The unspoken Rule (7 page)

I didn't want to see him anymore.

I didn't want to think of him anymore.

And I wouldn't. I swear I wouldn't.

I would have
nothing
to do with Jake anymore.

Jake's POV

I had just taken a big juicy bite out of my taco when Cynthia waltzed up to me. She huffed her chest out, and gave me a dazzling smile.

"Hey Jakey," She drawled.

I lifted an eyebrow, wondering why she was still talking to me as if we were dating.

"Oh Jakey," By this point, I had put my taco down and she crawled into my lap even with my protests, "I realized how wrong I was by breaking up with you. I can't live without you. I
love
you."

She wrapped a dainty arm around my shoulder, pulling herself close to me. At this, practically everyone in the cafeteria was staring.

"Cynthia," I began.

"Yes darling?"

"I'm not-"

But she had her lips on mine, smothering my thought. But even with her kiss, most guys would die for it, I felt nothing. No spark, no rush. Nothing.

I put my arm slightly around her, to get her off of me.

"Cynthia, get off me."

Her head was still turned away from me, in a specific spot. I followed her gaze and saw who she was looking at. Maria. She was standing stock still, and then I watched her face contort from pain and she hurried away.

Cynthia looked at me. "We'll have to do this again, Jake." She said loudly, still acting in front of everyone.

"No, Cynthia we won't."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Get away from me. I was glad you broke up with me. We're
never
getting back together again. Dating you was the worst waste of my time ever." I told her forcefully.

She scoffed, looking surprised.

"Wipe that look off your face, Cynthia. You had it coming." I told her.

The students in the room chorused into
ooohhhs
.I ran away from her, tired of her and her ways.

She stamped her foot behind me. "Jake Miller! You will not have the last word! You will regret this!" She yelled back to me.

I ignored her and trotted through the hallway I thought I had seen Maria go through. The corridor ended in the girl's bathroom.

I chose a wall near it, and sank to my knees.

Maria would never forgive me for that scene, and I knew it. I would still apologize to her, even if after that we never looked at each other again. I cared about Maria. I really did.

I
actually
cared for Maria. Not like all the other girls I had dated. Maria was special. I would never hurt her purposely. I wanted to keep her happy, and protect her from harm. I would do everything in my power to do so.

But in this instance, I had let her feel emotional pain. And I hoped she would forgive me. For, it was not my fault, but Cynthia's.

Maria eventually emerged from the restroom. Mascara was running down her face and her eyes were red and puffy. I quickly stood up and rushed to her side. She continued walking with me at her side.

"Maria, let me explain." I looked at her for approval to continue. She didn't answer. "Cynthia, she came up to me, and put on this whole show about how she misses me."

I cleared my throat. "I don't have feelings for Cynthia. The only feeling I have towards her is hatred. She was trying to real me back in Maria. It wasn't my fault, please believe me. I'm so sorry you had to see that, it was all fake. Please Maria, please forgive me."

I paused to look at her. She had her arms crossed over her chest, but she was looking me in the eye, which was a good sign.

"Please Maria, say something."

"I accept your story, but I'm done with the drama."

Oh, she forgave me! Oh wait …what? She believed my story but was tired of the drama?

I lifted my eyebrows.

"If we continue
this
," She waved her hand between us, "Then the drama ends right now. I'm done with this crap. I feel like you've trodden over my heart too many times. Can you imagine how I feel right now?"

She looked up at me with these glistening eyes. They were moist with unshed tears, and her voice almost cracked. She must've felt unloved, undeserving, and worthless. Which wasn't true.

She was loved, by me. She deserved to have someone in her life, someone good to her. And she was worth something to me. She was worth
everything
to me. She was the most valuable thing in my life.

I looked around us to make sure no one was around. "Maria, I know we've only been dating for a day, but I love you. I love you more than you can ever know. You're the most valuable thing in my life. You're the icing to my cake, the syrup to my pancakes, and the sunshine on a cloudy day. You have the prettiest eyes in the entire world. They're always gleaming and always please me. Your smile is breath-taking. When you smile, it's like the heavens open up and angels begin to sing. You're drop dead gorgeous when you're smiling and laughing at something I say. And I mean it."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her close to me.

She looked up at me, her eyes hopeful. "Please forgive me," I murmured.

"I forgive you." She whispered. And so I leaned down and planted my lips on hers. And then it seemed like the Fourth of July happened. It seemed like our lips were made for each other, locking perfectly. Hers were warm and soft, making me enjoy it even more. She deepened the kiss for a moment, and then we pulled away, needing air.

She smiled, her cheeks red. "I'm glad it was you." She murmured.

"What?"

She clarified. "My first kiss."

And I was glad I was her first kiss too. I gently pulled her into me by the waist. "Then I'll be your second, too."

And sparks flew again.

A few weeks later

Maria's POV

"And he goes to this ball, right? And he has a date and she's hot."

I rolled my eyes.

Jake resumed. "Living up to his brotherly position, he had to go and make fun of his sister at the dance. Little did he know that there was a Cinderella there, dancing with his sister. Her eyes, were like twinkling lights. So bright and beautiful under the ballroom. So he gives her his best smile and winks at her."

"And she doesn't know what to think of this wink. She was confused as to why he did it."

"Ah," Jake repositioned himself on the grass. "But he did it because he was starstruck. Her beauty, it fazed him. His date at the dance was incomparable to the lady hanging out with his sister."

"And what happened after that?"

"Well, he got nervous. He continued to crush on her, and invited her to social gatherings with him. However, they kept these secret meetings on the down low. They both knew the consequences if the sister in question was to find out."

"What about the gentleman's date?"

"She ended up being a fluke. A fake. Whatever you want to call it. The date broke up with the gentleman, to his pleasure. With this recent turn of events, he was now able to court the one he had fallen in love with."

"And did he court her?"

"Why yes," He laid on his side, and grabbed my hand. "He did. And they're living spectacularly now."

I laid flat on my back, gazing up at the stars. Jake sure did know how to tell a good story. The air was thick and warm, a perfect night. The sky was dark, save for the gleaming stars peppering it. Jake gently pulled me closer to him and I laid my head on his chest.

"You see that star there?" He questioned, pointing at a certain one.

I lifted my head to see it. And there it was, the brightest one in the sky, it must've been the North Star.

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm gonna buy you that star one day." He promised.

I turned to look at him, disbelieving. "No you won't."

"Yes, I will. Just you wait and see."

I laughed, loving his certainty. I sighed. "How are we going to do this? I mean, you're a year older than me, and you'll be away at college and-"

"Maria, the future is meant to be lived, not prearranged."

"You're right." I snuggled into his shoulder, his arm around me.

"I always am." He said, a smirk in his voice.

Jake's POV

A month later

All is good, all is good.

Thank goodness Laura still doesn't know about Maria and me. To make sure she doesn't get any ideas, Maria has secretly invited me to her place sometimes. Just to mix it up.

We've been dating for 2 months now, and they've been the best moments of my life.

Maria was over now, hanging out in my room. We claimed to be studying for exams, which was true, in a sense. They were a few days, but studying wasn't the only thing we were doing.

Maria was lying on her stomach on my bed, studying our textbook. She had her chin in her hands, her eyes moving furiously.

"X equals negative B, plus or minus the square root of B squared minus 4 AC, all over 2 A." She muttered to herself.

I shook my head to myself. Maria would pass this test with flying colors, that was for sure.

I quietly came up behind her. I placed my hands on her shoulders, rubbing down her arms.

"Hey," I whispered. "You're gonna do great."

"I don't know..."

"Don't talk that way! You'll get the highest score in the class. You want me to take you mind off it?"

She nodded thankfully. I laid down beside her, and pulled her near me. Her body warmth radiated off onto me.

I pecked her on the lips, making her lips turn into a smile. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling us even closer. Leaning forward, I placed gentle kisses along her jawline. She shivered with happiness, not protesting.

I traveled further down her neck, only stopping for a moment when I reached her collarbone. Her brown eyes stared into mine, pulsating with lust. More kisses were planted down her collarbone on her smooth skin.

"Jake, do you have my-" And then, "Oh. My. God."

I whirled towards the sound of the voice that obviously wasn't Maria's.