The unspoken Rule (8 page)

I quickly extricated myself from Maria, my heart skipping a beat.

Laura.

I looked behind her at my door. Crap. I must've left it open. Why did I do that?

And now she saw
us
during an intimate moment. Could this get any worse?

I spoke, not wanting Maria to get blamed. "Laura, let me explain-"

She put up a hand, stopping me. "How long?"

"Laura, that doesn't ma-"

"I said, how long?" She boomed. Her jaw was set, her breathing rough.

"2 months," I squeaked.

"This," She pointed a finger at Jake, "I could expect from you."

"But you," She stalked up to Maria, furious, "I can't believe it! You're my best friend! We
never
keep things from each other!"

"And you knew the rule, Maria." She took a deep breath. "The unspoken one."

I looked at Maria, wondering what she was talking about. She turned deathly pale.

I stepped between the two girls, not wanting Maria to get yelled at again. "Lay off, Laura."

"But you're my, my, my,
brother.
" She spat my name out like it was disgusting. "And my friend Maria is dating you! And I didn't even know, for two whole
months
!"

She rambled on. "When were you guys gonna tell me, huh? Or was I never part of this happily-ever-after dream?"

"Laura, we were going to tell you, I swear." I stated.

She looked at me as if I said I was Chuck Norris.

"You know what? Just get the hell away from me." Fists clenched, she stalked off.

I sunk to my bed, head in my hands. This was awful. Laura and I had a pretty good relationship, considering we were siblings. Now that she found out about Maria...Well, it probably won't ever be the same.

Who knew what Laura would do when she was this angry.

Oh no.

What if she told Cynthia? If she did then, then...Cynthia probably wouldn't stop short of revenge. She would go all the way, creating chaos if need be.

Or, maybe worse.

Laura would spread news about my relationship with Maria, saying how dorky she was. Of course I didn't think Maria was dorky, but I didn't want her to be made fun of by the student body or anything.

If your sister ever gets this angry, she may always have the upper hand.

Simply put, I saw no solution to this.

Why did I leave the door open?

Maria's POV

Jake was strangely quiet when Laura left. She made me speechless. Of course I remembered the tacit pact we had agreed on when we were little. I had strictly been forbidden from falling in love with Jake. But who listens to the rules, right?

It had been when we were only six years old. We were playing dress up, me the husband, Laura of course, the wife.

"Listen," She had told me as seriously as a six year old could, "Jake isn't to be messed with."

"What do you mean?" I asked, pulling on Laura's dad's oversized shoes.

"I don't wanna tell everyone, but I love Jake as my bubby. And he's off limits to you Ma-ria." She pronounced my name with clear two syllables.

"Why?" I had asked, while she slipped on a play gown.

"Because it'd be silly!" She exclaimed as we looked at each other in the full length mirror. Her father's hat kept slipping down my face, causing my hair to get messier. Laura was dressed in a purple princess gown, wobbling in her mother's heels.

"Okay, I promise." I told her, meaning it.

"You have to pinky promise!"

She held her tiny pinky out expectantly. I slipped mine around hers, closing off the deal.

And we hadn't spoken of it since. To be honest, I didn't even think she still remembered the silly deal. But apparently, she did.

I placed a hand on Jake's shoulder. "Let me talk to her."

"Alright."

I released my hand, and slipped out of his room. I cautiously knocked on her door, and peeked my head inside. She was lying on her bed, hastily shoving chips down her throat. She ate a lot when her more serious emotions were tested.

"Laura," I said as I sat down beside her, carefully pulling the bag of chips away from her.

"I don't wanna hear it." She stated, looking away from me.

"I think you might wanna hear this." I told her. Taking in a deep breath, I said the one thing I knew would please her. No matter how much it would hurt me and Jake.

I loved Jake. With all my heart. As much as I could in the short two months we had been dating. But Laura's friendship was deeply treasured by me. And I didn't want to lose it. I assumed neither would Jake.

"Will you forgive me if Jake and I broke up?"

Maria's POV

Laura's jaw stiffened at my question. It had been the only solution I could think of.

I didn't want to lose Jake, I loved him too much. But Laura, she's my best friend. We had gone through
life
together. No one but her could replace that friendship.

I then realized the depth of the compromise. How could I live without being with Jake? I had gotten to know him and I absolutely adored him. He was sweet, funny, kind, compassionate...My life would be empty without him. There'd be nothing to live for. I wouldn't be truly happy again until Jake and I got back together. If we ever did.

Surely Laura wouldn't make us break up...would she?

She spoke. "Yes, I would."

I felt like my heart had been yanked out. Laura would only forgive us if Jake and I broke up. It had come to this. From happiness with Jake to depression without him. But I would be on good terms with Laura now.

I couldn't help the feeling of loss, though. Tears pricked behind my eyes, threatening to spill out.

"Alright," I told her, rising from her bed and floated back to Jake's room.

"You what?" He cried, after I told him.

I blindly wiped the tears from my face. "Laura's my best friend. I don't want to lose her friendship. I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "I can't believe you did that! We won't really be able to see each other anymore! Let alone hang out! I can't lose you, Maria. I care for you too much."

I sniffled, feeling the same way. "I know, I'm sorry. I'll miss you more than you can ever know." I promised him.

He pulled me into a hug, squeezing the life out of me. His hand supported the back of my head, my tears catching his shoulder. What have I done?

He let go, holding me by my shoulders. He searched my eyes, seeming to memorize them. I stared into his deep blue ones, hating the grim look of them. And I had been the cause of his sadness.

"I love you," He murmured, placing his forehead onto mine.

"I love you too," I whispered back, afraid it would be the last time I could say so.

I let go of him, to his protests. I told him I should go. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I was walking to the front door when he pulled me from behind.

He had me gently around my waist, and his lips had descended upon mine. It was one of the most passionate kisses I had ever received from him. I kissed back, not wanting to stop. But I knew I had to. We eventually pulled away, wondering if we would ever get back together. And so I departed.

Jake's POV

And she was gone.

That little organ in the center of your chest? Yeah, it was hollow. Sometimes I wondered if it was even beating. The following day of classes were a fog. I couldn't stay focused.

I hadn't even talked to Laura. I avoided her, and she avoided me. Why would she be so selfish as to make Maria and I break up? Couldn't she see how happy we were? Couldn't she just get over the fact that we were worried this would happen?

No, of course she wouldn't. Because she was Laura. And she wasn't like that.

So now I hated her more than ever.

Math class soon rolled around. I felt better that at least I'd get to see Maria only for an hour. She sat next to me wordlessly. Her face looked thin and her eyes weren't the same.

What I really wanted to do was to hold her, and kiss her until her face lit up. But I couldn't. For one, we were at school. And two, we weren't dating anymore.

Maria's POV

Lunch was pointless. Laura just sat next to me, as if nothing had happened.

But something
had
taken place. Something major.

Jake and I had broken up! Why couldn't Laura see how unhappy we were?

I'm serious, I had bags under my eyes and my hair was a mess. I couldn't find the motivation to do anything anymore. No reason at all.

"Maria," She said, breaking my thoughts.

I raised my head to look at her.

"What's wrong?"

And so I leaned over across the table, and slapped her. It felt good, to be honest. She knew she deserved much more pain than that.

Her hand flung to her cheek, her skin turning red.

"What was that for?" She cried.

"You know stinkin' well what that was for! Do you have any idea what's going through my mind right now? Do you?"

"No," She whispered, shaking her head.

"I feel like absolute crap. Nothing's worth living for! Nothing! And it's because of you and your selfish ways!"

Laura stared at me, wide eyed.

"I am not the one who prevented her best friend from dating someone she loves! If I had a brother and you went out with him, I would encourage you to do so! I would be
happy
for you. Do you know why? Because you're my
friend
and I want you to be happy."

She listened quietly, her features still coated in shock. "You're right." She muttered.

"But," She continued. "I have a reason why I didn't want you to date him."

I looked at her, confused. "Why?"

"Because I didn't want you to get hurt. I knew what my brother would be like when he got older. That's why we made that pact when we were young. I didn't want you to get played like all the other girls he's dated."