Chapter 12 No One Saw That Coming. No One.
No One Saw That Coming. No One.
A week passes, and Jake’s mood is still the same. He makes an effort not to be a downer around me, but he’s always distancing himself. I mean, I would be suffering too.
I tease him, and sometimes he smiles, but then returns to the mood.
I don’t like him like this. Not because I care or anything, but because usually it’s the other way around, you know. I’m the moody and non-responsive one, and he annoys me until I regrettably smile…
So when Friday arrives, I go to the library with a mission.
Jake’s already there.
“Good morning!” I exclaim.
“You’re disgustingly happy.” He says melancholic.
“I’m going to a club for the first time.”
I don’t even know why I am so excited.
“Really? You’ve never been to one?”
“No, West, I’m a minor, how could I have been to one?” I throw his way, and I see him struggling not to break loose his smirk.
“Some other people find their ways…” He shrugs absentmindedly.
“And you wouldn’t happen to know these people, now would you?”
He scoffs as though it’s freakishly obvious.
“Brown, I am the people. The first time I went to a club, I must have been around fourteen.” He stops what he’s doing just to emphasize. “And yeah, I am that good.”
“I knew you couldn’t resist bragging about yourself. It’s stronger than you.” I pass him by, a pile of books in my hands.
“Whatever. Have you thought about what song we’re singing?”
“I have actually, and it’s a classic…” He frowns, waiting for me, and I restrain myself from doing jazz hands. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee!”
“Yeah, that seems about right.”
“What, why?”
“Old and underestimated, like your soul.” He crosses his arms, and was that a compliment? I can’t tell…
“Thank you?” I decide to answer, and he can’t help but break out his once-in-a-lifetime smile, smile lines accentuating his cheeks. The kind of smile that imprints in your brain and blesses your dreams…
No comments.
“I have to go.” I drop the books on the round table and move to the door.
“What, why?” He asks in the distance.
“Because! I- I have to get ready for tonight!”
“But Brown- It’s only five!”
I hear him say, just as I shut the door.
The summer heat hits me in the face just like his smile did.
Why did that happen? I’ve seen that smile a couple of hundred times, more than I can count, and usually at several other girls. It’s like a drug, but I have never taken an interest…
Huh… Yet another thing to overthink tonight…
As soon as I set foot inside the house, I feel myself getting dragged upstairs.
“It’s makeover time!”
“Oh no…” I don’t know why I argue. I end up beautiful from Allison’s makeovers, but I guess I’m too stubborn.
My dad says I get it from my mother. The last thing I want is to be compared to her.
I’m confident about everything except her.
When someone mentions her, I turn tense and feel so much hate with the tiniest bit of love inside.
After all, she abandoned us when I was nine and when Lindsey was just three…
One day I was in the living room with my sister, and the next thing I knew, my mother, who was talking with my dad in the kitchen, came to us and said goodbye and left.
That’s why I hate being stubborn, I hate having a short temper, I hate my natural waves in my hair, and lastly, I hate how these are the only things I have to remember her by.
I burned and cut all the photos that existed in the house with her face.
I got scared that my dad would be mad at me, but instead he made me promise that I wouldn’t do that again and hugged me. And then I had a massive meltdown.
Allison noticed my face and knew exactly what I was thinking about.
“Mads… I’m sorry, you said you didn’t want makeup-”
“It’s fine.”
I decide to push my feelings aside. I’ve been doing this since the meltdown, and that happened one month after she left. Haven’t cried about her ever since, and I’m glad I managed to stay away from my feelings.
Alls is worried and keeps looking at me the whole time with an apologetic look.
“Can you pass me the straightener?” I press a smile with my lips, and she nods reluctantly.
Off with the waves… Just like every day since I was nine.
Allison leaves me alone, making up the excuse of having to go tell my dad something, but really, she knows I need my alone time right now.
As the iron flattens my hair, I feel my eyes overflowing.
Don’t cry because it happened, smile because it’s over, right?
I look up, stopping my eyes from watering even more.
This is not the mentality for tonight. Tonight is about having fun! And putting yourself out there! Yay…
I bring myself downstairs and walk into my dad’s and Allison’s hushed conversation. I don’t have time to ask them about it because my dad’s hand flies to his mouth.
“Oh Maddie…”
“Dad, stop, come on…” I look down, embarrassed. “Stop making it a big deal, I’m going now.” I move to the door, so I don’t have to see my dad crying.
“I’m okay, Maddie, come back!”
I return just to see exactly what I was afraid of. That look.
“You look…” Like her, I can see it in his eyes. “Beautiful, honey.” He ends up saying.
“Thanks, Dad. I think we should be going… Alls?” She gets herself off the chair, sensing the undertone between us.
“No drinking, no coming too late, and lastly, have fun.”
“Bye, Mr. B!” Allison responds, and we get out of the door. We reach the gate and find the boys already waiting on the other side.
“Howdy, y’all ready for some fun?” Allison shouts in the most exaggerated southern accent ever.
“Again, we’re still in New Jersey.” I add from behind her.
“Again, I’ve seen at least three farms in this town.” She points at me, and I roll my eyes.
I turn to the boys, and Jake’s taking me in. I look down at my clothes and start to overthink them. Wait, I’m dressed fine, I should be looking at him. He’s wearing a white shirt and some beige shorts, basic but pretty.
“Who knew you owned something other than t-shirts?” I cross my arms, not letting his eyes trailing my skin get to me.
“Right back at you, Brown.” He places his hands in his pockets and smiles a contented smile at me.
I break his eyes from mine and grab Allison’s arm, lightly squeezing it.
“It’s okay, we’re gonna have fun!” She whispers so the boys can’t hear.
I nod to convince myself.
We all make our way to the club that’s located three stores to the right of the library.
When we get there, I can already hear the music.
Like a G6 by Far East Movement is playing, and Allison doesn’t let me pout.
She grabs my arm and brings me to the middle of the dance floor.
It’s pretty dark with different colors appearing now and then.
It’s a square room with speakers everywhere.
We can get to the counter if we go straight ahead, and the rest is a dance floor, with a DJ booth on the left wall.
The song vibrates through my body, and I can’t help but feel at home. I take a peek at Jake, and he’s staring at me, which is weird, so I whip my head away from his look.
When the song ends, Allison and I go to meet the boys, and the DJ announces, “Since it’s the beginning of the night and most of you are still conscious and sober, let’s play a slow!”
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran starts playing, and I stand, looking around awkwardly.
I love this song.
As if reading my mind, Jake arches an eyebrow, grabs my hand, and drags me to the dance floor.
“What are you d-”
“For once in your life, please don’t argue, Brown.” He says, chuckling.
“Since you said please…” I feign annoyance and, without knowing why, let him take me.
He moves his hands to my waist, a safe place, without breaking eye contact, and I instinctively put my hands around his neck.
He is just so- Frustrating and- Intoxicating.
This time, I don’t scold myself for thinking this.
I can’t really allow that kind of mess into my brain with the song playing through my whole body.
There are a lot of people on the dance floor, but in this moment, there’s just me and him, and just for a moment, I forget that I’m not supposed to be this close to him, because he doesn’t see me that way.
He still likes Amanda a lot, and that’s why I’m giving him this favor. I feel sorry for him.
I keep that thought in the back of my mind. He sways me through the song, making me spin and so many other things, and I hate to admit that I love every minute of it. Damn him. He has a look of adoration in his eyes, and I just smile.
It’s just the thrill of the chase.
I push those thoughts away, I have to.
Time seems to have frozen. And by the time I notice, every second we inch closer and closer and closer, I can feel his breath…
His eyes struggle from my eyes to below them, and- What the- Someone bumps into me and…
It’s Allison. She’s making questionable moves along with Riden, and it’s not like they are not enjoying it.
I see that the slow has gone a long time ago and turned to a more upbeat song, also known as S&M by Rihanna, which is already more than halfway.
Just how long did I dance with him?
I realize what I have done. I need to get away from him. God, what was I thinking?
I grab Allison’s hand and take her far away from Riden, leaving him with Jake.
Well, it’s not like Jake minded it one bit.
He already has a girl dancing practically glued to him, rubbing against him, and his signature smirk is gigantic.
Of course. Of course, I was just a dance he was ready to finish, just to start a different one.
His little womanizer self just couldn’t stay satisfied with one girl and one dance.