Bad Luck with Love

Chapter 21: Choose

Somehow, I had successfully managed to avoid Chad, Jake, Tyler, Jo and Leena all morning. How I did that, I had no clue. I guess God finally decided to give me break.

At least, that’s what I thought until lunch came around.

Everything was going on as normal, I was chatting with my friends, trying desperately to ignore Chad on my right and Jake on my left, as well as Tyler who was watching me from across the table. When the bell rang I jumped to my feet and lead the way out of the cafeteria, my friends hurrying behind me to catch up.

We all stood chatting for a few minutes outside the cafeteria before the second warning bell rang, then we all took off to our lockers.

I had French next, and I was struggling to reach my French book on the top shelf. Why I kept putting it up there I’d never know. How I kept putting it up there was another mystery as well.

Just as I was about to get it a hand reached over me and took it down. I whirled around to see Jake holding my French book in his hand.

“Here,” he said quietly.

I looked at him for a moment, bewildered, before I took the book from his hand. “Thank you,” I said, hearing the shocked tone of my voice. We stared at each other for a tense moment before I finally turned around to gather the rest of my books.

“Ivy?” he asked softly, “Can I talk to you?”

His voice was quiet but I heard him. The hallways were emptying quickly as everyone tried to get to third period on time.

“Um…yeah, I guess,” I said uncertainly as he came to stand on my left side.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you at Java’s,” he said, “I shouldn’t have done that. I was just angry that you du- that we broke up."

I turned to look at him for a moment, then sighed and grabbed my binder, “You have nothing to be sorry for Jake, I should have given you a bit of time of cool off.”

“No, I am sorry, Ivy. I should have told you about Shannon as soon as it happened,” he said, putting a hand on my arm.

I tried not to smile when he touched me, and then slapped myself mentally for getting all mushy about it.

I shook him off gently, “How could you? I ran off remember?”

“Then I should have told you about it the moment I could instead of waiting so long,” he insisted.

I grabbed my pencil case and slammed my locker shut, “Look, Jake. You can’t change what happened, so can we just…move on? Forget it ever happened?”

“Forget what ever happened? The Shannon thing? Or something else?” his tone grew hard toward the end of his phrase.

I looked down at my feet, flushing.

“You want to forget about us ever being together?” he stated, suddenly emotionless.

“It’d be easier,” I said quietly.

“Nothing worth having is easy, Ivy,” Jake said.

I looked up, seeing how cold his expression had turned.

“I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head as I turned away from him.

He grabbed my arm, turning me to face him again, “That’s it?” he asked, “You’re giving up?”

It sounded almost as if he was mocking me, and I remembered when I had asked him the very same thing when I broke up with him.

“I’m not giving up, Jake. We’re not together, so how can I fight for something I don’t even have anymore?” I snapped, suddenly feeling irritated.