Jealous Minds Think Alike
cause we're growing up
-Jaycee-
“What are you doing here?” I said flatly, suddenly feeling angry. “You're not a Senior.”
“I should say the same for you.”
“You know I'm Stephen's date!”
“Then where is he?”
“I don't know! He's got some things to do!”
“He's not a very good prom date, is he?” He mocked. His eyes were burning so deeply into mine, that I honestly thought my eyeballs would melt right on the spot.
“Shut up!” I cried with the weak comeback, glaring at him. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”
“I've got a date too.”
“Really?” I scoffed. “Who?”
“Mary.” He said this so confidently, with such a straight face.
“Mary? The blonde one who I don't know....lives in California?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you stupid?”
“She told me on the phone that she's gonna fly back to Arizona and come to Prom. She's technically a Senior.”
“She's gonna come all the way over here, just to be your prom date? What a fascinating lie.”
“I'm not lying.” There was no hesitance in his voice.
“Whatever. I was hoping to enjoy this night, but since you're gonna be here, I know this is gonna be a total disaster.”
I turned to leave, intent on calling Holly to take me home, when a familiar voice yelled from the stage, “Jaycee! Wait!”
“Brian?” I twirled and saw him on stage, along with Jess, Josh, and to my surprise, Stephen. “Stephen!” I called. “What the hell are you doing up there? You're supposed to be my date!”
Stephen, dressed in a black suit with a tucked in pink tie, gave me a sad smile. “Sorry Jaycee, I changed my mind.”
“What the hell are you talking about!?” At the beginning, I wouldn't have cared, but his sudden change of thought started to worry me a little.
“I'm giving you over to John.”
“Wait what?” Now John was confused, springing from his spot. “What?”
“John, stop acting. I know you still love Jaycee and it was wrong for me to take her from you.”
“You think I would forgive you after one apology?” John fumed. “After all this time?”
“I don't expect you to,” Stephen shrugged. “Go get her. She's running away again.”
“Wait Jaycee!” Brian snatched the microphone from Stephen. “Don't go!”
“Why not?” I screamed. “You're all tossing me around like I'm some sort of stuffed toy! Not to mention , you're rambling on about some sick joke!”
“It's not a joke!” Brian grinned. “It's real.”
“But, what about Mary!?” John cried.
“That was obviously a lie.”
“But she told me on the phone herself!”
“She was in on the plan, so she could help you two get back together.”
“This is ridiculous.” I whirled around.
“Wait! What if I tell you that you and John won prom King and Queen?”
“You're kidding!” John and I cried out in unison.
“Guys, let's help them out, shall we?” Brian chuckled. On cue, all the prom goers started forcefully pushing John and I to the dance floor.
“Get off of me!” I shoved a girl and she shoved me to the middle of the floor, where everyone surrounded John and I. I desperately searched for a even a tiny hole between people to escape, but it was no use.
“Brian, if this is a joke, then it's not funny.” John spat.
“I swear to you and already told you that it isn't! You're seriously the dance's hottest couple. You guys deserve a beautiful slow dance together.”
“This is so cliché!” I bellowed.
“What do you expect Jaycee? Love is fucking cliché!”
“Look,” Stephen jerked away the microphone from Brian again. “Can you guys just dance and make up? You're both killing me here.”
“Stephen - !”
“Shut up. Now Jaycee, put your arms around John's neck and John, put your arms around her waist. You guys hugged and held hands before, I'm sure you can do this simple task.”
“Why did you suddenly change your mind?”
“Because only now, I've realized how much of a dick I am.” Stephen turned to John. “I'm fucking sorry younger brother! So, won't you forgive me?”
“You make such crappy apologizes!” Brian commented. “Where's the crying that you gave us, when you apologized?”
“Crying?” John's face looked generally surprised. “Stephen crying?”
“Yes John! I cried and my self-respect just dropped a whole lot, after announcing that to the whole crowd! Did that tug your heartstrings enough to forgive me?”
John continued to stare at Stephen, bewildered. Obviously he's never seen Stephen shed a tear before. I just as surprised at John. I wasn't really paying attention to his crying, but the fact that he apologized.
“Stop staring at me!” Stephen protested.
“Dance!” Brian signaled the band and they began to play an acoustic tune. “Jaycee, John wrote this song for you!”
“I wasn't finished with it!”
“We finished it up for you! Don't worry, we got your back!” He gave a wink.
I looked over at John and he returned my stare. John looked so ridiculously good tonight in the dazzling mulch-colored light, that my face started to flush. He was also expressing the same embarrassed look on his face and it made me realize our feelings for each other never went away after all.
“You look beautiful tonight.” John murmured, looking down at his shoes.
“And you look handsome.”
“I can't believe you're talking to me again.”
“I can't believe it either.”
“So you forgive me?”
“I think I do.”
John smiled and shyly put his arms around my waist. “Wanna get this dance over with? I hate all these people staring at us.”
“Definitely.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, then paused.
“What is it?” He asked in a worried tone.
“I forgot something.” I reached in my clutch, that I had set on the ground for a moment, and pulled out his white glasses. “I'm giving this back.”
“What? No, I told you to keep it.”
“Fine, but at least wear it for the rest of the night.” I put the glasses on him. “It's weird seeing you without them.” I put my arms back around his neck and Brian started to sing.
“Slow dancing to Brian's voice is weird.” John commented as we swayed slowly back and forth.
“I didn't even know that idiot could sing.”
“Do you like it?”
“It's squeaky, but it's tolerable I guess.”
Just sweep me off my feet again
My new addiction, I'll be waiting
I've been addicted to the story of a girl
who can help this boy meet world
And sweep me off my feet again.
“Did you really write this song for me?” I asked, listening carefully to the lyrics.
“Yeah, I got that idea from that time we went to the waterfall.”He gave me a shy smile. “After that, I never stopped writing it.”
“It doesn't sound as romantic when Brain sings it.”
“Ms. Jaycee Wood, I am incredibly hurt.”
“I love it, nevertheless. It's sweet.” I laughed at his fake, tender expression.
“I expected you to say that it's cliché.”
“Well that too.”
The song ended, so therefore the dance. I was almost reluctant to remove my hands from his neck and I could tell he was too, by the way he took forever to remove his hands from my waist. A crown was placed on both our hands and we were both presented a sash that said, King and Queen. John took hold of my hand and lead me outside the gym. Now, we were both alone, only accompanied by the cool air and the beautiful starry night sky.
“So...” said John slowly. “I read the contract again.”
“And?”
“Brian said that our relationship is supposed to end at the end of our Sophomore year.” He took a deep breath. “It actually ends today.”
“Today?”
“Yeah, I was surprised too. It sucks because we haven't got to know each other much, the last couple of days.”
“What are you saying?”
“I'm saying that as of today,” John pulled out the contract. With a smug, he ripped it in two. “It ends today. Remember? This is what we both wanted from the start.”
I watched as the remaining pieces of paper fluttered away in the wind. For a while, I've dreamy of the contract ending and finally the day came. This is what I wanted and it happened. “That means we're no longer a couple then.”
“Yeah.” He turned around. “I'm not gonna lie Jaycee. I still really like you. However, since this contract is over, then you don't have to see me anymore. So I'm gonna turn and close my eyes, then you can run away or whatever. When I re-open them and you're gone, then I'll be perfectly okay.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I'll give you a minute.”
I stared at John for a whole ten seconds, thinking about what happened tonight and every single little obstacle we've ever come across. I thought about how I finally had the choice to leave him or stay with him. But what was right?
I felt myself turn and my feet slowly start to pick up. I took one last look at John and how delicate he was. I snapped my head back around and clenched my fists. With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and started to walk.
“What are you doing here?” I said flatly, suddenly feeling angry. “You're not a Senior.”
“I should say the same for you.”
“You know I'm Stephen's date!”
“Then where is he?”
“I don't know! He's got some things to do!”
“He's not a very good prom date, is he?” He mocked. His eyes were burning so deeply into mine, that I honestly thought my eyeballs would melt right on the spot.
“Shut up!” I cried with the weak comeback, glaring at him. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”
“I've got a date too.”
“Really?” I scoffed. “Who?”
“Mary.” He said this so confidently, with such a straight face.
“Mary? The blonde one who I don't know....lives in California?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you stupid?”
“She told me on the phone that she's gonna fly back to Arizona and come to Prom. She's technically a Senior.”
“She's gonna come all the way over here, just to be your prom date? What a fascinating lie.”
“I'm not lying.” There was no hesitance in his voice.
“Whatever. I was hoping to enjoy this night, but since you're gonna be here, I know this is gonna be a total disaster.”
I turned to leave, intent on calling Holly to take me home, when a familiar voice yelled from the stage, “Jaycee! Wait!”
“Brian?” I twirled and saw him on stage, along with Jess, Josh, and to my surprise, Stephen. “Stephen!” I called. “What the hell are you doing up there? You're supposed to be my date!”
Stephen, dressed in a black suit with a tucked in pink tie, gave me a sad smile. “Sorry Jaycee, I changed my mind.”
“What the hell are you talking about!?” At the beginning, I wouldn't have cared, but his sudden change of thought started to worry me a little.
“I'm giving you over to John.”
“Wait what?” Now John was confused, springing from his spot. “What?”
“John, stop acting. I know you still love Jaycee and it was wrong for me to take her from you.”
“You think I would forgive you after one apology?” John fumed. “After all this time?”
“I don't expect you to,” Stephen shrugged. “Go get her. She's running away again.”
“Wait Jaycee!” Brian snatched the microphone from Stephen. “Don't go!”
“Why not?” I screamed. “You're all tossing me around like I'm some sort of stuffed toy! Not to mention , you're rambling on about some sick joke!”
“It's not a joke!” Brian grinned. “It's real.”
“But, what about Mary!?” John cried.
“That was obviously a lie.”
“But she told me on the phone herself!”
“She was in on the plan, so she could help you two get back together.”
“This is ridiculous.” I whirled around.
“Wait! What if I tell you that you and John won prom King and Queen?”
“You're kidding!” John and I cried out in unison.
“Guys, let's help them out, shall we?” Brian chuckled. On cue, all the prom goers started forcefully pushing John and I to the dance floor.
“Get off of me!” I shoved a girl and she shoved me to the middle of the floor, where everyone surrounded John and I. I desperately searched for a even a tiny hole between people to escape, but it was no use.
“Brian, if this is a joke, then it's not funny.” John spat.
“I swear to you and already told you that it isn't! You're seriously the dance's hottest couple. You guys deserve a beautiful slow dance together.”
“This is so cliché!” I bellowed.
“What do you expect Jaycee? Love is fucking cliché!”
“Look,” Stephen jerked away the microphone from Brian again. “Can you guys just dance and make up? You're both killing me here.”
“Stephen - !”
“Shut up. Now Jaycee, put your arms around John's neck and John, put your arms around her waist. You guys hugged and held hands before, I'm sure you can do this simple task.”
“Why did you suddenly change your mind?”
“Because only now, I've realized how much of a dick I am.” Stephen turned to John. “I'm fucking sorry younger brother! So, won't you forgive me?”
“You make such crappy apologizes!” Brian commented. “Where's the crying that you gave us, when you apologized?”
“Crying?” John's face looked generally surprised. “Stephen crying?”
“Yes John! I cried and my self-respect just dropped a whole lot, after announcing that to the whole crowd! Did that tug your heartstrings enough to forgive me?”
John continued to stare at Stephen, bewildered. Obviously he's never seen Stephen shed a tear before. I just as surprised at John. I wasn't really paying attention to his crying, but the fact that he apologized.
“Stop staring at me!” Stephen protested.
“Dance!” Brian signaled the band and they began to play an acoustic tune. “Jaycee, John wrote this song for you!”
“I wasn't finished with it!”
“We finished it up for you! Don't worry, we got your back!” He gave a wink.
I looked over at John and he returned my stare. John looked so ridiculously good tonight in the dazzling mulch-colored light, that my face started to flush. He was also expressing the same embarrassed look on his face and it made me realize our feelings for each other never went away after all.
“You look beautiful tonight.” John murmured, looking down at his shoes.
“And you look handsome.”
“I can't believe you're talking to me again.”
“I can't believe it either.”
“So you forgive me?”
“I think I do.”
John smiled and shyly put his arms around my waist. “Wanna get this dance over with? I hate all these people staring at us.”
“Definitely.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, then paused.
“What is it?” He asked in a worried tone.
“I forgot something.” I reached in my clutch, that I had set on the ground for a moment, and pulled out his white glasses. “I'm giving this back.”
“What? No, I told you to keep it.”
“Fine, but at least wear it for the rest of the night.” I put the glasses on him. “It's weird seeing you without them.” I put my arms back around his neck and Brian started to sing.
“Slow dancing to Brian's voice is weird.” John commented as we swayed slowly back and forth.
“I didn't even know that idiot could sing.”
“Do you like it?”
“It's squeaky, but it's tolerable I guess.”
Just sweep me off my feet again
My new addiction, I'll be waiting
I've been addicted to the story of a girl
who can help this boy meet world
And sweep me off my feet again.
“Did you really write this song for me?” I asked, listening carefully to the lyrics.
“Yeah, I got that idea from that time we went to the waterfall.”He gave me a shy smile. “After that, I never stopped writing it.”
“It doesn't sound as romantic when Brain sings it.”
“Ms. Jaycee Wood, I am incredibly hurt.”
“I love it, nevertheless. It's sweet.” I laughed at his fake, tender expression.
“I expected you to say that it's cliché.”
“Well that too.”
The song ended, so therefore the dance. I was almost reluctant to remove my hands from his neck and I could tell he was too, by the way he took forever to remove his hands from my waist. A crown was placed on both our hands and we were both presented a sash that said, King and Queen. John took hold of my hand and lead me outside the gym. Now, we were both alone, only accompanied by the cool air and the beautiful starry night sky.
“So...” said John slowly. “I read the contract again.”
“And?”
“Brian said that our relationship is supposed to end at the end of our Sophomore year.” He took a deep breath. “It actually ends today.”
“Today?”
“Yeah, I was surprised too. It sucks because we haven't got to know each other much, the last couple of days.”
“What are you saying?”
“I'm saying that as of today,” John pulled out the contract. With a smug, he ripped it in two. “It ends today. Remember? This is what we both wanted from the start.”
I watched as the remaining pieces of paper fluttered away in the wind. For a while, I've dreamy of the contract ending and finally the day came. This is what I wanted and it happened. “That means we're no longer a couple then.”
“Yeah.” He turned around. “I'm not gonna lie Jaycee. I still really like you. However, since this contract is over, then you don't have to see me anymore. So I'm gonna turn and close my eyes, then you can run away or whatever. When I re-open them and you're gone, then I'll be perfectly okay.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I'll give you a minute.”
I stared at John for a whole ten seconds, thinking about what happened tonight and every single little obstacle we've ever come across. I thought about how I finally had the choice to leave him or stay with him. But what was right?
I felt myself turn and my feet slowly start to pick up. I took one last look at John and how delicate he was. I snapped my head back around and clenched my fists. With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and started to walk.
