Status: Completed.
Games
The aftermath.
“Jaime, what happened? Are you okay?” Emma said into her phone urgently. Jaime had called sobbing moments before.
“Em,” she wailed.
“I’ll be right there.”
Jaime hung up. Emma ran to pull Anna away from her movie, after sending her mom a text message for a ride.
“Anna, look, I’m really sorry, but Jaime needs me; her parents went out and she didn’t know who to call,” she said quickly.
“Oh, well, tell her I said to feel better,” Anna replied unenthusiastically, ignoring her friend’s silent, panic-stricken plea for forgiveness.
Emma bolted, grabbing her things as she ran. She jumped into her mom’s car as soon as it pulled up. Her mom probed her, but she offered little explanation and tapped her foot impatiently on the floor of the vehicle.
“Thanks, Mom!” she shouted. Racing out of the car, she almost fell, but made it into the house without a scrape- and without knocking.
Emma came bursting gallantly into Jaime’s dark room. Jaime was a heap of covers on her bed, her heaving sobs muffled by the blanket. Emma rushed to hug her teary friend, who didn’t move from her lumped form.
“Tell me what happened, James,” Emma whispered softly. She couldn’t often get away with calling her James. It was usually a nickname she hated.
“Well, we went to the movies, but every time I brought you up, he didn’t want to talk. Then he kissed me and left right in the middle of the movie. I’m sorry, Emma; I really tried.”
Emma was stunned speechless.
* * *
By school Monday morning, it seemed that everyone had somehow heard about the Jaime and Aaron hot hookup; and it was no great secret either that Emma was crushed. The whispers and pointing followed Jaime, Aaron, Tim, and Emma all day.
At lunch, Jaime tried to talk to Aaron, who was not at his regular table of jocks. He was deaf to Jaime’s desperation.
In fact, he completely ignored her except to say, “You can buy your own lunch today.” He did not even spare her a glance.
Jaime then wandered over to Emma, who was sitting alone. Emma couldn’t look at Jaime. Anna and two stuck-up friends approached them.
“You lied,” Anna said bitterly. “Both of you.”
“Shut up, Anna,” Jaime snapped defensively.
“Whatever,” Anna said, a smug gloat hovering about her lips. She stalked away, winged by the two snobs.
For once, both Emma and Jaime were excited to hear the bell ring to end lunch.
Jaime was shocked to see Tim waiting for her outside of the lunchroom, where he normally did.
“Hey,” she said quietly, not meeting his eyes. What exactly was Tim to her now? Her ex? She didn’t like that thought. Did he even know? That was a worse thought.
“Hey,” he said, his voice barely audible in the clamor of the hallway around them. He had always worn his heart on his sleeve, and his visible hurt was eating at Jaime.
She could hear the question in Tim’s head that he couldn’t bring himself to ask: the inescapable why, that she herself didn’t honestly have an answer to.
“I’m sorry,” she said, finally meeting his sad eyes.
Tim nodded. He kissed her cheek and squeezed her hand. “Goodbye,” he whispered.
Her eyes filled as she ran off to her next class. Tim watched her go regretfully.
“Hey,” Aaron said, looking apologetically at Tim.
“Hey,” he replied glumly.
“It’s over?”
“Mm hm.”
“I’m really sorry.”
Tim shrugged and walked off to his class, leaving Aaron to stand alone by the lockers, feeling the same dose of guilt that he had felt on Friday, standing in that exact spot. He felt as if he would be violently sick.
Just then, Emma passed. She caught sight of Aaron and blushed a deep maroon. He grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.
“Em, I know you’re Jaime’s best friend, but I need to talk to you. Meet me after school at my locker. We’ll go out for a bit. I really need to talk to you. Please,” he pleaded.
Emma looked at him, still red-faced and mortified. He dropped her arm and begged her with his eyes. She couldn’t turn him down, even know; she couldn’t find her voice, either. She nodded twice and scurried off.
“Em,” she wailed.
“I’ll be right there.”
Jaime hung up. Emma ran to pull Anna away from her movie, after sending her mom a text message for a ride.
“Anna, look, I’m really sorry, but Jaime needs me; her parents went out and she didn’t know who to call,” she said quickly.
“Oh, well, tell her I said to feel better,” Anna replied unenthusiastically, ignoring her friend’s silent, panic-stricken plea for forgiveness.
Emma bolted, grabbing her things as she ran. She jumped into her mom’s car as soon as it pulled up. Her mom probed her, but she offered little explanation and tapped her foot impatiently on the floor of the vehicle.
“Thanks, Mom!” she shouted. Racing out of the car, she almost fell, but made it into the house without a scrape- and without knocking.
Emma came bursting gallantly into Jaime’s dark room. Jaime was a heap of covers on her bed, her heaving sobs muffled by the blanket. Emma rushed to hug her teary friend, who didn’t move from her lumped form.
“Tell me what happened, James,” Emma whispered softly. She couldn’t often get away with calling her James. It was usually a nickname she hated.
“Well, we went to the movies, but every time I brought you up, he didn’t want to talk. Then he kissed me and left right in the middle of the movie. I’m sorry, Emma; I really tried.”
Emma was stunned speechless.
* * *
By school Monday morning, it seemed that everyone had somehow heard about the Jaime and Aaron hot hookup; and it was no great secret either that Emma was crushed. The whispers and pointing followed Jaime, Aaron, Tim, and Emma all day.
At lunch, Jaime tried to talk to Aaron, who was not at his regular table of jocks. He was deaf to Jaime’s desperation.
In fact, he completely ignored her except to say, “You can buy your own lunch today.” He did not even spare her a glance.
Jaime then wandered over to Emma, who was sitting alone. Emma couldn’t look at Jaime. Anna and two stuck-up friends approached them.
“You lied,” Anna said bitterly. “Both of you.”
“Shut up, Anna,” Jaime snapped defensively.
“Whatever,” Anna said, a smug gloat hovering about her lips. She stalked away, winged by the two snobs.
For once, both Emma and Jaime were excited to hear the bell ring to end lunch.
Jaime was shocked to see Tim waiting for her outside of the lunchroom, where he normally did.
“Hey,” she said quietly, not meeting his eyes. What exactly was Tim to her now? Her ex? She didn’t like that thought. Did he even know? That was a worse thought.
“Hey,” he said, his voice barely audible in the clamor of the hallway around them. He had always worn his heart on his sleeve, and his visible hurt was eating at Jaime.
She could hear the question in Tim’s head that he couldn’t bring himself to ask: the inescapable why, that she herself didn’t honestly have an answer to.
“I’m sorry,” she said, finally meeting his sad eyes.
Tim nodded. He kissed her cheek and squeezed her hand. “Goodbye,” he whispered.
Her eyes filled as she ran off to her next class. Tim watched her go regretfully.
“Hey,” Aaron said, looking apologetically at Tim.
“Hey,” he replied glumly.
“It’s over?”
“Mm hm.”
“I’m really sorry.”
Tim shrugged and walked off to his class, leaving Aaron to stand alone by the lockers, feeling the same dose of guilt that he had felt on Friday, standing in that exact spot. He felt as if he would be violently sick.
Just then, Emma passed. She caught sight of Aaron and blushed a deep maroon. He grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.
“Em, I know you’re Jaime’s best friend, but I need to talk to you. Meet me after school at my locker. We’ll go out for a bit. I really need to talk to you. Please,” he pleaded.
Emma looked at him, still red-faced and mortified. He dropped her arm and begged her with his eyes. She couldn’t turn him down, even know; she couldn’t find her voice, either. She nodded twice and scurried off.