing smile, I smiled back 
"There you go again darling," Mother smiled back. There! It all ended, I mean their silly argument not my thoughts of Davis.

We’ve had two classes and the next was going to be history class, Davis and Tiffany would be a part of it. Lacey told me that they'd join and ever since she did, my heart wouldn't stop dropping to the floor. We had roughly ten minutes to wait for the class to start and Lacey was already interrogating me over the phone.

"I didn't know you had such a big taste for Apple phones." She says sarcastically

"C'mon, she just bought it; I didn't know what she was buying until she bought it," I answered defensively. Even if it was similar to Lacey's, she couldn't stop admiring it regardless. She didn't wait to be told, she saved her contact and Mason's and Johnson's. At least, they were the most important people I know around the school.
 "What do you think, should I keep it?" I asked her, I was undeniably nervous about it. She scoffed with a smile 
"You wouldn't accept it if you were not going to keep it. At least someone is coming off that holy shit!" She snapped ignorantly but I didn't think it was funny or passive, I frowned at her statement 
"Sorry Claudia, I meant..." She tried to reconstruct her statement then I cut her short

"Maybe you shouldn't forget that you loved the holy shit even before this phone. Hmm!"

"Okay I hear you but it's not like I'm wrong anyways...." She added. She was always loud with her words, always speaking her mind "Yeah whatever Lacey, suit yourself." I snapped as she laughed.

"You should check out Instagram, that's where most Gramsville students communicate in style. You have got to earn followers and that's a long stride to get there." She explained,

"And what about you, do you have these FOLLOWERS?" I asked her, I grew interested in the conversation
 "A good number of them. Firstly, I am part of the girl's soccer team, secondly, I'm a girlfriend to one of the most popular boys on the Senior high basketball team..Mason. And thirdly, I'm a pretty fashion icon. Enough reasons?" She stopped with a smile then I nodded curtly, if I wanted to be like her then I had a long way to go.

"Don't worry I'll not decide what you want, take your time." She said. Davis and Tiffany walked in, Lacey tucked my arm playfully. "Not if you want to win him over, there's no time to take. It's now!" She completed her statement. I froze when he looked in my direction, HOLY GRAIL.