~Kerin
Chapter Two
When Joshua left, I decided to get ready for class myself. I couldn’t do anything elaborate today. It was already 8, and I had to leave at least by 9 to get to class on time. I was showered and almost dress when I heard a knock on the door. I knew it had to be Dylan coming to pick me up. She was my ride on Mondays. I quickly threw on a shirt and went to the door, where Jacob had already answered it in nothing but a towel.
“Seriously Jacob, why don’t you have on any clothes already? You started getting ready before me,” I said.
“I’m waiting for my clothes to dry, because I forgot to turn on the dryer last night,” he said with a smile.
“Idiot,” I said rolling my eyes. He laughed.
“How can you live with all this fine man sexiness on full display like this?” Dylan said walking through the door and gesturing to Jacob.
“Easily I have a boyfriend,” I said.
“Yeah, but your best friend is so much hotter,” she said gesturing to him again.
“Did I ever tell you that I really like you?” Jacob said to Dylan with a smile.
“Well I like you too,” Dylan said with a wink.
“Really?” Jacob said walking closer to her.
“Okay, no stop now. This is not happening. You in my room,” I said pointing to Dylan, “and you go finish getting dress.” I pointed to Jacob. Both smiled and did as they were told.
“For the hundredth time, don’t flirt with Jacob,” I said once Dylan and I were in my room.
“I know because he’s yours,” she said with a sigh.
“No! Because you two are my best friends, and I don’t want to be caught in the middle of something. And can I remind you that I have a boyfriend?”
“Yeah you have a boyfriend but you’re in love with your best friend.”
“Not anymore! I told you. Landon is … great.”
“But do you love him?”
“Umm… we’ve only been dating for 9 months.”
“You could have a baby by now, and that baby should be love, and since you don’t have it, it’s clearly not working.”
“Like it would work with Jacob.”
“You’ve never tried.”
“Seriously this is like déjà vu.”
“Did he tell you he loved you again?”
“Yeah in his jokingly way.”
“Maybe he actually means it. You never know.”
“Except I do know. Now c’mon let’s go before we’re late.”
The whole ride, Dylan didn’t stop talking about the possibility of me and Jacob. When we finally arrived to campus, I was so glad to separate from her, since she had English and I had biology. When I got to class I sat in my usual seat, and then I felt someone walk up behind me.
“Hello beautiful,” they said. I turned around to see Landon with a big smile on his face.
“Hello, I’m glad to see you,” I said with a smile.
“I’m glad to see you too,” he said then he bent down to give me a small kiss, and then took his seat next to me.
“I’ve had an eventful morning,” I said once he was seated.
“Jacob’s girls again?” he asked.
“Surprisingly no.”
“Another fight with Jacob?”
“Yes, and then his brother came by.”
“Another argument?”
“Worst, he accused his brother of being the reason his parents died.”
“Well that’s low even for him.”
“Especially for him. Jacob is such a nice guy.”
“I think he used to be a nice guy, and you continue to hang on to the person he used to be, and it’s time to let go and accept who he really is now.”
“No, he’s better than how he is now. I know that. This is just a phase.”
“Peyton – ”
The professor brought the class to attention. I didn’t see Landon again after biology since we didn’t have any other classes together, but I thought about what he said all day. Had Jacob really changed? He couldn’t have. Sure he slept around and got high and drunk all the time, but then he’d do things that would remind me of the kid he used to be, and why we became friends in the first place. Like when he calls me Emily because when I was younger I thought Peyton was too much of a boy name, or when he comes in my bed and comforts me when it’s a thunderstorm, because I’m still deathly afraid of thunderstorms.
Mondays I always had lunch with Jacob, since Dylan and Landon had classes during this time. It was my turn to pick and I decided to get pizza from Sbarro, and I texted Jacob where to meet me. When he arrived, he looked panic.
“Just play along,” he whispered when he entered.
“Hey Baby!” he said loudly giving me a hug, “I missed you all day.” I saw a blonde girl staring at us from the entrance, before she turned and ran away.
“She’s gone,” I said.
“Oh great,” he said immediately letting me go, “thanks she’s literally been stalking me all day. I don’t even know who she is.”
“Of course you don’t. Why would you?”
“Was that an insult?”
“Only a little bit, because you probably slept with her, but you just don’t remember her. But it was an insult in a jokingly manner, so don’t get upset.”
“Of course not. I love you too much.”
“Yeah of course you do. Look at me, I’m amazing.”
“So you don’t love me too?”
“You know I love you Jacob.”
“Yeah of course you do. Look at me, I’m amazing, but it’s nice to hear you say it.”
“Great! Now that we’ve covered that, it’s your turn so you know what I want, so hop to.” Jacob got up, and looked over to the ordering counter, and then immediately sat back down.
“What’s wrong?” I asked confused.
“Are you sure you want to eat here?” he asked.
“Yeah. Do you not want to eat here?”
“I’d prefer not to.”
“Why? You love pizza.”
“Then maybe we should get it to go, and then go somewhere else.”
“Umm… okay, whatever. Just go order our food.”
“Yeah I can’t.”
“Why not? Is it another one of your girls? Does she work here?”
“Yeah that’s it. I’ll do it next time.” I could tell Jacob was lying but I decided not call him out on it, because whoever was at the counter he really didn’t want them to see him.
“Fine, I’ll go, but you have the next two times,” I said getting up.
“Yeah for sure, “Jacob said getting up and walking over to the door.
“Jacob?” I heard a guy called the counter.
“I’ll meet you outside Emily,” Jacob said ignoring the guy at the counter, and walking out the door. I went over to the counter to place my order.
“I guess your name is Emily,” the guy at the counter said, the same guy that just called after Jacob.
“Oh no, it’s Peyton actually. That’s just a nickname,” I said with a smile.
“Oh you’re Peyton!” he said with huge smile.
“Uhh… yeah and you’re…Paul,” I said looking at his nametag.
“I guess Jacob never mentioned me, but he certainly told me a lot about you.”
“I’m sorry, but how do you and Jacob know each other?”
“Oh we went to St. Michael’s together. We were roommates.”
“Oh! That would be why he never mentioned you. He never talks about his time there.”
“Yeah well… can I take your order now? My shift just ended, and I don’t want to walk out in the middle of your order.”
“Really? You should join us for lunch then.” I knew that Jacob didn’t want to see Paul, but Paul wanted to see him, and I thought that if he talked to Paul, he would be more comfortable talking about his time at St. Michael’s and I could learn what really changed him there.
“You’re sure Jacob wouldn’t mind?
“No, you guys are old friends.” I lied.
“Right, cool sounds great.”
I gave Paul our order, and while it was being fixed, Paul went to grab his stuff. And then once my order was ready, we both walked outside together to find Jacob. He was sitting by the fountain seeming lost in thought, and didn’t noticed us when we approached him.
“Hey Jacob, I hope you don’t mind but I invited Paul to have lunch with us,” I said sitting down. Jacob immediately looked up, and saw Paul sitting next to me.
“Yeah actually I do mind. I think I’m just gonna go,” Jacob said getting up.
“What? Why? Paul said you guys went to school together,” I said.
“Yeah, Jake, don’t you wanna catch up? I didn’t even know you went to school here too,” Paul said.
“I have nothing to say to you,” Jacob said.
“Yeah well maybe I have something to say to you,” Paul said.
“Well I don’t want to hear it,” Jacob said starting to walk away.
“Jacob I’m sorry, but it’s not my fault what they did to you, you could’ve said no,” Paul said. I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Yes it is your fault, if you had just stayed away from me, nothing would’ve happened,” Jacob said.
“Jacob listen – ”Paul tried.
“No shut up. I ask you to stay away from me before, so stay away from me now,” Jacob said before walking away.
“Jacob!” I called after him, but he just keep walking.
“Well that didn’t go as plan,” I said.
“What were you expecting?” Paul asked.
“I’m not sure but not that. I thought you guys would talk about your time at St. Michael’s and I could learn about what happened to Jacob there, and why he can’t talk about it.”
“Well I don’t know why he doesn’t talk about it, but I can tell you what I know.”
“Really?”
“Yeah sure why not?”
“Great!”
“So what do you want to know?”
“I don’t know – everything! What happened between you two?”
“Uhh… it’s complicated.”
“I’m a very smart girl.” He laughed.
“Okay, well so freshmen year Jacob and I were assigned as roommates. At first it was cool, you know he was kind of always on edge, but he was a cool dude, and then he told me about his parents, and then I understood why he was always kind of sad. But started off as a good friendship up until the end of sophomore year.”
“What happened then?”
“Well two things really? One, I’d came out – ”
“Came out of what?”
“As gay.”
“Oh! I’m sorry continue.”
“So yeah, and then I guess the wrong crowd had taken an interest in Jacob for some reason. I guess he was an easy target.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know, but sophomore year Jacob was having a really hard time. He was just really depressed. He would call home almost every day begging his brother to take him home, and I guess they saw him as vulnerable.”
“So what happened?”
“Well, so everyone including this group of guys knew I was gay and Jacob was my friend, but instead of targeting me, they targeted him. They would mock him and throw things at him calling him a fag and all kinds of names. And at first he tried to ignore them, but I could tell it was getting to him. And then one day he just snapped, and he lashed out on me, and of course they were encouraging him. It was like he was trying to prove to them that he wasn’t gay. And then I blacked out, and then the next thing I remember is waking up in the emergency room, and when I got back to school, Jacob was officially in their little crew, and that was the end of our friendship.”
“I don’t understand why he would hang with them then after what they did to him.”
“Yeah I never got that either, but he did. But when I saw him, he never looked happy or like he was having fun. He always looked… scared.”
“Scared?”
“Yeah. I don’t know what else they did to him, but I know Craig, their little leader or whatever was a real bad guy, and whatever they did stuck. Even after Craig and most of the others graduated. Senior year, Jacob was still messed up. That’s when he really started doing the drugs and drinking.”
“And the girls? Or is that something new?”
“Oh no the girls were before the drugs and drinking. I think that was to just further prove he wasn’t gay.”
“Peyton?” I heard someone call my name. I looked up to see Landon walking over to me.
“Oh hey Landon. This is Paul,” I said.
“Yeah I don’t care,” Landon said.
“Landon! Don’t be rude,” I said.
“Yeah maybe I should go, I don’t wanna be late for class,” Paul said getting up, “It was nice talking to you Peyton.”
“Yeah sure we should do it again,” I said.
“Yeah well I’ll see you around,” Paul said walking away.
“Who the hell was that?” Landon said as soon as Paul left.
“I told you that was Paul. What is your problem?” I said.
“Why are you sitting here having lunch with this random guy? I already have to deal with your whole relationship with Jacob, and now you got even more guys you’re… with. What the hell were you doing?”
“Paul is a friend of Jacob, okay? And we were just having lunch.”
“Yeah sure and I’m just supposed to believe that, just like I’m supposed to believe that you and Jacob are just friends.” Landon was starting to really piss me off, so I decided to end this conversation before it really got out of hand.
“Yes you are supposed to trust me okay?” I said calmly getting up, “Now I have class, and I’m gonna go before we do or say something we’ll regret.” I started to walk away.
“I’m starting to regret ever asking you out,” Landon called after me, and I turned around.
“Well I’m starting to regret ever saying yes,” I said before I turned back around and continued to walk away.
I want more 😩
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