Secrets

Friends

"Friends just sleep in another bed,
And friends don't treat me like you do.
Well I know that there's a limit to everything,
But my friends won't love me like you.
No, my friends won't love me like you."

~

If there was anything Jake Stratford hated, it was phone calls with his mother. She would spend hours and hours rambling on and on about the latest family gossip--"Jacob, did you hear about your cousin Jane? The girl is pregnant now, and you'll never guess who the father is!"--and complaining about something or other. It didn't matter what, there was always something leaving her dissatisfied. At the moment, it seemed to be him.

"Jacob," she said sharply now into his ear. "Were you even listening to me?"

Jake straightened up out of his zoned-out slouch on at the dinner table in his apartment, clearing his throat. "Sorry, Mom," he apologized, not very sorry. They weren't on the best terms after her decision to leave his father with his new condition. Why he even bothered to pick up the phone when he saw her number on the screen, he had no idea. Old habits died hard, it seemed. 

She gave an exaggeratedly loud sigh into the phone. "I was saying," she started again, pointedly. "When are you going to bring a girl home? We've been waiting ages for you to bring someone since you started college. My patience is wearing thin now. You can't tell me there's no one you're involved with--I know who my son is." There was a slight teasing to her tone, but her words made his stomach twist in annoyance. 

She had no idea who he truly was. She only knew what she'd instilled in him. And that was apparently his people-magnet skills. 

He rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry to tell you, but there's no one I'm in a relationship with right now." 

His mother scoffed, clearly not buying that. "I highly doubt that, Jacob. Come on, you can tell me the truth."

Before he could lightly snap at her, two images flickered in his mind: a memory of Claire with her bright, cheery smile; a memory of Matt with that small, warm timid smile that spread warmth in Jake's chest when it was directed at him. The image of Claire he could understand--they'd been getting closer and he found that he really enjoyed her company and the way he felt around her. But the image of Matt--why did that come up? He and Matt were just friends. Well, friends with benefits, meaning they did a lot more than normal friends do, but that didn't matter. They had rules about this thing they had going on. It was strictly between them, and there were to be no feelings involved. So what was this fluttery sensation in his tummy when he thought about Matt?

"Jacob," his mother sing-songed in his silence. "I'm waiting."

"Well," he hedged, shoving away thoughts of Matt, "there's this one girl..."

His mother gave an excited squeal on the other end of the phone. "I knew it! Tell me everything! Who is she, what is her name? How did you two meet?"

"Gee, do you wanna know her social security number too?" Jake said sarcastically, rolling his eyes again. She made a sound of protest, but he ignored it and indulged her instead. "Her name is Claire," he began. "I met her through Matt, actually. She's his Stats tutor."

"Matt needs a Stats tutor?" His mother interrupted, snorting. "I find that incredibly hard to believe. He's such a smart kid. How has he been lately?" 

Jake couldn't help but be surprised in her interest in Matt; she'd never really liked him all that much before. 

"He's been okay, I guess," Jake said uncertainly. This was out of character for his mom; she usually had a one-track mind, just like him. "His studies are going well and everything."