Take Two

Heartbreak & Regrets

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"I mean, I don't even know you," Ruby told the British boy as the two tangoed. Johnnie suddenly but swiftly pulled her close.

"Do you want to?"

Riele groaned.

It was about half an hour after she had left the party. She called her mother to pick her up, and had since changed into a comfortable black sweatshirt and pajama shorts. She now laid against the headboard of her bed and had put on a movie on her TV across the room.

Riele rolled her eyes at the two love-struck characters, stuffing a hand into the bowl of popcorn beside her.

Just then, Ella came bursting through her bedroom door.

"Riele!" the young blonde called to her, rushing to her side and giving her a hug.

"Are you okay? What happened?" she asked frantically. Riele sighed before explaining the recent events. Ella's jaw dropped.

"He kissed you?!" she exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "To make her jealous?"

"Mhm."
"Are you sure?"
"The entire time I was trying to tell him how I felt, he kept looking behind me. I turned around to see Isabela. So, context clues and some common sense led me to that conclusion." Ella paced around the room in anger.

"Plus," Riele continued. "When I asked him if he did that because of Isabela, he was like-" Riele mockingly deepened her voice. "Oh, 'isn't that what we're here for?'" She rolled her eyes as the blonde's widened.

"How clueless can he be?!" Ella exclaimed, pacing around the room. "He's such a jerk!" Ella turned to see Riele looking down, her eyes glossy and sad. She sighed and walked over to her, her face softening.

"Riele," she started, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" The dark-haired girl sighed.

"I just wish he hadn't led me on," she spoke after a few moments. "Everything we did the past few days, it was fun. It felt real to me." She laid her head on the young blonde's shoulder as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "But I guess it didn't to him."

"Aw, Ri," Ella said while pulling her into a hug.

"And he almost kissed me again before that!" Riele exclaimed into her shoulder. "Isabela wasn't even there then! How can he just do that and then act like it was all for her?" Ella rubbed her back as she listened to her friend rant.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "Something seems off here. I don't think Jace is the type of person to do that." Riele lifted her head from Ella's shoulder at the blonde's sudden words.

"Well, I guess he is, because he did do just that," Riele said matter-of-factly. Ella shook her head.

"I know, and what he did was definitely uncalled for, but I still think he liked you." Riele rolled her eyes.

"Can you cut that out? He clearly still has feelings for Isabela. I was basically just there to help him get her back," Riele retorted. Her face fell suddenly.

"I started this. I was the one who showed him the picture she tagged him in, I was the one who brought up the idea to make her jealous. It was all me." The dark-haired girl sniffled, her eyes becoming glossy with tears again. Ella pulled her in for another hug. The two stayed like that for a while, Riele appreciating the comfort of Ella's embrace.