Cheek to Cheek

Chapter 30

A/N: This is it, you guys. The last chapter. Thank you to all those who have stayed until the end no matter what. I hope you've all enjoyed it up until this point. I'd like to dedicate this all to my amazing fans! <3 I wouldn't have finished without you... I just can't believe this amazing journey's about to end. Well, when one ends, another begins! I hope you guys stick around to find out about my newest project that I'm going to be working on. Other than that, thank you and enjoy!

Chapter 30

Everyone stopped to look at me in utter surprise. The few people in the crowd dispersed, not really interested in what I had to say. I looked between Jack, Jake, and Elizabeth, torn with whom I should begin.

“Jack,” I started. His face quickly erupted in a grin. Jake’s face dimmed at the name called, but I didn’t give it much start.

“I know what’s going on,” I told him. He took a step forward, still grinning.

“Of course you do, babe,” he cooed. Jake quickly stepped in between us, pushing Jack away in frustration.

“It’s all fake. He’s only getting me back for-”

“Elizabeth,” I finished. She winced at the sound of her name, but quickly plastered on a fake smile. She rested one of her elbows on her hips, and twirled her hair with the other.

“You were only getting back at Jake for dating Elizabeth when you wanted her. You thought dating me would get back at him,” I explained. Jake’s face faltered. “It’s not going to work. I did like you; I thought maybe I could change you back. I realize now... no one can change a person that doesn’t want to change.”

He rolled his eyes at me and scoffed.

“Whatever,” he muttered. He shot Jake one last dirty look before stalking off slowly, stealing glances behind him. I quickly gave my attention to Jake, flashing him one of my brightest smiles. As I was about to speak, I felt an arm drape over my shoulder.

“Way to get rid of the third wheel... now what about these guys?” Louie asked, motioning to Jake and Elizabeth. I pulled him away a little farther so they wouldn’t hear.

“Louie,” I began. “I like you, but no more than a friend. I really appreciate what you’ve done for me, and I hope this doesn’t change your friendship with Jerry.” Louie glanced at Jerry and Tabby. He smiled gently.

“Jerry? Nah. Won’t change a thing,” he said.

“Good. No hard feelings then?” I asked him. He tried to smile again, but his lips couldn’t move by the looks of it. His eyes were bright and shiny, but sad and dim all at once. He chuckled.

“Of course not,” he said. I leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, but his face moved a little to the right, causing me to land on an area near his mouth. I slowly parted away from his face, not breaking our gaze away.

“This doesn’t mean it’s over,” he simple stated before turning around and walking away. I couldn’t decipher what that meant. The only thing, or one, I could think about now was Jake. Jerry and Tabby looked at each other knowingly, then at me, before waving good-bye and walking away.

Jerry tried to drape his arm over Tabby. Tabby slapped it.

Laughing, I looked over my shoulder at Jake to find that Elizabeth was clutching his arm...

Bitch, please.

I stalked over there and grabbed Jake’s other arm quickly.

“Honey, I suggest you back off and step away before you embarrass yourself. You had your chance, and you missed it. Now, it’s my turn, and I’m not letting this pass me by like you did,” I stated. She started to laugh and rubbed her hands up Jake’s. Why wasn’t he pulling away?

“Puh-lease. Why would he want you, this grubby, pathetic little wannabe whore when he could have the real thing?” she asked, flipping her hair. Did she insult me by insulting herself? Suddenly, Jake pulled away from both of us.

“It’s not going to work between us, Elizabeth,” he said curtly.

“But-”

“Ever,” he proclaimed harshly. Elizabeth stared at him for a few seconds, paralyzed, before her eyes squinted and her lips quivered. She burst into tears and hurriedly left. I felt relieved to finally be with Jake by myself. He didn’t want to make eye contact with me, but he broke the tension.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey yourself,” I replied. He still didn’t look at me. I took this as the timeto gently put my hand on his arm.

“I like you,” I said. He whipped his head to face me with a new desire in his eyes I’ve never seen. I couldn’t back down anymore; I had to be out with it.

“I’ve liked you, but I was too scared to admit it. And everything that had been going on with Jack shouldn’t have happened, and it was stupid of me to think that I still liked him, I know. I realize now that I-”

I was cut off when he grabbed me and smashed his lips on mine. I quickly pulled myself closer to him as his arms slid past my lower back on to hips. My hands quickly ran through that gorgeous messy hair of his and nested themselves in. His hands brought my hips closer to his and he arched forward, causing me arch back. I used his head as a support.

The way his lips moved on mine just worked. He tried to dig in further, deeper into the kiss, and I only craved for him to go further. Why had I even resisted in the first place with this guy? Things seemed perfect for the moment...

“Hey, get to class!” we heard a teacher yell as they passed by. Jake’s lips released mine, but the rest of his body stayed in that position. Jake looked over at me and smiled, his nose touching mine.

“So how does it feel to get the infamous Jake Marks?” he inquired. I giggled, shaking my head at his silliness. In response, I pressed my forehead against his.

“Great,” I whispered. “How does it feel to get the not so infamous Kat Rivers?” He pecked me on the lips.

“Amazing,” he replied. My heart went crazy. Thinking about it for a moment, I smiled at him again.

“You know what, Jake?” I said.

“What?”

“I kind of actually prefer your real name. James... it sounds actually kind of... dare I say it? Sexy. Badass. Awesome. It kind of fits,” I said. His lips brushed against mine.

“Well, then call me James from now on,” he whispered before crashing his lips against mine.

“Hey, Kat?” he whispered in the kiss. I hummed softly. He chuckled.

“I like you,” he proclaimed. I pulled away as the bell rang, leaving us standing in the hallway. I nuzzled under his neck, inhaling him.

“I like you, too, James,” I whispered. He began to move me in the direction of my next class, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. Stevie suddenly barged in, still smiling since he hadn’t left. He glanced at James.

“Hey there, hot stuff. Room for one more?”

Well, that was how it all started. James and I are great together, and I believe I’ve made the right choice in getting over Jack. As for what I’ve shared so far and what’s become of us and what we’ve done, I’ll leave that up to you to decide. Not every story has to end with an “I love you.” “I like you” is just as good.

And the end is never the end of a story. It’s just the beginning. And to think it all started with a slap on the butt.

A/N: *Tear* I can't believe it's the end! I feel so empty now... But I will begin working on the newest project right away!

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I love all of you!! Until next time~~