Living for the Music
Chapter Sixty-Five
I pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID for a moment before sighing. “What do you want?” I asked impatiently.
“That’s not a very nice way to answer the phone,” Jared teased.
“I knew it was you,” I shrugged.
“So you’re saying you have something against me personally? Thanks a lot.”
I laughed despite myself. “What do you want, Jared?”
“Well, I was going to invite you over for New Year’s. But the way you’re treating me…”
“There’s less than an hour until midnight,” I pointed out.
“So you’d better hurry,” he agreed. “The address is-”
“I can’t,” I interrupted. “I’ve got… plans.”
“Oh,” he said enlightenedly. “Is your boyfriend back?”
“Aaron? No, he’s still in… Florida, I think.”
“Then what…”
“I have friends, Jared. You might not, but-”
“Hey!” he protested. “That’s low. You know I have friends. I was at Nathan’s wedding, right?”
“I was under the impression that was a pity invite,” I chuckled.
Jared sighed. “Why do I put up with you?”
“I’ve actually been wondering the same thing,” I agreed, falling back on the bed again. “You haven’t taken any of my hints to stay away.”
“It’s because I know that you secretly love me,” he replied matter-of-factly.
I laughed again. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
“So… you’re sure you don’t want to come over? Because we’re having an awesome time, and there are people I could introduce you to, and-”
“I’m sure,” I replied. “I’m hanging with my best friend. I’m good.”
“You have friends?” He threw my words back at me in an amazed voice. “I had no idea.”
“I’m hanging up now,” I announced, through with the conversation.
“No! Wait!”
“What now?”
“Happy new year?” he said hesitantly.
“You, too, Jared,” I laughed. “Talk to you later.”
“No, soon,” he countered. “I-”
I snapped the phone shut before he could finish his sentence. I glanced over at Seth, who was definitely not looking at me. He had his binder open and was scrawling something inside it. “Sorry,” I finally said, desperate to break the ice. “I wasn’t expecting him to call.”
“I warned you he would,” Seth answered, not looking up from his work. “Jared doesn’t give up.”
“I’ve noticed,” I laughed. “It’s okay, though. He’s harmless.”
“Aaron might not think so,” Seth snapped, slamming his notebook shut.
“What do you mean?” I asked quietly.
“Seriously, Sophie? Do you enjoy playing with fire?”
“What…”
“You’re asking to get burnt, you know that? I saw Aaron when he was jealous of me, when he knew he had nothing to worry about. Do you seriously think he’d react calmly if he saw you and Jared?”
“There’s nothing to see,” I answered quietly. “We’re just-”
“Friends, I know,” he sighed. “But Aaron sure isn’t going to think so.”
I looked away, unable to face him. I knew he was right, I knew this would only lead to trouble, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Jared was harmless, and he was quickly becoming one of the best friends I had. I couldn’t give him up, not yet. I stood up and made my way out to the den again. “You coming?” I called.
“I’ll be there in a sec,” Seth replied.
I sighed again, quieter this time. I sure knew how to wreck an evening.
“That’s not a very nice way to answer the phone,” Jared teased.
“I knew it was you,” I shrugged.
“So you’re saying you have something against me personally? Thanks a lot.”
I laughed despite myself. “What do you want, Jared?”
“Well, I was going to invite you over for New Year’s. But the way you’re treating me…”
“There’s less than an hour until midnight,” I pointed out.
“So you’d better hurry,” he agreed. “The address is-”
“I can’t,” I interrupted. “I’ve got… plans.”
“Oh,” he said enlightenedly. “Is your boyfriend back?”
“Aaron? No, he’s still in… Florida, I think.”
“Then what…”
“I have friends, Jared. You might not, but-”
“Hey!” he protested. “That’s low. You know I have friends. I was at Nathan’s wedding, right?”
“I was under the impression that was a pity invite,” I chuckled.
Jared sighed. “Why do I put up with you?”
“I’ve actually been wondering the same thing,” I agreed, falling back on the bed again. “You haven’t taken any of my hints to stay away.”
“It’s because I know that you secretly love me,” he replied matter-of-factly.
I laughed again. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
“So… you’re sure you don’t want to come over? Because we’re having an awesome time, and there are people I could introduce you to, and-”
“I’m sure,” I replied. “I’m hanging with my best friend. I’m good.”
“You have friends?” He threw my words back at me in an amazed voice. “I had no idea.”
“I’m hanging up now,” I announced, through with the conversation.
“No! Wait!”
“What now?”
“Happy new year?” he said hesitantly.
“You, too, Jared,” I laughed. “Talk to you later.”
“No, soon,” he countered. “I-”
I snapped the phone shut before he could finish his sentence. I glanced over at Seth, who was definitely not looking at me. He had his binder open and was scrawling something inside it. “Sorry,” I finally said, desperate to break the ice. “I wasn’t expecting him to call.”
“I warned you he would,” Seth answered, not looking up from his work. “Jared doesn’t give up.”
“I’ve noticed,” I laughed. “It’s okay, though. He’s harmless.”
“Aaron might not think so,” Seth snapped, slamming his notebook shut.
“What do you mean?” I asked quietly.
“Seriously, Sophie? Do you enjoy playing with fire?”
“What…”
“You’re asking to get burnt, you know that? I saw Aaron when he was jealous of me, when he knew he had nothing to worry about. Do you seriously think he’d react calmly if he saw you and Jared?”
“There’s nothing to see,” I answered quietly. “We’re just-”
“Friends, I know,” he sighed. “But Aaron sure isn’t going to think so.”
I looked away, unable to face him. I knew he was right, I knew this would only lead to trouble, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Jared was harmless, and he was quickly becoming one of the best friends I had. I couldn’t give him up, not yet. I stood up and made my way out to the den again. “You coming?” I called.
“I’ll be there in a sec,” Seth replied.
I sighed again, quieter this time. I sure knew how to wreck an evening.
♠ ♠ ♠
Before you yell at me!I know they're being bipolar again. I'm sorry. But this is very important for the next section. Which will be out soon. And you will like it. I hope.
Anyways, I'm gonna make this a super long author's note because I'm super excited. Anyone remember the math test that got me all depressed cuz I failed? Well, I DIDN'T fail! My teacher screwed up his addition and forgot to give me eight points. Which in my case is the difference between passing and failing! So I'm super excited.
On another note, I might go to the Death Cab for Cutie concert with my friend tomorrow cuz he has an extra ticket. It comes down to whether or not my parents will let me stay out that late on a school night. (Stupid school. Wrecks everything.)
Anyways, why I'm telling you that is that if I do go, I may not be able to update tomorrow. So just so you don't kill me LOL.