I sat there for a few minutes, not knowing what I was supposed to do. Was I supposed to get up? Was I supposed to just walk into my cabin and talk with my friends as if nothing had happened? Nothing even happened! Jesse got angry, and he pushed me... He even looked guilty after he had done it...
It wasn't like we were in a relationship or anything. He wasn't my boyfriend, and he wasn't abusing me, so there wasn't anything wrong. I didn't even feel any pain anymore. It had only hurt when he had pushed me against the wall, but it didn't anymore.
My legs felt like jelly, and I didn't feel like getting up. I wanted to, but I just couldn't. I hated when my mind told me to do one thing, but then my body went and did something else.
I still had no idea what I was supposed to do.
What was I supposed to do? That was just so unlike Jesse... He hadn't ever done anything like that before, at least not to me. I was always the one that tried to hurt him, but not the other way around. And it seemed like he didn't even mean to do it!
That look he gave me after he saw what he had done... He looked so guilty and sad. I'd never seen that kind of expression on Jesse Jacobsen's face before, like he had regretted what he had done. And Jesse Jacobsen never regretted anything. Ever.
I continued to wonder and wonder why he had acted so strange as I slowly made my way to Cabin C. There was no point in going back to class, because I knew that I wasn't going to be able to concentrate for the rest of the day. I just wanted to lie down and sleep for a while.
I plopped down on my bed, trying to think. It was all just so... confusing. Before I could close my eyes to try and get some sleep, my phone started buzzing and ringing loudly and annoyingly. I groaned, shoving my hand into my pocket and pulling my phone out, accepting the call and pressing it against my ear.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Jordan, how are things?" the innocent and familiar voice asked. I half smiled, still wanting nothing more than to sleep.
"Hi, Grandma," I said, rubbing my forehead. "Things are good."
"How's Jesse?"
I stared at the ceiling flatly, not really believing she had said that. But then again, it wasn't that big of a surprise. She had been teasing me about Jesse for years... Everyone had been teasing me about Jesse for years. I didn't really understand it.
"He's fine, Grandma."
"That's good. Jordan, are you alright? You sound tired..."
"I'm really tired, that's all," I informed her truthfully. It wasn't a lie, since I actually was tired. I didn't want to talk about Jesse, or anything for that matter, I just wanted sleep. "I was just about to go take a nap..."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'll call you back then, alright? Have a good sleep, Jordan!" my grandmother apologized, making me smile a little more.
"It's okay. I'll talk to you later. I love you," I sighed, closing my eyes, waiting for sleep to take me over.
Just before I pushed the end call button I heard, "I love you, too, Jordan!"
I dropped the phone to the side of my head, finally welcoming sleep. I continued trying not to think about what had just happened, but I found it incredibly too hard to, and before I knew it, I was being shaken awake by someone who seemed very excited.
I opened my eyes slowly, not wanted to be disturbed. I had fallen asleep, just like I had wanted, but now someone had to wake me up. I swear, if it was Jesse...
At the thought of Jesse, my stomach dropped. What had happened between us earlier still haunted my mind, and I had to admit that I was still a little scared. That look in his eye when he had pushed me, but then the look of regret he showed me after. Ugh, why was I letting this get to me?
"Jordan, Jordan! Wake up, wake up!" the familiar, girly voice said, causing me to sigh in relief when I realized that it wasn't Jesse. I opened my eyes fully to see Lexi grinning down at me, her hair in a side ponytail and duct tape rolls up her arms. Typical Lexi.
"What?" I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I forced myself to sit up. Even though I really just wanted to sleep and not think about Jesse, I knew that that wasn't going to happen.
"You remember that blonde guy that shares Cabin B with Jesse and his friends?" she asked me excitedly, pulling the rolls of tape off her arms and onto the table. I blinked, trying to think for a moment. Why was she asking me such difficult questions when I had just woken up? Even though the question wasn't difficult at all... But I had just woken up!
"Yeah, sort of," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes again. I definitely wasn't a morning person, even though it wasn't even morning. I just didn't like being woken up. "His name's, like, Alex or something, right?"
Lexi nodded her head. "Yeah, it is! He's in my art class, and he's so cute!"
I blinked, not expecting her to say this. After what had happened with Bruce, she didn't even give any guys a second glance. She said that she would get him back, even though even she thought that that wasn't going to happen. But now she was going all gaga for this Alex guy.
"We're so much alike!" she announced, nodding her head some more in excitement. "He said he liked how I wore duct tape on my arms, because it's unique, and that he liked my hair. He said he's never seen anyone like me before, but it's a compliment, because he said that I was just like him! He's hilarious, and just like me! I told you guys I'd find someone like me in that class! I told you!"
I rolled my eyes at her, laughing a little as I did so. She hadn't been this excited since Bruce asked her out over the summer, since she had liked him for so long before that, but she had been crushed after she found out that he had been cheating on her with Aimee. Lexi must have liked blondes, since both Alex and Bruce were blonde. She was even blonde herself.
"That's great, Lexi," I smiled, not knowing what else I was supposed to say. I hadn't ever spoken to Alex, and I barely got a glimpse of him a few days before, but he sounded like the perfect guy for Lexi. And that was just what she needed, the perfect guy. After what happened with Bruce, all she needed was someone to actually love her. I just sure hoped he wasn't actually some jerky player looking for different girls. That had already happened with Lexi once; I didn't want it to happen again.
"But what about you and Dallas?" Lexi asked suggestively, raising her eyebrows as the subject changed. "AJ told me about how Jesse went back to the shed because his helmet didn't fit and then stormed off with you in tow. What was happening with you and Dallas in that shed, hmm?"
I felt my cheeks heat up as I tried to think of an excuse. Jesse was angry about me kissing Dallas, but why would Lexi be? She would be happy, not angry!
"Well... we were, uh, kissing..." I mumbled, staring down at the blue sheets they lay around me. "And, well, Jesse saw us and got all angry..."
I wasn't about to say anything about how Jesse had pushed me against the wall, because I didn't want her to get worried. I didn't feel any pain now, even though I probably should have, since Jesse was so strong, but I knew that he wasn't going full force when he had pushed me. He was holding back. If he really did mean to hurt me, he would have gone full force.
But I couldn't help but feel a little scared. I mean, come on. Who wouldn't?
"Dallas kissed you again?" Lexi shrieked, causing me to slap a hand over her mouth to shut her up. Adding new like this to her excited mood was not a good mix. I should have waited for her to calm down a little before I told her. Well, too late now.
"Well, yeah," I answered with a shrug, as if it didn't matter at all. But it did matter, and it mattered a lot. I had waited for Dallas to kiss me forever, and now that it finally had happened, Jesse had to ruin it. Twice.
Even though I should have been thinking about Dallas nonstop, I wasn't. The only person that was on my mind right then was Jesse.
And I hated it.
Why was I thinking about Jesse right after Dallas had kissed me? Why was Jesse the one overflowing my brain and driving me insane? What was with the look that he had been giving me after he had pushed me? What was with the look right before? What was with all his looks?
Why was he invaded my mind?
I couldn't tell Lexi that Jesse was actually the one on my mind and not Dallas. I couldn't tell any of my friends. They would think that I really liked Jesse, and then they'd be mad at me and probably hate me. Because, even though I hated Jesse more than anyone, they hated Jesse as well, more than any other Cambridge boy.
"And Jesse pulled you away from him? Jordan! Jesse likes you!"
"No he doesn't," I snapped, sounding harsher than I had meant to. But Lexi didn't notice, because she was too busy giggling. "Jesse likes Yolanda, remember? Not me; he hates me. He probably only pulled me away and acted so angry because he was trying to keep up with the boyfriend act in front of Dallas... Stupid jerk..."
I still didn't mention the part when Jesse had pushed me into the side of his cabin when I said that I might have been in love with Dallas. Why did he do that? Ugh... Jesse Jacobsen was the most infuriating and confusing person on this entire planet! He drove me insane!
"Sure, Jordan," Lexi smiled, waving a hand in front of her face when the rest of the girls started filing into our cabin. "Whatever you say..."
Lexi then turned away toward the girls, telling them what had happened. I sighed, plopping back down on my bed while the girls squealed about how lucky I was to have someone like Dallas like me. I didn't feel like celebrating, though, because I was too busy thinking about Jesse.
Stupid Jesse. Why do you always have to invade my mind?
It just wasn't fair. I didn't want to think about Jesse, I didn't even want anything to do with Jesse, but he was the only thing I could think about right then. He was just so confusing.
Finally having enough of thinking about him once the girls went on to another subject, I jumped up from my bed and toward the door. I had finally made up my mind. I was going to confront him and ask him why he was acting like such a freak.
"Where are you going, Jordan?" Emily asked once the girls realized I was leaving.
"Out," I answered simply, opening the screen door and shutting it behind me loudly. I hadn't meant to, but I guess I did it anyway.
"Where do you think you're going, Ugly?"
Oh, come on.
"I'm going to go visit a friend of mine," I told her, trying not to snap. But as Erica stared me down, all I wanted to do was snap and cuss at her until I couldn't anymore. I wasn't in the mood to be called ugly right then. I shouldn't have even been in the mood to be called ugly at all, but right then I just couldn't tolerate it.
"Who would want to be your amigo, Ugly?" she asked, a small smirk playing at her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip. I rolled my eyes, trying to think of an excuse. It wasn't like it was late or anything, so why couldn't I go see a friend? Not that Jesse was a friend of mine or anything...
"Just a friend."
"Uh-huh, yeah," Erica nodded, sounding unconvinced. "If you're trying to go see your novio Dallas, just get back inside. Haven't you read the handbook? No relationships between counselors and students. Don't be surprised if I go tell on you."
She sounded like a child with the last thing she had said, and I couldn't help but look at her flatly. "There's nothing going on between Dallas and me," I told her sternly, guessing that whatever she had said in Spanish had something to do with what happened between Dallas and me. "And I'm not going to see him."
Hoping that this would help Erica forgive me, I held my ground. I straightened, trying to seem tough. I really hoped that that worked. I didn't want Dallas getting in trouble, and I definitely didn't want to get in trouble either. I had been sent here because I was doing something bad, and I didn't want to get kicked out of here either.
How would I explain that to my parents? I was sent away all the way across the country because my friends and I had gotten into a prank war with another school. And now I get kicked out for being in a pretty much illegal relationship with someone that was like a teacher? Oh, yeah, that'll go well.
"Eres un mentirosa, fea," Erica snapped, her eyes narrowing at me. Why did she always have to speak in Spanish? I had absolutely no idea what she was saying!
Obviously noticing my confused look, she rolled her eyes and scoffed. It wasn't my fault I didn't know Spanish! I was born in California, and I had taken French all throughout high school! "You're such a liar, Ugly," she repeated, now in English.
I continued to give her a flat look. "I'm not lying," I told her. "I really am just going to see a friend."
Before she could say anything else, I heard one of the girls shout from inside our cabin, "Erica! Ven aquí, en el mejor consejero nunca!"
I assumed that this was Chelsea, and I almost laughed when I saw Erica scowling at the cabin door. I didn't know what she said, but it obviously wasn't something Erica liked.
She looked back at me, still scowling. "Don't move."
I found myself shrugging. "Whatever, su majestad..."
Obviously also remembering that this was what Chelsea had said to her earlier, she scowled even more. Without saying anything, she turned toward the cabin and made her way inside.
When I knew that she wasn't watching me anymore, I sprinted in the opposite direction toward Cabin B. There was no way Erica was going to keep me away from getting answers. I wasn't going to let her. So what if I got in trouble later? It wasn't past midnight yet, so I couldn't have gotten in trouble for breaking curfew or anything.
I knocked on the door to Cabin B as hard as I could, just in case if he was sleeping or something I would wake him. Seconds later the door opened to reveal Jesse, looking just like he had when I had seen him last. If he had been sleeping, like me, then he definitely didn't look like it.
My eyes then widened when I realized that I had been sleeping before I came over here, so I had no idea how I looked. Was my hair messy? What about my makeup? What if Jesse just made fun of me?
He reached over, patting my head. "Your hair's all messed up, Emery."
I blinked. I should have checked what I looked like before I came over here! But wait... why did I even care what I looked like in front of my enemy? I wasn't supposed to care at all!
I was expecting to look up at him to see him grinning, but he wasn't. His hand was still on my head, and he was frowning as he stared at me. To my surprise, he was the only one that was in the cabin, causing me to feel a little more uncomfortable. Had the boys he was sharing the cabin with not come back yet?
His hand slowly trailed form the top of my head and to the side of it, causing chills to shoot up and down my spine. The only problem was that I didn't know if they were bad chills... or good ones.
"I... I wanted to talk about what happened earlier," I blinked, not thinking straight anymore. "I just... I don't..."
I didn't know what to say anymore. Actually, I didn't know what to say to begin with. I had come over here without a plan, and now I was going to have to deal with it.
Jesse looked away from me, removing his hand from the side of my head. He sighed, turning away from me and into the cabin. I followed him, closing the door behind me. I didn't want to be outside, since Erica could easily find me if she looked in the direction of Cabin B.
"I'm sorry for that," Jesse muttered, not even looking at me. "I wouldn't ever really mean to... hurt you."
I blinked, not expecting him to say something like this. He had hurt me plenty of times, but it was always with something he had said, or because he had tapped me too hard or something. But he had never pushed me against a wall or anything. Nothing like that had ever happened before.
"It's alright," I whispered, not knowing if I was saying it to assure him or myself. "I was just shocked when you did it... You've never done anything like that before, so..."
"It won't happen again," Jesse said quickly, spinning on me and stepping closer. I didn't step back; it was as if my body wouldn't let me. He was so close, but I didn't pull away. I only continued to stare up at him as if he was the only thing in the world, as if I was in a trance.
I nodded now, believing what he was saying. I didn't think he would actually hurt me; he just wasn't the type of guy. He'd make fun of me and hurt my feelings, but he wasn't the type to push a girl up against the wall... Unless he was going to kiss her or something...
Jesse suddenly reached over, brushing my cheek slightly. My eyes widened only a little, but I didn't move. I only stood there, staring up at him. I wanted to pull away, but my body wouldn't let me move, for a reason I didn't know. I didn't like being this close to him...
I could have sworn that I thought I saw Jesse's face come closer to mine, but I was sure that I was only imagining things... Jesse wouldn't do anything with his hated enemy when he didn't even have to. I knew him well enough to know that.
Before either Jesse or I could say or do anything else, his cell phone started to ring. He let out a sigh, reaching into his pocket and pulling it out. "Hello?" he asked, turning his back to me as he started to pace. Was it just me, or was his voice husky? "Oh, hey, Marnie. What do you want?"
Jesse's cousin Marnie? The one other person he cared about besides Yolanda? She was calling him?
"No, I'm not busy," he said, crossing his arms over his chest as he continued to pace around. "No, I really am not busy. Why don't you believe me? No, I don't have some girl in here... Stop getting so excited. Marnie... Marnie... Marnie! Fine, alright..."
He turned toward me, a smirk on his face. With the phone still pressed against his ear, he said, "Marnie says hi, Jordan."
My eyes went round like saucers as I realized what he had just done. Now Marnie was probably going to think that I was either his girlfriend or just some easy girl! I definitely didn't want something like that happening, especially when it was with someone I didn't even know!
"What do you mean?" I heard Jesse ask once I zoned back in. "Yeah, I know I'm closer to you now, but I'm still two states away from you... Yeah, of course I miss you, but can you really afford it? Yeah, I know that you're rich--don't rub it in!--but I don't know if it's a good idea. I don't even know if it's allowed..."
"We're allowed to have visitors," I butted in, finding myself smirking slightly. "But only on weekends..."
Jesse gave me a flat look. Without looking away from me, he said into the phone, "See you on Saturday."
He snapped it shut before Marnie could even say goodbye, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. For someone that cared about their cousin, he sure didn't seem like he cared too much.
"So... your cousin's coming on Saturday?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately."
"What? Why do you say that? I thought she was one of the people you care about..." I said, my eyebrows furrowing as I remembered what he had said weeks before. That was the night I had found out that he liked Yolanda, so I of course I wasn't going to forget it.
Jesse shook his head, shoving his phone back into her pocket. "Yeah, she is... But I don't particularly like her friends."
I blinked. Why wouldn't Jesse like her boyfriend? Was he a jerk to her or something? If he was, I didn't blame Jesse for not liking him, but if he wasn't... Well, Jesse seemed to not like a lot of guys for some reason... So I didn't really know.
"Why?"
"Have you heard of Seth Haven?"
I blinked once again, and I couldn't help but realize that I did that too much. Well, we all blinked, didn't we? But Seth Haven? I could vaguely remember hearing that name on the TV or reading it online... But I couldn't really remember where I had heard it from...
"No," I answered finally.
"I guess you're just going to have to figure it out on your own then," Jesse sighed, waving a hand in front of his face for a moment. "Marnie says he isn't bad or whatever, but I don't know if I believe her."
"Does he go to that one boarding school for delinquents? The one in New York?" I asked now. "Bentlywood or something, right?"
"Bentwood," Jesse corrected uncaringly, plopping down and sitting on his bed. "And yeah, he goes to that school. She's bringing him along, and then his three friends that she's friends with, too. They go to the delinquent school, too... I do not want to meet another four delinquent boys that hang around my cousin..."
"Well..." I said, rocking back and forth on my feet a little. "Maybe they're not so bad?"
I hated that what I had said sounded like a question, but I just couldn't help it. They went to delinquent school, didn't they? Four delinquent boys here? How could Marnie be friends with four delinquent boys and still be safe? Especially since her boyfriend had killed people before!
I wasn't looking forward to four delinquents showing up... This wasn't going to be fun.
"You seem scared, Emery," Jesse smirked, cocking his head to the side. "Are you afraid?"
"Of course I am!" I admitted, not in the mood to deny it. "Four delinquents? What kind of person is your cousin? Is she too trusting or something? It sure seems like she is!"
Jesse shrugged. "A little, I guess. But you can't judge a book by its cover, Emery... You've already done that with me..."
I shook my head, not even acknowledging what he had said. I didn't want to see four delinquents. I had heard of this school, Bentwood or whatever, before. It was a school for boys that had broken the law that had enough money to be sent there instead of juvie. They were there because of who their mommies and daddies were, and if it weren't for them, they'd be sitting in a cell right now.
"Well, maybe you'll like one of them, Emery... They seem like your type."
"Oh, go screw yourself, Jacobsen!"
"Can you do it instead?"
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Well, if you've read Hey There, Delilah... You should know who Marnie and these "four delinquents" are... ^_^
If you read the author's note from It's What You Do to Me (4), you'll know what happened with an old friend of mine. If you want to know what she said, just go read the author's note from that chapter if you haven't already. You don't have to read the story or anything, but I don't want to make this author's note longer by writing it all out again.
Please COMMENT, VOTE, and FAN! <3