Love to Hate You

Chapter Ten

I laugh lightly at his obvious anger and shake my head, “I know you think he’s playing me.” I tell him and cross my arms, keeping my distance from the peeved boy in front of me.

He chuckles and tilts his head back to grin before rocking forward and looking at me directly, “Reese, I know he’s playing you. I’ve been his friend for a long time. I know how he does this. He knows what pieces to move. Face it, you’re another piece in his game, and he likes you because you’re a challenge.”

I scowl at him, unsure of whether to believe him or not. I want to believe I’m not like the other girls that he wouldn’t try this hard for another girl. I don’t want to hear this because I just realized that I like Justin a lot more than I’d like to admit. I don’t want a guy who makes me like him this much to be using me.

Sean sees the conflict on my face and shakes his head, “He’s good at this.”

“No,” I state simply, “no, you’re wrong. I’m somebody he wouldn’t want to lose. He wouldn’t risk putting his band in danger by getting in trouble with me.”

“Reese!” Sean grinds out and I interrupt him before he can say anything more.

“I think you’re just jealous.” I state.

He rolls his eyes and scoffs at me, “You think? I think you’re really talented and funny and just—“ he sighs, “And I knew I didn’t have a chance against Justin to begin with, so I tried to get your attention before it was too late. It was…because a couple days later you told us you were together.”

I cover my face with my hands a look down so that he can’t see that my cheeks are red from this attention, “Stop,” I tell him.

“Whatever,” he says and I know he’s scowling, “I’m done now anyway. You’re not the only sassy red-head out there, right? This is high school. I’m over it.”

I lift my head and remove my hands from my face to see him walking away, leaving the school to either go home or to band practice. I feel awful about all of this, and once again I’m horribly confused about Justin. The one second I think I’m beginning to figure him out, I’m confronted about him and don’t know what to think anymore.

Should I be investing this much time into someone who’s got a million and one things against him?

~*~

Saturday morning I wake up to the smell of waffles and bacon cooking. Mom never makes big breakfasts, and that’s why I’m now running down the stairs at top speed. Usually, I have the decency to comb my hair and change into more appropriate attire before coming down for breakfast, but this occasion is just too rare to be late for.

When I get into the kitchen, I see my mother still in her pajamas with no makeup on standing in front of the stove in an apron. She’s humming quietly to herself and rocking slightly as she removes the sizzling bacon from the pan.

Suddenly, feeling very vulnerable being in the same room alone with my mother, I back out of the kitchen slowly, trying to be quiet.  When I’m back in the hallway I glance up and down the empty halls and go on my tip toes to peer over the staircase.

Where are the men? Dad usually helps Mom when she cooks breakfast and A.J. is usually the first one down. That boy could smell bacon a mile away. Why aren’t they down yet? Now suspicious, I pad back into the kitchen just as Mom is turning around with the plate of bacon in one hand and waffles in the other.

She stops, startled by my appearance. My hair is in twelve different directions and my lips are chapped. One pant leg is rolled up to my knee while the other one hangs down to my ankle. I have enough sense to straighten my shirt, but don’t attempt to fix anything else.