"And what happened after that?"
"Well, he got nervous. He continued to crush on her, and invited her to social gatherings with him. However, they kept these secret meetings on the down low. They both knew the consequences if the sister in question was to find out."
"What about the gentleman's date?"
"She ended up being a fluke. A fake. Whatever you want to call it. The date broke up with the gentleman, to his pleasure. With this recent turn of events, he was now able to court the one he had fallen in love with."
"And did he court her?"
"Why yes," He laid on his side, and grabbed my hand. "He did. And they're living spectacularly now."
I laid flat on my back, gazing up at the stars. Jake sure did know how to tell a good story. The air was thick and warm, a perfect night. The sky was dark, save for the gleaming stars peppering it. Jake gently pulled me closer to him and I laid my head on his chest.
"You see that star there?" He questioned, pointing at a certain one.
I lifted my head to see it. And there it was, the brightest one in the sky, it must've been the North Star.
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm gonna buy you that star one day." He promised.
I turned to look at him, disbelieving. "No you won't."
"Yes, I will. Just you wait and see."
I laughed, loving his certainty. I sighed. "How are we going to do this? I mean, you're a year older than me, and you'll be away at college and-"
"Maria, the future is meant to be lived, not prearranged."
"You're right." I snuggled into his shoulder, his arm around me.
"I always am." He said, a smirk in his voice.
Jake's POV
A month later
All is good, all is good.
Thank goodness Laura still doesn't know about Maria and me. To make sure she doesn't get any ideas, Maria has secretly invited me to her place sometimes. Just to mix it up.
We've been dating for 2 months now, and they've been the best moments of my life.
Maria was over now, hanging out in my room. We claimed to be studying for exams, which was true, in a sense. They were a few days, but studying wasn't the only thing we were doing.
Maria was lying on her stomach on my bed, studying our textbook. She had her chin in her hands, her eyes moving furiously.
"X equals negative B, plus or minus the square root of B squared minus 4 AC, all over 2 A." She muttered to herself.
I shook my head to myself. Maria would pass this test with flying colors, that was for sure.
I quietly came up behind her. I placed my hands on her shoulders, rubbing down her arms.
"Hey," I whispered. "You're gonna do great."
"I don't know..."
"Don't talk that way! You'll get the highest score in the class. You want me to take you mind off it?"
She nodded thankfully. I laid down beside her, and pulled her near me. Her body warmth radiated off onto me.
I pecked her on the lips, making her lips turn into a smile. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling us even closer. Leaning forward, I placed gentle kisses along her jawline. She shivered with happiness, not protesting.
I traveled further down her neck, only stopping for a moment when I reached her collarbone. Her brown eyes stared into mine, pulsating with lust. More kisses were planted down her collarbone on her smooth skin.
"Jake, do you have my-" And then, "Oh. My. God."
I whirled towards the sound of the voice that obviously wasn't Maria's.
I quickly extricated myself from Maria, my heart skipping a beat.
Laura.
I looked behind her at my door. Crap. I must've left it open. Why did I do that?
And now she saw us during an intimate moment. Could this get any worse?
I spoke, not wanting Maria to get blamed. "Laura, let me explain-"
She put up a hand, stopping me. "How long?"
"Laura, that doesn't ma-"
"I said, how long?" She boomed. Her jaw was set, her breathing rough.
"2 months," I squeaked.
"This," She pointed a finger at Jake, "I could expect from you."
"But you," She stalked up to Maria, furious, "I can't believe it! You're my best friend! We never keep things from each other!"
"And you knew the rule, Maria." She took a deep breath. "The unspoken one."
I looked at Maria, wondering what she was talking about. She turned deathly pale.
I stepped between the two girls, not wanting Maria to get yelled at again. "Lay off, Laura."
"But you're my, my, my, brother." She spat my name out like it was disgusting. "And my friend Maria is dating you! And I didn't even know, for two whole months!"
She rambled on. "When were you guys gonna tell me, huh? Or was I never part of this happily-ever-after dream?"
"Laura, we were going to tell you, I swear." I stated.
She looked at me as if I said I was Chuck Norris.
"You know what? Just get the hell away from me." Fists clenched, she stalked off.
I sunk to my bed, head in my hands. This was awful. Laura and I had a pretty good relationship, considering we were siblings. Now that she found out about Maria...Well, it probably won't ever be the same.
Who knew what Laura would do when she was this angry.
Oh no.
What if she told Cynthia? If she did then, then...Cynthia probably wouldn't stop short of revenge. She would go all the way, creating chaos if need be.
Or, maybe worse.
Laura would spread news about my relationship with Maria, saying how dorky she was. Of course I didn't think Maria was dorky, but I didn't want her to be made fun of by the student body or anything.
If your sister ever gets this angry, she may always have the upper hand.
Simply put, I saw no solution to this.
Why did I leave the door open?
Maria's POV
Jake was strangely quiet when Laura left. She made me speechless. Of course I remembered the tacit pact we had agreed on when we were little. I had strictly been forbidden from falling in love with Jake. But who listens to the rules, right?
It had been when we were only six years old. We were playing dress up, me the husband, Laura of course, the wife.
"Listen," She had told me as seriously as a six year old could, "Jake isn't to be messed with."
"What do you mean?" I asked, pulling on Laura's dad's oversized shoes.
"I don't wanna tell everyone, but I love Jake as my bubby. And he's off limits to you Ma-ria." She pronounced my name with clear two syllables.
"Why?" I had asked, while she slipped on a play gown.
"Because it'd be silly!" She exclaimed as we looked at each other in the full length mirror. Her father's hat kept slipping down my face, causing my hair to get messier. Laura was dressed in a purple princess gown, wobbling in her mother's heels.
"Okay, I promise." I told her, meaning it.
"You have to pinky promise!"
She held her tiny pinky out expectantly. I slipped mine around hers, closing off the deal.
And we hadn't spoken of it since. To be honest, I didn't even think she still remembered the silly deal. But apparently, she did.
I placed a hand on Jake's shoulder. "Let me talk to her."
"Alright."
I released my hand, and slipped out of his room. I cautiously knocked on her door, and peeked my head inside. She was lying on her bed, hastily shoving chips down her throat. She ate a lot when her more serious emotions were tested.
"Laura," I said as I sat down beside her, carefully pulling the bag of chips away from her.
"I don't wanna hear it." She stated, looking away from me.
"I think you might wanna hear this." I told her. Taking in a deep breath, I said the one thing I knew would please her. No matter how much it would hurt me and Jake.
I loved Jake. With all my heart. As much as I could in the short two months we had been dating. But Laura's
friendship was deeply treasured by me. And I didn't want to lose it. I assumed neither would Jake.
"Will you forgive me if Jake and I broke up?"
Chapter 12: Truths
Maria's POV
Laura's jaw stiffened at my question. It had been the only solution I could think of.
I didn't want to lose Jake, I loved him too much. But Laura, she's my best friend. We had gone through life together. No one but her could replace that friendship.
I then realized the depth of the compromise. How could I live without being with Jake? I had gotten to know him and I absolutely adored him. He was sweet, funny, kind, compassionate...My life would be empty without him. There'd be nothing to live for. I wouldn't be truly happy again until Jake and I got back together. If we ever did.
Surely Laura wouldn't make us break up...would she?
She spoke. "Yes, I would."
I felt like my heart had been yanked out. Laura would only forgive us if Jake and I broke up. It had come to this. From happiness with Jake to depression without him. But I would be on good terms with Laura now.
I couldn't help the feeling of loss, though. Tears pricked behind my eyes, threatening to spill out.
"Alright," I told her, rising from her bed and floated back to Jake's room.
"You what?" He cried, after I told him.
I blindly wiped the tears from my face. "Laura's my best friend. I don't want to lose her friendship. I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "I can't believe you did that! We won't really be able to see each other anymore! Let alone hang out! I can't lose you, Maria. I care for you too much."
I sniffled, feeling the same way. "I know, I'm sorry. I'll miss you more than you can ever know." I promised him.
He pulled me into a hug, squeezing the life out of me. His hand supported the back of my head, my tears catching his shoulder. What have I done?
He let go, holding me by my shoulders. He searched my eyes, seeming to memorize them. I stared into his deep blue ones, hating the grim look of them. And I had been the cause of his sadness.
"I love you," He murmured, placing his forehead onto mine.
"I love you too," I whispered back, afraid it would be the last time I could say so.
I let go of him, to his protests. I told him I should go. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I was walking to the front door when he pulled me from behind.
He had me gently around my waist, and his lips had descended upon mine. It was one of the most passionate kisses I had ever received from him. I kissed back, not wanting to stop. But I knew I had to. We eventually pulled away, wondering if we would ever get back together. And so I departed.
Jake's POV
And she was gone.
That little organ in the center of your chest? Yeah, it was hollow. Sometimes I wondered if it was even beating. The following day of classes were a fog. I couldn't stay focused.
I hadn't even talked to Laura. I avoided her, and she avoided me. Why would she be so selfish as to make Maria and I break up? Couldn't she see how happy we were? Couldn't she just get over the fact that we were worried this would happen?
No, of course she wouldn't. Because she was Laura. And she wasn't like that.
So now I hated her more than ever.
Math class soon rolled around. I felt better that at least I'd get to see Maria only for an hour. She sat next to me wordlessly. Her face looked thin and her eyes weren't the same.
What I really wanted to do was to hold her, and kiss her until her face lit up. But I couldn't. For one, we were at school. And two, we weren't dating anymore.
Maria's POV
Lunch was pointless. Laura just sat next to me, as if nothing had happened.
But something had taken place. Something major.
Jake and I had broken up! Why couldn't Laura see how unhappy we were?
I'm serious, I had bags under my eyes and my hair was a mess. I couldn't find the motivation to do anything anymore. No reason at all.
"Maria," She said, breaking my thoughts.
I raised my head to look at her.
"What's wrong?"
And so I leaned over across the table, and slapped her. It felt good, to be honest. She knew she deserved much more pain than that.
Her hand flung to her cheek, her skin turning red.
"What was that for?" She cried.
"You know stinkin' well what that was for! Do you have any idea what's going through my mind right now? Do you?"
"No," She whispered, shaking her head.
"I feel like absolute crap. Nothing's worth living for! Nothing! And it's because of you and your selfish ways!"
Laura stared at me, wide eyed.
"I am not the one who prevented her best friend from dating someone she loves! If I had a brother and you went out with him, I would encourage you to do so! I would be happy for you. Do you know why? Because you're my friend and I want you to be happy."
She listened quietly, her features still coated in shock. "You're right." She muttered.
"But," She continued. "I have a reason why I didn't want you to date him."
I looked at her, confused. "Why?"
"Because I didn't want you to get hurt. I knew what my brother would be like when he got older. That's why we made that pact when we were young. I didn't want you to get played like all the other girls he's dated."
And she made sense. I was truly touched by her thoughtfulness.
"Laura, if you had told me, I-"
"It's my fault. You're right. I shouldn't stop you from enjoying yourself. Living life. You two do make a cute couple. Go back to dating him." She ordered me.
"Thank you." I told her, glad that I had her permission. I gave her a quick hug, then left to find Jake.
Chapter 13: Kisses and Tears
Maria's POV
And so I ran. I sprinted knowing that we could be together. I pumped my legs through the hallways searching for him. I ran for him.
Where was he?
I chose a hallway that would most likely be deserted. I was about to keep running, but I pulled up short. Jake was there.
I watched in horror behind a large potted plant as Jake made out with Cynthia.
No! My heart screamed in betrayal. How could he do this to me? How could he?
He hadn't changed at all! He was the same playboy going around and kissing random girls. Did he not know how close our relationship was to toppling over?
No, of course he didn't. Because he was Jake Miller. And he was notorious for being this way.
Why didn't I listen to my intuition the last time he kissed Cynthia? I had told myself I wanted nothing to do with him. Absolutely nothing. And I would follow my gut. Jake wouldn't be part of my memories anymore.
I tried to blink back the tears. But I couldn't. He had caused me to cry more than funerals, he was so awful.
I felt awful standing there, watching. Seeing the one you loved kiss the one you hate.
They were pressed up against each other, Cynthia running her hands through his hair. He had his arms wrapped around her tiny waist, definitely not protesting against the kissing.
And so I sat next to the plant, shrouded in leaves, and sobbed.
Jake's POV
I had been upset. Torn, depressed, and lonely.
Frustrated too, that I couldn't have Maria. After all the secrecy, it had turned out we weren't meant to be. After all that.
Cynthia had came up to me, noticing how distraught I was. And so she kissed me. I didn't resent it, I sure didn't. When we kissed, I kissed with only some effort. I really didn't care for it. Maria was much better than Cynthia.
In truth, I wanted Cynthia's kiss to be Maria's forbidden kiss. Like a stress reliever. I wanted to release my feelings and toss them into the air.
That's why we made out in an empty hallway. I didn't want anyone to see us, especially Maria. We had our rough spots and if she saw us, it would ruin our chances of getting back together.
I l
oved Maria. More than anything or anyone else in the world. I didn't want to hurt her, or mess with her heart anymore. She didn't deserve that.
The unspoken Rule Page 5