Keeping Secrets From The Two-Faced Jerk

He leaned over and his lips harshly and roughly touched mine.

The same tingles ran threw my body, down to my toes and memories of our first kiss zoomed back into my mind. His forceful but passionate lips, his boyish smirk and his longer hair.

He quickly broke apart and I was sent back into reality. When I opened my eyes, the back of his hand covered his lips, as if in disgust, his sly grin forever broken. His long hair was cut and fashioned in a fo-hawk, probably minutes before Beth made him vow he would drive me to school and kiss me.

That's right, he was forced to kiss me. Like a month before but he seemed to enjoy teasing me but now, he detested me.

Seth Turner hates me.

Realization hit me harder in reality and tears threatened to fall immediately.

"Get out," he demanded and I didn't hesitate to obey. I couldn't stand looking at his stormy eyes any longer.

I leaped out of his car and walked straight to Ali's locker, successfully making no eye contact with anyone or breaking down.

"There's something I gotta tell you," I told her

Without even looking from her reflection on her locker mirror she replied nonchalantly, "Oh, I know."

"You do?!?"

"The whole school does, hun." She applied her last glop of lip gloss and finally looked my way.

"Are we talking about the same thing?"

"Your engagement to..."

"Yeah, what's his face. Please don't say his name, it's a pain." I moaned

Her eyebrows raised, "Someones jumping with joy. Aren't you glad your fight for love is coming to a close?"

"What? Love?"

"Yesterday...?"

I nodded, patiently waiting for her to explain

"When we saw Seth and Stacey Brooks in his car, you looked like you were about to kill someone and then just ran off. Face it, Juliana, your falling for Seth whether you want to or not. Who would get that mad if it's just another two-faced jerk?"

By now, crowds were forming, pointing and whispering at me. Ali was right, the whole school knew I was engaged to Seth, the innocent, all-star, honor-roll teenage role model that everyone absolutely adored. Except for me.

I refuse to admit to some bullshit.

"Look at the happy girls," Lo walked in, wearing a mocking smile.

I rolled my eyes, "Real mature."

And then he started cracking up, laughing until he was literally rolling on the floor.

I groaned while Ali giggled along

"Real sorry, Mason." he finally got his chuckles under control, "But both my best friend's are engaged to the perfect Turner brothers. One being the guy we used to make fun of!"

I smacked him, "I was forced to."

"That's not what the rumors are saying," he said, his eyes glistening with humor.

I honestly didn't get how calm and... humorous both my best friends thought this was. It's a life commitment here, my whole life bind in chains to the one I hate the most. Remembering his face this morning after our 'kiss', a scruchiating pain knocks on my chest. I could never love him and he definitely does not love me either.

"What are the rumors saying?" I asked

Ali cleared her throat. Oh boy,"After seeing Seth with Stacey Brooks, you stormed off with jealousy to his mother and made this whole fake-ass story up so she took pity on you and forced innocent ol'Seth to propose to you."

"Leaving innocent, straight A Seth Turner and beautiful and sexy Stacey Brooks to break off all connections," Lo pitched in. We gave him a 'are-you-for-real?' look at the same time. He put up his hands innocently, "Their words, not mine."

"What fake douche bags," I grumbled harshly

"Speak of the devil," Ali said far-off

I looked at where she was staring and there was Stacey Brooks in her usual slutty attire and posse of wannabe cheerleaders. She was standing far in the crowd but anyone in a hundred mile radius could of felt those daggers she was staring at me. I just rolled my eyes at her and, as if on cue, the first bell rang. I grabbed Lo and Ali's arm and stormed threw the ocean of gossipers and dirty looks.

Today was going to be a long day.

_________

I slammed the wheel of my precious baby hard with frustration. I couldn't believe what was happening. I was engaged to the girl I supposedly liked so why wasn't I happy?

Because she wasn't.

She detested me. Simple as that.

Love The Way You Lie boomed in my baby's radio.

Just gonna stand there and watch me burn. Well, that's alright because I like the way it hurts

Rihanna boasted and I quickly changed the radio station. What is wrong with me? I checked my reflection in the rear view mirror as some sappy music filled aired out the speakers.

I quickly check my hair, thankfully still holding up better than I was.

I'm paying for my sins
And it's gonna rain for years and years
I've fooled everyone
Now what will I become?
I have to start this over, I have to start this over

I froze mid-way, my heart stopping

And all these masks we wore
We never knew what we had in store
Breathe in, breathe ou--

I slammed the radio off completely, breathing heavily with guilt over-coming me. I was just over-thinking things. It was mere coincidence, meaning nothing special.

My head snapped around, suddenly feeling a frosty breath on the back of my neck.

Breath Seth, I reminded myself. I was definitely coming down with something.

I checked the mirror once again but it wasn't my reflection that stared back.

I jumped in horror and tried to blink but the same... monster stared back. He was ugly and disgusting. A rough, scarred green face filled with rust colored warts and savage teeth with drool hanging from a clenched jaw. Instead of light brown hair, there were dark, sharp horns. The only thing identifiable were those eyes. Though they were large beauty and the whites were red with madness, I could recognize those green eyes anywhere; those were my pair of stormy blue eyes.

The monster was who I really was inside. Ugly, brutal and angry. The 'Two-Faced Jerk' Juliana often called him

Nothing worse could have happened in that single moment. He tore his eyes off at his true self and scrambled out of his car, almost tripping in the process.

Just like when he kicked Juliana out of his car angrily earlier with hurt in her hypnotizing blue eyes.

He touched his lips with his trembling hands, the tingling sensation still lingering

______

It was like I was on the flat screen at Time Square on New Years Eve wearing nothing but underwear. All the girls in this effing school just didn't stop the dirty looks, the snickering, the gossip, the staring and pointing. I was about to loose it. Especially whenever Stacey Brooks was near. Someone from her pose would point at me, snickering and disgusted and all the top sluu would do was flick her scary eyes at me, lingering for only a second of sheer terror and look away, shrugging. She was up to something and I had to find out why.

So being Juliana Mason, I confronted her after the last bell indicating this dreadful was over. But not just yet.

"Stacey Brooks," I practically hissed. Couldn't stop it.

Her and all her wannabe creepy-ass girls turned heads, making an extra effort to flick their hairspray-glossy hair.

"What do you want?" one of them spat as if I was some cockroach. She had shiny-poo-brown hair and small eyes and a pig nose. Don't gag yet, Juliana.

"Nothing from a wannabe like you," I pointed rudely.

The girl was about to open her mouth but Brooks stopped her.

"What do you want, Juliana Mason?" she repeated all high and mighty.

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes,"I need to talk to you. Privately." I made a point of before the pig-nose girl could bitch out of her thin, pouty lips.

Thankfully, Stacey Brooks nodded. We walked to a vacant spot in the school parking lot.

Probably, after she was sure no one was looking, she went and slapped me.

I should of seen it coming, but I just didn't. The sound of a mad palm and a heated cheek slapping together split the air. I almost immediately felt the red mark already forming from Brooks' limited edition Tiffany ring.

I quickly felt my burning cheek, staring at her first in disbelief but then in anger.

"You bitch," she hissed, her calm and cool expression vanished "Sethy-poo was mine. You stole him away using dirty tricks!"

She slapped me again on the other cheek. I opened my mouth to say something but stopped.

"How conceited could you get? He never liked you from the very beginning; not for your body, face and not even personality, cause you got none hun. Never did you have a chance with my Seth!"

She started clawing at my arms and scratching my neck then she ended up pulling on my hair, which I must admit looked pretty good today.

So why wasn't I fighting back? Or at least defending myself?

"Even a brat like you with the thickest skull should of noticed that Seth had no real interest in you when you guys first started dating. There was no spark, no chemistry between you two!" she pulled my hair so I was close enough for her to sneer in my ear, "Obviously you realized it and in order to keep Seth, which is totally out of your league you manipulated Mrs.Turner to force him. You chained him down and made him break connections with me, whom he loves."

She continued dragging my mane of a mess, "What? Bitch got nothing to say? When you were kissing him in front of the whole school in the cafeteria, you got some balls then, huh?

The kiss that marked our war where everyone saw it as flirty, raging hormonal teens at it again but I actually practically bit his tongue off. A muscle near my mouth twitched and then, I couldn't stop chuckling

Brooks looked down at me, mortified."What's so funny?"

With a tight smile with no amusement in it, I said "You claim Seth as yours but you don't even know how Seth's mom likes to be called as, her first name. Everybody who has met her knows that, unless you never met her before. Unless, your actually not as close with Seth as you boast."

Her cheeks bubbled red and her eyes boggled; she was seething.

"You bratty bitch," she growled as she lifted her hand, ready to strike my cheek again.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight, ready for the pain but it never came. I finally dared to take a peak when I heard Stacey Brooks wincing in pain.

And there Seth was, standing between us, his strong hands wrapped around Stacey's wrists. I trembled slightly. Where did he come from? His back was turned to me so I couldn't see his face

"Oh, Seth that hurts," Stacey whimpered, all high and might sucked out of her tone and face. Her face was pinched. I knew how strong Seth really was, from previous ahem, incidents.

"Let her go, Seth," I said warningly

There was a pause then he grumbled and practically threw her away.

"What are you doing here?" I couldn't help asking.

He ignored the question, this time, grabbing my wrist and dragged me towards his car; the only car in the vacant parking lot, "Let's go."

I tried fighting back but he was stubborn. As my feet stubbly followed his fast pace, I stared at the angry, broad back of his tight muscle T. I heard Stacey Brooks whimper Seth's name in disbelief. I looked back and saw her hurt face. Compared to her actions before, she looked like a vulnerable abandoned puppy.

Finally, he let me go, almost throwing me into the passenger seat door.

"Get in," he said raspy.

I narrowed my eyes at his figure stepping in his all-too familiar car. Just this morning he was using that same tone to say 'Get out'. I climbed in hastily, obviously perplexed but trying hard to hide it.

My hands trembled in my lap as he sped out of the parking lot onto the busy highway. It was too silent but I didn't dare say a word or turn the radio on or even look at him. Suddenly, I was like Stacey Brooks, a lost puppy feeling incredibly out of place in Seth's car's impressive leather interior with blood dripping from both my cheeks.

"Where are we going?" my voice cracked, my mouth moving on it's own. I shifted uncomfortably in the front passenger seat

"My house for dinner," he said, monotone, his eyes glued on the road

"Why are you taking me then?" I bit my lip nervously

"Mom requested you," he replied quickly. My heart skipped a beat as disappointment struck me. Well, duh. What was I expecting?

I suddenly hated the way I was acting. I was the Juliana Mason for heaven sake! Definitely not a lost puppy.

I cleared my throat and asked the million dollar question, hesitantly. I opened my mouth but my voice didn't come out, instead Seth spoke before i could

"Why didn't you fight back?" he said to the road

"So you saw everything?" I huffed, slumping more into the seat.

"You could of taken her down. You could of defended yourself, too, clearing all those rumors." he paused slightly, "Why didn't you say anything?"

I was flattered, really.

"There was nothing to say," Did I sound flattered? "...because it was true." I said earnestly

I knew he knew what I meant by 'it', he was there for the whole fight after-all. That's probably why he was so startled and he stepped on the brakes too late. We lunged forward, barely saved by our safety belts

He finally turned his way, his eyes saying it all; astonished. I looked up at him with tears brimming at the edge of my eyes with a tight smile

I slightly cocked my head, "Don't you think?"

Seth's blue eyes changed, like the weather last spring; first soft clear sky then a stormy dark navy? He said slowly,"Do you think?"

Obviously we were referring to if our relationship coming from the bet; was there something more than just zero sparks, zero truthful feelings

To me, it all felt like lies.