Dark Beauty

chapter 25

‘So you’re sitting with us now.’ Jake said as I put my tray in front of him. ‘Avery will be glad to know.’ Avery didn’t come to school again. I had called her and she said she had the flu and might not come until next week. 
‘It’s more fun sitting with you and Avery than with the whole football team and the cheerleaders.’ I said.
‘Really? I’m flattered.’ Jake got up from his seat and bowed. 
‘Ha, Ha, really funny.’ I said. ‘We just don’t have that much in common.’ 
‘I can’t believe it.’ Jake said in a sarcastic tone. I smiled. 
‘Don’t get me wrong, there are some really nice girls in the cheerleading team and some boys can be really funny, but there are some people that I can’t even stand.’
‘You’re talking about Rebecca and her evil clones or about Lucas’s three best friends?’ Jake asked.
‘All of them.’ I laughed. 
‘Avery told me that the girls have been giving you a hard time. Are you alright?’ He asked. 
‘I’m fine. It’s just the same old bitchy attitude they’ve always had.’ I said. Avery didn’t tell him about the locker incident, did she? She promised me she wouldn’t. 
‘Okay then.’ He stuffed more rice into his mouth. 
‘Oh, yesterday I talked to Peter.’ I told him about my little fight with Lucas and what Peter had told me and that he mentioned about having had a girlfriend. 
‘You see? Even Peter sees that Lucas is a jerk.’ Jake said.
‘That’s not the point, Jake! The point is that it’s the first time he talked about Jessica.’ 
‘Oh, yes. That’s good right?’ Jake said.
‘Have you spoken to Jessica lately?’ I asked. With all my fights with Lucas going on, I have rarely spoken to Jessica.
‘Yeah, she gives me updates about Peter.’ Jake said. 
‘And how is he?’ I asked.
‘Same old, same old.’ Jake said.
‘So what are you planning for Saturday?’ I was really curious to know where Jake would take me.
‘Still not sure.’ He said, with a little smile. ‘I just know it will be better than the parties Lucas takes you.’ 
‘Those parties are awesome. Anyone who’s anyone is there.’ I said imitating Rebecca. 
‘So I think I’m taking you to the Moon.’ Jake laughed. 
‘Good idea.’ I laughed. We kept laughing and just joking around until we were interrupted by Rebecca. 
‘What’s so funny in loserville?’ She asked. She was standing behind me and thankfully this time she wasn’t holding a food tray. 
‘Oh, just some silly jokes about you and your friends.’ Jake said. 
‘Be careful what you say to me.’ Rebecca smiled. ‘Ask your little friend here, she knows.’ 
‘Just leave.’ I said turning around. ‘What do even you want?’ 
‘Nothing, just passing by to say that lunch was much better without you.’ She walked out of the cafeteria with her bitchy friends without even looking back.
‘What did she mean by that? What did she do to you?’ He asked.
‘Nothing, I don’t know what’s she’s talking about.’ I lied. She warned me not to tell anyone and now she was insinuating things to Jake! 
‘Are you sure?’ He asked.
‘I am.’ I said not looking him in the eyes. I wouldn’t tell Jake. It was too humiliating. I felt useless and little and I hated feeling like that. ‘She must be talking about the food incident.’ 
‘It looked like it was something I didn’t know.’ He insisted. ‘If something happened, you can tell me whenever you feel comfortable.’ 
‘Okay.’ I said. ‘Let’s just forget her, she isn’t important.’

    I went to look for Lucas after Lunch. I was going to invite him to go out again. I was hoping that this time he wouldn’t be so rude. I know I had promised myself that I wasn’t going to talk to him, but I wanted to prove to myself that he just had a bad day yesterday. 
I found Lucas with his friends. Rebecca was there and she was extremely close to him, playing with her hair and laughing. 
‘There you are.’ I said with a big smile. I pulled Lucas towards me and kissed him. When we pulled apart I looked at Rebecca.
‘Hey baby, what do want me for?’ Lucas said with a big smile. 
‘Well, I was wondering if after practice you wanted to hang out a little.’ I put my arms around his neck and gave him a peck. 
‘Of course princess.’ He said. ‘I’m sorry about yesterday. It’s just that the captain of the other team will be there and it is kind of a tradition to go to this party.’ He explained, then started kissing me some more.
‘Get a room.’ Selena interrupted us. 
‘Meet me after practice then?’ Lucas asked.
‘Sure.’ I walked away with a stupid smile on my face. 
Was Lucas bipolar? Yesterday I thought he was going to dump me and today he was all kind and sweet!

I met Jake at the library and we did homework together. I wanted to do it all my homework now, so I would have more time to spend with Lucas. 
‘I need to go now.’ I whispered. ‘I’m meeting Lucas.’ I tried not to smile, but I couldn’t help it.
‘Really? Even after he was a jerk to you yesterday?’ Jake seemed annoyed.
‘I know, I know, but he was really sweet today!’ I tried to explain myself but he just ignored me and went back to reading. 
‘Please Jake, try to understand.’ I said. Some people looked at us and told us to be quiet.
‘I try, Leila but I can’t.’ Jake whispered. ‘I need to finish reading this.’

I got out of the library and went looking for Lucas again. I searched the whole school for him and when I took my phone out to call him, I received a text message. It was from Lucas. He said that he was sorry, but he was too tired and had already gone home. He said we would talk more tomorrow. I stopped short and stared at my phone for a few seconds. I couldn’t believe him. I waited after school for him and he left without even warning me earlier. I felt like an idiot.

I was leaving school when I bumped into Jake.
‘What are you still doing here?’ He asked. ‘Where is Lucas?’ 
‘Lucas? He is at his locker.’ I lied. I didn’t want Jake to say ‘I told you so’.
‘Really? I just passed by his locker, he wasn’t there.’ Jake said. ‘Want me to help you find him?’ 
‘No, thank you. He must have gone somewhere first. I’ll wait for him. You should go.’ 
Just as Jake was going to leave, one of the guys from the football team walked by us.
‘Hey, have you seen Lucas?’ Jake asked. 
‘He went home already.’ The boy answered.
‘Leila, he went home.’ Jake said.
‘I think I heard what he said.’ I answer. 
Jake looked at me. ‘Did you already know that?’ he asked. I looked down at my feet.
‘Why did you lie?’ He asked.
‘Because you would just say how much of a jerk Lucas is and how stupid I am to even go after him.’ I explained.
‘Well, he isn’t giving me reasons to call him prince charming, but you’re not stupid.’ Jake said.
‘I know.’ I said. ‘I just want the old Lucas back. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.’ 
‘Just stop talking to him and don’t blame yourself for Lucas being a douche bag.’ Jake suggested.
‘I’m going to try and do that.’ I said. I was already going to do that, but it’s kind of hard when you are trying to fix your relationship. 
‘If you want to talk to him come and talk to me.’ Jake said. 
‘Okay.’ I smiled. 
‘Hey princess.’ Jake inflated his chest and imitated Lucas voice. 
‘Funny.’ I said, trying not to giggle.
‘Your attempt to keep a straight face is not working.’ Jake laughed.
‘Hey, want to hang out at my place?’ I asked. If Lucas didn’t want to hang out with me, I had other people who wanted.
‘Yeah, why not?’ Jake shrugged.
‘You can practice the piano there.’ I suggested.
‘Or I can improve my impersonation of Lucas.’ He joked.

    When we got home, my mom wasn’t there. My mom was still worried about Jake, but she trusted me and tried to see the best in people. Maybe if she knew him better, she would see the amazing guy he was and that she had nothing to worry.
I gave him a little tour of my house. We got to my room and I noticed Jake was observing every detail. 
‘So what do you think?’ I asked.
‘I like it.’ He said. ‘It’s welcoming and it’s as if you were a room.’
‘Really?’ I flopped down on my bean bag.
‘Really.’ Jake sat next to me. 
‘So what exactly about my room makes it look like me.’ 
‘Everything, the paintings, the photos, the posters, these light green walls, it’s a beautiful room.’ Jake pointed to each thing as he said them.
‘If my room is beautiful, does that mean I’m also beautiful?’ I joked.
‘Of course.’ Jake said. I looked at him and blushed. 
Jake looked away and got up. 
‘So when am I going to beat you up on Mortal Kombat?’
‘You mean, when are going to lose to me?’ I also got up. ‘Now.’
‘I can’t believe that this is the first time I come here.’ We were sitting on my living room sofa. 
‘Yeah.’ I answered. It had been some time since we actually hanged out. I was happy to be with Jake again.
I had just won the last round when his phone started ringing. The minute he answered the phone, his expression hardened. He told the other person on the phone to wait a second and left the room. After some minutes he came back.
‘I need to go.’ He said.  I don’t know if it was my imagination, but it seemed as if his hands were shaking a little.
‘Why?’ I asked. ‘Did something happen?’ 
‘I just need to go home.’ He got his backpack. ‘Don’t worry; I’ll destroy you next time.’ 
‘You wish.’ I smiled. I walked him to my door. ‘See you tomorrow.’ 
‘See ya.’ Jake hugged me and left. 
I had a feeling that there was something going on with Jake, he went from laughing to serious in less than 10 seconds. 
I was kind of happy Lucas ditched me, because I got to hang out with Jake instead. I would normally text Lucas goodnight but today I just wasn’t in the mood.