What It's Like To Be Liked

12. To Be Or Not To Be Grounded

ll Dedicated to @butterfly440 for her help. Thanks a lot! ll

Chapter Twelve- To Be Or Not To Be Grounded

Jake's POV

 The tension from my shoulders gradually slipped away as time passed by. Kaylee was silent, occasionally nodding her head in sync with the music. I just wish she would tell me something. What Mia had told me via text was obviously not everything. I needed to know the details. So many questions were left unasked and so many answers remained unanswered. 

"So, what exactly happened before and after you met me at the party?" I asked. "Did Ariana do anything?"

She looked at me sadly and nodded after a while. Frustration built up inside me. I don't usually get mad at Ariana but this was just getting out of hand. First, she threw a fit about my friendship with Kaylee, tries to undermine her with her words, then she forbids me from speaking to Kaylee and now -from what I heard- she bullied her into a pathetic drinking competition. That's low, even for Ariana. 

"Could you elaborate?" I inquired. 

"Remember Tyler, my boyfriend?" said Kaylee. I nodded. "Well, he's not exactly my boyfriend. There's nothing going on between us. We're doing it only to make Chloe jealous. And it worked -only too strongly. Now Chloe hates me and I- I don't know what to do."

So that explains the sobbing blonde chick in the kitchen. 

"Why don't you just break up with the douche? Problem solved." I said simply. The farther that faggot Tyler stayed from Kaylee, the better.

"He's not a faggot, Jake, neither is he a douche." she said as if reading my mind. Did I say that out loud? "And I'm considering breaking up but, people don't break up the day they started dating. Chloe will get suspicious. That just blows the whole purpose of it."

"Do it later. After two days or so." I shrugged, looking at the dimly-lit road ahead. But one question still played on my mind "What's the deal with Ariana and you anyway? Why did enter the drinking competition when you know how stupid it is?"

Kaylee winced at the words 'drinking competition' as if they contained a regretful past. This made me more curious but before I could question her further, she mumbled, "I'll tell you tomorrow. I don't really have the energy to explain everything right now." she gave me a small smile as she shifted in her seat, making herself more comfortable. "I'm just going to take a tiny nap -wake me when we reach, okay?"

* * *

I couldn't. I couldn't wake her up. She looked too peaceful to be disturbed. 

I paced back and forth, thinking of ways to get her out of Josh's posh BMW. Should I nudge her? What about carrying her? She looked pretty light to me. But what would Ariana say about that? That girl has her spies everywhere. But it's pretty late and the houses around here mainly consist of senior citizens. I doubt they'd work for a dominating teenage girl. Yup, not the perfect retirement plan.

 With a muted screw this, I lifted her up bridal style and walked towards her front door. The lights were out, signaling an empty house. I looked down at Kaylee, searching for a sign of where her house keys may be. Maybe that purse around her torso had them. Now the question is how I will get the keys out without dropping her.

After a few pathetic attempts, I came to the conclusion that I either drop her or screw getting the damned keys. I chose to go with the latter.

 I walked over the small garden that separated our houses and went up to the wooden front door of my house. Somehow, I didn't drop her while I fished my pockets for the house keys. All those torturous push ups Coach Henry made me do before practise finally paid off.