Perfectly Imperfect

Cuarenta y tres: Lessons

Carmen's POV
Oh no.

  No.

  No.

  No.

  . . . Jax.

  I'm positive any remaining color in my face got flushed out immediately. I stood there waiting with baited breath for him to run off and tell all his friends that their least favorite people — or favorite people to torment — were upset and vulnerable in hall C.

I waited.

And waited.

. . . And waited some more.

Corey was standing there stiff, ready to pounce if Jax made a wrong move. Joey's arm tightened protectively around me, and Sam stood ready to defend me against whatever Jax accused. Even if it was true. I'm almost 100% sure she'd deny anything for me.

They're the best.

Although, none of them had to do what they were silently promising to, because what we were waiting for never came.

"Um. . . Sorry. I'm. . . I'm gonna go now," Jax stuttered out.

Ummm. What?

There was a pause. This is almost as weird as him paying for my lunch.

He started awkwardly shuffling away.

"Wait!" Did I just say that?

". . . Why did you pay for my lunch? And why haven't you run off to tell all your friends?"

He looked around. "Do you want me to tell all my friends? 'Cause I still can."

"Not if you value your life," Corey threatened.

It almost made a corner of my lips turn up, even in my post emotional break down state.

Jax's eyebrows raised and he put his hands up in defense.

". . . No. I don't want you to do that," I told Jax. There was a pause. "But why haven't you?"

He looked me dead in the eyes and stayed silent for what felt like years. Finally, he decided to end my misery, "I'm not stupid Carmen."

  . . . Wha—?

  I feel like I just landed flat on my back onto concrete and all the air got knocked out of me.

  My brain jumped to the worst conclusion of what he could possibly think he knows.

Also, turns out I was wrong before. Not all the color drained from my face because, I somehow managed to turn an even paler shade of hopeless.

  He couldn't have.

  "I know," he scratched the back of his head. "Your. . . Situation."

  I could feel everyone anxiously fidgeting from their close proximities behind me, not really knowing what to do. And I'm right there with them.

W-what do I say?

  A weak, "How?" Was all I could muster.

  He rolled his eyes. "It's obvious. I —"

  "It is?" I interrupted him with a shaky voice.

  Is it obvious?

  My stomach turned with unease

  He paused. "Yeah. Especially when I saw your dad come into his office." He scratched the back of his neck.