FictionPress.com - let the words flow
| FictionPress.com - let the words flow |
|
| Home Just In Communities Forums Beta Readers Dictionary Search | Login Register Extras |
“I’m really sorry,” Brianna said. “But Jake said that he liked Laurie.”
“Are…are you lying to me, Bri?”
“No! Just because I used to like him, too, doesn’t mean I would purposely lie to you.”
Lily swallowed unsure of what to think. Jake? He liked Laurie? Lily felt her entire heart break. It couldn’t be true. He would have told her. Right? But she wasn’t so sure. He hadn’t really been telling her a whole lot lately. In fact, he’s been blowing her off more than usual. It was starting to hurt. And now this?
Lily felt the familiar sting of tears behind her eyes. She knew she wouldn’t be able to hold them in. she soon felt them flow down her cheeks. Her first love, liked someone else. Why did this always happen to her?
Brianna wrapped her arms around Lily in a comforting hug. Lily didn’t hug her back. She was too hurt and could barely think. “I’m really sorry, Lily,” she repeated. “Come to me if you ever want to talk OK?” Brianna separated from her. Lily just stood there.
“I need to think,” she mumbled to herself. She found an empty bench in front of her main school building. It was one thing to avoid her and to act like he didn’t care about her. But when you add this on top of it… Ugh Lily just felt like crawling into a whole and dying.
She could hear footsteps coming her way. She looked up and saw Jake walk by with his two best friends Justin and Clayton. He saw her tear-stained face. She saw a very slight, very fast moment of concern in his eyes, but he kept on walking as if he hadn’t seen her, still talking to Justin and Clayton. Lily felt her jaw drop slightly. Did he really just do that? Did he seriously just walk by when he clearly saw her crying, and not bother to stop because he cared too much about what his friends thought? Lily’s tears fell faster. But this time, they were out of fury.
Lily took a deep breath, got up, and headed back inside the school. She knew she would get a lot of questions as to why she was crying, but right now she didn’t really care. And sure enough, she did get a lot of questions. She responded to every single one of them with a simple shake of the head.
Lily finally reached her locker. Unfortunately, since it was right next to Justin’s, Jake just happened to be there. Great, Lily thought, glaring at the locker as she tried to open it.
“You OK, Lily?” Justin asked.
Oh, so he can ask me what’s wrong, but Jake can’t. I see how it works. It’s not that she didn’t like Justin, she really did! He was a nice guy, but he just tended to make Jake self-conscious about who he hung out with. Lily just happened to be one of those people. “No, I’m not OK.”
“What’s wrong?”
Lily shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”
Justin shrugged. “OK. Feel better.”
Lily nodded. Justin walked off, but Jake lingered for a little bit. “Are you sure you’re OK?” he asked.
Oh, so now he can ask me when his friends aren’t around. Lily slammed her locker in anger and frustration. Jake jumped a little. “No, I’m not OK!” she snapped.
Jake glared defensively. “Hey, I was just asking!”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Oh, like you care anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ugh, just forget it.” She turned around, but Jake grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards him again. She glared.
“Tell me, Lily,” Jake demanded.
“Why should I? It wouldn’t change anything.”
“Lily!”
“Alright fine! How about the fact that I mean absolutely nothing to you?!” a few people turned to look at the scene Lily was making, but she didn’t care. She was too upset and mad, plus she had about two years of pain to get off her chest.
“What are you talking about? Of course you mean something to me!”
Lily scoffed. “You sure have an odd way of showing it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh well, here’s an example. I was, like, freaking balling outside. you see me, but just walk right past me without even bothering to see if I’m OK!”
“Well, I asked just now didn’t I?”
“Yeah, when you made sure no one was around to hear you!”
“But I still asked,” he said giving a nervous, trying to lighten up the situation.
Lily glared harder so that Jake stopped smiling. “It’s the first time you’ve ever asked anyway.”
“Omigod,” Jake sighed frustrated.
“Don’t even give me that! You know it’s true. You hardly ever ask me if I’m OK when I’m upset. And you always know when I’m upset!”
“That’s not true.”
“Want a bet?” Jake didn’t answer. “Here, I’ll give you an example,” Lily continued sneering. “Last year I was at my locker trying to clean it out so I can try to focus on something I was going through. I was clearly upset. You talked to Lesley for, like, twenty minutes. And then you come by me. and, yes, you ask me if I’m OK, but you know what else you did? You told me you didn’t have time to talk about it. Yeah, that’s real nice, Jake. Talk to Lesley for twenty minutes when you guys are barely friends, then say you don’t have time for me.”
Jake just stared at Lily. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“You know what, Jake? You should be sorry. I’ve had to put up with your crap and you hurting me for two years when I’ve done everything for you.”
By now most of their classmates had turned to look at the two fight. “What do you mean I’ve been hurting you?”
Lily looked at him like, Are you serious? Lily started listing reasons, ticking them off her fingers. “You started ignoring me for no reason, you blow me off for anything, you talk to everyone but me (don’t even try denying it), when you do talk to me it’s when no one else is around, and you basically just don’t care about me at all.”
“That’s not true,” he denied, but you could tell by his face that he knew it was. And he was guilty about it.
“Yes, it is! You just don’t care about me do you?”
“Yes, I do!”
“No, you don’t!”
“Yes, I do, Lily! I care about you, and I care about our friendship.”
“Oh really?” Jake nodded. Lily took a step closer to him in an obvious challenge. “Prove it.”
Jake’s eyes widened slightly. “W-what?”
“You heard me.”
“Why can’t you just believe me?”
“Because…” Lily felt a few tears fall down her face. Ugh, she was doing fine about not crying anymore, but Jake just had to hit the usual breaking point. “Because I don’t trust you. I can’t trust you. I’ve been hurt too much.”
A slight wave of hurt flashed through Jake’s eyes. “I can’t,” he said.
More tears fell. “I knew it,” Lily whispered.
“Lily…”
“No, I’m done. Just leave me alone.”
“C’mon, Lily!” Jake was getting frustrated.
“No! you just practically admitted you don’t care!”
Jake glared, fully pissed off now. “You want me to prove it to you?!”
Lily glared back. “Yes! That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time!”
“Alright, fine!”
Before Lily could react, Jake grabbed her shoulders, pulled her closer to him, and crashed his lips onto hers. Lily’s eyes widened. Everyone who was watching the fight gasped. Justin shouted, “Go, Jake!” That comment seemed to pull Jake into reality. He pulled away from Lily, letting her go, leaving the two of them gasping for breath from the intensity of the kiss.
“Satisfied?” Jake asked in a hoarse voice.
Lily licked her lips nervously. “Why did you do that?” she asked dumbly.
It was Jake’s turn to look at her like, Are you serious? “You wanted proof that I care. There’s your proof.”
“You didn’t have to kiss me,” she whispered.
“Yes, I did.”
Lily wasn’t sure whether to be hurt, confused, or overjoyed. “Why?”
Jake blushed. He looked at the floor. “Because I like you,” he mumbled. “It’s not that I didn’t care. It’s because I liked you.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “Really?” Jake nodded. Lily smiled. She stood on her tiptoes and gave a small peck on his cheek. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace and nuzzled into the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist, returning the hug, burying his face in her hair. everyone around them clapped.
“Hm…I could have sworn he said Laurie. Maybe he did say Lily…” Brianna mumbled to herself, but no one heard her. the clapping was too loud.
And Lily and Jake? They were just happy they finally admitted to one another their feelings, and that they were returned. And he cares, Lily added in her mind. He really, truly cares. She nuzzled herself deeper and inhaled his scent. Everything was right with the world. For once.