Don't Make This Easy, I Want You to Mean It.
Three.
"Marissa, people are asking questions!" I hissed, grabbing her arm and taking her away from the crowd of people.
"And by people you mean Jack, right?" She asked, already understanding what I was talking about.
"Yeah. I got caught out lying to him. I told him I didn't hook up with anyone on Saturday, and then he just started to throw a fit to get me to tell him who it was and all this. What am I supposed to do?!"
"Well, for starters you've gotta come up with better lies than that. And then you've got to find a way of letting him know it was you that left Alex this weekend."
"But he'll tell him! They're best friends, Marissa! He'll tell him straight off."
"Do you trust Jack?"
"Yes, bu-"
"Has ever broken a promise to you?"
"No, bu-"
"Then it's simple. Make him promise. All you have to do is go find him and ask to talk to him alone and away from Alex."
"But I've never seen them together!"
"Exactly. Just think of the places we never hang out, and that's where they'll be."
"Some how your strange logic makes sense."
"I know, now go!" I laughed as she turned me around and pointed me off into the opposite direction. Walking out onto the grass surrounding the school was not something I ever remembered doing before during the school day, not even when I was skipping lessons. It didn't take long for me to locate Jack and his band mates. They managed to snag the only tree in the entire school grounds to sit under. I pretended not to feel the churning in my gut as I got closer and closer to where Alex sat, hoping to God he didn't recognise me. I didn't need them all to find out, just Jack.
"Aha! Jasey Rae! I knew you couldn't stay mad at me!" Jack grinned, running over and jumping on me.
"Me? Mad at you? Please, Jack, I'm never mad at you." I laugh, shoving him off of me.
"Ah, the infamous Jasey Rae, nice to finally meet you," Alex smirked, standing up. "You have quite a reputation." Okay, play it cool, Jase.
"Sorry, you are?" He looked thoroughly dumbfounded for a moment or two before he regained his attitude.
"Alex Gaskarth; I'm sure you'll want to remember that name from now on." I scoffed before replying, even though I knew it wasn't going to be a name I forgot in a hurry.
"You have quite the reputation yourself. You found your girl yet?" I smirked, knowing he hadn't. His face turned sour at the mention of it.
"No, I haven't. She's quite evasive. No one remembers seeing me with anyone."
"Pity. Jack, can I have a word?" I asked, suddenly turning away from Alex.
"Sure, come on." He linked his arm through mine and led me off toward the school building, and out of earshot of his friends. "So, what did you want to say?" The nerves started to kick in now.
"Well, I felt bad for lying to you, so I wanted to know if you still felt the need to know who I hooked up with?"
"You know I love getting gossip," he smiled.
"Do you promise not to tell a soul?" His smile faltered.
"This sounds serious. Did you hook up with someone disgusting?" He joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"I wish. It's worse than that. Promise me, Jack."
"Okay, okay, I promise."
"No one, not even Alex. I know you don't keep secrets from him, but no one at all can know."
"Jasey, you're scaring me."
"Just promise, Jack!"
"Okay! I promise not to tell anyone, not even Alex! Now tell me!"
"Alex."
"What about him?"
"I hooked up with him!"
"A-As in my Alex? Alex who's going insane over the girl he hooked up with on Saturday? That Alex?!"
"Yes, that one!"
"Oh, my God. I have to tell him!" He turned to go back, but I grabbed his arm tightly.
"Jack, you promised. Please, don't tell him."
"Do you expect me to let my best friend mope over you when he could get back up and be fine?!"
"This is my one week where I'm not the centre of gossip; please don't ruin that for me."
"You're so selfish!"
"You already knew that. Please, don't tell him. I don't need everyone to know I managed to hook up with him and leave him. I don't want to be the girl that's worse than the infamous Alex Gaskarth. It's easier for him to be worse than me." Jack bit his lip, looking down at me with pity in his eyes.
"Fine. I won't say a thing. But you'll have to tell him if this gets out of hand. Do you promise me that?"
"I promise, Jack."
"Good, now come back with me and sit with the guys! I don't care if it's awkward; they need to know my best girl." He grinned, hugging me tightly.
"Aww, you're such a sweetheart."
"I try." He led me over to the guys, arm around my shoulders and stood me in front of them all. "Guys, this is Jasey Rae. Jasey, this is Alex Gaskarth, Zack Merrick and Rian Dawson." He said, pointing to each of them in turn. I smiled and waved at each of them, which all of them returned.
"Zack, move over and give Jasey space to sit down," Alex ordered, shoving him out of the way so I could sit between them. I laughed and plopped down next to him.
"Dude, you suck. I was comfortable there," Zack whined, pouting.
"Be thankful, you finally get a pretty girl next to you," Alex joked.
"Oh, ha ha. The only way you get them near you is by getting them shit faced."
"Ouch. Harsh. That hurt, Zack. Right here." He said, pointing to his chest.
"Suck it up, Gaskarth." Alex pouted at him once more before turning to me.
"So, what was a pretty girl like you doing with our Jack Attack?"
"'Your Jack Attack'? Bitch, he's mine."
"Oh, really? JACK! Who do you belong to; me or Jasey?" Jack looked like a deer caught in headlights, knowing he would suffer no matter who he said.
"I'm Jasey's in lessons but yours the rest of the time? That girl's the only reason I'm passing."
"You mean we have to share?!" Alex and I shouted simultaneously. The two of us looked at each other before bursting out laughing.
"I told you he was the male version of you," Jack spoke up.
"Hey! My reputation is much better than his!"
"HEY! I take offence to that! I'm not that bad!" Alex chipped in.
"Oh, and now I am?!"
"Well, no. But you make it sound like my reputation is horrible!"
"It is, Alex. Haven't you heard the word in the hallways? No girl wants near you for fear you'll leave them heartbroken."
"And no guy wants near you for fear of STD's." He shot back. My jaw dropped. Jackass. Closing my mouth I clenched my jaw and glared at him, willing myself not to mention Saturday night. Suddenly, Alex broke out into a grin and kissed my cheek. "You're cute when you're mad."
"Alex! Stop chatting up my girl!"
"Wait. You two are together?!" Rian burst out, suddenly. It was the first time I'd heard him speak.
"No. But I own that bitch," Jack grinned evilly, making us all laugh and forget the small argument I had just had with Alex.
"And by people you mean Jack, right?" She asked, already understanding what I was talking about.
"Yeah. I got caught out lying to him. I told him I didn't hook up with anyone on Saturday, and then he just started to throw a fit to get me to tell him who it was and all this. What am I supposed to do?!"
"Well, for starters you've gotta come up with better lies than that. And then you've got to find a way of letting him know it was you that left Alex this weekend."
"But he'll tell him! They're best friends, Marissa! He'll tell him straight off."
"Do you trust Jack?"
"Yes, bu-"
"Has ever broken a promise to you?"
"No, bu-"
"Then it's simple. Make him promise. All you have to do is go find him and ask to talk to him alone and away from Alex."
"But I've never seen them together!"
"Exactly. Just think of the places we never hang out, and that's where they'll be."
"Some how your strange logic makes sense."
"I know, now go!" I laughed as she turned me around and pointed me off into the opposite direction. Walking out onto the grass surrounding the school was not something I ever remembered doing before during the school day, not even when I was skipping lessons. It didn't take long for me to locate Jack and his band mates. They managed to snag the only tree in the entire school grounds to sit under. I pretended not to feel the churning in my gut as I got closer and closer to where Alex sat, hoping to God he didn't recognise me. I didn't need them all to find out, just Jack.
"Aha! Jasey Rae! I knew you couldn't stay mad at me!" Jack grinned, running over and jumping on me.
"Me? Mad at you? Please, Jack, I'm never mad at you." I laugh, shoving him off of me.
"Ah, the infamous Jasey Rae, nice to finally meet you," Alex smirked, standing up. "You have quite a reputation." Okay, play it cool, Jase.
"Sorry, you are?" He looked thoroughly dumbfounded for a moment or two before he regained his attitude.
"Alex Gaskarth; I'm sure you'll want to remember that name from now on." I scoffed before replying, even though I knew it wasn't going to be a name I forgot in a hurry.
"You have quite the reputation yourself. You found your girl yet?" I smirked, knowing he hadn't. His face turned sour at the mention of it.
"No, I haven't. She's quite evasive. No one remembers seeing me with anyone."
"Pity. Jack, can I have a word?" I asked, suddenly turning away from Alex.
"Sure, come on." He linked his arm through mine and led me off toward the school building, and out of earshot of his friends. "So, what did you want to say?" The nerves started to kick in now.
"Well, I felt bad for lying to you, so I wanted to know if you still felt the need to know who I hooked up with?"
"You know I love getting gossip," he smiled.
"Do you promise not to tell a soul?" His smile faltered.
"This sounds serious. Did you hook up with someone disgusting?" He joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"I wish. It's worse than that. Promise me, Jack."
"Okay, okay, I promise."
"No one, not even Alex. I know you don't keep secrets from him, but no one at all can know."
"Jasey, you're scaring me."
"Just promise, Jack!"
"Okay! I promise not to tell anyone, not even Alex! Now tell me!"
"Alex."
"What about him?"
"I hooked up with him!"
"A-As in my Alex? Alex who's going insane over the girl he hooked up with on Saturday? That Alex?!"
"Yes, that one!"
"Oh, my God. I have to tell him!" He turned to go back, but I grabbed his arm tightly.
"Jack, you promised. Please, don't tell him."
"Do you expect me to let my best friend mope over you when he could get back up and be fine?!"
"This is my one week where I'm not the centre of gossip; please don't ruin that for me."
"You're so selfish!"
"You already knew that. Please, don't tell him. I don't need everyone to know I managed to hook up with him and leave him. I don't want to be the girl that's worse than the infamous Alex Gaskarth. It's easier for him to be worse than me." Jack bit his lip, looking down at me with pity in his eyes.
"Fine. I won't say a thing. But you'll have to tell him if this gets out of hand. Do you promise me that?"
"I promise, Jack."
"Good, now come back with me and sit with the guys! I don't care if it's awkward; they need to know my best girl." He grinned, hugging me tightly.
"Aww, you're such a sweetheart."
"I try." He led me over to the guys, arm around my shoulders and stood me in front of them all. "Guys, this is Jasey Rae. Jasey, this is Alex Gaskarth, Zack Merrick and Rian Dawson." He said, pointing to each of them in turn. I smiled and waved at each of them, which all of them returned.
"Zack, move over and give Jasey space to sit down," Alex ordered, shoving him out of the way so I could sit between them. I laughed and plopped down next to him.
"Dude, you suck. I was comfortable there," Zack whined, pouting.
"Be thankful, you finally get a pretty girl next to you," Alex joked.
"Oh, ha ha. The only way you get them near you is by getting them shit faced."
"Ouch. Harsh. That hurt, Zack. Right here." He said, pointing to his chest.
"Suck it up, Gaskarth." Alex pouted at him once more before turning to me.
"So, what was a pretty girl like you doing with our Jack Attack?"
"'Your Jack Attack'? Bitch, he's mine."
"Oh, really? JACK! Who do you belong to; me or Jasey?" Jack looked like a deer caught in headlights, knowing he would suffer no matter who he said.
"I'm Jasey's in lessons but yours the rest of the time? That girl's the only reason I'm passing."
"You mean we have to share?!" Alex and I shouted simultaneously. The two of us looked at each other before bursting out laughing.
"I told you he was the male version of you," Jack spoke up.
"Hey! My reputation is much better than his!"
"HEY! I take offence to that! I'm not that bad!" Alex chipped in.
"Oh, and now I am?!"
"Well, no. But you make it sound like my reputation is horrible!"
"It is, Alex. Haven't you heard the word in the hallways? No girl wants near you for fear you'll leave them heartbroken."
"And no guy wants near you for fear of STD's." He shot back. My jaw dropped. Jackass. Closing my mouth I clenched my jaw and glared at him, willing myself not to mention Saturday night. Suddenly, Alex broke out into a grin and kissed my cheek. "You're cute when you're mad."
"Alex! Stop chatting up my girl!"
"Wait. You two are together?!" Rian burst out, suddenly. It was the first time I'd heard him speak.
"No. But I own that bitch," Jack grinned evilly, making us all laugh and forget the small argument I had just had with Alex.