In My Shoes | The Music Freaks AU | A Jailey Fanfiction

Chapter 21 - The Side I Couldn't See

To my relief, Milly doesn't follow me, but she does look awfully pouty as I turn around to throw her one last wave before leaving. I feel bad for ditching her on such short notice, but I've already committed my afternoon to somebody else.

I honestly doubt Jake would care if I didn't show though. He seems like the type to forget we even agreed to meet up today. If I'm being completely honest with myself, I'm pretty sure he spends less than 5 minutes a week thinking about me. I don't think my disappearance would even daze him.

Still, the thought stings, and I feel my heart sink for a moment. I regain my composure and grip my backpack even tighter to keep it from falling off my shoulder. 

Since I had forgotten our planned meeting, I knew I would have to pick up the pace. I pride myself in my punctuality, and I wanted today to be no different. The thought of being late motivates me, and I begin to run.

I've never understood people who run as a hobby. It's basically hurting yourself for fun, and calling it a "sport" has never seemed right to me. Running is what you do when you're trying to escape a murderer or your brother after he finds out you adopted a pet spider and accidentally let it loose in his room. 

It's hard to carry a very full backpack and run at top speed as well. I almost trip twice and curse under my breath. The other part of running with your backpack that isn't fun is the fact that it bangs against your back or side each time you take a step. It's painful and not helpful when you're already late.

By the time I make it to the tree, I can already feel the bruises forming. I was very sure I was going to wake up with my whole side decorated in purple the next morning. 

I throw the backpack off my shoulder, and rest my hands on my knees for a few seconds, gasping for air. The bag looks deflated on the ground, and I'm almost tempted to kick it. I never knew I could feel so much irritation for an inanimate object.

"So I'm gonna go ahead and guess that your favorite subject isn't P.E."

I look up, and lo and behold, there he is.

"Oh really, what made you think that?" I ask sarcastically, brushing off my pants.

Jake smiles and reaches his hand out, grabbing my wrist.

"C'mon, let's get going!"

His action momentarily sends me into shock, but I quickly regain my ability to move, and twist out of his grip, taking a step back. 

"I'm assuming you're driving, correct?" I ask quickly, rubbing my wrist and trying to slow my uncontrollably fast heartbeat.

Why does he do this to me? Why? I have never in my life wanted to kill and make out with someone as much as I do at the moment. It's giving me a migraine. 

"Nope, my mom took my car away because I was being "disrespectful" so my brother Jeremy is going to pick us up. That's okay with you, right?"

I nod my head, and Jake crosses his arms, taking a step closer to me.

"You look lightheaded, are you good?" He asks, reaching the back of his hand out and pressing it against my forehead. 

He must not have noticed the way I react each time he makes physical contact with me. I look like I'm about to hyperventilate, but he's so oblivious that he doesn't clue in.

"Yup" I squeak, pushing Jake's hand away. 

He looks confused and raises an eyebrow. 

"You're acting really weird. Are you sure you're not sick or something?"

"Uh-huh," I turn away from him and face that parking lot. Hopefully, he won't be able to tell how red my face is. "100% sure, when does your brother get here?"