Anyone But Him // Jake Seresin

Chapter Twenty

Jake Seresin
November
**Double Update, Ch19 Before This One**

    Jake had spent Thanksgiving with Coyote at his place. Coyote's family was too far to go back home, and Jake sure as hell wasn't going to his mom's. He had no idea what his mom had done, but he knew in his gut she was responsible for Margot breaking up with him. If she had been smarter, she wouldn't have invited Margot out. Jake put two and two together, his mother plotted the breakup. He just didn't know why Margot had done it, what exactly had gone on. Or why Margot would go along with it. He guessed maybe his mom convinced her that he was a piece of shit, but he didn't know why. Then threw in his brief engagement to Ava, which wasn't even real. He probably should have told Margot about it, but it had not been a real engagement.

    The week after the holiday, he was trying to focus in the classroom. They had a week left before this group graduated the program and moved on. He doubted Margot would be staying on to do the instructor course now. It was torture seeing her every day. He had tried at first to talk to her, then felt like a psycho and stopped. It wasn't helping and she wasn't budging. Her excuse just didn't make sense, and he didn't think it was a coincidence she dumped him after lunch with Bitchtoria, aka what Coyote had dubbed his mother.

    Margot and Isla were battling it out with another pilot for the top spot currently, things had gotten tighter in the last few weeks. The pilots were really shaping up, and it was pretty rewarding to watch. Jake knew he made a good call wanting to take the instructor course and enter that role for a while. He was surprised Rooster hadn't pestered him about the breakup. The only thing he said was Margot was like a ghost and he'd never seen her like that. It was a contrast to how she was in class, you'd think nothing happened. Which spoke to her level of commitment and professionalism. He was keeping up the same front, but he was fucking miserable without her. It did give him a bit of hope if she wasn't taking this as easy as she acted like.

    "Good job today." Jake commented to Margot, as she passed by. They were wrapping up for the day.

    "Thank you." Margot replied, some of the first words she'd spoken to him since the breakup. "Congrats on pretty much being done with your instructor program. They're lucky to have you." She turned to walk away and Jake moved slightly so he was beside her, causing her to pause.

    "Look, I don't know what happened, but I'm going to find out and fix it." Jake told her. "I love you. And despite your claims, I know you still love me too." He saw emotion flicker in her blue eyes. "I'm not giving up on us."

    "I never said I didn't love you. It was just going too fast and I am not ready for that, Jake." Margot responded quietly.

"So, what, you want us to date other people then? Something casual?" Jake questioned, walking beside her.

"Yes. I think that's a good idea." Margot answered. Her tone didn't entirely indicate honesty, he could hear the hesitation in it. "Perhaps should start right now. I think it would be good for us to both move on." She grabbed Kazansky's jacket when they passed him. "Are you and Phoenix exclusive?" She asked him. Jake eyed her, wondering where this was going.

"Not exactly, no." Ryder answered. "Why?"

Jake had to keep himself from laughing. Margot leaned up and kissed Ryder, who stood there like a dead fish. Whether it was from surprise, or him knowing Jake was standing there, he wasn't sure. Jake knew what she was doing, she probably hoped this would piss him off and make him drop trying to get her back.