West||Life Story

Chapter Six

One time or another, we all discover the awful thing that is math in the last period on a Friday afternoon.

I have just rediscovered this heinous crime against humanity.

It's been four days since Wyatt and I have so much as exchanged a simple hello as we pass in the halls at school, or even when we see each other around the house. Coach said the feud needs to stop, because if I want to stay on the teams I have to have my whole head in the game. Which it is.

I felt something touch my arm and I looked over at Erin. It was a note, she told me to open it, so I did.

In the not was one of those tick the box things.

Date tonight? Yes or no.

I circled yes and passed it back to her.

Erin is a really nice girl. She's on the girls teams for almost every sport and we have heaps in common. She's actually one of Jake's best friends, which is cool. Although Jake has been avoiding me like I've got the plague.

I passed the note back to Erin with a smile, when she saw what I'd circled she smiled back at me.

We didn't even take notice of the fact that Jake, who was sitting next to me, was stabbing the desk with her pencil aggressively.

"Miss Wynters, please stop stabbing your desk." The teacher said irritatedly.

"Well can you tell Erin and West to stop passing notes, it's rather annoying and I can't focus on my work." She said snidely.

"Please stop passing notes." The teacher scolded. "Now before you all leave this afternoon, I want you to take the weekend to relax. I'm not assigning any homework for you, so I leave it to you to go over your notes for an hour or two and just relax."

And with that, the bell rang.

We all walked out of the classroom and to our lockers.

Erin had to go, so she kissed me on the cheek before running off in the opposite direction.

"It's a little weird isn't it?" Jake asked. "On Monday night how you were making me think that I was your friend and then the second a girl takes interest in you, I get thrown to the side like a loaf of stale bread."

"How do you mean?" I asked.

"The day you arrived here, we were hanging out and talking all the time, then after your first day of school it's been you and Erin fricking Walters." She hissed.

"But Erin's your friend too. Isn't she?"

"She is, but I don't know I just feel like you've been casting me aside. I kinda get where Wyatt's coming from with the whole silent treatment thing. It sucks, I thought you were my friend, hell, I even thought I liked you as more than just my friend." She said, nearly on the verge of tears. "And now you're going on a date with her. I know it's petty and childish of me to want you to myself, and I'm not saying you're something I can have to myself... I just... I'm jealous." She said, finally letting a tear escape.

I stood in shock, not knowing how to react. So me being me, I pulled her into a hug.

"Don't you ever think you're not the first person I'd turn to when I need a shoulder to cry on or when I need someone to have a damn good time with. The first day I came here and I met you and your sisters, you were the most beautiful person I'd ever seen, I just thought you thought of me as only a friend, so I gave up on trying to make you mine." I admitted. "I'll tell you what, I'll cancel on Erin and we can play one on one in the driveway."

"As long as you don't break your brothers nose this time." She giggled as I wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Let's go." I said, grabbing my bag from my locker.

***

"Go Jakey!" Winnie yelled.

"Moe! You're supposed to be rooting for me!" I laughed.

"Sowwy." She smiled. "Jakey bettwer den youw."

I looked back over at Jake.

"Turning my sister on me, that's a low blow Wynters. It's on like donkey kong."

We played for an hour, I was winning thirteen to ten when headlights blared on us.

"What the hell West!?" Shit. I didn't call Erin. "I get ditched so I come to see my best friend and here you are, playing basketball in her driveway."

"Erin, it's not what it looks like." Jake tried to explain.

"Don't act like little miss innocent, you knew I was gonna ask West out, so you stole him." Erin glared.

"Erin I live here." I said. "If you actually listened to me when I told you why I moved here you'd know I lived here. You'd know why I live here. Maybe you'd know that Jake takes precedence over you and anyone else. Maybe you'd know I'm also looking after my little sister, because everyone else went out to dinner. So piss off. Our date is cancelled. You've been rejected. Bye bye." I hissed.

She just looked at me shocked before getting back in her car and driving away.

"Back to the game." I said, throwing the ball into the hoop. "Yes! Fourteen, ten!"

I didn't hear any response from Jake so I checked to see what she was doing, only to see her looking out the gates of their property in the direction Erin had gone, crying.

"Jake what's the matter?" I asked.

"Before she drove off she texted me saying she hates me. She's been my best friend since preschool. I've lost my best friend West, I've lost her." She cried, letting the tears fall freely.

"Hey, stop crying Jake. You're too beautiful to cry." I said wiping her tears away.

"I want to kiss you right now." She said.

"What's stopping you?" I asked.

Without an answer, she crashed her lips onto mine, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling herself onto her tip toes.

I'm kissing Jake Holden Wynters.