TROUBLE // Jemma

Chapter 23: Just Friends?

Monday

Seeing Jax today would be hella awkward, even more after I didn't show up at the swim meet last Saturday to support the Sharks and after knowing that Mia is a slight Jemma advocate. Since when? I do not know.

I've been fangirling about him this whole time until I realized, I don't have to be dating him to have to spend that much time with him. Friends do that, right?

Yep. Friends do, not exes.

And he also told he that he'd respect whatever decision I'll make and I trust his word for it. He always keeps his word.

And what I've learned from my relationship with him is that you'll have to learn to let go and move on like every heartbroken person does. Maybe I'll be better off working independently.

"Hey Em, ready to go?" I turned around to find Andi standing in our doorway with the door wide open, with herself prepped and ready to go to school once again.

I plastered a small smile on my face. "Coming." I grabbed my bag and headed towards the door and off to school.

***

Phew, it's free period. History class was stressing, especially when you have Maddie van Pelt as your partner on a presentation. What to do next?

Ah, right. Review for the quiz next period.

I headed to my locker to get my notebooks for the review before heading to the library.

Silence. Just what I needed.

Now let's see.

If one angle of a triangle is 90 degrees and one of the other angles is known, the third is thereby fixed, because the three angles of any triangle add up to 180 degrees. The two acute angles therefore add up to 90 degrees: they are complementary angles. The shape of a triangle is completely determined, except for similarity, by the angles. Once the angles are known, the ratios of the sides are determined--

"Ems, what are you doing here?" A voice called out. I looked up from my Precalculus notebook and looked around. Who was calling me?

I heard a chuckle from the anonymous voice. "Oh, right. I'm invisible." A small spark flashed in front of my seat and Mia appeared.

My eyes widened as I scanned the whole room to see if anyone saw what she did. The librarian is busy, students are too busy reading books (or using their phones)...

"Calm down, nobody saw that."

I nodded. "Good."

"Anyways, I need your help." She tapped her fingers on the wooden table twice. "Like, ASAP."

I crinkled my eyebrows. "What's the problem?"

"Uh..." she stuttered, looking up, becoming more anxious. "It's... uh..." she cleared out her throat, catching the librarian's attention.

She turned to Mia and yelled, "Hey you, little lady. Shut up! This is a library."

Mia sighed, muttering something about 'look who's talking' and 'yeah, I know'. "Anyways, I might have... maybe... sorta froze your dad in the Principal's Office."

"WHAT?!"

The librarian groaned once more. "Didn't you hear me the first time? I said keep quiet!" Cue the eye roll for Mia.

***

Mia and I ran as fast as we can to the Principal's Office as time was ticking down before his brain cells would freeze or someone would catch him frozen or--

"... and she said it tasted bad." I heard dad's voice from inside the office. He was unfrozen? By who? After talking, he suddenly laughed with another guy.

Mia rose a brow and looked at me. "Did you just hear that?" I nodded. "It sounds like your dad is... laughing." She paused once more and looked down. "With who?"

I clasped onto the door knob and twisted it open, revealing my dad and Jax laughing during their conversation. We took one good look at them before they even noticed our presence. Mia was just as confused as I was.

"Em, Mia, what are you two doing here?"

Mia nudged me, telling me to wing it. "We were here because... we were... uhm... looking for Jax!"

"Right!" she sputtered.

"Jax, could we speak to you for a moment?" I asked with puppy dog eyes, my secret power that he can't deny. He smirked, nodded, and followed along.

The second that the door shut, we started asking questions. "How is he unfrozen? What were you doing in there? Did you unfreeze him?"

He placed his hands on each side of his leather jacket's pockets, nodding his head. "Mrs. Jones asked me to give some papers to Mr. Alonso and as soon as I got there, I had to wing our conversation so I had a perfect excuse to skip class."

Typical Jax.

"Phew, now that that's over," I casted an excuse slip and gave it to Mia so she could go back to class without being tardy or being called on for skipping class.

Great, she left us alone.

"Why have you been avoiding me all morning?" he sternly asked, keeping his straight face on. He sighed before lightly shaking his head. "I told you that I'll be okay with whatever decision you'll make."

I nodded. "Right, sorry."

"Okay. Friends?" he held his right hand out to me. I shook it, finishing it off with, "Friends."

I plastered a smile on my face and so did he. But in the inside, all I'm thinking is:
Just friends? Are you joking?