Trust Me Again

15: And Then He Kissed Her

"I can ask them to stop, but I can't control their decisions. And yeah, I'd like that―to be okay with you, I mean." Lately I've been thinking that I would have felt better if Aiden and I left on better terms than we did. That's just how I am, if I'm mad at someone, I'll end up feeling bad because they try to apologize but I wouldn't even listen to them; I'd feel better if me and that person ended okay, without that burden that they are probably feeling bad because I wouldn't listen to them.

He smiled widely. "Bye," he waved and walked down the hall that I had been running the opposite way of.

***

It was lunch and I was walking down the hall when I heard the sound of a locker closing. Out of curiosity, I turned my head to see who it was. Maybe it was Alyssa, or Layla. I just didn't want to walk alone.

It was Jacob. I frowned deeply and started storming over to him as he swung his backpack over his shoulder. He smiled when he saw me after adjusting the straps of it, but then his grin slowly disappeared when he saw the look I was giving him.

"What'd I do?" he asked, already knowing the look on my face was because of him and taking a step back when I stopped toe-to-toe with him.

I gave him a light shove, knowing it was worthless if I put all my strength in the push. "You made me late to school." I glared as he gave me this smile that tried to keep all the innocence he had on his face.

He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry?" he tried after a while of thinking what the perfect reply to me would be.

I sighed, suddenly losing the anger I had for him because he was the reason I was late to class, why I was in a rush, because my papers flew to the ground, and Aiden had to help me.

That reminded me . . .

"I spoke to Aiden this morning when I was late," I started, my voice low and trailing off at the end. I turned my attention to the locker in front of me, my fear for looking someone in the eyes peaking.

He didn't say anything at first but I heard him exhale deeply. "Did you now?"

I nodded, still not facing him.

"What did you talk about?"

I looked at him from the corner of my eye to see his expression, but he was hiding it from me by looking into his locker and pretending to be looking for something.

I shrugged. "Nothing really. He basically asked if I can at least be able to look at him without thinking of ways I could hurt him."

I saw his shoulders visibly relax and he responded, "Good."

"Oh, and he asked if you'd stop glaring at him," I said before I forgot. "Now, come, I want food."

I started to walk to the double doors that led to the lunch pavilion but Jacob grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to the spot I was in before.

He sighed. "Mikayla, I . . . " He looked anywhere but me like I had been doing earlier. He swallowed. "I like . . . " He was silent for about five seconds until he shook his head. "I would like you to come with me to see Madison tomorrow after school, if you have the time."

I didn't question him. I knew he was going to ask me something else. But I won't push him into telling me. Instead I nodded with a big smile on my face. "Yeah, I'd love to."

And then we walked to lunch.

***

Me and Jacob dropped our trays on the surface of the table and sat on the benches across from everyone else who got here before us. I looked down at the food on my tray, it wasn't that bad actually, it was one of those foods they give at school and you eat them but they're not your favorite thing, you just eat them because you're hungry and could handle it.