"Awesome ride." I commented, taking in the interior of the vehicle. He pulled out of the lot, entering the freeway.
He gripped the steering wheel, taking a moment to glance at me. "Thanks."
Shadows danced around inside the car as we sped through town. After a few minutes we were at the restaurant. It seemed crowded, just by looking at the almost full parking lot. He gently grabbed my wrist and led me inside the warm building. We found the rest of the team in the back of the restaurant, loud and rowdy. They were laughing and recounting the game. As we stood before the table, I was glad that I wore somewhat formal attire. I had chosen some dark jeans and a matching sweater.
The group fell silent as they noticed us.
"Guys, this is Maria." Wesley introduced me.
"Hey Maria."
"'Sup?"
"Hi."
"Lookin' good, Maria."
My cheeks reddened at the comment. Wesley glared daggers at the rude guy. He held his hands up in protest.
"Sorry about them," He murmured into my ear as we sat down.
"It's fine." I whispered. We ordered our food and chatted.
"So how long have you two been going out?" Derek, who Wesley introduced earlier asked us. I sputtered on my water, but quickly recovered.
Wesley through me a life vest. "We're just friends."
"Oh?" Derek countered. "I think I see something going on here." He smirked, pointing between us.
"Shut up." Wesley quietly demanded from his fellow team mate.
Derek held up his hands. "Jus' saying'"
He dropped the topic. Some of the guys brought their girlfriends, so I chatted with them too. It was actually kind of enjoyable hanging out with everyone. They were hilarious and yet still kind.
After gorging on desserts, people said they needed to get home. We said goodbye to everyone and Wesley grabbed my elbow, us going back to his Lexus.
"Again, I'm sorry about some of them. They don't think before they speak."
I gave a small smile. "It's fine. I enjoyed the dinner. Thanks again for paying."
"No problem."
I directed him to my home. He pulled into the driveway and walked me to my door. We both stood their awkwardly on the front porch.
"Thanks for coming, Maria." He told me. He was close to me, since our porch was tiny.
"Thanks for inviting me."
"I'll catch you later?"
"Definitely."
He hesitated a moment, then kissed my cheek, confirming my suspicions. He retreated to his car, and drove away, leaving me still standing in the brisk night. The warmth of his lips still lingered on my face as I stood there. He must've felt the spark between us, as I did
Chapter 7: Lies, Truths, and Tears
That weekend I had Laura spend the night at my house. We were hanging out in my room, talking.
"Did you hear that Michael asked out Lyndsey?" She asked.
I sat criss-cross style on my bed, listening.
I shook my head no, surprised. "No, I had no idea." I absently drew circles on my bed sheet.
"Yeah. Lyndsey said no so he asked Cynthia-"
I lifted my head in alarm. "What?"
Laura looked at me with confusion. "Michael's going out with Cynthia."
"Since when?"
"Since this week." Laura told me, not catching why I was so shocked.
Instantly my mind flashed to earlier that week. Jake and I hanging out. Jake getting a call from Cynthia. Him yelling at her, angry. And him later telling me that he was actually alright.
I rapidly blinked a few times. Why didn't he tell me?
"Are you okay?" Laura asked me, waving a hand in front of me.
"I'm...fine."
She didn't look so reassured. "My brother actually seems okay being single. Usually he hates it, but for some reason, he's embracing it." She shrugged indifferently.
Jake embracing loneliness? That did sound unusual, even for him.
"Hmm," I mused.
Laura looked at me thoughtfully, as if she was trying to figure me out. "There's something different about you Maria, I just can't figure it out."
Jake asked me over later that weekend. I agreed, but not without worry. How much longer would our lie of working on our project last? We couldn't fool Laura forever. She would definitely get suspicious if she knew Jake was just inviting me over to hang out.
"Do you have anything to tell me?" I asked him.
He looked over at me. "No, do you have anything to tell me?"
"No."
"Then the feeling's mutual."
I sighed, hating how he wouldn't tell me. I looked around the room, not meeting his gaze. "Any, I don't know...girl problems?"
I looked into his deep azure eyes, wondering if he would confess.
He shifted his position on the couch. "Well, Cynthia broke up with me when you were here last time."
Why didn't he tell me? I thought.
"I felt it wasn't important to tell you."
Confused I looked at him, and I then realized I guess I must've voiced my thoughts. I couldn't help the pain that rose on my face. Did he not trust me, then? Or he just didn't care to tell me?
"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." He told me apologetically. He scooted closer to me on the sofa.
I shook off his apology, still stunned. Jake watched my features carefully.
"You're...you were jealous, weren't you?" He inquired slowly, realization trickling to him.
"Me? No!" I blew off the absurd notion.
"Mhmm, sure." He smirked, not believing me one bit.
"And what about you?" I questioned him. "You obviously didn't like me going with Wesley. Why should it bother you?"
He paused for a moment. I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked. I had him.
"He doesn't seem right."
"Maybe he doesn't seem right for me, because he's not you." I emphasized the last word.
"Why on Earth would I care about who you hang out with?" He raised his voice.
"I dunno! You sure seemed like you cared when you listened to Wesley and I's conversation."
"I didn't care. And I still don't care."
Right...
"Right. Says the guy who's always asking me to hang out with him." I pointed out.
"You're the only girl I know who likes the same games I do."
I couldn't believe him. He was honestly saying the only reason he asked me to come over was because I was the only female who played video games? He was definitely asking for it.
"That's it? That's the only reason? You sure do make me feel loved."
He opened and closed his mouth, words not coming out. "Maria-I-"
I stood up, done with this conversation. And more importantly, him.
"I'm outta here."
"Maria-" He stood up. I flew past him, pushing him aside.
I couldn't believe I had fallen for that monster.
Jake's POV
"You're the only girl who likes the same games I do." I told her falsely. I watched in horror at Maria's reaction to my poorly worded sentence.
I hated how she had me tongue tied whenever she was around. So, did I feel awful for saying that to her? Of course I did. What I really meant to say was that I seriously did enjoy having her around. I felt like I could be myself around her.
She had that effect on me. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I knew I was falling for her. I was falling for my little sister's best friend.
Maria had those stunning hazelnut eyes that seemed to be never-ending. Her brown hair was always brushed perfectly, not a strand out of place. She looked even more beautiful with her gorgeous smile in place.
"That's it? That's the only reason? You sure do make me feel loved." She told me, her words steely.
My brain failed at creating a coherent phrase of words. She was getting madder at the second, and it was all my fault.
She stood up, ready to leave.
"Maria-I-"
"I'm outta here."
She flew past me, roughly shoving me aside. I stared back at the spot where she had recently been standing. I had messed up, and I had messed up bad. How would I be able to fix this?
I couldn't believe I had been such a jerk to her.
Maria's POV
Once I got to my room, I slammed the door shut. My mirror rattled, almost falling off the wall. Tears streamed angrily down my face. They were hot and salty, annoying me.
How could Jake say that to me? Didn't he realize the effect he had on me?
He had been an absolute doofus to me back there. Completely. He basically said that he really didn't care to hang out with me. Then why had he pretended? What was he trying to accomplish?
If he was trying to crush my heart, then by all means, he did it effectively.
Chapter 8: Feelings and a Question
Jake's POV
After Maria left, I had shut myself in my room. My mother had called on me to eat dinner, but I had refused. How could I eat anything feeling this guilty?
Maybe Maria was right. Maybe I should've told her about the break up between Cynthia and me. She seemed genuinely crushed that I hadn't included her in this information.
Cynthia had called that night. She then accused me of cheating on her. But it got worse; she thought I was cheating on her with Maria. How in the world did she get that info? That we just talked some times in math class, was that it? Then I guess I must be cheating on her with everyone then, 'cause I tend to talk to my friends.
Cynthia. I'm glad she's gone. We had been school's ”The Couple”. Everyone was always watching us, seeing what we would do. It was annoying to constantly have students staring at us. What happened in our relationship was part of the main gossip at our high school.
I had actually considered breaking up with her that weekend; she was getting jealous too easily. Sure, she's got what every guy wants, but I also want a girl I can actually hold a conversation with. My perfect girl has to have a personality. Not a fake. Nope. I want a girl who's real and true.
Like Maria.
When I told her I was glad about the break up between Cynthia and me, I was being completely truthful. After realizing I was now single, I could have a tiny shot of dating Maria. However, that chance was slim. What would my sister think if I went out with her best friend? That'd be gross if one of my friends dated Laura.
Somehow, my being single leaked quickly to the student body. Girls were practically throwing themselves on me now. I'd gently push them away, not even a little bit interested. Maria was the one who had captured my heart. And she didn't even seem to realize the effect she had on me.
She left me stuttering, I always had to think about what I was going to say. My palms were often sweaty when she was around. And she always looked so beautiful, there was no way I was worthy of dating her.
And I had screwed up. Big time.
I had said the first thing that came to mind. Which was so false, you didn't need a lie detector to pick that one up. But somehow, Maria had believed it. She had accepted the statement with such faith and belief as if it was The Bible.
"You're the only girl I know who likes the same games I do."
That sentence obviously wasn't what she wanted to hear. And I didn't blame her.
To be blunt, (Or true, for that matter) I had been an ass.
There wasn't anything else to blame for my actions, but myself. I had said it. So I had to fix it.
How would I do that?
My mind ran through possibilities that night. Did I sleep peacefully that night?
Yeah right.
I had become an insomniac. Even if I felt severely fatigued, I resisted slumber. How could I sleep knowing I had hurt the girl I loved the most? That'd make me an absolute jerk.
And so I didn't sleep. I didn't sleep for a few days, even. I still went to school and everything, so I felt hollow and shamed when I went. No one knew about our blowup, but I still felt awful.
So was it awkward in math class that Monday? Very would be an understatement.
Maria didn't even look at me once during the whole class. This, I was expecting. I deserved no less than the cold shoulder.
And so I waited until the end of the painfully long class. She had started to put things in her back pack when I spoke, looking her straight in the eyes.
"Maria, I am sorry. I apologize. I was a complete jerk and I meant nothing I said to you the other day. It was a complete lie. And I can't stand not being able to talk to you. So," I cleared my throat. "Will you please forgive me?"
She continued packing things away silently. My shoulders sagged as I realized she probably wouldn't even acknowledge me.
But to my surprise, she did. However slight it was.
She turned towards me, her brown eyes lifeless. "No."
And she slung her bag over her shoulder and left me.
Maria's POV
Jake cleared his throat, and looked at me, his body language screaming sorry. "Will you forgive me?"
To be frank, I wasn't expecting him to apologize to me. He had gone out with plenty of girls before, said mean things to them, and didn't even apologize. So I was expecting to be grouped with the rest of the deemed 'Worthless' girls.
I put some more of my things away, thinking. Would he honestly be nicer to me if I did forgive him?
I wasn't willing to take that chance. And so I told him, "No."
And so I left, and headed to Laura's house. This, I knew was a gamble, because it was also Jake's house.
I just really felt the need to talk to my best friend, so I would feel better. I dumped my things on the floor of her room.
"What's up?" She asked.
"Nothing." I fibbed.
She gave me a skeptical look, but it quickly passed.
She continued. "You're acting just like him." She mused.
"What?"
"Jake. You're both acting depressed."
I met her gaze at that news.
"He's been acting weird lately. He hasn't touched a controller since the last time you were here."
He hasn't? He was addicted to video games as much as I was. How could he live that long without them?
"He's been moody and has been shutting himself up in his room. I hardly see him anymore. He was normal, happy even, when you guys worked on your math project. Since you were here last time, he's been acting glum." She told me.
He was sad now? Because of me?
But the other part of me didn't give in that easily. The other side of me thought he deserved to feel that bad. He had acted like a punk to me, and I did nothing to deserve it.
"Weird." I told Laura.
"I'll say."
Why would he be that depressed? Why would he feel bad for bagging on me?
There were only 3 reasons I could think of for his sudden moodiness.
Jake Miller actually has a heart.
Maybe, maybe, Jake maybe likes me?
He was faking his emotions, playing at my heart strings again.
Option 1 and 2 were practically the same. Yet not, at the same time. If he had a heart and cared for me, then I hoped he did like me. That means if we did date, I most likely wouldn't end up being played like all his other ex's.
But then again, he could be playing me like a fiddle. Messing with my emotions and making me feel heartbroken inside again. He was a notorious play boy, so it wouldn't be surprising if he was feigning his depression.
I stood up suddenly. "Where is he?"
"In his room. Maria, you won't be able-"
"Let me talk to him, and make him feel better."
"Alright."
Laura got up and led me before the door of Jake's room. She hesitated a moment, then left me in privacy. His door stood before me, shut. I gently pushed open the door and peered inside.
Jake was sitting on the edge of his bed, his back to me. He seemed to be looking out the window. I padded my way inside, not wanting to disturb the peace. I sat beside him on the bed. He didn't even glance
at me.
The unspoken Rule Page 3
