Better Than Revenge

Val's Point of View:

It was just starting to become heated when he broke the kiss. I couldn't resist a pout.

Jacob's eyes were the size of golfballs as he backed away from me, nearly falling off of the sofa.

"What?" I asked fearfully. I sensed something was wrong.

"Shit," He cursed to himself, then louder. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"What is it?" I was impatient.

He dropped his face in his hands. "What the hell - I shouldn't have - shit!"

"It's okay." I shifted towards him cautiously. He shook his head violently, refusing to look at me. "Jacob, it's okay." I captured his face in my hands.

His eyes were focused on my lips. I matched the space between us and showed him I was telling the truth.

He seemed to relax for just a second, but jumped out of my hands just as fast. "I can't. I just...I can't."

"Why?"

He looked at me like I'd just eaten a squirrel. "You mean you don't know?"

I was fed up with not knowing anything. "I don't."

He was blunt. "You're not single."

It didn't quite sink in. "Oh." I allowed it to absorb. "So this whole time I was - I was with somebody?!"

He nodded slowly, disgusted with himself.

"Who?"

"Seth."

I was speechless for a long moment, but then blurted. "Oh, my god."

"I know." He claimed, although he would never really know.

"Why didn't he tell me?"

The answer hit him in the face. "Probably because I told him not to."

I huffed in disbelief.

"I know that must sound really bad, but it had good intentions at the time."

"Good intentions?" I questioned. "What's good about keeping all the secrets of my life from me?"
"It's a long story, Val. But you gotta trust me on this one."

"Who am I supposed to trust? You, the one who didn't tell me I just happened to be in a relationship, or Seth, the one who acts like it's okay to stand me up all the time? Do you have any idea what it's like to be shut out like this, when you were already lost to begin with?"

Jacob didn't have a rebuttal, but I still didn't feel any better.

I looked down at my throbbing fingers. They were starting to burn and swell.

"So you really can't?" I wondered sheepishly.

"Seth cares about you more than you can imagine." Jacob explained. "I can't do that to him."

I nodded, understanding as best I could.

He cupped his hands over my fingers again. "That doesn't mean I don't like you."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you like the old me or the hopelessly confused me?"

He smiled at my eye roll. "You show more signs of old you everyday."

"I bet hopelessly confused me really pisses you off."

He laughed now. "Right on the nose, as usual."

. . . . . . . .

Seth's Point of View:

I wasn't as relieved to find Jake in his garage as I was angry.

He stopped tweaking his bike. "Oh, hey."

"Where the hell have you been?" I demanded. "I called you twice today."

He glanced casually around him. "Here."

I dropped the unimportant questions. "Where's Valerie? She won't answer, either."

Jake took his time answering on purpose. "Maybe she's giving you a taste of your own medicine."

I barely had time to give him a look. Val came in with two cans of soda, one in each hand. She noticed me there, but passed a can to Jake without hesitating.

"Hi."

She smiled a little, but that was it.

Jacob pulled the tab on his can and took a gulp. "Did you need something?"

Val was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She watched me, too, waiting for an answer.

"Nevermind." I muttered, turning on my heels.

I was walking slow, a tiny hope inside praying that she would call my name. But with each step I lost a piece of it. She wouldn't forgive me.

"Seth!"

I spun around immediately, trying to hold the smile that wanted to take over my face.

Valerie flipped her chocolate-covered strawberry hair to her left side. Her eyes were beyond me. "You didn't tell me we were...so close."

Somehow, I expected it. "I know."

"Any specific reason why?"

Of course there's a reason. Do you think I'm stupid? "It was to protect you."

She nodded like she'd heard that excuse plenty of times before. "Okay then."

"I wanted to tell you, Val." I assured her. "You have no idea."

"Yeah, that's what everyone tells me these days." She was insulted.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like-"

"It's really okay." Val's forced smile fell short. She started back for the garage.

"Wait," I jogged the few steps I needed to catch up with her.

She paused midstep and kept her eyes down.

I lifted her chin with my thumb. "You're still upset."

"I'm fine." Her voice broke like I knew it would. "I'll see you." She slipped out of my hands and ran the rest of the way, closing over the door without looking back.