Chasing Jacob (Jacob Whitesides Fanfiction)

Cover Up

I was exhausted by the time I made it to the bus stop in the morning. It was officially the worst start of the school year ever. I was already sleep deprived and I hadn't touched a single homework assignment. It was only the second day.

Ryan found me at the bus stop just before Jacob showed up. "You feeling better? Josh said you were pretty sick last night."

I shrugged. "I feel a little better."

Jacob came over to my side. "You were sick?" He asked.

"Yeah," I lied. "I was all tired with a major headache and all that. I don't know. I'm not feeling the best."

Jacob frowned like he hated the idea of me being sick. "Is that why you were acting weird yesterday?"

I nodded. I was so relieved to have an actual excuse for why I was acting weird. Josh and Ryan were literally a lifesavers. "Yeah. I'm sorry about all that. I didn't mean to leave you hanging the way I did."

He gave me a small smile. "Don't worry about it. Just tell me next time. Okay?"

I grinned at him. "Of course."

This time when we got on the bus and Jacob took the seat next to Dakota there weren't many seats left. I scanned up and down the aisle until I realized I had no choice but to sit in the very back of the bus with Ryan. It's not that I don't like Ryan. I spend plenty of time with him and he's great, but he always has something to say.

I stopped next to his seat and waited for him to move his bag. "Can I sit?" I asked.

He looked up from the conversation he had already started with some senior and moved his bag while he continued talking. I felt so out of place in the back of the bus. We didn't have assigned seats, but it's an unspoken rule that middle schoolers sit in the front. The senior made a face and gestured to me. "You're just gonna let her sit with you? She's a little kid."

Ryan shrugged. "Cassie? Nah. She's cool. She's Johnson's younger sister."

The senior raised his eyebrows. "Johnson?" He took another look at me. "Whoa. You look just like him." He turned back to Ryan. "I guess she can sit with us. Better than one of the little nerds up there."

They talked about me the whole way to school like I wasn't even sitting there. At some point both Jacob and Dakota turned around and looked at me. Kota pointed to his phone and I checked my own. There was a message that all the sixth graders were whispering about how they thought the high schoolers would eat me for sitting in the back. I smiled to myself. I couldn't believe that it had only been two years since I was that naive and stupid.

When I got off the bus Dakota hugged me and walked off in the opposite direction to his other friends from the baseball team who he hung out with in homeroom. Jacob gave me a look as we walked towards the doors together. "What?" I asked him.

"What's with you and Kota? First you're ditching me for him and now you're giving hugs. Are you guys together and you didn't tell us?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. Why? Are you jealous?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why would I be jealous? You're my best friend, but I think you guys would look cute together. That's all."

That hurt. I got friend zoned and pushed off on Dakota all in one shot. I tried my best to brush it off. "I don't think me and him would ever work out. He probably has his eyes on another one of the cheerleaders anyway."

Jake shrugged. "Probably. I still think you'd be cute together."

I really wished he would just let that go. Julia was already in homeroom when we got there and we were still arguing over Dakota and how I said we wouldn't look cute together. I'd actually heard from several people that we would look cute together and I didn't doubt that in the least, but obviously it was a little offensive if the guy I liked wanted me to be with his best friend.