"You're breaking up with me? You're joking, right?"
I had known once I was able to catch Jay and lay it all out there it may take a while to get the matter of fact through his head, but this was beginning to become redundant. "Yes, Jay, we've been done for a while."
"How can you break up with me? Why?"
"Because I have free will." I uncrossed my arms. "And because I want you to find someone who's actually worthy of your love."
He snickered. "Because you aren't? Don't pull this cliché movie breakup bullshit, Reese. You're plenty worthy of my love. If this has to do with what I did to Liam, I'm sorry."
The sincerity in his voice had be considering trying to give it another go. Especially after my short conversation with Nicola. It was Andy and Liam starting across the field to us that straightened me out and I stood strong on my decision. "I'm sorry, Jay. It's just no working. I'm. . . I'm just not good with relationships. Being in them, I mean."
I watched his arms tense, eyes falling on Liam and Andy, who had slowed to stop in the middle of the field. Finally he shook his head and turned back to me with a glare.
"You're going to regret this, you know. Someone like you, a nerd, a nobody, should be privileged that someone like me even looked in your direction."
I stepped closer to him, closing the distance between us with a cold laugh. "You know, it's funny, Jason. This entire time I was focused on molding Liam into this nice guy, and he was one the entire time. But you? You're an arrogant dick, Jay. You only do things when they benefit you. You never cared about me, you were only trying to get under Liam's skin for whatever reason. I chose the wrong player to try and fix, that's become evident. We're done."
He stared at me, sizing me up before he shook his head and turned on his heel to head back for the lockeroom. He hadn't made it but a few feet before a football hit him upside the head. My eyes immediately shot to Liam and Andy, sure it was Liam who'd done it, but Andy still had his hands in position. Jay stumbled back, still in a state of shock, before he kicked the ball away and continued on his trek back to the school.
Andy watched after him, fists clenched before he whirled around to face me, but his entire expression shifted into one of kindness as he joined me. "Man, that felt great. Maybe it knocked some sense into him.
*
I was greeted with Liam acing yet another play as soon as I broke passed the doors at the front of the school. He was leaning against the wall, talking to a girl I had in AP Chem and Anime club. As soon as Liam saw me, he offered her a sweet smile before jogging over.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked, "I know this morning must have been hard on you."
I laughed. "Not really. Jay's a bit too self-absorbed and conceited. He's everything I thought you were. I'm just scared of what kind of malicious plan he and Nic are going to conjure up to destroy me."
"I was that." Liam muttered. "But you showed me I didn't have to pretend and prove to everyone that I was something I wasn't."
"I'm really proud of you, Liam. The playbook, football, all of it. I know your dad would be too."
His smile faltered as he bowed his head and breathed out a quiet, "Thank you."
Silence. Then after a couple minutes, Liam diverted the subject entirely. He was a master at that.
"So you're not going to Prom anymore?"
"It's a little over three months away, Liam. I could find another date by then. If not, I'll just third wheel it with Bryan and Shay or Andy and Bri. I honestly don't really care anymore."
I knew he didn't mean to say the words aloud because a faint pink hue touched at his cheeks as soon as they escaped him. "In that dress, any guy would be an idiot for not wanting to go with you."
I felt warmth in my own cheeks, but he luckily recovered quickly and added, "Just be careful with Jay and Nic. Like you said, they're malicious and I'd hate for something to happen to you on a night that's supposed to be special."
I nodded and looked out into the emptying parking lot. "Let them try, Liam. This isn't Carrie. And if they do actually do something it'll embarrass me for a few weeks at most. It's something they'll have to live with for the rest of their lives."
**
I was a little shocked to find Andy in his Jeep outside the Waters once I'd finally reached the house. This whole exercises thing was actually a great way to clear my head and I'd been doing it for the last week to try and escape the hell that was my thoughts. The jock was sitting in the driver's seat, rubbing a hand down his face as he stared at the front door. He was probably waiting for Bri.
As if he could feel my eyes on him, he looked toward me and waved. "Hey, Reese!"
I waved back as he hopped out of the car and met me in front of it. "What are you doing here? I don't think Bryan's home and I'm about to take Bri out for dinner."
"Bry's on his way home." I answered with a smile. "That's sweet of you. I'm so glad that she has you, Andy."
He looked toward the Waters with a loving look. "I really like her, Reese. Definitely on the verge of love. And I have you to thank for it. Thank you for giving us both the push."
"Of course." I touched a hand to his knuckle. "It makes me happier than you could ever begin to fathom that she has someone like you, Andy."
"I feel that way about you, Reese." He said with a serious draw of his eyebrows. "Liam has changed so much, he has become so much of the man that I knew was buried deep down. You did that. You changed him. You believed in him when he thought nobody else ever could."
I felt the left side of my mouth curl into a smile. "Yeah, he's definitely growing on me too."
"Don't let Nicola get to you." He reached out and gripped my shoulder. "Or Jay. I know he lacks a brain, but you even did the impossible with that and he's starting to use that big ol' organ for once. He did care for you, Reese. And I think in her own wicked way, Nic does too. She's just too afraid fail the expectations that everyone has for her."
"I just feel like I've made a mess of everything." I whispered.
Andy grinned. "You've done the very opposite, my dear Reese. You snuck your way into all of our hearts and managed to bring us all together into a very strange, confused bunch of idiots."
*
Bryan spent most of our movie time texting. I was pretty sure it was Shay by the way a smile kept touching at the corners of his lips every thirty seconds. Any time he realized I was watching him, he would drop his phone on to his lap and look back to the movie, pretending to actually be interested in it.
"I'm being replaced, aren't I?" I eventually said, feigning hurt as I pressed my palm over my heart.
Bryan chuckled. "Nobody could ever replace you, Reese."
"Shay really likes you." I said, kicking my feet up on to his lap. "And you're over here still being all afraid to make a move to take it to the next level and ask her out."
"It's not that easy." He mumbled, avoiding my eyes. "I've done more than I could have ever thought imaginable in even holding conversations with her and flirting back. But I was in love with you for so long, Reese, that I don't have very much experience when it comes to relationships."
I sighed. "Bry, you don't need to over think it. Shay likes my Bryan. The goofy, space obsessed, photographer with a caffeine addiction. There's no need to try and pretend around her, she likes you for you."
"For how long?" was his bitter croak.
I sat upright and grasped his hand in my own. "I can't promise you'll stay together, Bry. You know how I feel about love. But you won't know and you'll regret if you don't try. It's better than to love and have lost then to never have loved at all."
"I'm scared." He breathed, eyes meeting mine. "I don't want to get my heart broken again, Reese."
I reached out and touched a hand to his chest over his heart. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Bry. But not every girl is going to break you. You can't go into this relationship thinking she's going to break your heart or it'll be doomed from the start. Just be you, go with the flow and don't let her slip through your fingers."
"Reese?" he breathed after a couple minutes of silence.
I looked back to him with a curious look. "Yeah?"
"I love you, kid."
I nudged his hand with my foot and smiled. "I love you too, idiot."
*
During one of our movies we must have dozed off because I was startled awake by my phone buzzing repeatedly against my chest. I groaned, confused on who'd be calling after twelve. I retracted my legs back beneath me when I saw Tin Man lighting up my screen. I hadn't spoken to him all day and somehow I'd just assumed I wouldn't be seeing him tonight.
"Liam, hey." I whispered into the receiver, standing up.
It wasn't Liam who answered me, but my mother. "Reese, sweetie, it's Mom."
"Mom?" my stomach flopped. "Mom, is Liam okay? Why do you have his phone?"
"Do you think you can make it to the hospital? Liam needs you."
I looked over my shoulder at Bryan who'd been stirred awake and was staring at me groggily. "Why? Mom, what happened? Is he okay?"
"Liam is fine, honey. Physically atleast." She answered, but the words that followed sent a shiver down my spine. "Butthey pulled the plug on little Annie earlier this evening and he's been spiralingsince."