by Tracy Luu
Always Been You
A Novel
Tracy Luu
iUniverse, Inc.
New York Bloomington
Always Been You
A Novel
Copyright © 2008 by Tracy Luu
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by
any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,
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without the written permission of the publisher except in the case
of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents,
organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products
of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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ISBN: 978-0-595-52531-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-595-51294-2 (cloth)
ISBN: 978-0-595-62584-0 (ebk)
Printed in the United States of America
iUniverse rev. date: 12/19/2008
Contents
Chapter 1
The Beginning
Chapter 2
Bowling and a Bet!
Chapter 3
A New Friend
Chapter 4
A Hilarious Night to Remember
Chapter 5
Beautiful
Chapter 6
Winter Break
Chapter 7
New Year’s Eve!
Chapter 8
Valentine’s!
Chapter 9
Girl Talk
Chapter 10
Spring Break!
Chapter 11
Bizarre Conversations
Chapter 12
Birthday Wishes
Chapter 13
An Uncomfortable Position
Chapter 14
A Heated Argument
Chapter 15
Explanation
Chapter 16
Confessions
Chapter 17
A New Relationship
Chapter 18
Graduation
Epilogue
New Beginnings
Dedication
For my cousin, Brian; without you my story would have never gotten this far.
Chapter 1
The Beginning
The summer sun was bright against the crystal blue horizon; high in the clear afternoon sky. Unfortunately, the only thing from making it a perfect August day was the sweltering heat; the air stifling at seventy-eight degrees. As I sat here watching the arrivals and departures of people bustling through the terminal, I was glad to be in the comforts of an air-conditioned room.
Normally, I would avoid the Vancouver airport, especially for this particular time of year. Huge crowds with pushy people tend to annoy me. However, since I had promised to pick up a friend and his family, I was sitting here on one of the blue chairs, waiting patiently for them to arrive back from their trip to Australia.
Finally seeing a rush of passengers from the four o’clock Australian flight coming through the doors, I quickly put down the magazine I was reading and began craning my neck over everyone’s heads. But because my stature was only five foot four, I had to climb on the chair I was sitting on for a better view. Within seconds, I easily found my friend.
Standing right beside a portly man in a red Hawaiian shirt and straw hat was Jacob Bennett, a six-foot, half-Chinese, half-Australian hottie. He was running a hand through his wavy, brown hair and standing on his tiptoes, his hazel eyes also scanning the crowd. After a few years of playing sports like rugby and soccer for our school’s team, Jacob has a build no guy would be ashamed of showing off. Wearing a short-sleeved, navy blue polo shirt and a pair of grey cargo shorts that emphasised his healthy muscles, even his tanned features seemed sharper and more chiselled than before. As he tightened his grip on the brown leather bag slung over his broad shoulders and pushed his way through the crowd, I still couldn’t believe the hottest guy in our school was my friend.
When he finally turned to his left, he then broke out into his recognisable warm, one-dimpled smile once he saw me, and as he began to wave back, a familiar image immediately appeared in my head.
Three summers ago I was also at the airport waiting for Jacob and his family, but instead of waiting alone, I had been here with two of my best friends. Amy Taylor, whom I’ve known since kindergarten, and Matt Conner, who is also Jacob’s cousin.
Amy and I have always been curious to meet Jacob, ever since we first heard Matt talk about him back in eighth grade. When we finally found out about Jacob moving back to Vancouver to live since his dad, a cardiac surgeon, decided to transfer back, we then asked Matt if we could accompany him and his dad to pick them up. The only one who wasn’t coming back was his sister, Ashley, a part-time model who was still attending York University in Toronto. As we waited for them to arrive, however, the image that had flown through Amy’s and my minds was of Jacob’s eighth grade picture. The only picture we saw.
In that photo, Jacob looked skinny, wore a pair of huge, black, round-rimmed eyeglasses, and had a mouthful of braces. When the terminal doors opened, Amy and I couldn’t believe who had appeared. Instead of glasses, Jacob had worn contacts, and his braces had been removed revealing a perfect straight smile. His lanky frame had filled out nicely, and he even had the height of a model, standing three inches taller than Matt.
He was already so good-looking that when he had asked me if I could show him around and do some sightseeing to see what had changed once he got over his jetlag, I became nervous and wary on how the day would turn out. Amazingly, it turned out better than I had expected.
I was amazed at how easily we had gotten along after spending the day touring the city and thought that maybe our outing had been only a one time thing. It was too good to be real. Especially, when it came to spending almost an entire day with a hot guy. But then two days later on the first day of school, I had been surprised that Jacob had sought me out, asking me to help him show him around campus instead of Matt. Once Jacob got used to his schedule, he then began seeking my presence during lunchtime, and he even accompanied me to some of my classes before going to his.
For a while I kept wondering why he would always hang around me. I thought that maybe it was because Matt had just begun dating Amy and was always busy with her, and that Jacob didn’t know many people. But when Amy mentioned to me about her theory that Jacob actually harboured some secret crush for me, pointing out the things Jacob did—like the way how he would always try to find me, or the way he would look at me whenever we were together—I thought that maybe Jacob liked me too. Regrettably, before any of us could ask Jacob about it, a few weeks later Jacob had started seeing Ivy Jones.
Ivy was everything I wasn’t. She had long hair that was very light, platinum almost, fitting well with her watery, blue eyes. Her legs were thin like a model, and her skin was perfect and even-toned. But even though she’s very pretty, I didn’t think that was the reason Jacob had chosen her. I actually thought that maybe it was because Ivy was
one of the popular girls in school, and I wasn’t.
Throughout the years, my close friends and I were never part of the ‘in crowd’ and had preferred not to be. Matt wasn’t even part of that crowd either, even when Jacob had transferred to our school. That was because Jacob had befriended this group of guys we never liked. They were rude, cocky, and enjoyed having people grovel at their feet. And because Jacob is wealthy, boyishly handsome, and constantly has girls throwing themselves at him, it made those guys even more arrogant to be included as one of Jacob’s friends. The stupid part was that those same guys only acted that way whenever Jacob wasn’t around to see.
When we had found out about Jacob and Ivy, all of us had been surprised that he would go for someone as snobby as her. From what he had told me during our walk, he found those kinds of girls annoying. However, he still chose her and instead of feeling happy for him, I felt completely heartbroken. And since I also couldn’t deal with the idea of him kissing her, I then had decided to distance myself away from Jacob. Matt hadn’t like the idea, but he still accepted my decision. Only because he knew what it was like getting over a first crush. The only thing different from the rest of girls in school who also had a crush on him was that I didn’t like Jacob because of the way he looked, or because he was the typical jock. I actually liked him for who he really was.
At first I didn’t think my plan would work since he and Matt were related, but things had actually worked out great. I barely saw Jacob. When I did, it was only because we had the same classes. Things had been going so well for me that a few months later I even had accepted a date with one of my classmates named Riley Peters.
Riley isn’t as handsome, or as tall as Jacob, but he was still good-looking. He had straight chestnut hair, and striking blue eyes. He could always make me laugh with his out-going attitude, and he even taught me how to kiss. Still, even though we had dated for four months, and he always made me feel wanted, I realised that my feelings for Riley couldn’t continue any further than friendship. When I had decided to end it, I was extremely lucky that things had ended on such good terms between us. Countless times I had witnessed couples breaking up and rarely did they remain friends. I was lucky that even after our mismatched debacle, I still have Riley as a friend.
It had been a good choice for me to date Riley. Our brief relationship made me realise that I was finally over my crush on Jacob. But no matter what I thought, I knew my luck couldn’t last. And one day I had been put to the test.
Sometime during last June, I was hanging out over at Matt’s house with Amy when Jacob had suddenly shown up at Matt’s door. Since I hadn’t talked to Jacob in over a year, I made as if to leave when he sat down next to me on the couch, assuming he would want to talk to Amy and Matt in private, but he surprised me by asking that I stay. Of course I did, but then two hours later when Amy and Matt had given up with breaking through to Jacob and chose to rent a movie instead, the three of us then got even more surprised when Jacob finally had spoken to ask if I could stay behind. Before I could tell him I’d rather go with Amy and Matt, those two then quickly walked out the door.
I knew why they left me alone with him. They thought that maybe I might be able to find out what was bothering him. Except with my heart hammering loudly against my chest and my mind a jumbled mess of thoughts, I didn’t think it was a good idea. But then while I was trying to figure out what to say to ease the deafening silence, Jacob had suddenly shifted closer to me, and we soon fell into our usual banter like before.
Amy always told me that I had a certain knack of knowing how people felt. I knew what they needed, when to push them or back away. I guess Jacob knew that too. Ten minutes into our conversation, Jacob had told me what had been bothering him.
All the times we had hung out in the past, and minus the time we had talked about following in our parents’ footsteps, Jacob and I never shared anything else really personal. We weren’t that close with one another. But I guess Jacob must have seen something in me that I didn’t. Soon after that day, Jacob and I began spending numerous summer nights over at each other’s houses, talking into the long hours of the night. Once we started opening up to each other, discussing private things, I then realised that officially I was back as one of Jacob’s friends.
Like before, Matt actually thought that Jacob and I were heading into the direction of a relationship, until Jacob had told him about dating one of the other popular girls in school, a brunette named Amber Henley. When he questioned me about it, I then had told Matt that the remnants of my crush on Jacob had long since faded. I had resolved not to fall under his spell again, and would only offer my friendship as much as he needed or wanted it. I knew that I was a side-line, part of the few people who understood him, but not more to him than anyone else. I even had convinced Matt that I was over Jacob by revealing I was also dating someone I had met a month ago while I had been shopping in the mall with Amy, an Asian guy named Ethan Su.
“Jenna?”
Completely lost in my reminiscing, I only became conscious I was staring blankly at Jacob when I gradually noticed his moving lips and his hand waving in front of my nose.
“Sorry, Jacob, what were you saying?” I said, coming out of my daze.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked, gathering me into an embrace. “You sort of blanked out for a second.”
“Just thinking about things,” I said, returning his hug.
“Was it about Ethan?” he said, sounding concerned.
“No, it wasn’t about Ethan,” I said. “Hey, it looks like you’ve grown a lot. Were you working out the whole time during your trip so you could impress the Australian girls?”
“No, I did not work out. Besides visiting family in Melbourne, I just went for a jog every morning and only got a tan.”
“You’ve gotten more than a tan,” I said, pointing at his arms and legs as I took the bag from his shoulder. “Your muscles seem much bigger since the last time I saw you.”
“Are you only saying this to be nice?”
“Honest, you look great. However, you do know the girls at school are going to be tripping over each other just to get at you now.”
“Did you really have to tell me that?” he sighed.
“Would you have preferred it if I didn’t warn you beforehand and just let the girls show you how much they like your new body?” I grinned.
“No, this way is definitely better,” he said.
“And who is this?”
Upon hearing the feminine voice, I swivelled around to find a gorgeous girl looking at us with a smirk on her heart-shaped face.
“Ash, this is Jenna Chow,” said Jacob. “Jenna, this is my sister, Ashley. She finally has some time off from school and has decided to stay with us for a bit.”
“So you’re the infamous Jenna,” she grinned at me. “I’m finally glad to meet the girl our mom’s been talking about. I must say you really are a good choice.”
“And what has mom been saying to you?” said Jacob.
“If you want to know, you’ll have to ask her yourself,” she giggled. “So, Jenna, how did my brother convince you to be the unlucky one to pick us up today?”
“I think he made sure your mom was in the vicinity when he asked me to,” I said. “He knows I can’t say no to her.”
“Who would’ve thought my little brother has brains in that huge head of his,” she grinned, playfully ruffling his hair.
“Where are mom and dad anyway?” asked Jacob, ignoring his sister’s jab as he pushed her hand away. “I thought they were right behind us.”
“They got held up with their luggage,” she explained. “Oh, look, there they are now.”
Over an hour later, we finally made it back to the North Shore and into West Vancouver. No matter how many times I’ve been over to Jacob’s, I still get awed with the place. As I pulled into the huge limestone driveway, their estate made my mom’s CR-V look like a red speck of dust.
Their gigantic, gated waterfr
ont house had twenty-foot ceilings and walls made out of glass. The furnishings inside the house were a mixture of custom-made rock fireplaces, cherry wood cabinets and floors, Italian furniture, and plush area rugs. There was even a custom-designed 400 gallon salt water aquarium that was built into the wall by the foyer.
The kitchen, which was a chef’s dream, had stainless steel appliances, a gas stove, marble top counter, and two movable islands. A grand staircase in the middle of the house with glass railings provided a panoramic ocean view of the inner harbour from each of the three floors. Down in the basement was a sauna room, an exercise gym, a poolside lounge, Jacob’s dad’s office, and a huge media room. The media room had top-of-the-line entertainment equipment, surround sound speakers, and a huge flat-screen TV that covered almost half the wall. When you head out any of the glass doors from the lounge, the media room, or Jacob’s dad’s den, they all opened up to the patio that was surrounded by a glass fence. There was a barbecue centre to the right, a pool in the middle, a hot tub to the left, and a pathway leading you onto the beach.
While Jacob lugged his suitcase to his room on the west side of the top floor, I joined his mom in their brightly lit kitchen to help her with dinner, and we began talking like we usually do. Some days we talked about her work as a nurse at the local hospital, or about how grateful she was of me for helping out Jacob in school. Other days we would talk about the girls Jacob’s dated, all of whom she’s never really approved since she always thought most were either too conceited, or that they probably only liked him for his looks. But when I thought she was going to talk about his current girlfriend, Amber, our conversation took on a different turn. It even took all my will power not to blush when I finally found out what Ashley had meant.
Their mom had this harboured secret of wanting Jacob to break up with Amber, so he could go out with me. She always thought I was the only one good enough for her baby boy. In her honest opinion, I was a well-mannered Chinese girl, who was brought up the proper way like her. I was taught to never be rude to elders, to offer help without needing to be asked, and to always be polite and considerate to others.