by CJ Adler
I break out into a smile of my own at hearing that.
“I'm so confused,” Troy puffs, not bothering to question it further. “Just tell me why he is here,” he demands, gesturing to Blubber who has now helped himself to a massive bowl of cereal.
“Not that it's any of your business but we're apparently babysitting him,” I answer.
Troy immediately bursts out laughing. “Too funny!” He grins, another laugh emanating from him. “BroJay I get, but you babysitting? I can't even.” He trails off to laugh again.
“Oh, shut up, Troy! It's not that unbelievable,” I defend myself in spite of him being right…for once.
“Oh, it really is,” he replies as he fishes his phone out his back pocket. “So putting this on Twitter, gotta keep my 'Team Troy' followers updated.”
I roll my eyes at how lame he is. If he only knew…
“What kind of cereal is this? It tastes funny,” Blubber pipes up as gobbles down all the food he can find.
“Dog food,” Jay answers, disgust written all over his face. “You're eating Slobber's food. Aqueela gives it to him with milk because he's still so small. It's softer with milk.”
You'd think Blubber would spit the food out upon hearing that but the kid merely shrugs before finishing off the bowl. I really do feel for the poor girl who ends up with him one day, if that day even exists.
“Aqueela!” Bells whines, purposely using a high-pitched tone to capture my attention. She knows I hate that voice. “Are you going to prom or are you going to prom?” She is always in her element when it comes to prom and dances and all that other cheesy stuff schools tend to host.
I glance at Jay. He hasn't asked me to prom. “It's up to Jay,” I tell Bells, waiting for Jay's response.
“You mean to tell me that your own boyfriend hasn't even asked you to prom yet?” Bells asks, dumbfounded, as she turns to glower at Jay accusingly. “You better ask her right here, right now,” she demands, determined to get me to go with her.
Bell is the only person alive that seems to petrify Jay.
Jay's eyes find mine upon hearing Bell's ruthless demands. “I still wanted to talk to you about that—”
“What do you think of this dress? Do you think Max will like it?” Bells asks, unintentionally cutting Jay off. She takes out a dark blue dress from her shopping bag and dangles it right in front of me.
“It will bring out your eyes. Besides, Max loves anything you have on. Now put a sock in it. Jay was talking,” I answer quickly, giving her my honest opinion as I turn back to Jay.
“Oh, I'm so sorry!” Bells exclaims as she throws her arms around Jay apologetically, bringing him in for a friendly hug. “How rude of me! I didn't mean to cut you off. I just got all excited about prom and graduation and I can't help but be overzealous…” she continues on ranting as both Jay and I zone out.
Jay, facing me, mouths the word 'help' as he patiently waits for Bells to release him from her deadly embrace. Any sudden movements might trigger another one of her eruptions.
I pull Bells off of Jay. “Okay, enough of that.”
Jay ceases the opportunity to continue on with what he was trying to tell me before being interrupted. “I would love to take you to prom, Aqueela, despite prom not really being my scene. Still, I'd go for you. The only problem is that the racing championships is on the same night.”
My spirit deflates a little at his words. Prom is one of the last events where we'll both still be present. I don't know what plans he has for after school.
Jay must see my face fall because he's quick to apologize, trying to makeamends. “I'm sorry, Aqueela. I would have taken you.”
I wave it off casually, already over it. “It's okay. I understand. I know you love your racing and I know you've been talking about championships for a long time,” I tell him, choosing to support him in this. “Prom is stupid anyway.”
“Nooo!” Bells wails in dismay. “Aqueela, you have to come, with or without Jay. Troy can be your date,” she suggests.
“I'd rather gouge out my eyes with a spoon.” I pull a face at her suggestion, repulsed with the idea of Troy taking me. He'd probably spend the entire night looking at himself in a mirror.
“Fat chance,” Troy snorts. “I mean, have you seen me?! I'm too good for her, way out of her league. No one will believe it.”
Classy, Troy, real classy.
Bells sees that I don't approve of her idea and comes up with another.
“Then take Grey.”
Grey, really? He'd spend all night scowling at me, wishing death upon me.
“He'll be at the championships too,” Jay mutters, a glimmer of irritation passing through his eyes.
“Take Benley. He seems to like you enough,” Bells keeps on going, completely missing the spark of anger building up within Jay.
“Or me!” Blubber chips in, shamelessly eavesdropping. “Take me.”
“In all honesty, if I were to go without Jay, I'd go with Benley. He's the easiest to deal with. I can control him the best,” I admit.
“Standing right here,” Jay reminds me, his face dropping as a flash of hurt passes through his eyes.
“But,” I continue, “Jay's my forever and if he's not going, then neither am I.”
Jay nods, satisfied. “Better.”
I glance up at Jay with a breezy smile. “Let's face it, I go where you go,” I say, holding his gaze.
“You suck.” Bells pouts, unhappy. “But I do get it. I'd probably do the same for Max,” she admits. “See you when I see you, babe.” She waves at us as she and Troy leave out the back door.
“Why'd they leave out the back door?” I ask aloud. Jay shrugs. “Beats me. They're your friends.”
“True,” I agree.
“Did you mean that?” he asks quietly, looking vulnerable.
“Of course. Is that even a question? I want to support you at championships. I meant it when I said that I'd miss prom for you. I want to be there for you. I want to cheer your name when you win and I want to see Xavier's face when you beat him. More importantly, I want to mock Grey when he comes in third again,” I answer, sincere.
Jay smiles his rare kilowatt smile, the one that always knocks me breathless.
“You're amazing,” he says softly as I get lost in his beautiful eyes. “I'll always support you,” I tell him, meaning it.
“I know.”
“Would you two cut the gooey stuff and make me a damn sandwich already? Still starving over here!” Blubber complains, completely ruining the moment.
Chapter 57
Conflict Resolution
I take another spoonful of my bubblegum ice cream and continue to stare, captivated, from around the corner of his bedroom. His door is slightly ajar, allowing me to watch him as he continues working out, his toned muscles on full display for me to drool over.
“Aqueela! I need your opinion, how do I look for toni—”
“Ssh!” I shush Bells and slap a hand over her mouth before Jay hears her. Fortunately, he has his music playing loud but, still, wouldn't want to risk it. The chance to spy on him doing push-ups is well worth it.
Bells frowns from beneath my hand, unimpressed. She swats my hand away, both brows raised, before curiously asking, “What are we looking at?”
I place my finger against my lips as a sign to keep it down before nodding at Jay's room where Jay is currently doing sit-ups. He prefers to work out shirtless, not that I'm complaining. It only benefits me. I literally cannot think of any cons to it.
I keep my gaze set on him as I take another spoonful of my ice cream from the plastic cup. Jay's washboard abs have me spellbound. I might as well be in a trance seeing as it's just about impossible for me to tear my eyes away from the view. He's gorgeous.
“Oh,” Bell replies as her own eyes land on Jay.
Now she's getting the gist of things: Aqueela spying on her boyfriend. I'm within my rights though. I am dating him.
“You're being a creep,” Bell scolds
despite her own eyes still glued on him.
“Wow,” is all she manages to say, nodding approvingly at the compelling sight ahead of us.
I nod, agreeing, my spoon dangling from my mouth. “Mhm, I know, I know,” I reply back quietly as I remove the spoon from my mouth. “He's not just easy on the eyes.”
“I see why you were so eager to snag him up now,” Bells jokes. “You landed yourself quite a catch,” she states absentmindedly, the both of us still engrossed by him. “Why's he so intense today anyway?” she asks, having noticed.
I could ask her the same question but I already know it's because she's stressing about prom tonight. I really don't understand why—she always looks beautiful. I'm sure Max will match it with his try-hard-to-be-an-eligible-bachelor concoction of an outfit.
“It's state championships tonight,” I answer. “He won't admit it but he's anxious about it. He's been taking it out on the weights all day and he's run around the block at least seven times. He's 'angry' working out, that's what I call it anyway. I'm a little worried. I know how he feels about his racing. If he loses to Xavier, it will kill him. I just want him to stay focused and do his best. His best is good enough; I just hope he knows that too.”
Jay's extremely competitive and insecure at the same time. I don't want him to lose and then give up on himself or racing.
“Then tell him that,” Bell lectures me. “Believe me, it will be worth it. You don't want to lose…that,” she emphasizes as if unable to find any other words worthy enough to describe him in this moment.
She's right.
I tear my eyes away from Jay and glance at my friend's appearance to see that she's wearing that dark blue dress of hers. It really does bring out the blue in her eyes. Her thick curls are left hanging around her shoulders and she has that serene look about her that Max and any other guy would drop dead for.
“You look stunning, Bells,” I tell her truthfully. “You're going to have a blast.”
“Thanks.” She spares me a smile, pleased that I finally said something about her appearance.
“You two are rather loud.”
Bell's head snaps up nervously at hearing his voice. She's the last one who should be intimidated by him and all his glory. Jay is wary of Bells, not that he will ever admit to it. I can see the fear in his eyes whenever she's around. Bells is merciless when angered. Nonetheless, it's entertaining to watch him squirm every now and again.
I look up to see Jay lazily leaning against his door frame, his muscular arms crossed over his bare chest. He has a frown on his face and an accusing look to his electric blue eyes.
“'Sup, JJ!” I chirp ecstatically. “What's up? We're…” I motion from Bells and then to me, “…just chilling, lounging around, kicking back and all that other non-suspicious stuff.”
Bells shakes her head at me. “Way to play it cool, Aqueels.”
Jay shifts defiantly in his stance before resting one of his arms against the door frame, leaning down toward us as a result. “Were you two really spying on me?” he asks in an icy tone, one that has Bells stepping back in terror. I, on the other hand, am not fazed by him.
Bells nudges me, wanting me to answer him seeing as it's not really her place to do so. He wasn't really asking Bells. He's too irritated with me to even take her presence into account. That question was directed at me.
Judging by Bell's reaction, it's clear that she's never seen this stone-cold side to Jay. I have; it's how I met him. When he's in a dark place, as expected of anyone, he's prone to be a total jerk.
“Maybe,” I answer as I blink up at him innocently. “Possibly.”
He releases a tense breath before tipping his face to the ceiling, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He glances back down at me once he's composed himself, successfully managing to keep his temper intact. “I told you not to interrupt or disturb me today. I'm busy,” he grinds out harshly, his jaw clenched.
“Sorry,” I apologize. “But you did say that I could watch you train if I went on that stupid run with you. Technically, I'm entitled to watch you. It was part of the agreement. As I recall, I fainted for you,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.
He releases a string of curse words under his breath. He's doing his best in trying to prevent himself from blowing up on me. I watch him carefully as he reaches up to run his fingers through his damp, brown hair, his gaze still locked on me as he towers over me threateningly. “You annoy me.”
I don't favor conflict. I resort to my safe haven instead: witty remarks. “In what way?” I grin, unknowingly pushing him past his limits.
Bell glares at me in warning, her eyes sending me a very clear message: shut the hell up.
His hand leaves his hair in a messy disarray—his wet hair falling flat against his forehead beneath his fingertips, sweeping just above those piercing blue eyes of his as he gives me an accusing look. “I don't have time for distractions, Aqueela,” he mutters, an edge to his tone, before slamming the door shut in our faces.
“No! Don't shut the door! That's the worst thing you can do!” I shout at him from outside his room. “I demand you open this door right now or I will kick it down!” I threaten him, only to be met by complete silence from his end.
He's ignoring me. He's calling my bluff.
“Should I be scared?” Bells asks me, her voice a mere whisper. “'Cause my hands are kind of shaking,” she admits. “I didn't know he could be so…”
“Mean?” I help her out.
“Yeah.” She nods. “He's usually always so laid-back and chill with everyone, especially you, in spite of us sometimes taking advantage over his house and his property and basically everything he owns. Maybe he's finally cracked under all the pressure.”
He's only 'mean' because he's stressed out about tonight. I'm trying to tolerate his rudeness but it's becoming difficult to justify. I need to be level-headed and understand where he's coming from. He's not in a good place right now.
I brush off Bell's words and begin pounding on his door with my fists. “Don't be mad at us and take out your anxiety on us! I'm trying to be a supportive girlfriend here but that's difficult to do when my boyfriend is being a complete jerk. It's your fault in any case for having perfect genes and for being undeniably attractive in every way possible! You wanted to be hot, now deal with the consequences!” I shout halfheartedly, still hung up on his horrible attitude. It stings because it's not the Jay I know.
I'm running on a short fuse. His blatant rudeness hurts. I wasn't anticipating such a reaction from him over something so small. It's not often that he lashes out and when he does, it always catches me by surprise. I hate, officially despise, fighting with him.
Bells rolls her eyes at me. “You say it like he chose to be good-looking.”
“Are you two talking about me behind my back again?” Max asks with a sly smirk, finally joining us. Oog must have let him in. He's obviously here to pick up Bells for prom.
Mills actually cleans up rather nicely. The tux he's wearing suggests that he actually made the effort for Bells. I have to smile a little at the thought. They're a cute couple.
“Don't flatter yourself,” I scoff. “Now put a sock in it or I will do it for you!” I snap at him for no apparent reason. It's the frustration building up from the inside. I blame Jay.
Max's eyes widen as he takes a step back from me. He holds Bells in front of him, using her as a shield. “Jeez. It was a joke. Why so uptight?” Before I can answer, he turns to Bells for an explanation. “Is it her time of the month again?”
My mouth falls agape at his question as I reach forward to attack him, only for Bells to push me back, defending her stupid boyfriend.
“Wait, wait, wait! I got it now! You're pregnant, aren't you?!” Max asks in an enthusiastic voice. “I'm going to be an uncle! Uncle Max Mills — M&Ms — the cool uncle!”
I narrow my eyes into seething daggers before moving my eyes back to Bells. “I'm going to hit him,” I warn her.
“But it's Max,” Bells whines as she stands in front of him protectively. “You love Max,” she reminds me.
I only love him sometimes; this is not one of those times.
I glower up at Max again and cross my arms over my chest to come across as more intimidating—Jay's influence. “I will drop-kick your ass to hell and back, Max. I'm serious, back off.”
“Definitely pregnant.” Max nods as if to confirm his own bizarre theory.
“I'm not pregnant, you idiot.” I breathe out angrily, trying to restrain myself from killing him.
Max's face falls at my words as if actually disappointed. “Aww, man.” He mopes. “Why the hell not?” He pouts, actually having the nerve to ask me that. “I wanted to be an uncle!” he protests as if I'm somehow in the wrong.
“Why do you think?! The answer is pretty obvious,” I state, annoyed. Does he really want me to spell it out for him?
“Definitely her month,” Max makes an attempt to whisper to Bells, except, I hear. He's such a loudmouth.
“You're lucky you have Bells as a shield right now,” I huff, calming down at the realization that it's just Max being Max. He puts up with me, I might as well return the favor.
“Please stop hating,” Max replies, forgetting to check his attitude at the door.
I suck in a deep breath. “Max, Max, Max…” I shake my head at him as I release my breath and start off softly. “I realize that you're irritating not by choice, so I'm trying my best here to be patient with you but—”
He has the audacity to cut me off. “Okay, now I'm confuzzled! Which is it? Did you get knocked up by some Jay loving or is it just your time?” He chuckles at his own sentence as if he's hilarious. “Let me clear that up, when I said time, I meant your monthly time, not your pregnancy time, so don't get confused, or as confused as me at this point—”
Sometimes this boy just has no shame whatsoever.
“Max!” I shout in an effort to get his attention back. He's rambling. I bet he doesn't even know just how much he confuses himself.