Walk Through Hell

I didn't go back to school on Tuesday.

Caroline told my dad I was really sick.

I was really thankful I had her and not my real mom right now.

I'd called Sam.

She told me she thought I should give Jake another chance because he sounded so remorseful.

I'd called Ricky, and told him we were cool, since he really didn't have any part in the bet, anyways, and he told Ray we were cool.

I stayed home Wednesday, and asked Alex and Sarah to drop off all of my school work.

They went around to all my teachers and got my work from Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sarah got Thursday's, too, just incase.

I woke up Thursday with a really bad head ache, and even though Caroline insisted I go to school and face my problems, she let me stay home anyways.

So today's Thursday.

I haven't left the house since disastrous Monday, and I'm sitting in the dining room, listening to the Arctic Monkeys [because Indie is the only type of music that doesn't make me start crying], and doing my make-up work.

I finished up all of my work and headed to the shower.

Before I got up there, Caroline stopped me.

"Lex, promise me you'll go to school tomorrow?"

"I've caught up on all of my work, and I ca--"

"I know you can do your work. I just... it's unhealthy to avoid your problems like this."

I paused for a second. "I'll try."

She smiled at me. "That-a-girl."

I smiled weakly back at her.

I took my shower. It was 9:00, so I decided I'd just do my hair and stuff now, so I could sort of sleep in tomorrow before I went to school.

I got out of the shower and blow dried and straightened my hair. I sat at the vanity.

I picked up my eyeliner and put it on really dark.

I started playing around with my make-up.

After about fifteen minutes, my face looked completely morbid, and I was bored.

I took all of the make-up off.

It took me five whole minutes, too!

And I couldn't get all of the eyeliner off. So I pretty much looked like a zombie.

Great.

I crawled into my bed, which I had just made and put new sheets on, and fell asleep instantly, not letting myself dwell on Jake anymore.

~*~

Clank.

Eugh.

Clank.

What is that?

I got out of my bed.

Clank.

The window. I walked over and opened my window.

...

Jake.

"What?" I called out in a shout-whisper.

"Come down here and just hear me out."

"No!"

"Lexie, we need to talk! I'm not taking no for an answer!"

"Jake, it's freaking midnight! I'm trying to sleep."

"Why? So you can avoid me some more tomorrow?"

I paused. "Five minutes," I called out, before slipping on a pair of old Vans that were on my desk.

His face lit up. I climbed out of my room onto the tree.

I shimmied down.

Wow. Now would be a horrible time to remember that I'm only wearing a pair of boxer shorts [Hey! They're Jake's!] and a wife beater.

"What do you want?" I regarded him coldly, hoping he couldn't see the fear in my eyes.

Come on.

He grabbed my hand and I felt sparks. Sparks I hadn't felt for almost a week. Sparks that I'd taken for granted.

He led me to the brick wall that signified the end of my backyard.

"You go first."

"Dammit, Jake. No. Just tell me what you've got to say."

"Just trust me, a sec, will you?"

I sighed. "It worked so well the last time," I scoffed. "Give me a lift."

He grabbed my by the hips, I jumped and he helped me up higher so I could stick my hand in one of the holes in the wall. I finished pulling myself up to the top ledge.

Jake jumped up, and in two climbs, was sitting next to me on the top, an easy smile on his face.

Hmph. Why don't you show me up, Jake?

I jumped down, crouching low to avoid hurting anything.

I stood up. It was a bit easier to see now.

"So where are we going?" I asked a bit harshly.

"Words can't tell."

He started walking towards the woods.

The woods... hmm...

Oh!

He wouldn't take me...

It's been so long...

As we approached the creek, memories came flooding back.

Skipping stones. Throwing rocks. Secrets were told here. Some were kept, some have been spilled.

I kept thinking. I wandered over between some trees.

Most importantly, this was the first place Jake had ever kissed me.

"Remember that one time we came here," he started, after several moments of silence, "after Halloween."

I smiled, faintly. "Of course I do."

"We were in 7th grade."

"That was... after my parents..."

"About a month and a half after."

I stepped an inch closer to him, exposing my face to moonlight. "And we hadn't talked in a while, so you brought me here."

"And I told you I had a crush on you." He laughed, and moved closer to me. I was falling into a trance.

"And then you kissed me." My voice was low, quiet, almost caught in my throat.

He moved in and pulled me into his arms.

"Say yes."

"Yes." I said, instantly. Entranced. "No!" I corrected myself, pushing out of his arms and taking a few steps back. "Jake, you really fucking hurt me!"

"I didn't hurt you. Me from a long time ago hurt you."

"So! It wasn't you from that long ago! And you could have at least told me!"

"I thought you'd get upset if I told you that I had called the cops on Be--"

"I don't care about Ben. Ben was an asshole. You saved me from Ben. I should be thanking you for that. Why didn't you tell me about the bet?"

"The bet? We made the bet one night when we were drunk. Well, I was. Missy wasn't. It was stupid and I was angry at you, and I was angry at myself, and I couldn't get close to a girl, and I somehow had blamed you for that, and I just wanted some stupid revenge or something."

"And I should forgive you for that, because it's not like I wasn't trying to make your life a living hell, too."

"I shouldn't have done it in the first place, though, and I'm really sorry for that." His eyes showed regret. "I never want to hurt you again."

I looked at him.

"I don't know what to say," I blurted out, honestly.

"Say we can start being us again. I miss us. I even miss fighting with you." He chuckled. "Not this kind of fighting, I mean. The stupid stuff." He, once again, moved another two inches closer to me.

"Like when you wanted to watch Dog the Bounty Hunter and I wanted to watch Top Model?" I asked, a smile playing at my lips.

I took baby steps to where he was standing.

"And when you wanted to listen to the new Cure CD, and I told you we couldn't because it's crap compared to their old stuff, which it is by the way," he told me.

He took a step forward.

"And when you threw that banana at me when I told you G.I. Joe took it up the butt from Optimus Prime," I inched closer to him some more.

He closed the space between us. "So, does this mean we're back together?"

"On one condition." I toyed.

"What's that?"

"You have to admit that G.I. Joe was a sissy."

He chuckled. "Okay. I have two conditions: the first being that you have to admit that Optimus Prime was a pansy compared to the Green Ranger,"

I nodded my head furiously, "Oh, of course!"

His lips crashed down on mine, passionately.

When we finally broke apart, he said, "You must be freezing."

I realized how cold I was. "Yeah."

He gave me his CKY zip-up hoody and pulled my body closer to his.

"Let's go back."

We walked back, arguing over who was the best cartoon action hero the whole time.

I climbed up the tree with him. Normally, we would have split into our separate rooms, but today, I just followed him into his.

"Jake?" I whispered, kicking off my shoes next to his bed.

"Yeah?" He whispered back, locking his door and stripping down to his boxers.

"I'm really glad we're us again. I really missed you."

"I really missed you, too," he told me.

He climbed into bed next to me, wrapping his arms around me. I instantly warmed up a little more.

"Night Jake."

"Night, love." He kissed my forehead and we both drifted off to sleep.