The Bad Boy • Jonah Marais

S.2 P.13

"H-he's back for m-me." I stuttered when I realized I just blurted it out.

Kenny just looks at me with shock. "What do you mean? How could he be back for you?"

I bit my lip, "Ken, you might wanna sit down for this." I said motioning for the couch. Kenny refuses and stay standing up. I bit my lip again, "Well this all goes back to high school, when he almost hit me with his car." I say to Kenny, "Tate had her eye on Jonah, Jonah didn't. When we all had to do that study group, Jonah stayed afterwards and tried to make a move on me." I watched nothing flash before his eyes, no emotion, just an empty stare. "Obviously, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I went to you and you were so caught up in other things that I didn't feel the need to just tell you." I bit my lip again, "The next school day, I'd successfully avoided him until he caught me again after school and that was when everything started."

He bit his lip, "What do you mean everything?"

"I mean, Jonah proved to me that he understood me and I fell for him." I said to Kenny, "But I couldn't hurt you or Tate and we never meant to hurt either of you."

"Ava, are you trying to tell me that you were cheating on me and Tate's boyfriend was cheating on her with her best friend?" Kenny asked me.

I bit my lip, "Yes."

Kenny scoffed and I watched anger fill his eyes, "I thought I noticed you being off when he cheated on Tate, turns out you got a taste of your own medicine." He said like acid and began to walk away.

I tried to get up and stop him, "Kenny, no you don't underst-"

"I understand perfectly fine Ava." He started to yell, "You couldn't help yourself right? The bad boy looked your way and you fell right for him."

I shook my head, "No Kenny, it wasn't like that." I said as tears formed in my eyes.

"It seems like that to me!" He yelled back. "Why didn't you just break up with me? Why did you have to do that to Tate?!"

"You and Tate never listened!" I yell back at him as tears go down my cheeks, "The matter was bothering me for so long! All you had to do was talk to me, and notice when something went wrong but no, you never did, you were always so focused on other things and it was like I was irrelevant!" I yelled at him, "Tate was exactly the same!" I cried out and my voice was starting to die out, "Jonah was the only one who could ever tell when I wasn't okay. He was the only one who cared enough to ask me how I was feeling and not focus on himself."

I realized I lost my voice as it quiets down and starts to hurt but I still tried to yell, "Kenny, I loved you, I knew I did but me and you weren't actually together, it didn't look like we were gonna be anything, and look, even now, you and Tate are oblivious, this Jonah thing bothered me the most and you're still so focused on Tate." More tears ran down my cheek, "Is it so hard to acknowledge me? Jonah was gone for years and still notices everything going on in my life, he still makes an effort, but you and Tate just can't?" I closed my eyes and wiped my face, "Look, I invited you over to tell you that Jonah and I are seeing each other." I looked at him.

He scoffed, "Do whatever the hell you want." He walked out of my house and slammed the door.

I collapsed on the ground and started to cry. I cried until I realized Axel, was being too quiet. I walked around the house and it didn't take long to find him, instinctively, my hand went for my phone and I called Jonah in panic.

"Hello?" He answered me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Jonah come quick."