Don't Make This Easy. I Want You to Mean It.

I sat in my room, in the same position I'd been in all day. I didn't want to get up. My phone was off because all the calls were bugging me. Alex had called three times before giving up, and Jason had called probably at least ten times. It was nice that he was concerned, but I couldn't explain things while I was still so upset. Alex had come over the night before, because he wanted to help me stay awake. I wouldn't let him in my room. He sat outside my room for six hours before finally going home.

"Jasey?" I heard Nolee's voice from the other side of the door.

I sighed, "Come in."

The door opened slowly, and a shy looking Nolee poked her head into the room. I smiled, weakly at her, and she smiled back.

"You okay?" She asked, timidly, inching closer as if she thought I would lash out and attack her any minute.

I mumbled something inaudible and she came and sat on my bed.

"Jase?"

I turned to face her and, seeing the look of concern on her face, sighed.

"Noles, I'm just so confused right now. With Alex acting weird and Jason calling every ten seconds, and Mark being back in town-"

"What?!" Nolee cut me off with an ear shattering scream that made me fall off the bed.

I poked my head up, timidly, and said, "Oh yeah, Mark's back. Surprise!"

She just gawked at me, every once in a while attempting to speak, but only managing a, "Huh?" or "Bu-ga-wa-how?"

I smiled, sheepishly, and braced myself for her eminent explosion.

It eventually came in the form of a, "I'll kill him! Beat him to a bloody pulp and- wait- I'll kill you! You didn't tell me! Urggg. And- Urrrgggg."

I cowered by my bed, still not having bothered to get up. Nolee eventually calmed down, and stared at me for a while, not speaking. I just stared back until she left with one final sigh.

After Nolee left, I stood up and laid back on my bed. But I didn't have much time to relax, because a few seconds later there was another knock at my door. I mumbled something, and the door swung open.

"Hey babe," Jason said, I could hear the smile in his voice.

I nodded my head, to acknowledge that I'd heard him.

"I brought food," He tried again.

My head shot up and I quickly sat up and ran over to him, snatching the bag out of his hand.

"You brought me Lotus?!" I screamed, hugging him tightly, before running over to my bed and laying out the food on top of it.

Jason chuckled and walked over to sit across from me, opening some containers and beginning to eat.

He sure does know how to cheer me up.

I continued to beam at Jason as we ate our food.

"Ah, the way to a girl's heart. Through her stomach." Jason sighed, and I pushed him lightly.

"I'm not a pig...I just enjoy food.....and if you touch that egg roll, you're dead." I said, poking my chopstick at his hand, to emphasize my point.

Jason chuckled and put his arms up in defense. I snapped my jaw at him and picked up the egg roll.

We ate in comfortable silence until it seemed Jason had decided I was happy enough.

"Jasey?" Jason asked, testing the waters a little.

"Uhu?" I asked, still focused on my food.

"Can you look at me? I kinda wanna talk to you about something."

I looked up, a little concerned, "Sure babe, what is it?"

He smiled at my use of a pet name, "What happened at the mall yesterday....who...who was he?"

I looked down, "Oh, um, just a boy."

Jason reached a finger under my chin and lift my head up to face him.

"You know you can tell me anything, right babe?" I nodded.

"It's just...hard," he nodded and smiled comfortingly at me, "He's my ex. But you probably guessed that, huh?"

Jason nodded and waited for me to go on.

"When we started going out he would buy me presents every day, and carry my books, and take me to nice restaurants. He was the best boyfriend ever, for about a week. He slowly stopped giving me presents. Then he stopped taking me anywhere except the movies, where the second the lights were down, he was all over me. I didn't get to actually watch a movie for two months. Then he started pressuring me. It was my freshmen year and he was a junior. He wanted sex, like any teenage boy does, but when I wouldn't give it to him, he began to hit me. It started with calling me a bitch and a prude, but apologizing the next day. Then it was a slap, and apologize the next second. Next came a slap in the face and a punch in the gut, with him storming out, but apologizing the next day so I would open the door when he came over. It got worse and worse, until he was pushing me downstairs, and kicking me in the ribs, repeatedly, with only a small apology when he wanted something. He broke my self esteem down until I thought I was worthless, and he was all I could ever get, or even deserved. My friends eventually told the principle that he was beating me up in school, and he got suspended for three days on two different occasions, but his mom thought that what he was doing was terrible and she pulled him out of school. They moved away so I wouldn't have to see him all the time. I guess he's back now."

After I finished, I sat there and stared at Jason for a while. He looked really sad.

"Jasey, I...wow." He said, before engulfing me into a hug.

"It's okay," I cooed, "I'm okay."

We sat like that for ten minutes before Jason pulled away and said, "I'm taking you out for ice cream."

I smiled and grabbed my purse, "Baskin Robbins."

Jason laughed at the firm, mater-of-fact-ness of my statement.

I marched out out the door of my attic bedroom, and through the mini-hallway, to the stairs. I proceeded in this manner until I got to Jason's car, where I waited, impatiently, for him to catch up.

When we arrived at Baskin Robbin's I ran inside immediately, waiting at the counter for my slow-ass boyfriend. After a little while, Jason walked through the door. He came over to me and chuckled at the scowl I gave him for taking too long.

"I want two," I whined, dragging out the end of the word two.

Jason smiled and said, "Maybe, which two?"

I smiled and said, "Mint, and cookies 'n' cream!"

"Okay, well I'll get the mint and you get the cookies 'n' cream, and we can share."

I beamed at Jason and gave him a hug, ordering my ice cream and walking over to a table.

I watched him as he ordered his ice cream, and went to the register to pay. But my smile slowly dropped as I watched the pretty cashier giggle and push a lock of hair behind her ear. She touched Jason's arm and but he didn't pull away, her hair fell in her face again and he pushed it back behind her ear. Then he got his change and walked over to me. I was infuriated! How could he openly flirt with another girl, right in front of me?

"So when do I get a lick of that ice cream?" Jason asked, winking, and laughing.

I didn't laugh.

"What's wrong hun?" Jason asked, concern showing all over his face.

I just turned my back to him and said, "Don't call me that. I hate the word hun."

Jason sighed and moved in front of me again, "What'd I do?"

I turned away again.

"Jasey, come on."

Nothing.

"Your my girlfriend; I want to be able to cheer you up."

"Ha!" I said, turning to face him, "If you really cared about you're girlfriend you wouldn't be over there flirting with the hot cashier."

Jason sighed, "Jasey, she's just a friend."

How cliche is that?

"I've known her forever, and I wasn't flirting. I was talking to her, making polite conversation."

I crossed my arms, "Whatever, Jason."

He sighed again, "Okay, here's the deal. She's an ex, but we're just friends now."

"How recent?" I asked, feeling a little uneasy.

"We went out for a month last year, but I don't have any feelings for her anymore. I was just talking to a good friend," he said.

"Fine." I said, not convinced, but not wanting to make too big of a deal, since we'd just started going out, "Can we go?"

He sighed, and handed me both ice creams. We walked out the door, this time with me trailing behind a bit.

The car ride home was completely silent. I gave Jason the mint ice cream before I walked up to my house.

I walked upstairs to my room. I was still upset, but was starting to feel a little bit better. That is, until I got to my room, and found Alex sitting on my bed.