Jake POV
"NO!" Jane cried and pushed me off.
Gosh, darn it...I thought I had her for a minute. "Why not, Jane? You know you want me."
"Go die in a hole, Jake."
"Jeez...Janey. You are so hostile. I thought we were having a moment here." I winced.
"Yes, we are, AS A FRIEND. You, sir, are officially friendzoned by me," Jane said defiantly.
Ah, my sweet Janey. She really thinks she could just be my friend. I don't just kiss girls who I want to be friends with!
Okay, maybe I did kiss girls who were just friends, but this time it was different. The kiss meant something to me. "Why can't we be more than friends? If you want to take things slow with me, I'm fine with it."
"Because you tormented me before, Jake. I hadn't forgiven you for everything. Also, there's Aaron," she stopped. Her eyes were dark as if she had just remembered about Aaron. My stomach fluttered too, as I felt guilty.
Jane's eyes suddenly widened as if she remembered something important.
"What is it?" I asked curiously.
"Oh my God! MY CAKE!" she screamed and ran to the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and followed. It hadn't been baking that long so I didn't know why she was freaking out. On the other hand, I had a feeling she overreacted about a lot of things.
But thankfully, it was okay.
"Is it okay? Did our baby survive?" I poked my head inside the kitchen.
"Yes, phew. I wasn't too late," she sighed. The cake looked perfect. Somehow it wasn't burnt to a crisp. It looked pretty good if you ask me. I didn't know Jane was such a good baker. Maybe she was a good cook too. The perfect wife material. She took the cake out of the oven, spread some frosting on it, and then decorated it with some candles. For someone who didn't like me, she was making a lot of effort to make my birthday special. My heart twitched at the sight of her getting excited over my birthday. No one ever cared about me like this before.
Jane and I sat in front of the window with the cake. Yes, she made me do it, just like in sixteen candles. "You are my Molly Ringwald, and I am your Jake Ryan."
"What the hell? Why am I the girl? And I am the one with the name Jake," I said irritably.
"Because this is your birthday," she said matter of factly.
"This is stupid. I'm not a sixteen-year-old girl, and this isn't a corny 80s movie," I barked. "Why did I agree to this?"
"Shh...you are ruining the moment. Just blow out the candle and make a wish," Jane said. I did as I was told. I promised myself I'd be a good boy, so here I was.
"So...who's gonna tell Aaron?" I asked, suddenly turning serious.
"Tell him? Tell him what? We didn't do anything," Jane said. "We are just two friends, hanging out together, celebrating a birthday. There is nothing to tell here."
"How long are we going to be playing this cat and mouse game?" I asked and leaned toward her.
"I...I don't know..." she said and touched her hair nervously. She did that a lot, and I found it adorable.
"Janey, can I kiss you again?" I whispered.
"I don't think it's a good idea. I think I should go home now," Jane said, standing up.
I was disappointed, but I didn't want to pressure her anymore. I was trying to make her like me now, so I needed to be good.
"I'll drop you off. Thank you for today," I said.
Jane smiled. "You know...I really like the nice Jake. He is growing on me."
I smiled wider. "Oh, yea? Does this mean I have a chance?"
"I haven't decided yet." she grinned.
*****
The next day, I looked for her in school, but she wasn't in the cafeteria, so I sat down at my usual table and ate alone.
Someone touched my shoulder. Thinking it was her, I started to turn around smiling but was disappointed to see it wasn't. "Oh, hey, Emily."
"Hey, Jake. It's been a while since I talked to you," Emily said shyly.
To be honest, I've always liked Emily. She had this gentle aura about her that was soothing. She was always so shy and sweet, and I could tell she was falling for me, but I didn't feel the same. I really tried to like her more, especially after what happened between us, but I couldn't force myself to love her.
Thankfully, she understood when I explained how I felt and backed off.
"I hope you are still not mad at me. I can't handle another girl thinking I'm the biggest twat of the century," I said, shaking my head.
Emily smirked. "Are you talking about Jane?"
I looked at her with surprise. "You know Jane?"
"Well, I don't really know her, but she came over to talk to me the other day," Emily said.
I sat up straight. "What did she want to talk to you about?"
"She was asking me about you, given the history, we have together," Emily said.
Fuck...does this mean...
"And?" I narrowed my eyes.
"She asked me about you...um...taking my virginity," Emily said.
"What did you tell her?" I said louder than I intended, startling Emily. I toned it down a notch and looked her in the eyes. "You didn't tell her I hurt you, did you?"
"No, no, of course not. You didn't hurt me at all. I told her you were gentle. I think she is interested in you, but she is not sure," Emily said.
I grabbed her hand. "Help me, get Jane."
Emily threw her hair back and laughed. "I am not friends with her. How am I supposed to help you? I just wanted to tell you, so you don't think I'm talking behind your back."
I sighed and let go of her hand. "Thanks, Emily. I just feel hopeless. I like her, but everything I do to get her attention seems like the wrong move."
"Then stop being a brute all the time and play nice," she said.
I guess I'll have to do just that.