Scream for love

Chapter fifteen

Two weeks later Vergilia was free from the cast and the crutches. Hearing that, Jake immediately skipped school and disappeared for the whole tree days. Sebastian and the basketball team assumed he was resting.

-How are you feeling? - Sebastian asked, when he finally met his friend.

-Not bad. - Jake answered.

-You don't look so. - Sebastian could seethe dark circles under his eyes.

-I will live. - Jake reassured him, but it didn't work too well. Something was visibly bothering him and Sebastian knew, that no amount of pressure will make Jake tell him what was wrong.

Jake sat down at his desk and took a nap. It was disturbed shortly, when Damien cleared his throat and asked Jake to follow him. Jake didn't really want to, but he stood up. Damien led him to under the stairs, one of the places where students could hide or have some privacy. That's where Jake spotted Vergilia waiting for him. Damien backed off and left them alone.

-Are you sick? - Vergilia asked, concerned. "Lovesick" Jake thought.

-No. - he answered.

-Why don't I believe you? - she pressed.

-I don't know. - Jake mustered some mental strength for a light smile. - What can I help you with?

Even though Vergilia still saw the smile was fake, she didn't say anything. Maybe she should, but she decided against in in the end.

-I wanted to thank you for help. - she started. - For carrying me out, and for carrying me around during last weeks. - she took a small package from her backpack and handed it to him. - Damien said you liked those.

Jake opened the package and found three packs of Pocky inside, in the tastes he actually knew very well.

-I have no idea who would tell him that, but he made a good shot indeed. - Jake smiled wider, the smile now more genuine. - Thanks.

They walked out from under the stairs and Jake got back to his desk. From that small interaction he felt warm in his chest, but then he reminded himself that she was just thanking him for the recent weeks, nothing else. "She doesn't fucking love me, so how can I be in love with her? Why can't this just go away?" he thought, getting frustrated with the feelings he couldn't get rid of.

The next days were driving Jake crazy. He wanted to hide away from the world, but at the same time, he couldn't run away from his thoughts. Thoughts screaming that he missed being close to Vergilia. He had her against his chest every day for almost a month and he wanted more. He missed the warmth. He missed the closure. But at the same time he was terrified of how much he liked her. Liked. He definitely wasn't in love.

-Ich bin kurz davor durchzudrehen... -he said to himself, recalling another song he learned recently. Suddenly that song felt very accurate to his current thoughts. - Und alles nur, weil ich dich liebe. - he sighed, running his hand through his hair. - Enough of this. - He growled to himself and stood up abruptly. He needed to get himself tired, otherwise he won't be sleeping again. He put a hoodie on and went out for a run.

In the morning Jake could feel the previous afternoon and evening. He definitely overdid the workout. He ran, then came back home and did all the jumps and push-ups he could handle, since he didn't have much of an equipment to use. He basically collapsed on his bed and now he had a very rough morning. Jake got up wincing, before he went to the shower. He got ready for school and left home. Once he got to school, he headed straight to Halvor's office.

-Jake, what brings you here so early? -he asked, visibly surprised.

-Don't you have some job for me to take care of? - Jake responded with a question. - I need to get myself busy.

-I like that you have so much will and all, but no. - Halvor said. - You put everyone in the row by now.

-What have I done. - Jake sighed, earning a chuckle from Halvor. That was rare, so it caught Jake by surprise.

-I send you off to delivering Valentine cards if you are that bored. - Halvor smirked. - But I thought it would be like a torture for you.

-Valentine cards? - Jake looked at his puzzled.

-It's February 14th today. - was the answer. - Don't tell me you haven't noticed.

-I haven't. - Jake admitted. - And you know what? I can be the deliveryman, maybe I will have some happy end like in some movies.

-Just not in school. - Halvor shook his head at Jake's joke. - You can take your team if you'd need help.

Jake asked Arthur and Tina to collect the cards from the students, who were willing to write one. After fifth period Jake took the box from them, divided the cards by classes and the trio headed out with the deliveries. Jake kept the freshmen for himself, after all he was one as well. He went to the class 1A,then 1B, before he went to his class.

-Valentine Post delivery! - he said, walking in the classroom.

-Of all people they took you? - laughed Damien.

-I wanted to. - Jake answered and handed out the cards, with a charming smile on his face. Six of them was for Vergilia, which made his blood boil, but he didn't let that show. - That's for Damien and the rest is for me, surprisingly.

Jake sat down at his desk and started looking through his cards, like everyone else. He had around twenty in his hands, he didn't bother to count. Some of them were signed, most of them weren't. For the first time in a while, Jake didn't feel like chasing after the one's who confessed to him.

Out of the blue, the door to the classroom opened, revealing Arthur.

-Excuse me, Jake that's for you. - he said handing him a blue box of pocky. - It was in my stack.

Jake thanked him, then Arthur left, bowing to the teacher as he was walking to the door. Jake examined the box, almond with with milk chocolate, his favorite. Of course it was, he always had luck with blue color. Then he widened his eyes at that thought. "This is ridiculous" he thought. In the back of the box Jake found a note: "Someday we will play a game with these". Jake looked at the ceiling as his brain froze at that moment. He let out a loud sigh.

On the other side of that message, Vergilia thanked her stars that she was sitting in front of Jake. Thanks to that, he didn't see her embarrassment. At that moment she doubted that following her friend's idea was a good thing, as Lucy gave her a smug smirk.