Best Friend's Brother

Three: It's Not Like That

"Jake! Wait! It's not like that!" I chase after him though the corridor. He stops running. He spins around to look me in the eyes. His face is all blochy, like he's about to cry.

"Then what? So you didn't make out already? So you don't wanna have s-?" He screams at me before I can stop him.

I pull my hands up to his face and carefully place them on his checks.

"Oh Jakie, just stop right there... You don't understand. He's my Junior Mentor. He's just trying to be a good student. I would never hurt you like that."

He takes a sharp breath in.

"What?" I see a tear run down his cheek. I take my thumb and wipe it off before it gets too far.

"I wouldn't do that to you. I love you too much."

"S-so nothing's happened?"

"Yeah." I place his head in my shoulder and I wrap my arms around his waist. I can feel him wrap his arms around my neck. Over his shoulder I see Greyson standing right where I left him. From here I can tell he mouths 'sorry' to me. I don't look at him. I just burrow my face into Jake's chest.

"Cmon," I say, lifting his face off my shoulder. "Let's go to that new coffee and cafe place." I tell him lacing my fingers in his. I pull him along beside me as we walk.

"But what about class?"

"Ehh. You mean way more to me than one stupid class." I tell him, kissing his check.

He laughs.

"Good. We will be back for the next lecture though." Jake responds.

"Oh thank goodness! I can't skip two classes!"

Jake lets out a laugh as we exit the building.

****

35 minutes later, we are both stuffed, two cups of coffee, a cherry muffin, and a cake pop really fills me up.

"So just to be clear..." Jake starts, placing his elbows on the table between us, "you don't... like Grey... Right?"

I give out a really convincing fake laugh. "correct," I lie.

Of course I 'like' him. Who wouldn't? Have you ever looked at him?

"Good. You only have his number for mentor reasons?"

"Well yeah, that's why he gave it to me." I say bluntly.

"Okay. I can live with that."

I stand up, pushing my phone back into my pocket and grabbing my trash off the table to bring to the bin. When I turn to the door I completely get traped by a hug from Jake. He wraps his arms around my neck and puts his chin on my shoulder. I slide my arms around his back and look up at his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry." He mumbles. I peel him off me so I can put my hands on his checks. I pull him down so I can kiss his forehead.

"I didn't let you explain. I just assumed..." He continues muttering.

I grab his hand and walk of the cafe.

"It's okay J, I know you were mad."

He pull our laced hands up to his face and lightly kisses the back of mine.

"Let's stop at our dorms to grab our books on the way to class." I tell him as we cross the street. Jake nods in response.

As we reach my dorm, Jake pulls his hand out from mine and backups.

"Ill meet you at Catwalk!" He says running towards his dorm.

I open the door with a little shove and walk towards my room.

I can't stop believing that Greyson's number was not he only thing on that green sticky note.

I look down at the trash can to see the sticky note crumpled up in a little ball. I reach down to pull it out and uncrumple it.

The only thing written on the front side is his number. I flip it over to see messy scribble that could actually be a word or two. I look closer at it and make out the the numbers and words.

Monday, 7:30. Greenhouse

Greenhouse? What does greenhouse have to do with anything? Does Greyson want me to meet him at the greenhouse? Why does he wanna see flowers? So many questions are running through my head. I shove the sticky note in the tiny front pocket of my jeans, fill my backpack with books and folders and rush to the Catwalk.

There is Jake waiting for me, with his gray backpack strung over one shoulder.

"C'mon Jake! We can't be late!" I say speed walking past him. I pull the campus map out of my back pocket and try to find 'lecture hall 24B'.

"Found it! Let's go!" I say walking even faster than before. I don't want to be late to class again. I can't start college like that. 

We finally reach the classroom, with three minutes to spare. I sit down in the middle of the lecture hall, and Jake sits at the chair right of me. I pull my notebook out of my blue denim backpack. I grab a pen form the front pocket of by bag.

The professor walks in and sets her bag on the chair behind her desk. 

"Good morning, and Welcome to Standford! This is a Finance and stock course. If you are in the wrong room, leave now." She states. I see a few students glace down at their schedules, stand up, and walk out the class, looking ashamed.

"Well for the rest of you, hello, I am Professor Liza Marsh. I graduated from Stanford, Valedictorian, in 2010. I majored in Finance and Entrepreneurship. All of you will can me Professor, or Professor Marsh." She stands behind the wooden podium. "This will be a difficult course. If you do not want to put in the effort, leave now or forever hold your peace."

I see Jake push up from his seat. I stare at him and shove him back down by his shoulder.

"Oh no you don't! We work hard to get here. You are not ditching me." I mumble at him insensitively.

He sighs, and leans back in his seat.

****

Later that night

It's 7:00 pm, I have no clue where I am going. I am looking for a Greenhouse, but its not on the campus map. 

Really Greyson. You couldn't give me more information?

About twenty paces in front of me is a custodian, cleaning the tile floors. I rush up besides him, hoping he can give me instructions.

"Sir? Can you help me?" 

He spins around with a mop in hand and a grin plastered across his face.

"What can I do for you?" He says cheerfully.

"I was looking for The Greenhouse? Do you know how to get there?"

"There is not a greenhouse on campus..." He looks at me with a concerned look.

"Oh? I got this," I show him the green sticky note. 

"Oh Hun no.... This is not a flower place. Oh girl, The Greenhouse is a bar."

"What?"