Sparrow of the Dawn

Safaris Suck

Hola, I'm back! Camp was cool. Thanks everyone who commented on the last chapter, I appreciate the positivity :)
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I get up early the next day to get ready for my shift. I only work four hours in the morning so I just grab coffee on the way out the door. Jake isn't working the same shift as me, which is probably for the best considering how awkward yesterday was. But I still can't help but wonder what he's doing and what he's thinking about.

"Good morning! Just wanted to let you know, Christa's been talking about you the past couple of days. She didn't say anything directly to me, but what I overheard sounded a bit rude," says my coworker Drew.

"Thanks, exactly what I need at 8 in the morning," I reply. "Is she here?"

"Yeah, in the break room," he says. I thank him and head there. I knew keeping the peace at work was going to be impossible with Jake around I thought as I made my way to the back of the store.

"Christa," I say, tapping her shoulder. She turns around quickly, almost hitting me with her purse.

"Oh hi," she says, crossing her arms.

I'm notoriously impatient, so instead of beating around the bush, I address the elephant in the room. "Look, you obviously have a thing for Jake, and I never meant to hurt your feelings; but I think I like him too."

"You think?" She asks loudly.

"Yeah... I mean, we get along well and he seems interested in me," I pause before taking a deep breath and starting again. "I didn't have anything to do with the dedication at the park performance, it was just as surprising to me as it was to you, and I never gave my permission for it to be put on Instagram!" Christa rolls her eyes and begins to speak but I cut her off. "I know this sounds bad, but I don't want this to ruin the friendship we have. No hard feelings?"

"So you still want to be with Jake after you know I made it clear as day that I was interested in him first, and you still want to be my friend?" I nod hopefully, and she fake laughs. As she turns to walk away from me, she says, "whatever happened to the girl code?" I guess that's a no to remaining friends...

My shift goes by slowly and I am thankful to get out of there at noon. As I'm leaving the store to catch the bus home, I pass Christa's register. She's talking to a customer with hair just as nice as Jake's, pulled back to reveal elf-like ears. I can't hear what they're saying, but they're smiling at each other, and she's touching his arm. He's adorable! Maybe Christa's getting his number, and maybe she'll forget about Jake! I think as I'm walking out the door. But after a few steps, I stop. He looks too much like Jake and I know it's not Josh. I turn around and walk closer to the register. The customer is Jake!

Christa pretends she doesn't see me, but I march right up to Jake and compliment him on how good he looks with his hair up. I expected a hug or maybe even a kiss, but all I got was an awkward "thanks" and a grin. After a few seconds of staring, I can tell that I'm making them both uncomfortable, so I excuse myself and go home.

***

Days go by without a text from Jake. I figure he's busy with his brothers and the band. Maybe they're working on finally settling the release date for that new album.

Exactly a week after my last interaction with Jake and Christa, I see Jake at work. He seems to be avoiding me, which sucks, but he's probably got a good reason. During my lunch hour, I get a text from Sam. 'Hey Lex, you're still like dating Jake right? I've noticed he's been bringing this other girl around quite a bit over the past week. Jake told me to stay out of it but I wasn't sure if you knew. Sorry if I'm overstepping.'

I didn't realize Sam even had my number but I'm glad he has the heart to tell me what he's seen. I reply to him and explain everything that's been going on and ask for advice. By the end of our conversation, I know what I have to do.