Side By Side

20.

"Okay so here's my plan," Marcus started. It was Wednesday and we were holding a 'Marcus is a dumbass club' meeting. Marcus still didn't know my secret, just that Tiffany knew, "just tell everyone your secret, and then she'll have nothing to hold over your head," he said it like it was the grandest idea in the world and it ground at me as he said it.

"Sure, if it's that easy just go and tell everyone your secret too," I snapped.

"Jeez Ads, everything okay?" Marcus said surprised. I was surprised too, I wasn't one to take this tone.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm a little crabby," I said looking away.

"Jake?" Lissa asked. She knew what it was mostly about. Tomorrow was the four month anniversary of my parents death and I wasn't handling the stress very well.

Still, I nodded my head and sighed, "I know his heart is in the right place but it's stressing me out. He's making a party he would want: loud, lots of people..."

"That's Jake for you. He really thinks he knows what's best for everyone," Marcus said laughing, "You know this one time it was practically blizzarding out, and Jake was convinced we had to go to school because I'd missed too much school already that year, so we walked all the way to school, and it turned out school was closed. He bought me hot chocolate for the next week to make up for it,"

I smiled along with Marcus.

"Don't worry Addi I'll get it sorted out with Jake. No need to stress," Lissa assured me. I smiled a nodded.

"Hey, did Jake mention a girl to you guys?" I asked them. Lissa and Marcus turned their heads to make eye contact and looked back to me.

"A girl you say?" Marcus raised a playful eyebrow. Lissa snickered.

"Yeah... he said there's someone he might be interested in, but he doesn't think she likes him back," I told them. Lissa smiled.

"Well I couldn't possibly fathom who it would be," Lissa said sarcastically.

"It really is impossible to know," Marcus added with the same air of flare.

"What do you two know that I don't?" I asked.

"How to pick up on social cues, apparently," Marcus mumbled. Lissa slapped his arm playfully and with a smile.

"So why are you asking about the girl? Who ever she may be," Lissa told me. I didn't want to tell them about the slightly strange pang of jealousy I had felt when Jake mentioned it, or the warm feeling I got when he slung his arm around my shoulder.

"I dunno— he didn't mention a name. I got curious," I told them. Marcus gave me a look that told me he saw through my excuse.

He gasped dramatically, "does our Addilyn perhaps have a little crush on dear Jacob Walker?" He asked it like he would be pinching me cheeks and patting me on the head. Lissa laughed.

"Awe Addi's got a little crush," she teased.

"I do not. Don't be absurb," I dismissed.

"Mhm," Lissa laughed.

"Just because you two have been in a relationship for a week doesn't make you experts on deciphering crushes, and crushes, really? Are you eleven?," I teased.

"No, but pinning over each other for way too long did, and it is crystal clear that you've got a thing for Jake," Lissa said. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"If it makes you feel any better," Marcus told me, "there's not a doubt in my mind he has a thing for you too," I scoffed even louder and rolled my eyes even harder.