Why? ~Jaden Hossler~

Chapter 22

I get woken up by Payton jumping on top of me. "Oh my god Kate! You and Jaden are trending!!", he screamed. "Payton get off me", I say burying my head in my pillow. "No, look", he said still sitting on me. "I can't turn around", I say groaning. Payton moved off me and sat next to me. "What?", I said annoyed. "Look", he said shoving his phone under my nose. It showed the tiktokroom page with a photo of me and Jaden kissing at the airport. I really miss him right now. "You didn't see that yet?", he asked grabbing his phone. I shook my head and grabbed my phone and took it off the charger. "How is you phone not blowing up?", he asked looking over my shoulder. I deleted all my social media and put them on 'not active'. I didn't wanna see any of the hate posts or whatever. Bryce got me a new phone number so I could text them and other friends and family. "I deleted everything", I said looking at my text messages. "Aah, sorry", he said looking away. "Why?", I said. "Because I should have known you don't wanna see any of this", he said embarrassed. "It's fine, Payt", I said looking at him. He smiled at me and he stood up from my bed. "Well, get ready were gonna grab lunch and I want you to meet some of my friends", he said excited. It was already 1 pm, I guess you can say I slept in. I nodded and he left my room. I looked at my phone again and decided to text Jaden back and the group chat's.

JaeBae
Did you sleep well?
And did you text my mom yet?

—————————————————

Butterfly
Yeah, kinda
Not yet, I'll do that later

JaeBae
Okay
Are you doing something today?

Butterfly
Yeah
Payt and I are going to grab food and then meet some of his friend
You?

JaeBae
Cool
Just studio things

Butterfly
Be a rockstar today!
I better get ready
Payton is jumping on me

JaeBae
Hahah okay
Have fun <3

Butterfly
Thnx bro
That was Payt, thank you <3

JaeBae
(Read 1:23 pm)

"Paytonnn, get off meeee!", I said trying to get up. "Get ready then", he said moving off me. "Yeah, I will", I said chuckling. He walked out again, and I grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom. I showered and brushed my teeth. I got dressed and put some make-up on. The dark circles under my eyes were not going away so I just let them be. I walked to my room and grabbed my phone and purse. I walked downstairs and met with Payton. "You ready?", he asked. I nodded and we said goodbye to his mom and sister. We got into his car and drove off.

"Nice car, Payt", I said looking around in the car. "Thanks, I wanted it for a long time and now I finally bought it", he said smiling widely. "Where are we going anyway?", I asked. "What do you think?", he said smiling. I already knew the answer and smiled too. "Chick-Fil-A?", I asked. He nodded his head and we both laughed. "So... what's up with you and Jaden?", he asked still focused on the road. "Honestly I don't know, we kissed before we left and I really don't know how I feel", I said looking at him. "Hmm, have you talked about it yet?", he asked. "Nope, not really. But I wouldn't know what to say to him", I said. "Well, do you feel something toward him?", he asked. "Avani asked me that the other day, and obviously I feel something towards him, but I don't know if it's like that", I said. I'm lying. Why am I lying? I did that the last time. Ugh. "Just be honest with yourself and him", Payton said when he stopped the car. "Yeah...", I said. He turned the car off and we got out. When we walked in I saw Riley, Eliza and Ansley. I met them in LA once, they are literal sweethearts. There were also a few other boys, but I didn't really know them. "Hey guys, this is Kate. And Kate this is Dylan, Parker and Jackson", Payton said sitting next to the guys. I waved at them and sat next to Riley. We ordered our food and just talked a lot. When we were done eating we said goodbye to everyone and went back home. When we arrived we went up to Payton's room. "Can I let you hear something?", Payton asked sitting down at his table. "Sure", I said sitting down on his bed. "It's the song I've been working on while I was in LA", he said. "Love letter, right?", I asked. "Yeah, how did you know?", he said looking confused. "You told me about it sometime", I said smiling. He nodded and pressed play. I never heard the song but let me tell you it was really good (A/N: I love his song, let's just pretend is wasn't out yet). When the song ended I walked over to him. "This is really good, Payt!", I said hugging him. "Really?", he said pulling away. "Are you kidding? Yes!", I said smiling. "Thank you, it means a lot", he said smiling back. "So when are you going to release it?", I asked sitting down again. "Uhm, soon. Just some little finishing touches", he said focused on his screen. "Well, it already sounds amazing. You have a good voice", I said. "You too", he said turning around. "Why don't you start singing?", he asked. "I don't know. Not really my thing", I said shrugging. "That's a lie", he said grinning. "You always sing", he said. "Yeah, well it's something for in my room and people I'm comfortable around", I said. "Okay, you're comfortable around me right?", he asked standing up. I nodded and he grabbed his guitar. "Sing with me", he said sitting back down. "Nop, not doing that", I said looking away. "Please Kate, your voice it amazing and it'll get you mind of everything", he said begging. I thought for a second and agreed. One song can't hurt, right? We started to look for songs and found one he could play. We chose What If I Told You That I Love You by Ali Gatie. Then the part came.

What if I told you that I love you?
Would you tell me that you love me back? (Me back)
If I told you that I miss you
Would you tell me that you miss me back? (Me back)

What if I told you that I need you?
Would you tell me that you need me, yeah?
If I tell you all my feelings
Would you believe me, yeah?

It got me thinking about Jaden. Do I like him like that? Are we more than friends? What did that kiss mean? Thought keep coming and the song came to an end. "Kate, you alright?", Payton asked breaking me out of my gaze. I didn't notice I had tears in my eyes. "Yeah", I said quietly not making eye contact. "Kate what's wrong?", he asked putting his guitar away. It was silent for a while. "I lied to him Payt", I said looking up. "What do you mean?", he asked confused. "I lied to him. I lied to Jaden", I said looking down. "About what?", he asked sitting next to me on his bed. "About liking him", I said softly. "What are you talking about?", he asked. "Last year before tour, Jae and I used to mess around with each other if you know what I mean", I said looking up at him. He nodded and grinned. "What?", I said embarrassed. "Jay told me that on tour", he said grinning. "Only me tho", he quickly said, "but continue." "Okay... well we talked about it and said that we didn't feel anything like that towards each other, but I lied", I said. "I told him I didn't like him like that, but I never really stopped", I said looking down. "You two are the most stupid people I know", he said putting his hands in his hair. "What?", I said confused. "Kate, he told me he liked you too. He just thought you didn't like him back", he said looking at me seriously. I couldn't believe him. Jaden liked me? He probably doesn't feel the same way anymore. "But why are you saying this now?", Payton asked. "I.... I think I like him...", I said almost whispering. "That's great, right?", he said excited. "I don't know. He said he loves Mads and he is definitely not over her. And I'm not over Johnny either", I said. "Yeah, okay. But you guys did kiss, that means something, right?", he said. "I don't know...", I said looking at my hands. "Well, obviously you felt something. Otherwise you wouldn't think about it this much", he said looking at me. I looked up and he raised his eyebrows waiting for my reaction. "I guess you're right", I said. "I'm always right", he said jokingly. "Have you guys at least talked about it?", he asked. "Nop, not at all", I said. "Just talk to him, maybe he feels the same", he said. "Yeah", I said looking down. "Kids food's ready!", Joanne yelled from downstairs. Payton hugged me and we walked downstairs. We had dinner and talked about Payton's carrier, tour this summer and other stuff. Payton's mom and sister are really nice. They made me feel at home. After dinner I went back upstairs and put some sweatpants and a t-shirt on. I decided to text Jaden's mom.

Baby Kate
Hey Amy,
I don't know if Jaden told you,
But I'm coming home for a while if that is okay with you

Momma Hossler
Hii
Yes Jaden told me...
Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?

Baby Kate
I didn't want you guys to think bad about Mads
And I didn't wanna be an anchor :(

Momma Hossler
Kate, we care about you and want you to be okay
And yes you can come home of course!

Baby Kate
Thank you <3
I'll be there next week
I'm staying with Payton this week

Momma Hossler
Okay, just let me know when you'll land
Take care of yourself

Baby Kate
Yes I will
Bye <3

Momma Hossler
<3

Baby Kate
(read: 20:48 pm)

I opened Jaden's contact and was just staring at it. Am I going to call him? Right now? I just looked at it and was overthinking, as usual. I felt my eyelids become heavy and fell asleep with my phone in my hand. I'll call him tomorrow, I guess.