Jake's Pov 
"Oh shit!" I blurted as I walked into the student council room. Today was the first meeting for our history group project "Kristen fell asleep waiting for us. She must be so mad" I said, plopping down on the seat next to her.

Her head wrapped under a blue hoodie, laid on the long wooden table, with her tired eyes squeezed tightly. The veins on her eyes and forehead were elaborate. It looked strained, with some shred of dark circles forming under her eyes "You really do push yourself way too hard Kristen. You might fall sick so just rest just a little longer"

"Please don't leave" she mumbled, little tears rolling down her cheek.

"What?" I breathed, leaning towards her "Why is she crying in her sleep?" I brought my head closer to her face and she muttered the same words.

"Please don't leave"

"Who is she talking to?" I wondered, tapping her back gently "Open your eyes Kristen. Are you okay?" I cupped her soft cheeks with my palms, slowly wiping the lines her tears had left on her face "I wish you would let us help you get through whatever's hurting you so much"

Her eyes slowly creaked open and they locked with mine. We stared into each other's eyes, lost in the moment.

"You!" She bellowed, jumping to her feet "What the hell were you doing with me?"

"What?" I exclaimed defensively.  "I know what you're thinking Kristen, but you're wrong. I was just..."

"I know exactly what you were trying to do, Jake. You were trying to take advantage of me while I was asleep. What better chance could you have gotten?"

"You have got to be kidding me" I gasped, looking up at her "Take advantage of you?" I laughed "You really do think way too highly of yourself. For your info, you're not my type Garcia so quit dreaming I'll ever be interested in you"

"Jerk" she echoed, wacking my head with a book.

"Ow! That hurt you know"

"Now that you've being caught you're going to try and play innocent. You're disgusting mister Jake Allen"

"Says the girl who's thinking all sorts of trash. You're the disgusting one Miss Kristen Garcia"

"You're a dumbass"

"I'm a gentleman, so I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that"

The door screeched open and Bella and Laura walked in "What's the ruckus about?" Bella asked.

"You two can be heard from the main hall. Were you having a lovers quarrel?" Laura chuckled, taking the seat opposite me.

"That wasn't funny" she grunted, pushing the hoodie down to her back "Do you guys know how long I waited? I told you to be here by 6:30, but it's 7:20 already. It took you long enough" 

"We're super sorry for being late, Kristen" Bella apologized, pulling the seat out before sitting down "Something important came up"

"I also had an important meeting to attend, but I canceled it to be here. So now tell me Bella; what was so important that you had to keep me waiting? Does your father have a company that you had to take care of, or were you busy cleaning your small apartment when you knew I was waiting?"

"Stop it Kristen!" I yelled.

"If you do not have a conscience to sympathize over someone's grief then you should rather remain quiet" Laura said bitterly "Don't you poke on her wounds"

"Why? Did I say something far from the truth?" she harshly stated "Just a friendly advice Bella, you should really take school seriously because that's the only thing that can save your family now"

"I won't retaliate this time because I know you're trying to get revenge for what I said about your mom before. I really am sorry so I won't mince words with you. Plus..." She smiled through teary eyes "I've understood that different people have different ways of handling pain. Mine is through smiling and staying happy, whereas yours is through your arrogance. I won't judge you anymore because now I know just what it feels like to have nothing to hold on to but hope. I don't know what or who hurt you Kristen, but every wound heals and the scars go away someday"

"Sorry" she mumbled under her breath.

"What?" Bella asked, raising her brows.

"I'm...I'm sorry" Her eyes oozed with regret. I felt the sincerity in her apology.

Laura, Bella and I smiled as those impossible words grazed our ears.

"Did you just say sorry to someone?" I grinned, still trying to convince myself of what I just heard "Kristen Garcia apologized to someone for the first time ever"

"I must be dreaming right now" Laura smiled, feeling overwhelmed "Did I hear that correctly?"

"I guess you do have a heart afterall" Bella smiled sweetly "Thanks Kristen"

She cleared her throat awkwardly "Let's get it over and done with"

*******
Two hours ran by for what seemed like minutes. Although,  Kristen didn't say a word in those two hours, her being here alone was more than enough.

"Let's take a short break, Kristen" I said, stretching my arms "I'm hungry, let's grab a bite"

"If you want to take a break then go ahead" she said, running her hand over her head "If you also want something to eat then go get one. Don't bother me"

"You look exhausted and hungry" Bella spoke, taking the pen from her hand before closing the book infront of her "Enough now, you're stressing yourself. Tell me, what will you have? A sandwich, hotdog?"

"Do I look like a beggar?" She said, dragging the pen out of her hand "Are you mocking me, or do you want to poison me?"

"Don't be silly" Bella chuckled "Why would we poison our friend?"

"Friend? Is this called being naive or being stupid? We're not friends just because we're sitting in the same room together. It's bad enough that we even breathe the same air"

"Woah, relax Kristen" Laura blurted "You really do have a temper. Let's not fight again"

"You don't have to make an issue out of the slightest things, princess" I teased "Anyway, there's a game tomorrow night. Everyone will be there so you should also come"

"Jake's playing" Laura said, excitedly "You haven't seen him play before because you never attend school activities. We'd love it if you come watch him"

"He's really good" Bella grinned,  emphasizing on the 'good' part "We'll have fun"

"Life isn't all about having fun" she replied coldly "The moment you decide to let your guard down you'll loose everything that ever mattered. I don't have all the spare time in the world like you guys"

"I get it, you're busy" I pointed out "but everything doesn't have to be about earning money. What's so wrong in reaching out to people?"

She interjected "Everything Jake, because money, fame and power are the pillars that holds this world together. No one cares about anyone or ties. The sooner you realize that, the better your chances at survival are"

"You're at it again" Laura stated "Enough of you faning your insecurites that the whole world's at war with you. The world's not out to get you, Kristen"

"Wake up from your world of phantasm. Life isn't a comfy bed you make as you wish and lay as you please. For you to stand in this world you have to be who the world wants you to be. That's the rule"

I observed what seemed like rage and a mixture of hurt in her eyes as she spoke. The emotions in her words were so strong and impacting.

"Life still goes on even without what you call the pillars that holds this world" Bella spoke softly.

"Then why has your life come to a standstill?" Her gaze grew ruefull and her voice dropped to a sober tone "Where's the respect, comfort and happiness in the life you're living now Bella? The world is cruel and that's a fact you cannot debate. A man will always see his downfall until he starts looking at the reality of life and not some fairytale"

"Your words are way too harsh Kristen" Bella voiced out.

"Both your families have lost so much because they chose to trust so blindly. Doesn't that send a clear message?" She said, glowering at us with those eyes that always bore a flare of hurt in them "The thorns that fate has thrown at you should be enough to open your eyes before life jolts you to shreds, and you find yourselves as a stray dog eating the leftovers of people like me"

"You've really crossed the line Kristen!" I exploded "You can't always do as you please. This is the point where my tolerance runs out goddamit!" I growled, knocking the books off the table.

"Jake" Laura cried, her voice wobbly. I could already imagine the tears in her eyes. I've swallowed a lot of shit all through my life because of my over-tolerative personality. I rarely got angry, but when I did, I could hardly control it. There was this one time in highschool when a guy tried to force himself on Bella. I tore his face with my fist, and that was the one time I went to jail. I would have been convicted if he had died. Laura and Bella probably felt scared watching this whole scene play out.

"What do you take us for, Kristen?!" I retorted "Do you even know how much patience it takes to tolerate your selfish ego and insanity of a behavior?! In return for all our love and care you made a constant jest of us. What kind of a heart do you have that cannot be subdued by love? Does our self-respect and feelings mean nothing to you at all?"

"Jake, please" Bella breathed, her sobs feeling the cold, tensed air.

"Did I ask you to show me love and care?!" She shot back "Did I bid you to drop your self respect at my feet?"

"Kristen!" Laura shrieked.

"Oh! please Laura!"

"That's enough now!" Bella yelled, her tears reaching it's peak.

"Then you should have stayed within your limits!"

"Limits you say" I jeered. Feelings of hurt that I could not explain engulfed me. she had shattered me. I was mad and broken. I began to ask myself if this person standing infront of me was really human "Of course - What the hell were we thinking?" I let out a painful laugh as a tear drooled out of my left eye. I immediately wiped it off "It was our mistake to think that a heartless person like you can ever change. We wanted to be your support and show you that even when your parents aren't there for you, and even when the whole world turns their back on you....we would always be a shoulder that you could lean on" 

I let out the breath that was caught in my throat, peering into her watery, pale eyes, dabbed with frightening guilt; but I was determined to pour my heart out. I wasn't going to hold back anymore.

"When you said sorry to Bella I actually thought that yes, just maybe, maybe she can be better afterall" my voice dropped lower "but we were fools to believe in someone like you. In the mist of our troubles we placed you first, only you. Now I know that the perfect Kristen Garcia can never give up her ego"

"You're really selfish, Kristen" Bella commented. Her eyes were swamped with lingering tears, just like Lauras' "You're a pro at belittling people"

"I misunderstood when I saw you as a good person" Laura mumbled, trying to keep her voice even "I thought you were different, but you're far worse than Ray and Rebecca. At least they know the value of friendship"

"Thanks for finally taking the scales off my eyes" I grabbed my bag and charged towards the door, with Bella and Laura following after me.

As the door shut slowly I heard a loud thud.

Kristen had fallen to the floor.

For a moment my heart pushed me to stop and turn back, but my feets kept moving.

As our feets drifted farther and farther away, her sobs faded like the morning dew.

******
"I'm sorry I didn't come pick you up from school" my mom said as she held the front door open for us. The house scented of a familiar aroma "I was caught up in the research for my new novel"

"It's okay mom" Laura said, forcing out a smile "I know you were really busy"

"Now that we don't have a driver anymore it must be hard for you two to take a cab home"

Ever since the book Launch scandal we had cut down on a lot of expenses. Nevaeh alone was already a ton of expenses to shoulder; toppled with the fact that she didn't have any source of income anymore.

"If only your cowardly mom could get over her fear of you driving. Things will be easier for you both, wouldn't it?"

She had also laid off the driver and house keeper and sold two of our cars, leaving us with one.

"Don't say that mom" I replied "We're okay with whatever makes you happy"

"Alright, but I'm going to make it up to you" she said, walking over to the kitchen. She slid her hand into the oven mints, pulling out a tray from the oven "Come on, Come on" she beckoned at us, placing the tray on the kitchen counter.

We walked over to the counter "Ta-da" she flashed us a cute smile.

"You made coconut cream pie?" Laura said, staring uninterestedly at the treats that laid in wait to be eaten.

"You didn't notice?" she fake - frowned, sniffing the air "That's odd. It's all over the air"

"Yea. It is" I sighed, grabbing the milk carton on the table, gulping it down in one go.

"I sense something happened again. Usually, you'd sniff the aroma all the way from school" she teased, but we still kept a disoriented face, saying nothing.  "What happened to my gay kids? Jake, Laura, is Kristen okay?"

"I really don't want to talk about her mom" I answered, licking the little traces of milk under my lips.

"Yes mom" Laura pleaded "Please, not today"

"Alright honey" she said, nodding her head "If that's what you want, I understand"

"Are you still pushing through with your plans of flying out?" I asked, trying to change the topic. I didn't want to think of her.

"I have to sweetie. At this point it's what's best. A personal experience in Arizona will help with my new book. We're running out of time and I'll have to pay back the loan soon, and don't forget our house was a collateral for that loan"

"You know we'll always support whatever decision you make" I assured her "Do whatever you have to, we'll be right here to cheer you on" I smiled for the first time since Kristen bruised my ego.

She smiled back, kissing my cheeks with her moist lips "I know you always will" she turned to Laura, squeezing her cheeks before placing her lips on them.  "Now cheer up my little girl"

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