Everything Changes

Chapter Thirteen: Don't Get Mad, Get Even

Juliana was minding her own business in the library, studying for her upcoming finals that next week. She flipped through her cognitive psychology book, finding the terms she was unfamiliar with to add to her study guide.

She heard the low holler of someone behind her as she took a sip of her iced coffee. "Juliana!"

She popped an earbud out of her ear, turning around to meet eyes with the voice. Lavigne. She should have known. A smile was on her face as he walked towards her. "Hi, Lavigne."

It was safe to say she had been thinking of him all week. How good looking he was, his sweet he was... and their kiss, of course. She was obsessed with the way he tasted, how gentle he was, how perfectly in sync their lips moved with each other... she wanted to kiss him over and over again. She didn't think she could ever get sick of him.

"How are you?" He questioned, holding a hot coffee in one hand and a textbook in the other. He couldn't help but look at the many texts books and notebooks scattered across the table. It was clear she was a stressed college student studying for finals. "Actually, don't answer that. I think I can make a guess."

She laughed, noticing how messy her workspace was. She had been too focused on retaining the required information for her finals to even think about tidying up her scattered material. "I know. I've been studying quite a lot," she explained the obvious reason. "How have you been?"

"Studying too," he answered, looking down at the textbook in his hand. Juliana nodded, figuring he would say that. It was finals week after all. "Mostly for my finance exam this Friday."

"Good luck," she smiled as he smiled back. "You'll do great."

Suddenly, he had a sudden urge to change the conversation. "Hey... so the other night," he started, making Juliana furrow her eyebrows. She wasn't sure what he was about to refer to. "I hope I didn't come across as a dick when I asked to go back to my room," he said as she nodded. Oh, right. That. "I don't want to force you into doing anything. I swear I'm not like that. I guess I just got carried away."

"No, it's okay," she was quick to respond. "And I hope I didn't make you feel bad for suggesting that because it wasn't a bad idea," she said as he chuckled, starting to feel better about the situation. "I'm just not ready yet, but it doesn't mean I never will be."

Lavigne nodded his head, liking the sound of that. "Okay," he smiled. "I'll be here patiently waiting."

"Sounds good," she smiled as he waved goodbye and started walking towards the exit of the library.

She turned back to her schoolwork, a goofy grin on her face and a stomach full of butterflies.

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

Jake was staring at Cassie when she walked into the party. He hadn't seen her in a week, more specifically the night he kissed her. She had been avoiding him like the plague. He was surprised to see her, thinking she would spend the night in to avoid seeing him, or go to a different party.

He had his eyes on her all night. He watched as she drank, mingled with his teammates and girls at the party, and took over as the DJ - which she was quick to get demoted from because she kept leaving her phone unattended, meaning the same songs were playing on an endless repeat.

He didn't have the confidence to talk to her. He couldn't, nor did he want to. He felt embarrassed for kissing her, and he wasn't exactly sure what came over him that night. That was his ex-best friend's ex-girlfriend. That was Jordan's Cassie Mendez. Everyone knew that. He truly had no idea why he thought kissing her was a good idea. It was an inappropriate action, to say the least. He never pictured himself doing that.

But unlike Jake, Cassie had the confidence to speak to him - thanks to the drinks in her system. Quite honestly, he wished she didn't, because he would rather be avoiding even further humiliation.

"I can feel your stares from across the room, you know," she didn't hesitate to say with a smile on her face. It was clear that she was finding pleasure in being hostile and wanted a reaction out of him. "And I thought things couldn't get more awkward between us."

Jake wasn't prepared for her to be so pugnacious. He thought she wouldn't bother speaking to him, considering she went the majority of the party ignoring him - and that entire week. "Well, you're contributing to the awkwardness."

Cassie stared at him blankly. What kind of comeback was that... she thought to herself. She was blown away by how weak his defensive was. Maybe it was because she was so used to fighting Luke, who was as toxic as they came, or Jordan, who was able to keep up with her sassy comments.

"It's your fault we can't be friends," she hissed, pointing at him. There was anger in her voice. He was alarmed by the sudden accusation. Sure... he knew Cassie was feisty, but he was thankful he never had to meet that side. Now that she was standing in front of him throwing accusations left and right, it was safe to say he was terrified. He knew he was awfully too nice for this. "We had a good thing going but you had to ruin it and kiss me!"

"I'm sorry," he was quick to apologize, something he couldn't bring himself to do last week. Again, Cassie was surprised by his lack of defense. "I know we're just friends. I don't know why I kissed you."

She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to see the bigger picture at hand. She was convinced he wouldn't kiss her for no reason. "So... what does that mean?" She questioned, confusing him. "Do you have feelings for me?"

He paused, not quite sure how to answer her question. Her eyes widened, his silence speaking louder than words. She then knew what he was about to say. "I don't know if I do—"

"You can't," she cut him off, repulsed by his words. This was a conversation she didn't see coming. Instead of thinking about herself, the only person she could think about was Jordan. "I dated your best friend! This isn't allowed."

And finally, the sassy comment Cassie was looking for came from Jake's mouth. "Well, Jordan isn't in the picture anymore. So, truthfully, I don't see the issue."

"Stop acting like he's dead!" She shouted at him, not sure why she was defending her ex-boyfriend. She knew he wasn't defending her name. He had his new girlfriend to worry about, after all.

Jake scoffed. "He's dead to me," he shot. "And he should be dead to you too because he's never coming back home."

She took his words as an insult, angrily clenching the red solo cup in her hand. His words translated to he should be dead to you too because he's never coming back for you. She knew he thought that, even if he didn't directly say it. "Fuck you."

He stepped back in astonishment, her words truly surprising him. He was trying to protect her, not make her feel bad. Why couldn't she see that? "Fuck you too, then."

And to Cassie's surprise, this time she was the one to pull him in for a kiss - but this time was different. Instead of it being like an awkward fifth grade kiss, it was more experienced and passionate because they were both enjoying it.

Cassie couldn't explain why she wanted to kiss him. Maybe it was the heat of the moment convincing her that it was a good idea, or maybe it was the drinks making her feel like her decisions wouldn't matter in the morning? She wasn't sure what had come over her, because she had gone a week or so feeling awkward that Jake kissed her. Initiating the kiss this time was not at all what she expected to do.

This time she felt much better about the situation. She felt more fearless, more daring, and she didn't mind kissing Jake. And she didn't feel bad about it either.

So maybe the correct answer was the alcohol making decisions for her, because sober Cassie would soon be very disgusted by her actions.