I Was Saved... by the Jerkface

The Pirate vs the Ninja

{Annabelle}

I was dancing up a storm until I heard a loud, demanding voice shout Blake's name. He didn't seem to hear it, or at least was choosing to ignore it, but it came again.

He heard it that time, turning around. Through the crowd that had gathered, a small, petite girl with straight, platinum blonde hair that was up in a chic, messy ponytail pushed her way to the front. Her bright baby blue eyes connected with his face, and I instantly got the memo that they knew each other.

I had a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach that this was Jillian.

She was gorgeous, of course. Could anything else be expected of Mister Blake Harold than to snag an amazingly pretty girl? Well, other than me of course, but I didn't count - I was his best friend. Jillian's perfect, bronzed skin contrasted with her perfectly straight blonde hair, somehow making her seem even more tan. She had on a pink tank top and workout shorts, and while I would have looked ridiculous in the outfit, she made it seem fit for a runway. She was beautiful all the way down to her pink tennis shoes.

I felt my face contort into a grimace as she turned her eyes to me, and she mimicked my look of apprehension. In fact, it was almost a glare that she was giving me. I resisted the urge to shrink back from her apparently very strong dislike of me, instead choosing to wipe the expression off my face. No sense creating drama where there was none... yet.

Blake had been switching his gaze between me and Jillian while some of the crowd dispersed, but he finally opened his mouth to speak. "Hey Jilly."

Once again, I resisted the urge to do something irrational, like smack him. Jilly? She as a nickname now?

Oh, shut up Annabelle! She's probably been friends with him for way longer than you've known him. I think she has the right to have a nickname. I mentally shook myself, refusing to get worked up about it. So what if he called her Jilly? No big deal.

As soon as Blake said that, Jillian faced him once more. I was so relieved to be free of her piercing stare, I almost let out a sigh. A huge, almost sadistic smile leapt onto her full, pouting lips as she said seductively, "Hello Blake."

I bit the inside of my cheek. I will not react. To anything. She does. She's probably just going to antagonize you, so just ignore her, Annabelle.

Those were the words I chanted in my head to keep myself sane for the next ten minutes while we all talked. Well, it was more like Blake introduced us, and we both just nodded our heads, and then he and Jillian continued to talk. I was kind of a third wheel, but I didn't mind so much. It was probably better that she wasn't talking to me -- or I might do something I would regret later.

It seemed as if luck were on my side at the moment, because not ten minutes after having shown up, Jillian had to leave and go do something. She mumbled off an excuse to Blake, but I wasn't paying attention enough to catch what it was.

*****

It was now three days before my parents came home, and I was already starting to mourn Blake not being at my house. I sat on the living room floor playing with Cookie and listening to music over the surround sound, trying to keep myself from crying.

I couldn't help feeling desolate and lost. I know I must sound like a big crybaby, and admittedly I can't really justify it to myself, but I already missed Blake. He was my best friend, my long-lost big brother, and lately somebody I was really starting to question my feelings for. He couldn't just up and leave. But I supposed it was inevitable.