I woke up to the sound of a thud and a slight headache. I saw Jake holding Nathan against the wall by the collar of his shirt. Nathan had a pleading look in his eyes but I couldn't see Jake's face as his back was facing me but having known Jake for a very long time I could clearly tell that it was him.
What the hell is going on here?
I looked at myself, I was in only my black sports bra and shorts. My hair was loose and it fell over my shoulders in waves. And...I was on a bed. But it wasn't mine. Hell, this wasn't even my room. I was momentarily confused. Panic started to rise in my chest.
"For goodness sake what is going on here?" I asked in the highest possible voice I could muster.
Jake immediately released his grip on Nathan as soon as he heard my voice and rushed over to the bedside. "Are you okay?"
"I'm not okay at all." I cried out. "What happened here?"
"Nothing." Jake replied. "You slept off."
"I slept off?" I was astounded.
"Yeah you did." Jake confirmed, nodding his head.
"And why is my hair loose? Why am I in only my sports bra and shorts? And in a room that's not mine? I can't remember anything at all." My brain was already screaming all the answers but I shut it out, I didn't want to believe it. I needed to hear it from someone.
"You were hot." It was Nathan who replied me this time.
Jake glared at him.
"I mean the room was hot...so...I...Um..." He scratched the back of his neck.
"He undressed you...just your top." Jake added.
Was this a joke or something? Why were they lying blatantly to my face? I wasn't even feeling hot. If not for the situation at hand, I would have needed a freaking jacket.
I faced Jake. "Tell me what happened Jake, did he try to? - did he? -"
"Nothing happened Jen, trust me."
"How do you expect me to trust you when you're still lying to me!"
"Shit, this room is so fucking hot." Nathan said, removing his shirt.
I frowned.
"Why did you take off your shirt?" Jake asked. He had a dumbfounded look on his face.
Nathan shrugged. "I have every right to. Plus, I'm trying to prove that this room is hot."
Jake face palmed himself, shaking his head in what I'd call utter disappointment.
This was a very tense situation and yet... I didn't have time for this, I needed to find out the truth. I turned back to Jake. "Tell me what really happened Jake?" I pleaded.
He sighed. And for a fleeting moment, I thought he was going to tell me. Nathan thought so too by the look on his face.
"Nothing happened Jen, I want you to believe me." His voice was almost a whisper when he spoke and his warm brown eyes pleaded with me to believe him.
"Seriously?" Then why was he holding Nathan against the wall when I awoke? I wanted to ask but decided against it. If he didn't want to tell me, I can't force it out of him. "You just expect me to believe... All this nonsense?"
He didn't say anything afterwards so I got down from the bed. I saw my Jersey top on the bed, grabbed it and put it on. "Fuck you... The both of you...and I don't want you to ever show up in front of me again Jake!" I yelled and stormed out of the room, banging the door hard as I left.
I went to my house as fast as I could. Anger was brewing inside of me. I knew for one that Nathan had tried to do something and maybe Jake stopped it but I couldn't be so sure as Jake wouldn't tell me a thing. Did he really think I would buy the whole I-slept-off story? I wasn't a fool. Something must have happened for me to be in that state. And for that reason, I was even more angry at Jake than I was at Nathan.
He knew what had happened but solely decided not to tell me and for that fact that he was my best friend, I felt...betrayed.
I opened the door to my house and went in.
"Whoa! Did someone beat you up?" Jimmy asked as I walked through the room. He was sprawled on the sofa, watching a programme on the TV.
I didn't even have the strength to reply to him. As I left the living room, I perceived a great aroma coming from the kitchen but I wasn't in the mood to eat either.
"Welcome darling." I heard my mom call out. She probably saw me from the kitchen.
I ignored her greeting and went straight to my room, locking the door as I entered. I jumped on my bed and buried my head under the pillow, thinking about everything that happened made me even more angry.
"Jenny." I heard my mom's voice call out. She was probably in the passageway. "Jake is here to see you."
"Tell him I don't want to and I don't think I ever will." I shouted back at the top of my voice.
"You should tell him that yourself." Her voice sounded closer now.
"I have." I replied.
I heard a knock on my door but I didn't budge. The knock became more persistent but I still didn't move at all until the knocking subsided.
•••°°°•••°°°•••°°°•••
"Aren't you waiting for Jake?" My mom asked as she saw me leaving the house.
"No, I'm going to hail a taxi." I replied indignantly. After what transpired yesterday, I wasn't ready to see or talk to Jake yet, maybe at all.
"Why? Are you guys fighting?"
I didn't reply my mom, there was no suitable reply I could possibly give her that she would understand so I just left and hailed a taxi to school.
Immediately I got to school, Sally came to meet me and she was looking behind me like she was expecting someone to be there.
"Where is Jake?" She asked.
"Why are you asking me? Can't I just decide to come alone?
"Nah, you never come alone. Are you guys fighting?"
She was actually right, I couldn't remember the last time I came to school alone. "No, I just needed a little break."
She eyed me skeptically, nodding her head. "So...what led to the fight?"
"I said there was no fi–"
"Jenny."
I didn't have to look to know who it was, it was Jake who called me. "I'm sorry Sal, I've gotta go." I quickly walked past her and away from his voice.
"She's a fool." I heard Sally say before I ran out of earshot.
When I was sure that Jake was not following me, I slumped on one of the lockers in the hallway and heaved a sigh of relief. But my relief was short lived as it dawned on me that I was having calculus first. Could my day get any worse?
•••°°°•••°°°•••°°°•••
Let's just say that today wasn't the best of days; first of all, Nathan sat beside me during calculus and he wasn't even supposed to be in my calculus class. I was glaring at him the whole time. I didn't listen to a word the teacher was saying. Not that if I listened I would have understood but still-. I had to leave the class early so that Nathan wouldn't get a chance to talk to me.
Then, I had to sit and listen to Miss Lisa teach the most boring subject of all times, - at least to me even if I performed exceptionally well in it - History. Jake was also in my history class but he sat at the back and I could feel his eyes on me throughout the entire period. I also left the class in a rush so Jake wouldn't talk to me.
At the cafeteria, I had to sit in a quiet and secluded spot where most students didn't notice so that Jake and Nathan wouldn't find me. I watched Bianca flirt with Josh but it really didn't get to me.
So, to sum it all up, I spent half of my school day avoiding Jake and Nathan and they weren't making it any easier for me. But there was a little sliver of hope for me.
During English class, Mrs Berkeley as usual, was out to get me but this time around I was a 'little' at fault as I was sleeping in class so she sent me to the principal claiming that I had a problem and it seemed like Mrs Berkeley and the principal had a collaboration as she, in turn gave me detention.
But I was more than happy when I found out who I was spending detention with... It was Jason.
The principal was looking at me weirdly when she saw me smile as if to say 'who gets happy when serving detention?' but she wouldn't really understand. So, I was presently looking forward to a blissful ending to my awful school day.
"I can't believe I'm serving detention on my second day of schooling here." Jason said as we both sat down in the detention room. Luckily for us, no teacher was present.
"Me neither." Wait, this wasn't my second day of schooling here. "I mean, why are you serving detention?" I asked, brushing and off my first comment.
He looked at me, "I was playing basketball during lunch so I got carried away and I played till it was time for English. The principal caught me, called me to her office and gave me detention."
I nodded my head, "That's nice." I smiled at him. His face was so easy to smile at.
He gave me a weird look, "What part is nice? The playing basketball part? The principal catching me part? Or the principal giving me detention part?"
'The principal giving you detention which is why you're here me part' but I didn't say that out loud.
"It's the playing basketball part...It's very nice to play basketball during lunch." Shit what was I saying?
He raised a thin eyebrow up, a smile playing along the edges of his rosy lips. "I didn't know it's nice to play basketball during lunch. Is it health wise?"
Too late to back out now. I nodded my head. "Well now you know and yes it is health wise. I could have joined you but I was really hungry so I had to stuff my face."
He laughed lightly, shaking his head. "You're really funny."
OMG! Jason freaking Henderson laughed at something I said and said I was funny. The way his face brightened up and his dimples became deeper when he laughed made him even more handsome and don't even get me started on those electric blue eyes of his.
"Thanks." I smiled shyly, not able to meet his eyes.
He nodded, a ghost of a smile still on his face as he looked forward as if in thought.
I took that as my cue, "So...are you going to coach me in basketball?"
"I'm sorry Jenny, but it isn't going to be possible, I'm a very busy person."
I forced a smile in an attempt to cover up my disappointment. "It's fine."
•••°°°•••°°°•••°°°•••
After we spent up our detention hours, we were released and by that time most students had cleared the school premises so we missed basketball practice.
"Would you like me to give you a ride home?" Jason asked as we exited the hallway.
"If you don't mind." I said, trying to act modest when every cell in my body was screaming 'yes'.
"I offered you so technically, I don't mind. Let's just say I want to make it up to you for rejecting your request earlier."
Why did he have to bring that up? "I guess it's a yes then."
"It's a motorbike though."
"Wow, I've never rode in one before."
"I guess today would be your first then." He smiled at me as he handed me a white helmet. I put it on whilst he put his.
"Do you normally go around with two helmets?" I'm inquisitive, I know.
He cocked his head to one side with an amused smile, "Yeah, for situations like this where I need to give a ride to someone pretty."
I flushed, praying to the heavens that it wasn't visible on my face.
But the slight smirk on his face was enough to tell me that he saw it.
He got on the bike and I followed suit, cursing my tomato red face and wrapped my hands around his waist as we drove off.
"Thanks." I got down from the bike when I finally got to the front of my house.
"Anytime." He replied with a smile and drove off, not giving me the chance to say anything more. He didn't even collect his helmet. I just left and walked into my house.
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