Page 108 of Withered

Tonight just got better, and I go to sleep with a content smile, replaying the same steamy kiss in my mind.

Mondaymorningisthesame as any other, except for the text that popped up on my phone screen. It's a basic text, nothing fancy, but it makes me smile like a fool.

Jake:Get that pretty little ass off the bed. Picking you up in an hour.

As asked, I get up, get dressed, and wait for him downstairs.

He picks me up, and we drive to school in silence. Neither of us speak, just a comfortable silence, and my mind wanders off to yesterday’s event. Jake did well, except for one thing.

I don’t want it to bother me, but it creeps up on me, sneaks inside, and devours me. Even thinking about it forms a tight knot in my throat, making my tongue dry as sand.

“She is a good friend,”Jake’s words echo.

I try to shake it off by staring outside the window, strangers happily crossing streets, the sky above, the earth beneath, but the voice remains. It simply lingers.

I don’t want to spoil the mood, but I seek answers. He says I’m a good friend, which is good for us that we’re on the first step, but then why all the affection? Why cross that line? Why kiss me and do all the other things that we did?

I was so busy in my thoughts that I didn’t notice the car had stopped and Jake's staring at me.

“Are you okay?” Jake asks.

“Yeah. Sorry, I was thinking about some homework,” I lie. Because that’s all I can do for now.

His expression reveals he knows I’m lying. It must be written all over my face. I hate lying, and I hate it so much that I can’t even pretend.

“You sure?” He asks, raising his brow.

“Yes,” I simply state, getting out of the car

Jake also gets out and starts walking in front of me. I halt and watch his back.

When he notices I’m not following, he turns around. I avoid his gaze by looking down, suddenly finding my shoes nice. He comes closer and pulls my chin up.

I sigh and ask for the unavoidable. “What are we, Jake?”

“This is about yesterday, isn’t it?” I nod as I try to avoid Jake’s eyes. If he knows what I’m thinking, why doesn’t he just say it?

I never dated because I didn’t want to fool around. I'm looking for something genuine and serious. But if Jake has other ideas, he better find someone else to play with. I can’t and won’t be the one to toy around with.

Kristy always wants me to date someone, but seriously, what’s the point when I don’t like them? Worse, even if I pretend, I’ll only lead the other person on. That’s twisted.

Why should I play with someone else if I don’t want to be played?

So I ask him again. “What’s this between us?”

He avoids my eyes, turns around, and leaves without answering.

Tears pool in my eyes. I got played by a boy. Something I never expected to happen happened.

Shoes cloud my blurry vision, and I look up to see Jake watching me with an unknown emotion. Before I could process it all, he grabs the back of my neck and stops at my lips.

He whispers, “Nothing,” and then kisses me.He’s right.There’s nothing between us. Not even air.

The more I think about it, the more confusing it gets. He says nothing, and the very next moment, he leaves me alone in the parking lot. Since he parked the car a little far away, only some students could see us.

Wiping my cheeks, I enter the school, and instead of going to my locker, I make a run for the restroom.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror reminds me of how stupid I am. I should never have gone near him. But I did, and it got me here, with mascara smearing down my cheeks and my eyes red and puffy.

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