Life couldn't get any worse than this.
Jake was all alone on the school's rooftop, sobbing helplessly. Continuous tears of utter despair and sadness slid down his cheeks, one after the other.
Jake wasn't one to cry. He doesn't cry that often. But, he couldn't help himself this time. His eyes had began to hurt now from the constant rubbing he was doing on them. They stung like mad, but Jake was unable to stop. There was nothing else he could do. All he could do was cry at this moment.
"How could I fall for that?! How could I say those things about them behind their backs?! God, I'm so stupid..I'm such an awful person..!"
Jake yelled at himself mentally, his eyes becoming red. He tried his best to calm himself down, and dry away his tears. However, he failed as they kept on coming.
"They were my friends. My family. My everything..! And I..lost them. I lost them all..! Oh, Hailey..I'm so sorry.."
Jake weakly gazed at the sun that was slowly setting with each second that passed from the rooftop he was situated on. Its yellowish rays with a tint of orange hit against his skin lightly. The skies above the teenager were of the colours of a radiant pink and marigold.
The school's rooftop was Jake's comfort zone. He always went up there from time to time. Nobody else really did. It seemed as though Jake was the only student who made use of it. The roof was mainly for when Jake needed to reflect on a few thoughts, or if he needed some time alone. Right now, it was both.
"I just want to sing. That's all I want. Why is that so difficult for me to do?!" Jake spoke lowly, his eyebrows furrowing as a wave of anger steadily overtook him. "WHY CAN'T I JUST PURSUE MY DREAMS AND SING?! WHY CAN'T PEOPLE JUST LET ME DO WHAT I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT?! WHY DO PEOPLE CARE SO MUCH?! I WANT TO SING! WHY CAN'T I DO THAT?!"
Jake shouted out angrily, clutching onto the fence with his fingers. More tears streamed down his face as he broke down. Jake's body fell to the ground as his knees were pressed up against his chest. He buried his face into them, his jeans becoming soaked.
"A-And then, when I do find a place where I can finally be myself, when I do find people who accept me for who I am, and appreciate my talent, I lose them in the process. All because of something stupid I did.."
Jake could feel his heart crack after hearing his own words. His chest ached in pain, and he didn't know how to make it all go away. He thought maybe he deserved this. Jake betrayed the music club when they have done so much for him, and this is the price he has to pay.
"I-I don't deserve them..I don't deserve anything..!" Jake said under his breath, his hands shaking from the cold. He kept telling himself to go inside, but he didn't want to. Not when there was people in the school. It felt so cramped and congested. He needed air to breath. He needed peace and quiet to think.
Jake held onto his arms, huddling himself in an attempt to produce some kind of warmth. He leaned his head against the fence of the rooftop, his mind going deep into thought. At this rate, Jake felt helpless and believed there was truly nothing he could do.
"Maybe I'm just meant to be alone.."
----
Hailey searched and searched, catching sight of every corridor and hallway. She needed to find him, ASAP. Unfortunately, Jake was nowhere to be found. She began to feel hopeless, her mind beginning to think that she wouldn't be able to find him. Who knows where he could have gone? Did he leave? Has he gone home early? These questions flooded Hailey's brain as she grew more worried.
"Where is he?! I need to find him..He looked really upset..Were we too harsh on him..? What if it was all a misunderstanding? C'mon, Jake. Where are you?"
After a couple more minutes of searching, Hailey stopped in her tracks. She made sure she checked every area of the school, and it was clear that Jake wasn't in the building. A feeling of worry and dread took over her body. She just wanted to find Jake. She would give anything to see his face again. If only she knew where he could have went.
Hailey thought to herself for a while. She wasn't about to give up. Okay, Jake wasn't inside the school. But maybe, he was somewhere outside the school. Was he in the school gardens? Was he outside near the entrance of the school where him and his friends would usually meet up before heading inside every school morning? As she pondered, it soon clicked, as there was one specific place Hailey forgot to check.
"Wait, that's it! The school rooftop!!"
----
Hailey carefully opened the doors leading onto the roof, her legs carrying her outside. Her grey eyes looked up in the direction she was facing and sure enough, there he was. Jake Sterling, who was sitting down on the concrete, his knees up in their position as he rested his palms on them. He was staring out towards the sky, the fence standing in the way. His back was turned away from her, and he very obviously did not hear Hailey come out as he made no reaction.
Hailey shivered. It was pretty cold. She didn't know how Jake was managing himself out here. Though she was wearing a cardigan, she could still feel the goosebumps on her skin. She rubbed her hands together, producing some heat.
The more she stared at him, the more nervous she grew. She wasn't sure on how to approach him, or how to go about this. Hailey could hear her own heart beat in her chest. It was incredibly saddening for Hailey to see Jake like this. All alone on the roof, in the cold, with nobody there to comfort him. Things like this made Hailey believe that maybe there was something bigger at works here, and that there is a reasonable explanation as to why Jake said what he said about the club.
Hailey struggled to blink back tears. She didn't want Jake to see that she was crying. Her vision was blurry as the tears filled up her eyelids, but she wiped them all away. Letting out a huge breath, Hailey got herself together and slowly began to walk over to the blond-haired teenager. Every step she took added more weight onto her shoulders. She really hoped she was doing the right thing.
Hailey soon made it up to him, as she stood behind him. Jake didn't move at all. His attention was fixed entirely on the view in front of him. He didn't hear the doors open. He didn't hear the footsteps nearing him, and he hasn't noticed that someone was standing right behind him.
Clearing her throat, she opened her mouth and uttered his name.
"J-Jake..?"
He froze on the spot, absolutely stiff. His chestnut-brown eyes widened as he felt his heart stop. His name was just called, which told him that someone has found him and was behind his body. That voice he had just heard, sounded exactly like hers.
He turned his head around, his heart sinking to his stomach. There she was. Hailey Austin, who was looking down at him with a worrisome gaze, her hands hidden behind her back. Jake could see some tears displayed in her eyes, trying their best to slip out. It was clear Hailey was holding them back.
"H-Hailey..?!" Jake slightly exclaimed, both shocked and nearly speechless.
Hailey gave him a small smile, her heart secretly breaking upon seeing the state Jake was in.
"Hi.." Hailey quietly said, sitting down next to him as she lifted her knees up in a similar position to Jake.
"N-No! Stay back..!" Jake nearly yelled, backing himself away. Hailey watched him in bewilderment and confusion, as Jake scooted his body further and further aside.
"Jake?! What are you doing..?!" Hailey asked, bringing herself near him. She paused however, when Jake raised his palm up in front of her, signalling her to stop. He continued to drift away, forming a gap between them.
"Stay away from me!" Jake said once again, making Hailey's confusion grow all the more.
"But why?!" Hailey questioned the latter, stuck with the choice of staying where she was. She didn't want to upset Jake even more.
"I-I don't wanna hurt you! No matter what happens, I always end up hurting you! I don't wanna hurt you again! Stay away!"
Hailey's heart was now completely broken into pieces. At this point, her throat throbbed in pain as she was choking back tears.
"Jake, it's okay.." She reassured him in a soothing voice. Jake stopped, gazing into her eyes. "Please, listen to me. I want to talk to you.."
"But, why..? After everything I did, surely you don't wanna see me ever again..Don't you remember what I did to you and the club?" Jake muttered, his palm dropping down.
"Jake, I know what happened, and that's why I'm here. I want to talk to you about it.." Hailey gently touched his shoulder, scooting her body near his own again.
"I..I don't..W-What's there to t-talk about? Everything's already been said and done..You really should be hating me right now.." Hailey sighed, the cool breeze flowing through her hair, making it dance with the gale.
"I know, Jake. But, it took me a while to realise that, I should have let you explain your side..I was just so angry, upset and conflicted in the moment. I couldn't handle it. That's why I was so quick to turn on you..You know, people make bad choices when they're mad, scared or stressed.."
Hailey cupped Jake's cheeks, which were damp from his tears, and were icy cold from the weather. "And that is what I think happened to you. So, tell me Jake. What really happened that caused you to say all that about us? Talk to me. I'm listening.."
Jake could feel a small feeling of joy and relief soar through his system. Hailey was here with him, and believes that something had provoked him to say what he said. It didn't come from Jake's heart. It came from his 'friends'.
"Are..Are you serious..?" Jake murmured, seeing Hailey nod her head.
"Of course..I should have allowed you to explain. I don't know why but, something tells me that you didn't mean any of it. So, tell me. What happened?"
Jake's eyes went wide. He wasn't expecting this. He thought that all the club members, especially Hailey, would never speak to him again after all the harm he had caused them. Yet here he was, with Hailey, about to explain to her the whole story.
Jake's sights fell to the floor, his head hanging low as he sighed. He shuddered again from the cold, which Hailey took notice of. Gently, she wrapped an arm around Jake's back and held him close, generating some warmth for the two of them. Jake could feel his cheeks sting as they glowed red a small bit.
"Well, it all occurred at Drew's place." Jake began, not hearing Hailey scowl to herself. As soon as she heard that name, she could already tell exactly where this was going. God, how much she loathed that name.
"Basically, I was with Drew and the gang in his bedroom. Lia and Zoey were there with us as well. Through Lia, everyone figured out that I am, or w-was..singing a duet with you this Friday.." Hailey listened, a lump forming in her throat when she heard Jake say the word 'was'.
"T-Then, they all started telling me things. Things that I didn't want to hear, and that I denied being true. They all kept saying, especially Drew, on how you and the band were using me for my talent and for the competition. They just kept on spewing out horrible things about the club, mainly you.."
Another tear fell from Jake's eyelid. He instantly wiped it away. "All they were saying eventually got to me, and I..I started to think it was true. God, I'm such an idiot. Because of them successfully manipulating me, and making me think these awful things about you, I..caved in..and, well you know the rest.."
Hailey nearly gasped upon hearing. So, that is what really happened? Jake was manipulated by his friends, which caused him to trash talk the club behind their backs. What kind of friends were they? Terrible ones. That's for sure.
A silence fell upon them. Jake became concerned at how quiet Hailey was being. Did she believe him? Or was she still thinking that it was a facade, and that Jake did mean whatever he said, and this was just a cover-up story? The longer the silence grew, the more Jake couldn't take it anymore.
"Hailey, I'm sorry!! I'm sorry about everything!! I'm sorry for saying all those things about you!! I'm sorry for falling into their trap so easily!! Words cannot express how sorry I am! If I could take back whatever I said, I would do so instantly in a heartbeat! I..I'm sorry..I don't expect you to forgive me, but I just want you to understand..You out of everyone, did not deserve that.."
Hailey suddenly gripped onto both his palms, intertwining her fingers with his. Jake glanced up at Hailey and saw that the tears Hailey was fighting back for so long, finally broke through. Endless tears fell from her delicate eyes and onto her face. Though she was crying, Hailey gave him a weak smile.
"Jake, it's okay..I believe you.."
"You..You do..?!"
Hailey nodded. "Yes, I do. Really, I do..Don't worry. I understand now. And, I'm so sorry.."
Jake was taken aback at Hailey's words. Even though he looked shocked, he was extremely happy on the inside. "No, Hailey! You have nothing to apologise for! I'M sorry.."
"Oh, Jake. It's not just you..I'm sorry.."
"No, Hails..I'm sorry..I don't deserve an apology at all. Especially from you.."
"Jake.."
Jake held onto Hailey's shoulders, meeting his brown irises with her dark grey ones. "I'm so sorry, princess.."
Hailey beamed warmly at him, her tears of sadness growing into tears of happiness. Her heart pinged when she heard the nickname Jake used for her. "Oh, Jake. It's okay..I forgive you. Everything's alright..It's not your fault..I shouldn't have been so hard on you..You're okay..I forgive you.."
Hearing those keywords made a huge smile of elation appear on Jake's lips. With a laugh, he pulled Hailey into an immense hug, snuggling into her collarbone. Hailey wrapped her arms around his neck, the goosebumps leaving her skin as they were eased down with Jake's comforting warmth.
The two singers stayed like that for a minute or two before breaking apart. They shared a loving grin with one another, before Hailey decided to ask a very important question.
"Jake..?"
"Yes, Hailey..?"
She stroked her neck, her cheeks showing off a light pink.
"Will you sing with me this Friday..?
Jake's heart melted in awe at the question, his gaze softening. He already knew what his response was going to be as he squeezed her hands tightly.
"I'd love nothing more.."
-End-