Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
***
The Wednesday evening before the Friday of my date, I had come home late from school to find Ryan, Tarah and Jake sitting in the living room watching television. It was unusual for everyone to be home at once.
I silently waved hello to them without making eye contact and went straight to my room. I was in a pissy mood and had spent the greater part of the walk home angry at myself for obsessing over Jake again. And when Mrs. Ballsworthy told me to “fuck off” on the way in, for the first time, I loudly returned the sentiment; that’s how bad of a mood I was in.
Once in my room, I tore off my clothes and changed into my favorite pink sweatpants and put on a comfortable t-shirt. I was about to start a new book on my Kindle when Jake appeared at the doorway.
He stretched his arms up and touched the top of the threshold. Why did he have to look like a tattooed trophy and smell so good? His shirt rode up, showcasing his washboard stomach as he stood there before me saying, “What…you don’t say hello anymore?”
“Jake, I’m not in the mood.”
He walked slowly toward me. “What’s gotten into you?”
I didn’t say anything in response, so he continued, “Or is the problem that… nothing…or no one…has gotten into you lately?”
I put down my Kindle in shock. That bastard. “What did you just say?”
He held up his hands. “Relax, Nina. It was just a joke! You know, you’re being uptight. Uptight people need to get laid? Just a joke.”
I threw a pillow at him. “Get out.”
He threw it back at me. “Fuck. I was only kidding. You used to appreciate my sick sense of humor,” he said, looking seriously pissed.
“Well, I didn’t think that was funny.”
“Why have you been so weird lately?” he yelled.
“I’m being weird?”
He glared at me. “Yes, Nina, you are.”
I huffed. “Whatever.”
Jake just shook his head before walking out and slamming his bedroom door.
I put my head in my hands regretting what just happened. Was it me? Was I being a bitch to him these past couple of weeks and treating him differently because I somehow felt rejected by him? Did I make the spooning thing out to be something that it wasn’t?
Maybe I needed to control my feelings better, because losing him as a friend was not an option; There were so few people I could count on here in New York, and I needed him in my life.
I immediately got up and was going to walk down the hall to apologize when we knocked right into each other as he was passing my room.
“Ow,” I said rubbing my nose.
He briefly held onto my shoulders. “Watch it there, Speedy.”
“I was actually coming to apologize. I think I have been a little testy lately. I guess I am just stressed out about school and the math exam today.”
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have said that to you, Nina.” His eyes were sincere, and I could tell he meant it.
“It’s okay. I know you were just joking.”
Jake stuck out his hand. “Truce?”
“Truce,” I said, relishing the warmth of his firm grip on my hand and wishing that his idea of a truce involved more than just a handshake, something like…oh…sucking on his bottom lip.
Yeah, I was a lost cause.
He let go of my hand, and we walked down the rest of the hallway to the kitchen together.
Ryan shut off the television that he and Tarah had been watching in the adjacent living room. “Tarah and I are going down to Eleni’s for some grub. You guys wanna come?”
Jake was drinking straight out of an orange juice container when he stopped and looked over at me awaiting my response.
“No, thanks. I am not that hungry…gonna just stay here and read,” I said.
Jake then waved his hand. “Nah, man, I’ll pass too.”
“Okay, ya’ll. Suit yourselves!” Tarah said as she and Ryan left the apartment.
When the door slammed shut, Jake walked over to the sofa and turned on the television. It was a rare sight, since he spent most of his time holed up in his room listening to music. He was channel surfing, spreading his long legs out onto the coffee table and looked over toward the kitchen at me. “Isn’t your test grade supposed to be in by now?”
“Yes.” I smiled guiltily, knowing it was most definitely in. I had been putting off finding out what it was.
“Did you check?”
“No.”
Without saying anything, Jake left and returned from down the hall with his laptop. “Come on, Nina…it’s d-day. I can’t wait to take you on this next one. Is it wrong I’m hoping for a suck-ass grade?”
“Yes…very wrong,” I said as I opened the laptop.
He was rubbing his hands together, in taunting anticipation.
“Are you trying to start a fire with those hands of yours?”