The Favor (BOOK 1 & BOOK 2 INCLUDED)

8. Where's the Turkey?

"I need Jacob to come sit by us," I tell Talon as we sit down in our seat on the bus.

"Why?"

"I'm doing my friend a favor," I vaguely explain.

"If this is some gossip shit you're going to get going, count me out." Talon stands and reaches the one person seat before anyone else can sit down.

"Jacob!" I call for him. The curly-haired boy stares at me whilst I wave him to come towards me. He looks at me weirdly since I don't usually talk to him.

"Whats up?" he asks coolly.

"We need to talk," and this makes his eyes bulge out of their sockets. Oh, the power of words that come out of a woman's mouth.

The sucky thing is that the bus changed routes, so I'm first to get off so I didn't have much time to talk to him.

"So, what do you think of Mariana?" My plan is to schmooze the hell out of Ri to him so he'll be into her.

"She's cool, I guess." He itches the back of his neck and looks down. Ooh, he's getting nervous.

"On a scale of one to ten, how hot is she?"

"I'm not sure I should answer that,"

"Alright, fine. Well, if you had to spend a year on a deserted island with one of us, who would you pick?"

"Um, I don't really know you, so..." Hah! He likes her, folks, I did it.

"So you like her?" I press.

"Not necessarily..."

"But just a teensy bit?"

"As a friend."

"But she's so amazing! She's gorgeous, why wouldn't you like her?"

"I mean, it's not really my business..." I love the way he scoots away from me a bit like he wants to get out of here. Haha, you aren't going anywhere.

"But─"

"Jacob! Get over here!" One of his friends call.

"I'm sorry, I gotta go..." and with that, he got away from me as fast as he could.

"I presume you failed miserably," Talon pokes fun at me from the seat behind me.

"I will succeed, don't underestimate me." I glare at him to make my point.

"Haha, whatever Lil."

I got home, and am immediately bombarded by phone calls on the home phone.

"Hello?"

"Did you ask him?!" I can tell it's Ri from her urgency.

"Um... It's hard to explain. I'm ninety percent sure that he likes you though."

"Good! When we get back, keep talking him up." And she hangs up. She'll probably come back for gossip later, let's be honest.

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When I take foot into Brendon's house, I hear nothing but chaos. Kids are running and screaming, adults are racing to either catch them or to make sure the meal is perfect. Nobody notices us walk in, though.

"This isn't what it's normally like. Stephen's sister and her family are here along with their parents. They have two little toddlers and a seven year old." Brendon informs me. He has a hand on my upper back to guide me through the madness of his house.

"Where are we going?" I say loud enough so that he'd hear me.

"My─" but before he finishes, he's away from me as quickly as ever. "Mom, be careful," Brendon told the lady, taking some food she was about to drop away from her hands and sets them on the table