My phone buzzed twice on the table.
I grabbed a paper towel to dry my hands
<
It was Jake.
I answered.
Neither of us said anything.
I could hear the faint sounds of his world over
the line.
The tightness in my throat slowly faded.
After a moment, I spoke first: “Jake, it’s
December 31st.”
“Yeah, it’s our first day, right?”
His voice sounded so clear.
“Sarah,” he said.
“Yeah?”
<
“Happy New Year.”
The next second, I heard a loud boom from
outside.
I looked out the window.
The sky was full of fireworks, spreading into bright lights.
January 1st, 12:00 AM.
I put my hand on the glass, touching the fireworks.
“Happy New Year, Jake.“
Being with Jake wasn’t what I expected.
In a dark classroom, with all the blinds shut
He held me close. “Sarah, you gonna take your word back?”
“I haven’t had a cigarette in a month, and you wanna leave after ten minutes?”
I bit my lip. His warm breath was still there.
This guy is so unreasonable.
“Class is about to start…”
He didn’t say anything. His hand moved to my
neck.
We were close.
Then, it was 10 minutes later.
Jake started spending more time in the class.
He’d sit in the back, with a lollipop in his
mouth.
<
WITCH I Waincu wy, THE U DUSIT TITу manu, en
quickly let go.
And watch me turn red.
He loved doing that.
- 17.
I was reading at a coffee shop. Jake was
playing video games next to me.
After a while, he raised his chin.
I picked up a chocolate, unwrapped it, and put
it near his mouth.
He looked at it, but kept playing.
“That’s ugly. I don’t want it.”
11 11
I put it in my own mouth, then picked out o
<
I looked up from my book and looked out the
window.
Someone was taking selfies.
“What are you looking at?”
Jake put his phone down and followed my gaze.
A girl in the sun, all pretty and tall.
I looked away.
“That’s your ex, right?”
He frowned, not looking at her, just me.
He rubbed my ear, looking all intense.
After a moment, he said, “They were all actors.
I paid them to act like my girlfriend.”
“To stop my dad from marrying me off.”
I took a sip of my drink.
“Did they have to be pretty?”
Jake froze, then looked embarrassed.
“Finn said that made me look like a player.”
He stopped talking.
“My dad doesn’t like me,” he mumbled.
“Last year some girl was into me. Her family
had more money than us, and my dad tried to
sell me off.”
He shook his head and laughed, then stopped.
“Sarah, I don’t want my life planned for me.”
“And I don’t want to marry someone I don’t
like.”
<
