Infinite - Jake T. Austin Love Story

48: Prepared

"Okay?" I end my statement. "Definitely," he returns.

"Yea, just one," I state. She smirks, "You gave one to Jay, huh?" Her smile widens, "You two are cute together." "We're just friends," I scratch my head as I remove my pants and replace them with joggers. I totally forgot that I sold one to Jayce; he and his family bought tickets to go to my show. "Whatever, Lara. He's totally in to you," she rolls her eyes before exiting out the dressing room.

No he isn't. I roll my eyes back, putting on my tank top over my head.

*****

"Lara," Jayce leans against the locker next to mine, "You ready to go?" I place my arms into my sleeves. "Hold on," I say, but before I can put the straps of my backpack on my shoulders, Jayce pulls them off of me, "Let me get that for you." "We need to take the bus home before we pick up Charlie," he states nonchalantly as we continue to walk in the hallway. I check my phone - 2:08 pm. "Jayce, the buses leave at 2:10," I state the obvious, my eyes going wide. He grabs my hand immediately, pulling me close to him, "Then we better hurry up." We go through the bus gate, seeing all the buses lined up, their engines revving up. Jayce pulls on my arm a little harder, making me wince, but I pretend I am unfazed, so we can make it to the bus. Jayce slams on the bus door for it to be opened. The bus lady opens the door, giving both Jayce and I a glare, but does not say anything as we go through the aisle.

I look for an empty seat, seeing that their aren't a lot of empty spots. "Lara, you can sit here," I hear one of the guys on the junior varsity basketball team state out loud enough for me and Jayce to hear. I look down at Jayce and I's intertwined hands, pulling away and walking towards the sophomore. Jayce follows behind, making the boy - I think his name is Ricky - stand up. "Jayce, there's an empty seat here," a girl states two seats behind mine, "Just sit with me." I noticed her in one of my classes; she's given me glares for the past few weeks now, and I'm honestly frightened why. At that moment, Jayce stares at me as if wanting me to say something, but I didn't know what to say. "I'll sit with her," Ricky gets out of the way, letting me in the seat as Jayce sits right next to me.

Soon enough, the bus moves, time slipping by as I look out the window. It's been a while since I took the bus. The trees move faster than what is actually happening outside, the white snow blinding my eyes. I remember a dream I had a few weeks ago as I look out the soft scenery. Jake and I were alone in the wilderness, walking towards a small cabin. Out of nowhere, I'm pulled out of my thoughts, making me look at the boy sitting next to me. "Hey, you okay?" Jayce's voice is soft against my ear. I nod, "Yea, I'm just a little sleepy," I put my head against the ice cold window, but before I can adjust, his hand rests against the side of my head, pulling me to his chest. "Just take a quick nap; I'll wake you up when its our stop," but before I can decline, he puts in his earphones and watches something on his phone.

I close my eyes for what feels like a second, and in an instant, I feel Jayce gently shaking my shoulder. I slowly blink my eyes, seeing that eyes were on me. I stand up, waiting for Jayce to enter the aisle before I can. He holds onto my bag including his, and I feel a presence behind me. I take a short glimpse, seeing its the girl from two seats back, but I don't allow myself to cause a scene. She likes Jayce, but Jayce denied her ask out a few weeks ago. We exit out of the bus, saying goodbye to the driver beforehand. "Lara, it's a little slippery - take my arm," he states as soon as we're on the sidewalk. I shake my head, "No, it's fine. Your house is close, and you're holding my stuff already," I shuffle my feet trying to keep my balance. He smiles, "Okay, but if you slip I'm not gonna let this slide," he smiles even bigger, making me recognize he tried making a pun.

"Bye, Jayce!" I turn around to see the girl from earlier waving while walking backwards. He waves, an awkward, quirky smile on his face. I roll my eyes at his pun, running towards his home. He sees me running, "Hey! Be careful," he rushes behind me. I stop in place, trying to maintain my balance, but it results in us both falling on the pile of snow in his yard.