Page 29 of Fake It Till You Break It
God, I don’t know why I brought up Finn like that. That was low. Like I ripped the Band-Aid off his wound and punched it. I knew that was the way to hurt Jake the most.
He was devastated when Finn left. Just retreated into a quiet shell. I’d never seen him like that before. It took monthsfor him to get back to normal. And even now there were times when I would catch him looking over his shoulder as though he expected Finn to still be there. And then a brief flash of sadness would cross his face.
But it stung when Jake pointed out that I had no right being in the theater. I was already embarrassed enough after practicing with Ben. He tried to be nice, but I caught him wincing once or twice when I tried to hit a high note. Then Jake had to come barging in with his insults. Like he’s so high and mighty—
Never mind. Take a deep breath, Mia, and just let it go.
I did some breathing exercises, trying my best to channel Yoda before I apologized to Jake. Well, notapologizeexactly, because he was the one who started it. But I didn’t help it, either, so I figured I would extend the olive branch.
Still, not sure how convincing I would be if I were glaring at him the whole time. Even if it was partially his fault.
I was getting worked up again. Gritting my teeth together, I shook my head to try to calm down. What were those Lamaze breathing things again?Hee, hee, hoo.Or was it threeheesand ahoo?
Great, now I sounded like a freaking Dr. Seuss book.
The bell rang, and Mrs. Lacey started to wipe the board clean. “Okay, remember I’ll be out for the next few days. I have to go to my cousin’s wedding in Boston, but I left plenty of assignments behind for the substitute teacher so don’t thinkyou can goof off. You’ll have the test when I get back so work hard.”
Crap. I’d drifted off again. I glanced around to find someone to get the study assignment from, but half of the class was already herding out the door.
Thankfully I was able to grab the problems’ numbers from Mindy Lee right before she ran off to PE. After tucking my binder in my bag, I hurried down the hall toward Jake’s locker. He wasn’t there yet, so I ducked behind the classroom door nearby.
Letting out a deep breath, I rehearsed what I was going to say to Jake when he finally showed up. Keep things light. Maybe open up with a joke or two. The one about the dentist and doctor who walked into a bar was pretty funny. Or maybe—
A hand clasped onto my shoulder hard, and I jumped nearly a foot into the air. My arms waved around. “I know karate, so back off!”
“Mia?”
Not even sure when I squeezed my eyes shut, I blinked and dropped my arm. “Oh, hi, Rose.”
She laughed and leaned against the wall beside me. Her manicured nails tapped against the edge of her English book. “What are you doing?”
Blinking rapidly, I attempted to look nonchalant. “Just, you know, hanging out.”
“Behind a door?” With a half smirk, Rose shot a knowingglance toward Jake’s locker. “If you were looking for Jake, you just missed him.”
Now it was my turn to laugh, although it sounded pretty half-hearted. I tugged at the strap of my book bag. “No, why would you think I’m looking for him? I’m just reading the flyers on the bulletin board. Dance team’s audition is next week, you know. But, hmm, if I were looking for him, do you know where he went?”
“Not sure. I just saw him drive off at lunch.”
Whoa, Jake cut school? He’s never done that before. Something must have really been bothering him. My chest felt heavy with guilt. I hoped it wasn’t because of the Finn thing.
Rose poked my arm. “Can I ask you something?”
“Uh, okay.”
Her blue eyes sparkled with amusement. “Tell me the truth… do you really know karate?”
“Sure, I do! I have a black belt.” My hands rose, and I pretended to karate chop the air. “From Macy’s. Michael Kors’s fall collection. Sixty percent off.”
She laughed and linked her arm through mine, tugging me toward the door. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, did Jake ever tell you anything about the music festival next week? It’s for new and up-and-coming musicians.”
“And?”
“And he’s just being an idiot about the whole thing.”
I snorted. “Typical Jake.”
“Basically.” Rose rolled her eyes. “I’m friends with Kathy, the coordinator, and was able to get him a spot performing. The problem is I don’t know if he’s actually serious about giving up music or if he’s just being stubborn.”
