Always Been You (12 page)

“I’m still here,” I grumbled, my cheeks feeling warm.

“We know, but we’re talking about you, not to you,” said Amy. “As I was saying—quit rolling your eyes at me, Jen—and to answer your question, Katie, we’re only asking because Jen got a gift from a friend.”

“Jacob’s a friend, isn’t he?” grinned Katie.

Somehow as if she had summoned him, Jacob suddenly appeared and was heading toward us with one eyebrow raised. Luckily for me, he never got to ask why Katie was elbowing me in the ribs. The bell rang, signalling for the first class of the day to begin.

A few hours later, I had just left my last class, thinking about who had gotten me the wonderful gift, and was weaving my way through students anxious to get home when I was stopped by a cool voice behind me. I turned and couldn’t believe I was staring into the eyes of the absolute last person I expected to see.

“What are you doing here, Ethan?” I demanded.

“Jenna, I want to talk to you,” he said.

“I don’t know why you’d even bother trying to speak to me,” I said. “You know I’m just going to tell you to go to hell since you know I have nothing to say to you.”

Ethan tried to close his hand around my wrist, but I quickly yanked my hand out of his grasp. Ignoring the curious glances aimed our way, I then headed in the opposite direction down the hall, and before I knew what was happening, I ran into someone coming up the steps.

“Whoops, watch it, Jenna,” said Jacob, carefully reaching out to steady me when he noticed the scowl on my face. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s—”

“Jenna! Please let me—oh, it’s you,” growled Ethan.

“What are you doing here, Su?” Jacob asked shortly.

“This has nothing to do with you, Bennett,” he sneered. “Jenna, please let me talk to you.”

“Why should I?” I said whipping around to face him.

“Because you left before I could even explain,” said Ethan.

“What’s to explain? Just because I didn’t want to sleep with you doesn’t give you the right to go and sleep with someone else!” I yelled.

I heard a loud gasp and swivelled my head. Amy was among the huge crowd that was hanging onto every word of our argument. I could’ve sworn her eyebrows had merged with her hairline as her eyes moved between Ethan and me, her expression questioning.

“I didn’t sleep with Sandra!” said Ethan, gritting his teeth.

“Then why was she stumbling out of your room when I came over?” I said.

“We got drunk and passed out, but nothing happened,” he exclaimed.

“That’s hard to believe.”

“It’s the truth, alright? She came over because she just broke up with her boyfriend and needed her best friend to keep her company.”

“Best friend or not, would you have slept with her if you two didn’t pass out?” I demanded. Ethan opened his mouth, only to close it again. “I thought so.”

“Please, Jenna,” he pleaded.

“She said she doesn’t want to talk to you anymore, Su,” said Jacob.

“Is it because you’re dating him?” scoffed Ethan.

“Even if we are, it’s none of your business,” I said.

“But I still want you.”

Before Jacob or I could react, Ethan then yanked me closer and crashed his lips onto mine.

“I love you, Jenna,” he said, pulling away a moment later.

“And I’m going to love what I’m about to do to you,” I grinned.

Releasing a low growl that was born from exhaustion, irritability, and pure hatred from dealing with him and his constant calls, and with a bout of speed that I didn’t know I had in me, I pulled my arm back and launched the hardest punch in my life. Ethan’s face jerked with so much force that when he turned back to look at me, a small trickle of blood was pouring out of the corner of his mouth.

“Don’t you ever do that again,” I scowled. “And leave me the hell alone!”

Without giving him a chance to speak, I turned around and walked away.

I didn’t care about the glares I got from the people beside me as I angrily threw the books into my bag and slammed my locker door shut. I was too busy trying to erase the lingering feeling of Ethan’s lips on mine. However, just as I was about to pick up my things and go home, Jacob appeared and grabbed my backpack and the gift from the floor.

“Jacob! Where the hell are you going with my stuff?” I yelled, almost stumbling on the steps in my haste to catch up to him as he headed out the door.

“I figured after punching that stupid ass, you probably need some company while walking it off,” he said, coming to a halt. “I’m not hearing any excuses of you wanting to be alone right now. I know you. And you also know perfectly well I’m not going to budge. So go ahead and let out your frustrations on me. I’m still walking you home.”

He was giving me such an annoying grin that I narrowed my eyes in contempt, brushed past him, and stalked down the block with a huff. I could hear his footsteps following me, but I refused to acknowledge that he was here. Although once I reached the corner, I knew none of this was Jacob’s fault and quickly came to a stop. With my shoulders slumped forward, I then took a seat on the curb of the pavement and dropped my head to my hands.

“Jenna, is something the matter?” asked Jacob.

“I’m sorry for taking it out on you because I was angry with that ass,” I said, lifting my head to look at him.

“It’s no problem,” he said, joining me on the curb. “I just want to know why you didn’t tell me.”

“Because that was a situation I was trying to forget.”

“But if you told me sooner, I would’ve taken care of that sh—”

“I know you would have, but I doubt Ethan’s going to try anything more after what I just did to him.”

“I never knew you had such a mean left hook,” he smirked.

“Me either,” I grinned back. “Um, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Why are you hanging out with someone who could have made the rest of this day miserable for you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you would have a date tonight, yet you’re hanging out here, sitting on the edge of the sidewalk with someone as grumpy as me.”

“Why would you assume I’d have a date tonight?”

“Because ever since I became your friend again, I’ve constantly had random girls coming up to me, hoping I can provide any info on you, just so they could become your girlfriend. Of course I never said anything to them, but still…so many of them to choose from.”

“Girls are strange that way,” he sighed. I lightly punched in him the arm. “I meant everyone except you.”

“Maybe it’s because you have a swollen head,” I murmured.

“I only have a big head since I need it for the huge brain I have.”

“Or lack of it.”

“Anyway, I chose to keep you company because I’d rather spend it cheering up my best friend,” he grinned, ignoring my jab. “It’s time that I returned the favour after the countless times you’ve helped me when I was going out with Amber.”

“You think of me as your best friend?”

“Yeah, I do, and it’s because you know me best.”

“What about Matt?”

“What about him?”

“Seeing that he’s your closest cousin, I thought he would have an insight to who you really are.”

“Even though that may be the case, he doesn’t know much about me as you do. Hey, speaking of Matt, there is this question I’ve been meaning to ask you, and you have to be honest with me.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Did you ever like him?”

“Does this have anything to do with him kissing me on the cheek on New Year’s?”

“Sort of.”

“Amy asked me the same thing before she and Matt got together,” I said. “Like I told her, I never took it. He may have been my first high school friend, but I love him like a brother and nothing more. Besides, he’s always had a thing for Amy from the first day I introduced her to him. He was just too chicken to do anything about it.”

“I guess you guys have a very close relationship then,” said Jacob.

“He’s as close to me as Amy is.”

“What about me?”

“What would your thought be if I said I actually tell you more than I do to those two?”

“Does this mean you think of me as your best friend too?”

“I guess it does.”

“Then I guess I should be lucky you share stuff with me.”

“You share secrets with me too.”

“But you’re the only one who really understands me.”

“Okay, since we’re asking twenty questions here, it’s my turn to ask you another one.”

“What’s that?”

“Are you the one who gave me these?” I pointed towards the gift and smiled as Jacob’s eyes fixated on a spot above my left shoulder. “I guess I got my answer, but can I ask how you got them in my locker and why?”

“To answer your first question,” he said, redirecting his eyes to my face. “Remember that day when I forgot my History book?”

“I gave you my combination so you could borrow mine,” I said. “You mean to tell me you still remember it even though it was back in September?”

“I figured you wouldn’t mind if I kept it in case I forgot a book at home and needed to borrow your copy.”

“And here I thought you got my trig book the other day from Amy.”

“Now for the second question,” he grinned. “I gave the roses to you because, like I said, you deserve it. I admire how much life you have, and how you can make everyone smile whenever they talk to you. This year I find I’m in better moods and stress less than before. The bear is just a bonus.”

“I’m glad I could help,” I said, returning the grin.

“What did you think when you first saw it?”

“I wasn’t really sure who wrote the letter because the handwriting threw me off.”

“That’s because it took me over fifteen drafts before succumbing to the thought of asking Ashley to write it for me,” he confessed.

“I thought Ashley left right after Christmas?” I said.

“I asked her before she left,” he explained. “When she was done, it then took me over an hour just to write your name exactly the same so you wouldn’t suspect it was from me.”

“Why didn’t you just type it out on your computer and print it out?”

“My printer ran out of ink.”

“Then why go through all this trouble?”

“If I wrote it, I was sure you would know it was from me. And if Amy happened to read it, she’d probably proceed to tease you until she turned blue.”

“Thanks for the consideration and all the trouble you went through, but she already had an idea it was from you.”

“Figures,” he sighed.

“Did Ashley know who you were planning on giving the note to?” I laughed.

“Once I saw the fancy way she wrote the letter, I think she already knew and purposely made it difficult for me to mimic her writing,” he said, looking perturbed.

“Now that I know the gift was from you, can you tell me what the roses mean?” I laughed again.

“Not yet, but I promise I will one day,” he said, his gaze flicking to my neck. “Hey, I’m glad you’re wearing the necklace I gave you. It matches you perfectly. And you look very pretty today.”

“You do too…handsome, I mean. Don’t want to confuse you with a girl now.”

“Funny,” he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “So have any of the girls asked you about the necklace yet?”

“I told them my parents gave it to me for Christmas. Amy doesn’t believe me,” I said with a shrug. “And my mom knows it’s from you.”

“Is that why she was smiling at you last week?”

“She thought it was very sweet of you, but I still feel guilty. And now that I know you got me something else, I feel even guiltier on how much money you probably spent on me.”

“It’s no big deal. Like I said it’s a gift from a friend to another. Speaking of friends, did Aaron ask you out?”

“Oh,” I said, surprised. “Um, he called last night.”

“Then we should get going so you can get ready.”

“Actually we’re not going out tonight. He’s busy with exams this week.”

“Are you and he…?”

“We’re going to next Saturday,” I said. “Why do you want to know?”

“Only curious, that’s all. Hey, I just thought of another thing. You still haven’t redeemed our bet.”

“It’s because the teachers haven’t really let up with piling on the homework this year.”

“Are you free now?” he asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders.

“Yes, but…”

“Then let’s go,” he grinned and pulled me back towards the school to get his car.

 
Chapter 9

Girl Talk

Normally helping a friend shouldn’t be so hard. Unless it’s trying to help calm down a fussy baby. When I entered Amy’s house, the entire family looked exhausted. They all had bags and black circles under their eyes from lack of sleep due to Amy’s one-month old baby sister, Tessa, who has been crying uncontrollably all week. Since they really needed the rest, I had offered to stay during the weekend to help out so they could get that much needed break.

While Amy and her mom went to catch up on some winks, and Matt went to help Amy’s dad move the new couch to the basement, I was busy in the living room trying to console Tessa. From rocking, walking around the room, and even singing softly to her, I finally was able to calm her down. However, just as she was about to doze off, there was a sudden loud boom. Matt and Amy’s dad had dropped the couch. The bang was so deafening, it echoed throughout the house, startling us both. As Tessa started to sob uncontrollably onto my shoulder, her tears soaking through my shirt, I somehow managed to hear the doorbell ringing through her loud cries and went to see who it was.

“Oh, hey, Jacob,” I sighed.

“Hey, Jenna,” he said. “I take it Amy’s new sister is still colicky, huh?”

“How do you know what colicky is?” I asked.

“I was there when Amy was telling you about it,” he said, shutting the front door behind him.

“I guess I must have forgotten about it.”

“Where is Amy anyway?”

“She and her mom are taking a nap.”

“Where’s Matt?”

“He’s helping Amy’s dad move the new leather couch that just came today,” I explained. “I think they might need you to help them downstairs. Oh, baby, ssh. It’s all right.”

“How about I stay here and help you out with Tessa instead?”