Page 34 of Fake It Till You Break It
“What? Sorry, there was… a bee in my face or something.” I coughed and willed my arms and legs to move, but they wouldn’t budge. They just clung on to the metal ladder like useless barnacles.
“Jake?”
I gripped the metal bars and twisted my head back to look up at her. At the same time, she leaned backward a bit so she would be looking directly down at me. Suddenly, I kinda wished I was a little taller. That I could climb up, touch her soft cheek, and kiss her.
DAMN.
I snapped back to reality. What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn’t be thinking about Mia this way. Shouldn’t be. But once the image of kissing her popped in my head, I couldn’t get it out. And I had to physically force myself to pull away from the tiny house. Away from Mia. We needed to getout of here before I ended up doing something that would get my ass kicked.
Not even caring how far I was from the ground by now, I let go of the rungs and jumped.
There was a softthudas she hopped to the ground right beside me. I don’t know if she jumped down too quickly or if her feet were angled the wrong way, but her legs buckled and she swayed. I instinctively reached out and grabbed her. My hands wrapped tightly around her narrow shoulders.
“Thanks. That was weird. I got dizzy for a second.” She held on to the side of my shirt to balance herself and peered up at my face. Her face was inches away from mine. I could see the faint smear of freckles across her cheeks. Just a couple. She used to complain about it all the time when we were kids, especially because no one else we knew had any.
Mia licked her lips, and my grip on her shoulders automatically tightened. Her hand lingered on my side, fingers pressing lightly against my back. A small breeze wafted past me, smelling vaguely of barbecue smoke and daisies. Who could still be barbecuing this late at night?
My brain yelled at me to let go of Mia before I looked crazy, but I didn’t want to. Even though my nerves were on fire, I’d never been so comfortable or relaxed in my life. I just wanted to keep holding her like this forever. I liked holding her.
That bit of information hit me so hard that I automatically let go of Mia and actually backed up a few steps. It knockedthe breath out of me as if I had just been tackled by the football team.
“Ah, shit.”
Mia stopped dusting off her shorts and gave me a funny look. “What?”
“Oh, ah, nothing.” I coughed and nervously scratched the back of my head. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. “I was just saying it would suck if your wish doesn’t come true. You know, shit.”
That was the saddest recovery ever. I could tell by the look on her face that Mia didn’t believe me at all. Instead of calling me out on it, she crossed her arms. “You know, if you really are worried about my wish coming true, then you should pick up the next time Finn calls.”
“Why would you…” My voice trailed off, and I stared at her in amazement. “That’s what you wished for? All those years searching for a meteor, and that’s what you waste it on?”
Instead of answering me, she just tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. A sweet, happy smile that hit me like a bolt of lightning. “Good night, Jake.”
MIA
BY THE TIME JAKEwent home, it was already after 1 a.m. Mom was still asleep so I just crept into my room and got into bed. I tried to go to sleep, but my conversation with Jake kept replaying in my head. Or rather what he didn’t say. The look on his face when I asked him about Finn. The hesitation in his answers. The sadness in his eyes.
He may not have said he wanted to see Finn again, but I could tell that he did. I knew that he did.
Making up my mind, I grabbed my laptop from the floor. Sliding in between my sheets, I opened my laptop and pulled up the unfinished email I had written that afternoon.
Hi, Finn,
It’s been a while! I know you’re probably surprised to hear from me. Especially since we haven’tspoken in over two years since you left. I saw your emails on Jake’s laptop so I just thought I would email you directly to say… How are you?
Okay, that’s not exactly what I wanted to say. But really, how are you? How are things on the cruise ship? Is it all shiny and luxurious? Do you see dolphins and whales all the time? I bet you’re even more tan and gorgeous than before.
Mom and I are doing great. We still live across the street from Jake and your mom and we still go out to eat dim sum every Sunday at Royal House. They renovated last year so it’s bigger now. More space between the tables so the carts don’t knock your elbow quite as much. Definitely enough space for a fifth person if you ever decide to come back to visit…
Since we’re on the subject, are you ever planning to come back? Mrs. Adler misses you like crazy and although Jake doesn’t ever say it, I know he does, too. He’s stubborn, but that just shows that he cares. For example, he doesn’t respond or read any of your emails, but he still kept every single one. That’s something, isn’t it?
Just think about visiting before it’s too late.
—Mia
And that was it. Short and brief. Well, okay, I kind of rambled a bit, but I basically said what I needed to say.
Before I lost my nerve, I hit the Send button and shut my laptop with a sigh. That was it. No turning back. Now I just had to see if and when Finn responded. And then… well, I didn’t really know what would happen next.
