Love
By Mikayla
On my first day of high school, I saw a kid get bashed. After the people ran off, I helped his friends carry him to the sick bay. Once we got to the sick bay all his mates ran off to find the kids who attacked him. I sat down next to him and tried to wake him up but he was unconscious. Eventually the paramedics arrived and took him away.
He showed up to school three days later with his arm in a cast and covered in cuts and bruises. I sat there watching him and his mates laugh and cheer. After a while, they calmed down and one of his mates pointed to me. He started walking towards me and put a hand up to his mates telling them to stay where they were.
“Hey, I heard that you helped me out on Monday. I wanted to thank you.”
“I didn’t really do much. I just helped them carry you to the sick bay.”
“Well thank you anyway. You should hang out with us. I’m sure the boys would like to meet you.” I didn’t know what to do but I had sat on my own for the passed four days so I decided to go meet them. “Ok I would like you to meet Jake and Nate. Guys this is, um wait what’s your name again?”
“My name is Mikayla. You never told me your name either.”
“My name is Jungle but everyone just calls me Jay.”
It was just the four of us for the next three years. Until one day, Jake and Jay had an argument and Jay took off. He stopped hanging around us after that. He would speak to me and Nate when Jake wasn’t around but otherwise he kept his distance. Neither of them told me what the argument was about.
My sixteenth birthday was coming up and I decided to invite both of them even if they suddenly hated each other. Lately Jake and I had gotten rather close and Nate had been telling everyone at school that we were dating. Jake didn’t really care too much because he wanted to go out with me anyway.
Jake was the first person to get to my birthday and he sat next to me and cuddled up to me and didn’t let me go even when other people arrived. Eventually Jay arrived, he took one look at me and Jake and he turned around and walked out the door. I left everyone else and ran after him. “What’s going on Jay? What happened to you guys?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Either tell me what the problem is or get back in there.”
He just stood there looking at me angrily. “Jay, Come back inside.” I grabbed his hand and started gently pulling him towards the door. “Forget about it Mikayla. You seem happy enough with him, you don’t need me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nate told me about you two. You don’t have to lie to everyone about it.”
“Nate has been telling everyone the same stupid thing and it’s not true.”
“Really? That’s not what I saw in there. Seemed fairly accurate to me.”
“Maybe we are just close because he is the only friend who hangs out with me and doesn’t make up stories about who I'm dating. I don’t even like him that way!”
“Then who do you like?
“Nobody at the moment, every guy I know has been really immature lately.”
“He likes you. That’s why we don’t talk anymore.” I didn’t know what to say to this. I knew Jake liked me but how would it come between two best friends? Unless Jay likes me too?
“How is that your problem?” Jay stood there silently when I said this. He looked shocked. Eventually he replied, “I don’t know I just think that he shouldn’t hide it from you. You deserve to know the truth.”
“Then why haven’t you told me?”
“It’s not my place to tell.” Jay obviously didn’t get what I said. “I meant why haven’t you told me that you like me?” Jay turned around and walked off. I followed him further and grabbed his arm. “If you like me then let me know and stop all this crap.”
“It’s not important. I have to go home.”
“It’s important to me!” Deep down I had always liked Jay, ever since he got back from the hospital. He seemed so dependent, but yet he seemed like he could always get back up again and laugh it off no matter how bad things got. “Too bad, I have to go.”
“Dammit Jay just tell me what you want!”
“All I want is to be your friend without Jake interfering.”
“You don’t want anything more?”
“No, I don’t. I’m sorry if I made you think otherwise.”
“No it’s ok. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to hurt you.”
“Does this mean I can go home now?”
“No you can come in. Jake wont be here too late. He is going out of town tomorrow morning.” He sighed and followed me back inside.
It was a rather dull party and Jake was by my side all night. Eventually everybody started leaving until it was just Nate, Jay, Jake and my family. “Yo Jake we better get going, we have to be up early for the game tomorrow.” Nate and Jake were going to watch a footy match tomorrow but it was a fair drive to get there and they had to leave early. “I think I might give it a miss. I would rather hang out with Mikayla for her birthday.”
“Just go Jake. You don’t have to be around me twenty-four seven.”
“I'm not. But it’s your birthday and…”
“Just go!” I was starting to get mad at him. He gave Jay a dirty look then he left and slammed the door behind him. Nate followed him quietly and didn’t even look back at me.
I turned back to Jay who looked like he wanted to leave too. “Did you want to watch a movie or something?”
“Dad doesn’t want me staying out too late.”
“Just one movie?”
“Ok but I have to leave after that.” We walked into my room and he started looking through my movies. I knew Mum wouldn’t want him staying here too late anyway. But she was going to bed soon and she wouldn’t notice how late Jay left.
I sat down on my bed and put the doona over me because I was cold and Jay sat on the very edge of my bed. After a few minutes, I noticed that he was shaking. “Come here and get under the doona. You’re freezing.”
“No I'm fine don’t worry about me.”
“You’re not a very good liar.” He sighed and got under the doona but he still kept his distance from me. After a while I started dozing off until he suddenly spoke. “I’m going to leave as soon as you fall asleep.”
“Well then I should just stay awake all night. We can spend the whole night talking and watching movies.”
“If you really want to, but I think we will get in a lot trouble.” After a while, the movie finished and I got up and put the next movie on. This time I sat down right next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. “You comfy there kiddo?”
“I am actually. Are you?”
“Not really you’re kind of putting a lot of strain on my shoulder.” I grabbed his arm and pulled it behind me so that his hand was on my waist. “How’s that?”
“That’s actually a lot better.” After the second movie finished he got up to choose the next movie and when he sat down I cuddled up to him again and he groaned in pain. “You ok?”
“Yeah just a bit uncomfortable. How about you make yourself comfortable and I’ll work around you?”
“Can I still cuddle up to you?”
“Why?”
“Because I'm cold and you have a really warm body.” He just sighed and cuddled up to me.
“This isn’t right.”
We sat there and watched through the rest of the movie and it was about five am. I was starting to feel tired so I decided lay down across the bed while Jay got up to change the movie. He got back and he sat down next to me. “Hey Jay have a look at the time.”
“We should go watch the sunrise.”
“You can if you want. I'm too cold.” As soon as I said this Jay took off his long sleeve shirt and gave it to me. “Be careful with that, it’s my favourite shirt.” We walked out the back and I sat on the step watching the sunrise. I cuddled up to him and I just stared at him as he watched the sky light up in amazement. He looked like a child seeing fireworks for the first time.
After about fifteen minutes we went back inside and I climbed back into bed. “You should try and get some sleep too Jay.”
“Yeah I might head home.”
“No stay here and keep me company. Because it’s my birthday.”
“Technically it’s not anymore.”
“Please?” He sighed again and cuddled up to me and we just laid there holding each other. We didn’t say anything we just looked at each other. After a while, I realised that there wasn’t much distance between us and every time we moved we seemed to be moving our heads close together. After a while of staring at him I wanted to kiss him, I moved my hand from his chest to his neck, and I noticed that he needed a shave and I started just playing around with the hair on his neck. “Yeah I know I need to shave.”
“Actually I kind of like it like this.”
“Oh good. I don’t really like shaving. I’m always scared I’ll cut myself.” I stopped and left my hand on his cheek and he didn’t bother moving it. That was when I thought that he might want to kiss me too. I decided to take the risk and kiss him. I would rather ruin the night than miss out on making it perfect. So I leant in to kiss him and I noticed he was already leaning in to kiss me.
Our lips pressed lightly together and it was perfect. He pulled away and smiled at me. He didn’t seem so tense now. He seemed relived. “How long have you been waiting to do that Jay?”
“About as long as you have.”
“I might go to sleep now.”
“Your mum is going to kill me when she wakes up.” I kissed him again.
“Is it worth it?” He kissed me back.
“Defiantly” Then I noticed that his eyes were getting a bit teary.
“What’s the matter?”
“I'm just so happy. This is everything I have ever wanted and now I have it,” I cuddled up to him and went to sleep in his arms hoping that mum wouldn’t be too mad in the morning.
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