Hard To Get

Texts from Bae

-Jacob-

The steam from the shower fogged up the glass, hiding the quilt of bruises that blanketed my skin. I stepped under the hot stream of water, moaning softly under the soothing heat. I had chosen to stay home today - a privilege I allowed myself perhaps a little too often. I pressed my forehead against the side of the shower, letting my troubles flow down the drain.

The tears came suddenly, and I fought against the emotional breakdown that threatened to explode from within me. Instead of curling into a ball and never facing the world again, however, I shoved my emotions deep, deep down into the recesses of my heart. I stitched the pieces back together again, hiding the wounded parts of me behind a mask.

By the time I had finished my shower, I was back to being my normal self.

Looking out the window, I noticed with surprise that Damien was home early. He rode up on his motorcycle, nearly throwing his helmet down in anger. I wondered why he was upset. Suddenly it occurred to me that I had never texted him back last night. I pulled up our conversation from the previous evening.

Damien: Hey, Jacob, it's Damien. 7:32 pm.

Me: Hey. 7:33 pm.

Damien: How's it going? 7:33 pm.

Damien: Jacob? 8:04 pm.

I sighed softly, typing out a new message.

Hey, Damien, sorry for not answering last night. How are you?

I watched out the window as Damien pulled out his phone, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly as he read the message. I couldn't help but smile faintly.

Damien: I've been better. R U sick? U weren't @ school.

I sat down on my bed, happy that he gave me an excuse.

Me: Yeah. Is everything okay?

Incoming Call: Damien Torei

My eyes widened, and I answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Jacob, what are you up to?" Damien asked.

"Not much," I replied.

"Your voice sounds scratchy," he observed, "coughing a lot?"

I faked a cough, "yes." Sure, let's go with that.

"I got sent home early today," he admitted. I felt my eyes widen, and I couldn't help but look out the window. He was standing next to his bike, his hand in his pocket and his face creased in a frown.

I didn't even attempt to keep the surprise out of my voice, "what happened?"

The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk, "I punched Mason Quill in the face."

I couldn't help but laugh. Mason Quill was an arrogant jerk.

"Pretty sure I broke his nose," Damien admitted.

"That's great," I giggled, "I wish I could have seen it!"

Damien leaned against his house, "will you be at school tomorrow?"

"Yes," I replied, suddenly feeling awkward. Here I was talking to the boy I'd had a crush on since sixth grade like we had known each other forever. But he hardly knew anything about me. Why did he suddenly notice me now? Wary, I could feel my walls go up. "Anyway, I should probably get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Damien said, "tomorrow."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone, my heart suddenly racing. What was I doing? He'd just come out of nowhere and acted like we were best buds! I sighed softly, laying back on the bed. Geez, I was a mess.

-Damien-

Despite the fact that the neighbors weren't making any racket that night, I couldn't sleep. Entering my third hour of tossing and turning, I finally sat up in bed. Pulling up my phone, I browsed Facebook for a moment before pulling up my messages.

Hey, R U awake? I texted Jacob.

A moment later, I got a reply.

Jacob: Yeah.

I smiled faintly, laying back down.

Me: What R U doing?

Jacob: Reading. You?

Me: Not much.

Jacob: Can't sleep?

Me: No.

I smiled faintly, wishing I could see him. Was he at home? I pictured him laying on a bed, book in hand. When my fantasy began to take a less-appropriate turn, I shook my head.

Me: Jacob?

Jacob: Yeah?

My fingers hovered over the keys, but I hesitated. I wanted to ask him out, but doing it over the phone would be really lame. I would just wait until tomorrow.

Me: Can U meet me b4 school?

Jacob: Yeah. I get off the bus around 7:30 normally.

Me: ok, I'll meet U @ the bus then. Night.

Jacob: Goodnight.

I put my phone down, rolling over onto my stomach. The sooner I went to sleep, the sooner I got to see Jacob.

***

Hey guys! Hope you are enjoying Hard to Get! Please remember to comment and vote!

Thanks,

Alaina