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Authors: Sariah Wilson
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enough to be falling for it. Again. Flirting was as normal and natural for Jake as being a slob was for me. I felt so incredibly stupid to be taken in by it. He was trying to charm me into doing the work for him. I was so, so dumb.
"You want me to do the entire project?" I asked. I wanted so much to have misunderstood, to have been so Jake-crazy that I hadn't heard him clearly.
He nodded and rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. Yesterday he had asked me to lie for him. Today he was asking for the same thing. I thought I'd made my position on lying for Jake Kingston pretty clear. Obviously, I hadn't. I pulled my hand free of his.
Was this really how he was going to play this? Was he actually going to sit there and pretend like he hadn't been a jerk to me yesterday and that it was okay for him to try and use me now? What had I done that made him think I would lie for him?
It made me sad to think that even a few days ago I would have been ecstatic about this assignment, and now all I wanted was to stay as far away from Jake Kingston and his slimy ways as I possibly could.
"I don't think so."
"What?" he asked, that smile frozen on his face. I realized it didn't reach his eyes. He had been trying to play me. Double jerk.
"Oh, does that usually work for you? You bat your eyelashes and girls just do whatever you want?"
I could see from his surprised expression that yes, that was exactly what normally happened. I couldn't believe he thought he could just flirt and be charming and I'd do the whole project for him.
"Even if that is what normally happens, I am not doing all the work for you. You will do your fair share or my name will be the only one on it."
"I wasn't trying to be like that," he protested, even though that was exactly how he was trying to be. "I'm just really busy with school and football practice and running for president and you…"
"Yes, as you've already pointed out I'm the pathetic loser who doesn't care about this school and doesn't have anything going on in her life."
"Hold on, I never said anything like that to you."
He hadn't. I was definitely putting words in his mouth because I was mad. "It doesn't matter. You still have to do your half of the assignment." I looked up at the clock on the wall. Our ten-minute planning session was nearly done. I felt sick to my stomach, and I wanted to get away from Jake. It might have been the cowardly move, but I didn't want to sit behind him for the next forty minutes.
And if he was trying to get me to do the entire assignment by myself, odds were good that he had no intention of actually reading the book. Or downloading the movie. I'd have to take one for the team here if I wanted him to do his half of the project. "Look, I'll be watching the movie at my house today at 3:30. You can come over and watch it with me." I thought that was very big of me, especially considering the stunt he had just pulled.
"Won't that be a little weird with…"
And, as always, it all came back to my stepsister. I shoved my notebook into my bag. "Ella won't be home until later on. She took someone's shift at work."
I stood up and looked down at him. "Come, don't come. I don't care. But if I do all the work, I'm taking all the credit."
"Did you need something, Ms. Lowe?" Ms. Aprils asked me once she looked up from the Mark Twain autobiography that I was sure she had already read a million times.
"Yes," I looked back down at Jake. "I need a note to go to the nurse's office. I suddenly feel like I'm going to puke."
Chapter 8
My father had been asked to make an appearance at a local art gallery opening as a favor to a friend and Ella was at work. Which left me home alone.
And I felt completely torn between desperately wanting Jake to come over and desperately wanting him to stay away.
I should have done something to occupy myself, but I couldn't manage to concentrate on anything. I just sat there pathetically on the couch and waited. Watched the small hand on the clock
"You want me to do the entire project?" I asked. I wanted so much to have misunderstood, to have been so Jake-crazy that I hadn't heard him clearly.
He nodded and rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. Yesterday he had asked me to lie for him. Today he was asking for the same thing. I thought I'd made my position on lying for Jake Kingston pretty clear. Obviously, I hadn't. I pulled my hand free of his.
Was this really how he was going to play this? Was he actually going to sit there and pretend like he hadn't been a jerk to me yesterday and that it was okay for him to try and use me now? What had I done that made him think I would lie for him?
It made me sad to think that even a few days ago I would have been ecstatic about this assignment, and now all I wanted was to stay as far away from Jake Kingston and his slimy ways as I possibly could.
"I don't think so."
"What?" he asked, that smile frozen on his face. I realized it didn't reach his eyes. He had been trying to play me. Double jerk.
"Oh, does that usually work for you? You bat your eyelashes and girls just do whatever you want?"
I could see from his surprised expression that yes, that was exactly what normally happened. I couldn't believe he thought he could just flirt and be charming and I'd do the whole project for him.
"Even if that is what normally happens, I am not doing all the work for you. You will do your fair share or my name will be the only one on it."
"I wasn't trying to be like that," he protested, even though that was exactly how he was trying to be. "I'm just really busy with school and football practice and running for president and you…"
"Yes, as you've already pointed out I'm the pathetic loser who doesn't care about this school and doesn't have anything going on in her life."
"Hold on, I never said anything like that to you."
He hadn't. I was definitely putting words in his mouth because I was mad. "It doesn't matter. You still have to do your half of the assignment." I looked up at the clock on the wall. Our ten-minute planning session was nearly done. I felt sick to my stomach, and I wanted to get away from Jake. It might have been the cowardly move, but I didn't want to sit behind him for the next forty minutes.
And if he was trying to get me to do the entire assignment by myself, odds were good that he had no intention of actually reading the book. Or downloading the movie. I'd have to take one for the team here if I wanted him to do his half of the project. "Look, I'll be watching the movie at my house today at 3:30. You can come over and watch it with me." I thought that was very big of me, especially considering the stunt he had just pulled.
"Won't that be a little weird with…"
And, as always, it all came back to my stepsister. I shoved my notebook into my bag. "Ella won't be home until later on. She took someone's shift at work."
I stood up and looked down at him. "Come, don't come. I don't care. But if I do all the work, I'm taking all the credit."
"Did you need something, Ms. Lowe?" Ms. Aprils asked me once she looked up from the Mark Twain autobiography that I was sure she had already read a million times.
"Yes," I looked back down at Jake. "I need a note to go to the nurse's office. I suddenly feel like I'm going to puke."
Chapter 8
My father had been asked to make an appearance at a local art gallery opening as a favor to a friend and Ella was at work. Which left me home alone.
And I felt completely torn between desperately wanting Jake to come over and desperately wanting him to stay away.
I should have done something to occupy myself, but I couldn't manage to concentrate on anything. I just sat there pathetically on the couch and waited. Watched the small hand on the clock
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