Free Chasing Jenna by Micki Fredricks Page A

person should need. We do this because, one of the traditions of our house, is to give back to people who may not have been as fortunate in life as we have. Please, don’t take this the wrong way, but I would really like to sponsor you.”
    I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks and my whole face went slack, trying desperately to hide the hurt. All of the sunny side up scenarios that Katie and I had talked about–the ones I had secretly held on to, crashed down onto the sidewalk around me.
    Tears filled my eyes and I blinked quickly, trying to hide them. I couldn’t let him see the disappointment. How could I be so naïve? I thought, or at least I had allowed part of me to believe – he’d seen something in me that he could care about.
    When I trusted him with my life story, I thought he wanted to get to know me. No wonder he said he needed to “process it”. This hadn’t been a guy who wanted to know more about a girl he was interested in, it was an interview.
    I tried to keep my tone as even as possible. “So that’s why you’ve been hanging around, you want to be my ‘big brother'?” I slipped around him and started walking. It felt like it was time to escape this ridiculously uncomfortable moment.
    “No, no … not at all”. He stepped in front of me, cutting me off. I had no choice but to look at him.
    He held onto the upper part of each of my arms, holding me like he was afraid I was going to bolt. I wanted to.
    “I knew I wouldn’t say this right and that’s how you would take it. I didn’t want to upset you, I’m sorry. I’m not interested in you in a big brother sort of way. I mean, not in a creepy sort of way either but …” his voice trailed off and he sighed. “This didn’t go how I wanted it to.” He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.
    The look on his face softened my heart. He wasn’t trying to make me feel bad. It wasn’t his fault that I stupidly read more into this than there should’ve been. He may not have had the same intentions for our relationship as I did, but he had been very kind and sweet to me since I’d met him. The last thing I wanted to do was make him feel bad by being unwilling to hear him out. There were worst things I could think of than having Cale Davis want to be your big brother, even if the thought squeezed at my heart, leaving a lingering sting in my chest.
    He stood in front of me, pleading in his eyes, wanting me to understand him.
    I composed myself the best I could. “I will make you a deal, you meet me at four o’clock at the library and tell me everything being sponsored is about. I’ll decide if it sounds like something for me after I have all the details. Okay?”
    “Okay,” he said with a smile, his body relaxed and he leaned into me. “Thanks.” We walked arm in arm the rest of the way in silence.
    ~~~
    I sat on the floor across from the couch, cross-legged, staring out our window at the gray fall sky. The salad and fries I picked up at the Union sat in front of me untouched.
    “Are you going to eat those?” Ryan pointed down at the fries. I shook my head and held them out to him. “I swear I have never seen anyone eat the amount of food you do. It’s disgusting really.”
    He crumpled the wrapper from his third cheeseburger and threw it at me.
    “That’s because you are like, a fourth of my size. You must come from a mini race. Like those tiny little horses that are so cute. I, on the other hand,” he laid his hand on his chest in a reverently. “I come from a race of giants, like …”
    “Ogres?” He dropped his hand and we stared at each other, straight-faced for a few seconds until I couldn’t hold the laughter in any longer.
    “What the Hell Jen? Ogres? I was going to say Greek Gods or something like that.”
    I gasped for air, laughing so hard I fell to the side holding my stomach. I pointed at him and squeaked out, “Greek God?”
    “What? Why is that so funny? I’m hot.” He was actually pouting.
    I