Bittersweet (Jenna Ortega)

chapter thirteen.

MONDAY

Maise's POV

I didn't see Jenna at school all day until practice. Even then, we didn't speak. She refused to look at me. So it came as a surprise when I saw her leaning against the hood of my car, waiting for me.

"You have to wait long?"

She shakes her head no.

"Silent treatment today, is it?"

She ignores me.

"Okay, cool." I press the unlock button on my remote and get into my car. She follows, putting her bag between her feet and facing the window.

I don't make any attempts to start conversation and drive to her house. She mumbles a quiet thank you and gets out, slowly walking up her driveway toward the front porch.

But she stops.

And she turns, her brown eyes catch a glare of sunlight and she smiles.

A smile I thought about for the next two days.

WEDNESDAY

"For practice today, we're doing something different." Coach says, picking up a red and yellow dodgeball. "I'm calling it run for your fucking life. You get hit more then three times, benched for this weeks game! You get a headshot, benched! You disappointed me last week and I don't want to experience being let down again, so you better get those feet moving!"

"Coach, isn't this just an easy way for you to take your frustrations out on us?" Liv asks.

"I'm testing your abilities to conserve energy and be aware of your surroundings in situations where you don't always have time to stop and think of your next move." She spins the dodgeball in her hand. "Now, as I said before, and will not say again. Run for your pathetic little lives!"

She loves us, deep down. Very deep down.

I glance at Liv, just to see her sprinting for her life in the opposite direction. "It's just you and me, Keli.. Keli?"

Another best friend who's ditched me selfishly to run away and leave me to fend for myself.

"I love you guys too!"

Sadie runs over to me and grabs my hand just as coach hurls a ball at my head.

She chuckles at the near miss. "You realise coach isn't messing around, right? She's pissed at us for last game. We won't redeem ourselves until we've got a five point lead behind us."

"You just saved my head from decapitation, you know that right?"

"I save people for a living." She shrugs with a playful smile. "Did you also know this is the longest we've talked without you glaring at me?"

"I glare at you?" I frown.

"All the time, but perhaps it's aimed for Jenna and I happen to get in the crossfire." Sadie squeezes my shoulder. "And don't hate me for this, but I'm counting you into our group."

"What do you mean? What group?"

"My group." Jenna says, giving me a flat look.

Sadie pats my back sympathetically, but obviously she didn't know I no longer hate Jenna— rather now it was more of a strong dislike.

"What does being in this group entail exactly?"

Lydia, who I've never had a solid conversation with unless it was bonding over biology homework, rolls her eyes at me.