Take The Fall

Prologue

Prologue:

"Oh my God, did you hear Jake and Mia got together over the summer?" Ivory heard another one of those gossip hoggers rant about how 'cute' and 'sweet' Jake and Mia looked together, as they had announced today that they were together, on the first day of school of their senior year.

She couldn't help but feel the stab in her heart at the thought of Jake and Mia together, kissing and all. It was supposed to be Ivory next to Jake and not Mia. She couldn't believe that another guy had used her, especially Jake because she had truly felt loved when she was with him and she really, really liked Jake.

"Did you see how he told her she was the only good thing in his life?" Another one of those gossip hoggers gushed as if them together beat Jack And Rose, and everyone knew that could never happen, well maybe only with Augustus And Hazel.

She inwardly sighed. She wished someone felt like that for her, someone who would always treat her like the princess she believed she deserved to be. But it was just her luck that her 'love life' was nothing but a curse. Jake was now the seventh guy who had used her to either get over his broken heart or get his girlfriend back or make someone jealous. She hated them all because they always made her feel special, but it was always temporary, they always said sweet things to her, it was as if they wanted her to fall for them and then they would her broken.

She stared at the sandwich she was supposed to scarf down at lunch, but now it felt like it was cardboard. She looked up from her lunch, at her empty table, only to see Jake and Mia holding hands walking like the happiest people in the world. She felt another stab at her already shattered heart. She could faintly feel her eyes burn and knew tears would trickle down soon enough.

She quickly stood up, taking the sandwich in her hands and rushing out of the cafeteria, not before throwing her lunch in the dustbin.

"Ivy!" She heard his angelic voice call out for her again, as she ran through the hallways to go to the washroom and cry her guts out. She wished her best friends Aria and Belle, the twins, were her to comfort her but they both had stomach flu so she couldn't do anything.

"Ivy, wait. I need to talk to you." He said - no, pleaded - for Ivory to talk to him. Maybe he realized she was the one he wanted? Or maybe he dated Mia only to make me jealous? Or that Mia was a complete bitch and he didn't like her? Any of the above would have sounded honey to her ears.

She halted suddenly, holding on the thin strand of hope that she had, that maybe, just maybe, she would be someone's 'The One' and she would get the love she needed. Maybe someone would finally notice that all she really needed was love. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to flow any minute.

"What is it, Jake?" She asked in a meek voice. Maybe he would take pity on her and keep her? She knew it was quite pitiful to the levels she had stooped to get love, but she couldn't help herself. It was just too much for her fight.

"I'm sorry, Ivy." He said quite remorsefully and in that one second she could feel all her 'maybe's' disappear. Her heart was crushed. She wished she could undo it but it was just so bad, because all she really wanted was to be in his arms and him telling her 'it's okay'.

"Why?" She forced out. She wanted to know why everyone would always play with her heart. What had she done to get played like this always? She couldn't let her heart go through this again. She couldn't let her heart know that no one cared about her.

"I've always liked Mia, but I thought that she couldn't like me back. And you were good friends with her, so I figured that you would be like her and maybe I could feel, what I felt for her, for you, you know? I didn't want to hurt you." He said as he dropped his head down in shame.

Well, you did. She wanted to snap at him, but she just couldn't, the defeated tone in his voice made her heart hurt all over again. She wanted him to be happy. She couldn't let him be sad because of her because no matter what happened, she really did care for him. Before the whole 'incident' happened, Jake had always been a good and consistent friend to her.

"And, I really did like you, Ivy." And, I did too. She shook her head in disappointment, not at him, but at her.

How could she have let her heart take the risk? She should have known how it would end, but then again she wanted to be oblivious to the impending truth. She had truly lost all her hopes of finding her 'price charming on a white horse' or 'knight in shining armor'. She couldn't help but let one of the traitorous tears roll down her cheeks, as she stared at Jake's retreating back. She didn't, no; she wouldn't let her heart feel this way again.

I will not fall in love. She vowed to herself, as she wiped the traitorous tear furiously.