After Everything

Chapter Sixteen: Hurt Feelings

Juliana meant every word she said to Jake last night.

She had been in competition with girls before about boys. Girls that were an easy target and girls that she would never win against. And now that she got a taste of competition, she was done. She was over fighting to be number one. She knew she shouldn't have to fight for anything that was meant to be. Therefore, the last thing she wanted to do was compete against Lola - especially over her boyfriend.

And she wouldn't have to feel that way now that she and Jake weren't together.

She sailed down the canal on the boat. Trevor stood beside her as they were both working the delivery shift. As usual, the hot south Florida sun was beating down on them in their all-black uniforms, but the breeze from the speed of the boat was helping them to cool off.

When Juliana saw an order from Cypress appear on the iPad, she knew exactly who it was from. Her now ex-boyfriend. She had been avoiding his texts and calls all afternoon - but the good part was she had an excuse. She was at work, so truly the only thing she could do was glance at her notifications. Jake knew if she wasn't going to respond that he would have to take the next step and order from Fiesta de Taco. And just like their last argument, he would try to work things out between them and fight for them to get back together. But this time, Juliana was in no mood to make that happen.

She loved Jake. That was the truth. He was the first person she loved, and the first person to make her feel as distressed as she currently did. But something love didn't stand in the way of knowing what was right for her heart. She wasn't going to continue to work through every issue that occurred between Jake and Lola just to watch him retrace his steps again and again. He said he wasn't flirting with Lola, then was seen hugging her outside his house. He said he didn't care if she had feelings for him, and then was kissing her.

Juliana didn't have time for all the uncertainty that this situation was causing.

She felt more mad than upset. If she was being truthful with herself, she saw this coming from miles away, especially after the way Lola acted towards her. She was persistent in getting Jake. Juliana had her moment to be sad throughout this havoc, but now she was angry.

Her hands gripped the wheel of the boat when she saw Jake standing at the edge of his boat dock. His hair was not styled in his usual fluffy and bouncy look. Today, it was spiking up everywhere and looked like it hadn't been washed in days. He also sported sunglasses to block out the bright sun, which helped his hangover.

"Jakey!" Trevor exclaimed when Juliana stopped the boat. It made things less awkward for her that she was with her co-worker, because if she were alone, she would have to fend for herself. "Love the sunglasses. Are they Gucci?"

"Walmart," Jake answered blandly. "I paid for my order online."

Trevor nodded as he handed his friend the bag of food. Juliana tried to avoid eye contact with Jake at all costs, watching his arm in the corner of her eye as he grabbed his food.

"How's your day been, Juliana?" Jake questioned in a sassy tone, which made her heart jump out of her chest. She didn't expect him to say anything.

She breathed heavily, preparing herself for the argument that was most likely about to happen. Half of her felt bad for Trevor, who would have to listen to them against his own will. "It's been fine. I've been at work. What about you?"

"My day has been pretty fucking shitty," he answered honestly, the same sassy tone from earlier staying in voice. "That's all thanks to you breaking up with me over a misunderstanding. What you think you saw isn't what happened. Lola kissed me out of nowhere. She knew exactly what I was doing because I was really drunk."