Should Have Known Better

Should Have Known Better 9

            Juliet and Jay had talked for most of the lunch period. “And then I was at my family reunion with Ryan until Sunday afternoon. Jake stopped by Sunday evening, supposedly to apologize, but Cole was there and they pissed one another off, so Jake just insulted me again and stormed off. And then we went over to your place,” Juliet summarized the end of her recent dealings with Jake Bayer.  

            Jay had listened sympathetically through the whole story. “He’s an asshole, Jules. You can do better than that.”

            “That’s what Cole said too,” Juliet said, smiling weakly. “I don’t know. I think I actually liked him. He acts differently when he’s alone, without all his friends around him.”

            “Well, of course Cole would tell you that. He doesn’t think any guy is good enough for you, even himself. And sure, guys act differently around their friends than with the girl they like. But just how differently tells you a lot about them. It’s worth paying attention to.”

            Juliet laughed. “What, are you my life coach now?”

            “Well, you’re in desperate need of one.” He flinched in preparation for the blow that he knew was coming from Juliet’s fist.

            “And what about you? We’ve spent all this time talking about me and my problems. I’m sure you could use some life coaching yourself. Bring it.”

            Jay shrugged. “There’s nothing much to tell. I’m a teacher now. I bore myself.”

            “And have you gotten the parade of girls fantasizing about their hot teacher yet?” Juliet teased.

            Jay shook his head amusedly. “You’re all a bunch of teenagers. When you’re twenty-four, you’ll look at seventeen year olds differently too, believe me. Those years make a world of difference. It’s hard for me to be attracted to someone who’s seventeen. They’re just much more immature, which is natural, considering the age difference. I’ve just always found stories about teachers sleeping with their high school students to be odd – why would you be attracted to them?”

            “They say that a man’s ideal age for his partner is half his age plus seven. So, a fourteen year old is ideal for another fourteen year old, but then the gap widens as a man gets older. Which means that if you’re twenty-four, your ideal age for a partner would be… nineteen.”

            Jay chuckled. “And there’s already a world of difference between a seventeen year old and a nineteen year old. Take it from a old person.”

            Jules scoffed. “You’re not old! Stop getting all high and mighty on me. You call yourself too mature for someone my age?”

            “There are different ways to be mature,” Jay sighed. “It might not be maturity in the way most people mean it, but there’s a certain maturity that just comes with every year of life experience. I don’t think I could be either sexually attracted or in love with a high school student, just because – well, they’re just too different. I guess moving out of your parents’ house and no longer being cocooned in high school just has a profound impact on a person that makes an enormous difference. Don’t take it personally, Jules. It’s also a matter of biology, adolescents’ brains are just different.”

            Juliet huffed, not entirely seriously. “And I thought we were friends.”

            “We are. And I see you as quite the exception. Doesn’t mean that I’m liable to fall in love with you or sleep with though. Sorry, that still stands.”