by Beth Maria
We stand in silence for a few moments, which allows me time to think. What the hell was he thinking, creeping up on me like that? How was I supposed to know that it was him behind me? My sadness at punching Jesse quickly turns into anger at him for being so stupid.
“What the hell do you think you were doing, creeping up on me like that? Here I am feeling sorry for punching you in the nose, when in reality, you deserve it. How was I supposed to know it was you, Jesse? For all I know, it could have been a creeper!” I say, getting all flustered.
“I didn’t think you would turn around and punch me. Had I known you would do that, I wouldn’t have snuck up on you. Trust me. I have to say, though, you have a good right hook for a girl. Who taught you that?” he asks, his words muffled from the tissue covering his mouth.
“My dad taught me. He always said it was good to be able to defend yourself, so when I became a teenager, he taught me basic self defense and how to throw a punch. I’ve never had to use it until now, though.” Placing my hands on my hips, I give him a stern look. He just laughs at me, which spikes my temper up even higher. “What the hell are you laughing at? You have no right to laugh at me, especially when you’re the one with the bleeding nose from said girl,” I state, pointing at myself.
“I’m laughing at the serious look on your face.” God, I could punch him again.
“Jesse, shut the hell up. This is not funny. I just punched you in the face because you made me nearly pee my pants! How on earth is that funny?” I really don’t understand what is funny. He doesn’t expect me to be happy about the situation, does he? I just punched the most gorgeous man I have ever seen in the face, probably ruining it, and all he can do is laugh? ARGHH!
“Seriously, Maisie, calm down. It doesn’t really hurt anymore. I’ve had worse, but I’m impressed with the strength behind your punch. It’ll help me relax about your safety.” Adoration shines bright in his eyes. I like the look of it, and my anger instantly vanishes. “I’m the one who should be apologizing to you. I shouldn’t have crept up on you like that, but I wanted to ask you something. Would you come to watch the game on Friday? It’s the first of the season, and we’re playing against our rivals, The Dirtbags. It should be a good game, and I’d like you to be there to support me. Will you come?” Jesse asks, giving me the puppy dog eyes, like he did yesterday at Pablo’s Pizza. It makes me laugh all over again.
“I’ll have to see if Chloe will come with me so I don’t have to sit by myself, but I’ll let you know by tonight.” I bet he looks yummy in his football uniform, all sweaty and muddy. I wouldn’t mind getting down and dirty with him. What girl wouldn’t?
“That’s fine. I’ve gotta go. I’ve got practice, and I’m late, so Coach is probably going to kick my ass. I’ll talk to you later?”
“Yeah. Text me later.”
“Will do. See ya,” he says, then turns down the hallway toward the changing rooms.
I watch Jesse until I can no longer see him. It sounds stalker-ish, I know, but I just can’t seem to stop thinking about him. He’s in my thoughts all day, every day. I don’t even know when my perceptions changed from wanting to keep my distance, to being friends, to eventually ending up having feelings for him. We’ve only hung out with each other once, and it seems I’m hooked on him. It’s worrying. I suppose what will be, will be. You can’t interfere with fate. I’ll just have to try to keep my heart guarded around him if I can.
I don’t have any classes for two hours, but I said I’d meet Chloe at eleven. Checking my watch, I see that it’s eleven already. Shit! She hates it when I’m late. I type out a quick text, letting her know that I’m on my way, and walk toward Cafe Blanc.
I’m about to walk through the doors of the coffee shop when the blonde girl Jesse knows comes strutting out. I move out of the way to let her past, except she doesn’t move. She just stands there staring at me, so I stare right back at her. Do I have something on my face or something?
I’m getting pissed off now. I don’t want to spend all day having a staring contest with her, especially when I don’t even know her. “Excuse me,” I say, stepping to the left to get past her. She blocks my path, putting her hands on her hips and curling her lip up at me. Okay. What the hell is this girl’s problem?
“Is your name Maisie?” she spits out. Attractive.
“What’s it to you?” I ask, sarcasm seeping from my voice. What business is it of hers what my name is?
“Is your name Maisie?” she repeats. God, she’s persistent, isn’t she? I don’t have time for this.
“Yes. Now, could you please move out of my way?” If it’s possible, her lip curls up even more.
“Stay away from Jesse. I don’t want to have to tell you again.” Who does she think she is, telling me who I can talk to? I have never let anybody tell me what to do, and I’m definitely not going to start now.
“Listen. I can talk to whoever I want. Who do you think you are, telling me what to do? I’ve seen you hanging all over him. It’s quite disgusting, actually. However, don’t you think if he wanted you, then he would have hung around with you at the party the other night? Instead, he was with me. I don’t know who you are, or what you are to Jesse, but don’t you ever tell me what to do again. I don’t take kindly to strangers giving me orders. Now, if you don’t mind, for the third time, could you move out of my way? I have somebody waiting for me inside.” It’s childish of me to throw low comments about her in my rant, but this girl needs to realize she is most probably wasting her time with Jesse. I’m not going to put up with shit from Jesse’s hook ups when nothing is happening between us; although, she doesn’t need to know that.
“I’m warning you, Maisie. I will make your life hell if you don’t stay away from him,” Blondie hisses, getting up in my face.
“I get it. You want him, however he doesn’t want you. I suggest you go and talk to Jesse about this because it has nothing to do with me. I’m not going to stand here arguing with you. I have better things to do with my time. If you’re going to make my life hell, then give it your best shot. I’ve been to hell before.” Not waiting for a reply, I walk around her, having to bump my shoulder into hers to get her to move.
Some people are unbelievable! Oh well. I’m not going to dwell on it anymore. I have more important things to think about other than jealous girls in Jesse’s life.
Searching for Chloe, I see her sitting in a booth in the furthest corner, two lattes on the table in front of her. I sit down opposite her and take a sip of my caramel latte. Mmmm, it takes like heaven. I’ve been needing caffeine all day. As I meet Chloe’s eyes, I see a worried expression on her face. What’s up with her?
“Who were you talking to outside?” she asks, her frown deepening further.
“Oh, I don’t know her name. She warned me to stay away from Jesse,” I reply, shrugging my shoulders. I’m not worried about a little threat. She’s probably all talk anyway.
“Who is she?” Some jealous bitch.
“She’s one of Jesse’s hook up girls, but from what I can tell, I think she loves him. I don’t think he feels the same, though. From what he’s told me, he’s never had a serious relationship. Just has sex, and then ditches them, which is why I don’t want to get too close to him. It’s hard though, Chloe. I’ve not felt this way about anyone except for Matt. I told myself not to let him in, but he was so sweet yesterday. I’m in trouble, Chloe!” Resting my elbows on the table, I place my head in my hands. After saying it out loud, I realize I’ve done exactly what I didn’t want to happen. I’ve fallen for him. Hard. “I can’t stop thinking about him. I’m constantly checking my cell to see if he’s texted. I keep staring at the elephant that he bought me. I’m not ready to get close to anyone else yet. You know Jesse could break me more than Matt did if I let him, but I can’t seem to stop letting him in. I like his company. He makes me feel alive again. I like feeling alive again, Chloe. I don’t want to go back to being half a person.” I inhale deeply, trying to catch my breath.
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Looking up at Chloe, I see pity shining in her eyes. I hate pity. I’ve seen it from everybody close to me for the last four months. “Stop looking at me like that.” Pity still shines in her eyes.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do. You won’t listen to me anyway. Just follow your heart, Maisie. I know you don’t want a repeat of what happened with Matt, but Jesse might be different. You won’t know until you give it a shot. So what if he has a reputation with women? He just might not have found the one worth settling down for yet. You might be her. Don’t call it quits when you haven’t even given him a chance to prove himself. You’ll regret it years down the line,” she says, a stern tone underlining her voice. She’s right, though. She’s smart at giving advice. I just wish she would listen to her own advice every once in a while. It would save her and Jake a lot of trouble.
“You’re right. I do need to give him a chance. Otherwise, I’ll never forgive myself. Not everybody is like Matt. I just need to realize this.” Chloe nods her head at me, not saying anything. She doesn’t have to. She knows she’s knocked some sense into me. “Oh, before I forget, Jesse invited me to watch him play football on Friday. It’s the first of the season, and apparently they’re playing their rivals. I don’t want to go alone, but I want to watch him play. Come with me, please?” I ask, putting my hands in a prayer pose. Chloe just laughs at me.
“Babe, you don’t have to ask. Of course I will come. Next time just say, ‘Hey, bitch, you’re coming to the game with me on Friday’.” We both crack up laughing, earning a few odd looks from other customers.
“Where have you been recently? You’ve hardly spent any time in the dorm room since Saturday.” I hadn’t really thought about where Chloe was, until now. I’ve been too wrapped up in myself.
“Oh, nowhere, really. I’ve just been hanging out with Evan. He’s actually an alright guy, which is odd seeing as he’s friends with your brother, the king of dickheads.” Hmm, I wonder what Jake thinks about this. I doubt he knows. Otherwise, I’m sure Evan would have gone missing by now. Chloe really knows how to piss Jake off. I don’t want to be around when it all blows up in their faces.
“Chloe, do you think it’s wise hanging around with Evan? You know how Jake is going to react when he finds out.”
“Maisie, your brother has had years to sort his act out and ask me out. Has he bothered? No. He sleeps with a different girl every weekend, flaunting them in my face. Have I ever said anything to him about it? No. Because it’s not my place. If that is how he wants to act, then that’s his problem, but I won’t wait around forever for him. Besides, I’m allowed a little fun in my life as well. I get along well with Evan. I’m not going to chuck away what could be good for me, just to wait for your brother to pull his head out of his ass,” she says, growing frustrated.
“You know Jake’s not very good at commitment. I don’t know where he gets it from, either, as Mom and Dad are happily married. He does have feelings for you, though, Chloe. Even if it is weird for me to admit my brother and best friend like each other, you both need to pull your heads of your asses. Each of you is as bad as the other. However, I want you to be happy. If Evan makes you happy, then that’s fine with me. Just be warned, Jake won’t take it well. I suggest you tell him if something is going on between the two of you, before he hears through the grapevine. Please?” I ask, trying to get my point across. I will get dragged into this, and I don’t want anything to do with it. Having Chloe explain to Jake what is happening will hopefully calm some of the storm, which is likely to follow.
“Of course. I’m sorry that you’re going to have to get involved, Maisie. I just want to forget about Jake. He’s done nothing but bring me heartache, which is why I’m telling you to catch Jesse before he lets you go. I don’t want you to have regrets,” she says, all somber. Something is up there. There’s no point asking, though, because I won’t get any answers.
I check the time and see that I have an hour until my next class. My stomach growls right on cue, reminding me that I haven’t eaten anything today. “Do you want to order some food? I missed breakfast this morning, so now I’m starving,” I explain, my stomach rumbling again.
“Yeah, I could do with something too,” Chloe agrees.
For the rest of my break, we talk about how our classes are going. We don’t talk about Jesse or Jake again. We’ve already said all that needs to be said. Now, I just have to find a way to let Jesse in. I hope he’s worth it.
Jesse
My nose still hurts. Damn, that girl has an awesome right hook. Who would have thought there would be such strength behind her tiny frame? Not me, that’s for sure. I now know not to piss her off.
When I turned up to practice, Coach questioned about my nose. When I told him what happened, he nearly pissed himself, laughing and telling me not to underestimate the female strength. I just told him he was right.
I missed practice, as Coach made me go to get my nose checked out. There was no point in arguing with him, or he would have benched me for Friday’s game, and the team needs me.
Getting checked over by the nurse took a while. She told me that my nose wasn’t broken, just bruised. I could have told her that. There wasn’t any point in going back to practice, so I decided to go to the gym to let off some steam.
That’s where I am now, three hours later. Exercise is usually my way to release tension, except today, it doesn’t seem to be working. No matter how many weights I lift, or how far I run, all I can think about is my brown eyed beauty. I think about how I’m not good enough for her, how much I want her to be mine, and how to try and break down the wall that she seems to have put up.
For the first time in my life, when it involves women, I’m confused. Maisie is the exception to everything I know. All I know is that I want her in a way I’ve never wanted any other woman before. I want her for more than just a way to get my kicks. I want her to be in my future, to see where life takes us. It’s a scary thought for me. I’m only nineteen, and I think I may have possibly met my future a few weeks ago.
My cell vibrates in my pocket, distracting me from my thoughts. Checking the caller ID, I see Brandon’s face on the screen. We haven’t really talked since Saturday night. “Hello,” I answer.
“Where were you at practice today, man?” Brandon asks. Nosy bastard.
“Coach sent me to see the nurse. Maisie punched me in the nose when I crept up on her.” I laugh. Brandon full on cackles. Jesus, I think he just burst my ear drum.
“Oh man, that is just too funny. I would have loved to have seen that. How does it feel being given a bit of your own medicine? It’s not fun being punched in the nose, is it, fucker?” Nothing like getting straight to the point. We need to talk about this sooner or later. He needs to know to stay away from Maisie. If he doesn’t, I’ll just have to punch him again.
“You deserved that,” is all I say.
“I know. I’m a dick when I drink. At first, I didn’t recognize who she was, not until you told me. You know what I’m like when I’ve been drinking. I think I’m fucking invincible, man. It was a shitty thing what I did to you. I’m sorry, bro,” he apologizes.
“I’m not going to fall out with you about this, Brandon, but I’m warning you to stay away from her. She isn’t like the other girls you sleep around with. Maisie is special, and she deserves someone who won’t fuck her over.” I’m a hypocrite. I can say to other people that she deserves better, except when it comes to me. I know I’m possibly going to fuck her over worse than the other boys in this campus probably could, but I want to try to be what she needs. She is worth fighting my demons for.
“Yo, Jesse, you there, man?” Brandon says into my ear, reminding me that I’m on the phone.
“Yeah, sorry. What did you say?”
“I said you must really like this girl.” Is it really that obvious? Brandon’s known me since kindergarten. There’s no point lying to him, either, because he’ll know.
“Yeah, man. I’m hook, line and
sinker. I know I’m not better than you for her, but I just can’t stay away. And trust me, I’ve tried. I took her to the zoo yesterday, Brandon. The fucking zoo! When was the last time I went to the zoo, let alone took a girl there? Hell, I’ve never taken a girl anywhere, except to bed, in my life. You should have seen her. She was so carefree for the first time since I met her. Usually, she has a wall built up, not letting anybody in. For the first time yesterday, I saw the real her shine through. Her wall went down a little bit, and now I want to completely knock it down. Man, I sound like a pussy.” I laugh awkwardly. I never express my feelings. I feel like a teenage girl now.
“Wow...” is all Brandon says.
“I know, right?”
“Jesse, don’t let your past ruin your future. You’re not your dad, and Maisie isn’t your mom. Just because you have the same DNA as that shithead, doesn’t mean you’re like him. Your mom would tell you the same thing. You dote on that woman, so you can love, Jesse. Wow, listen to me giving advice. I should become a counselor.” I snort at that. Brandon, a counselor? What a joke. Though, he does have a point this time. I can’t let my past dictate my future.
“I know. Only problem is that she just wants to be friends. She says that she’s just got out of a bad relationship, which I’m guessing is why her guard is up around me. She knows my reputation, which doesn’t help either. I’m just going to have to give her time, show her that I’m serious about us, and hope that eventually she feels the same.”
“That’s all you can do, bro. You want to meet up later? Grab a beer or something?” Brandon asks, changing the subject. I think he’s done all the woman talk he can for one day, and I don’t blame him. I think I need to check to see if I still have my balls.
“Not tonight. I promised Mom I’d put up her new dresser for her. I’ve been putting it off for the last few days, so I really need to do it for her. Tomorrow?”
