Bitter Sweet

Brad’s arms wrap themselves around his stomach while he groans in pain. Darrin and I stand above him with our hands in the shape of fists, both of us wait for Brad to slowly stand and once he does Darrin delivers another punch to his jaw, sending him stumbling backwards for me to catch.

I spin him around and shove my fist into his gut. A part of me loves seeing how his eye flinches in pain but another doesn’t because Brad was a friend. Key word being was. Everyone knows that the biggest code in the book is not to go after your best mate’s girlfriend. It’s down right wrong and you will not be forgiven if broken.

Darrin kicks Brad once more in the side before following me away from the basketball courts. The two of us hop into his car and he steps on the gas. Grumbling, he says to me, “What a bastard.”

I nod in agreement and wipe my slightly bloody knuckles off with a napkin in Darrin’s car. It doesn’t take Darrin long to return me home. I step out of the car and go inside. The moment I enter mother tells me, “Jude called.”

I roll my eyes and reach for the phone. Dialing his number, I hold it against my ear and wait patiently for the idiot to answer. It doesn’t take long. “Hello, this is Jude’s house of whores how many I help you? I’m sorry to say that Kale is busy today so he can’t sell his sweet ass to anyone so please don’t ask for that hunk of man.”

“Since when was I your whore?” I ask and although Jude can’t see me I still glare and place a fist on my hip.

“Oh, hey sweet thang.” I can practically see Jude standing before me, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. The thought makes me snort. “How you doin’?”

“What did you call for?” I ask and take a seat on my bed. I stare down at my feet with a slight smile because I know that no matter what Jude won’t be talking to me about Hailey. He isn’t hers and she isn’t his. They aren’t a couple anymore and I feel like such a dick for thinking this but I’m so bloody happy that she cheated.

I wish that she wouldn’t have cheated and they just broke up but that wouldn’t have happened. She cheated and I’m happy she did because they’re broken up for sure. A part of me wants to tell Jude how I feel, how I’ve always felt but I’m not losing him. No, I can’t risk that. I need him. I need Jude.

Jude, if you knew how much I cared, would you still be my best friend? Would you still hold me when I cry and make me laugh when I feel like I can’t?

“Where were you?” Jude whines. “I wanted to talk and have someone make me feel better but you weren’t there! Aren’t you supposed to give me some McLovin’ during a time like this?”

I groan. “No, I’m not giving you any ‘McLovin’ so don’t ask for it and I was out with Darrin.”

“Doing what?” Something told me that he had an idea of what we were doing. “Was Brad there?” Or maybe he already knows…

“No,” I lie. “Why do you ask?”

“You didn’t do anything, right, Kale?” Jude’s voice dropped to a dangerously serious tone. More often than none Jude is funny, outgoing, and the exact opposite of serious. There are times, like this, when he actually can be serious.

I bite my lip and reply, “Listen Jude…he deserved it.”

“That doesn’t matter!” He scolds and it feels weird to hear it because normally I’m the one scolding him for something he has done. For once, I am the one deserving it though. “He’s our friend, even if he did betray us and sure I’m pissed at him too but that doesn’t mean you go kick his ass! And you call me stupid.”

“Sorry,” I’m not sure if I was talking to myself when I said that or not. Sighing, I rub the bridge of my nose and decide to change the subject. I really don’t want to talk about Brad and his betrayal right now. “What are you up to?”

“Oh, I’m so glad you asked, jelly bean!”

“Jelly bean?” My question is ignored.

“I’m just here jacking off to your pictures on myspace. Did I ever mention how sexy you are? Cuz hot damn boy, you are! No wonder you’re my number one whore!” He is the only one who laughs at his joke.

“I will kill you,” I growl, gripping the phone tightly and debating on running to his house and butchering him.

“You love me.”You have no idea.

“Hey, can I come over and stay?” Jude asks, his tone dropping. He sounds almost shy and it’s absolutely adorable that I can’t refuse even if a second ago I wanted to kill him. Suddenly, I just want to hold him.

“Like I care, but if you snore…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he laughs. “I’ll be over in a bit so prepare yourself!”

Before I can reply he hangs up. The sound of the dial tone buzzes annoyingly in my ear but I don’t care. My face is currently on fire because my mind is telling me he meant that sexually but at the same time he might not have. It is Jude though…everything that comes out of his mouth is sexual in one way or another.

Damn him.

Why did I have to fall for him, of all people? He’s so completely oblivious that it hurts. He’s the one that makes me cry, that makes me smile, that makes me laugh, that slowly kills me every single day of my life and I just wish that I never fell for him.

I want to stop thinking about him but at the same time that’s all I want to do because it’s Jude. He’s so bloody perfect that how can I not love him? How can I not think about him? But that’s what is painful.

This is so messed up. Someone up there must hate me if they’re making me feel this way.