Knight

21

Mason Maloney

Jealousy was a funny feeling and it was something I had rarely ever experienced. It was like a feeling of envy kept pricking at my brain while I continuously tried to push it out but failed to do so. I gritted my teeth, angry at myself for feeling this way as I watched Sam lean over the counter and whisper sweet nothings to the girl on the other side, who I found out was named Mercedes.

I had told myself that I wanted to keep my distance from Sam and for him to do the same for me, but when it actually came down to it, I hated that his attention was on someone else. I had no right to feel that way, but I did.

Mercedes was obviously better suited for Sam than I was anyway. Firstly, she was a girl. Secondly, she was a cheerleader. And finally, she was undeniably good looking. Her and Sam looked good together, like they belonged. The two of them together made sense.

And so, I tried to push my jealousy aside, but it proved to be a difficult feat. I watched as Mercedes grabbed Sam by the collar of his shirt to press her lips against his. I should have averted my eyes, but instead I decided to torture myself as her cherry red lips caressed his.

My eyes were narrowed as she pulled away from him with a coy smile before walking away to leave the bakery. I leaned back against the pastry case, my arms crossed over my chest as I glared at the door that Mercedes just left through.

"She's not my girlfriend," Sam suddenly said, turning to face me.

"Hm?" I hummed, staring at him confusedly.

He just rolled his eyes. "I know you were staring. She's not my girlfriend so you can stop thinking that."

"I don't care," I lied. I did care. A lot.

Sam clenched his jaw, looking as though he wanted to say something but was holding himself back. He turned away from me to face forward, looking out the windows of the bakery before turning back to me again with a look of anger.

"I hate when you act like this," he told me vaguely.

"Like what?" I asked curiously.

"Like this!" Sam said, gesturing toward me. "Like you don't care about anything, like you're holding back."

My jaw set tensely as Sam stared at me with his mouth open, breathing heavy.

"I don't care about whatever that girl is to you," I told him seriously, though I knew I was lying.

Sam's face went from angry to annoyed as he shook his head at me.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Sam!" I said, not being able to stop myself.

"I don't want you to say anything," he replied, stepping closer to me.

I stepped back, my back hitting the doorway leading to the kitchen.

"Do you expect me to just wait around for you while you mess around with someone else?" I asked incredulously, my stomach turning in nervousness.

"You're the one that broke things off," Sam reminded me with his eyebrows raised.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "You were with her before that."

"You didn't let me explain," he argued, his eyes piercing mine.

"I didn't need to!" I started. "It's obvious you were out with her."

Before Sam could say anything, I continued.

"It doesn't even matter, it wasn't even about that," I told him, pointing to my face where my injuries were still visible.

"I took care of that," Sam said, basically pleading.