It had been over a week since Megan had lost that bottle, and she had been hoping that things would get better. But they really didn't. Jake might have been coming to school for the past three days, but he was completely ignoring her. And she did her best to ignore him right back.
After her dreaded Spanish class was finally over, she made her way towards the lockers, ready to change out her books before heading to lunch. At least at lunch Megan could talk to her friends and forget about Jake for a while. Jen met up with her just as Megan was slamming the door shut. She leaned up against the locker next to Megan's, grinning wildly.
Megan sighed to herself. She really wasn't feeling like dealing with Jen's good mood – not when everything in Megan's life seemed to be messing up so bad. She hated to admit it, but this was probably even worse than before she'd made that wish to be popular. At least then, she hadn't had a taste of popularity. And as bad as it had been at times, it was still better than it had been before – and definitely better than it was now. So when Jen showed up at her locker grinning from ear to ear, Megan wasn't exactly in the mood.
"I-have-something-you-should-see." Jen sing-songed. Megan tried not to roll her eyes at her friend.
"Yeah? What?" Megan asked flatly.
Maybe if Jen realized just how uninterested Megan really was, she would just leave Megan alone. Annoyingly enough, Jen's grin somehow managed to grow even wider. Megan fought the urge to scream.
And if Megan thought Jen's grin was annoying, it was nothing compared to that tone of voice. All Megan really wanted to do was just get through her day and try not to pout through all her classes – especially since Jake would be in every single one of them. And there was no way she was going to let him see just how upset she really was by how he was acting.
"I have a note." Jen beamed.
"That's great." Megan shrugged.
Now that Jen had told her, maybe she'd just go away. Besides, if Jen had a note, Megan didn't really see how that was supposed to affect her.
"It's from Jake."
"Why's he giving you notes?"
Megan tried not to be jealous, but she couldn't help it. Jake was supposed to be her fake boyfriend. And if nothing else, she thought he was her actual friend. So why was he sending secret notes to Jen?
"It's for you." Jen rolled her eyes.
"Really?" Megan asked, surprised.
Why would he be writing her notes? After the way he'd been acting the past couple of days, she was pretty sure he didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore. And she didn't seem to be all that popular either, so it wasn't like she had a ton of admirers that it could have actually been from instead. So what was Jen talking about?
"Yeah – you gotta read it." Jen told her. She handed Megan a sheet of paper that at one point had been folded in fourths.
"Did you read this already?" Megan asked. She thought Jen had said it was her note.
"Well, it's actually addressed to me." Jen admitted.
"Yeah, I see that. So how is it my note exactly?"
"Oh, just read it." Jen rolled her eyes.
"Fine." Megan grumbled. She snatched the note out of Jen's hand and began to read:
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiacpwln5YF
Dear Jen,
I hope you haven't been too anxious. I apologize for ignoring you in our classes, but I'm currently unable to talk to you. In fact, I'm sorry to say that I must ignore you completely for the time being. If you would like to help me, I would very much appreciate it.
~ Jakob
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCW2PBBSSZ
The instant Megan started to read that note, she could tell that even though it was addressed to Jen, it really was written for Megan herself. Unfortunately, it was pretty short, and it really didn't tell Megan as much as she wanted to know. She looked back up at Jen, thinking.
"Is this real?" she asked finally.
"Yeah – he gave it to me himself." Jen told her. "Why – you don't recognize his handwriting?"
"Well, yeah..." Megan said slowly. It did have that kind of calligraphy-feel to it that Megan had made fun of at the kitchen table more than once. Then, mostly to herself, she added, "So he's not mad at me."
"Actually, he's not." Jen told her kind of unexpectedly. Megan raised her eyebrows, listening intently as Jen continued. "I mean, I'd be the first to tell you if I didn't think he was serious."
"Yeah – I know."
Megan resisted the urge to point out that Jen had mentioned numerous times how she thought that Jake was just using Megan and how she was clearly dead wrong. So what good was it for Jen to change her mind about that now?
"So why the sudden reversal?" Megan asked.
"Well, we had a little talk." Jen conceded.
"Yeah? About what?" Megan tried not to sound too suspicious.
"About him." Jen told her. "So, he really does like you – that's good, right?"
"I already thought he did." Megan mumbled.
"Anyway," Jen said, choosing to ignore Megan's tone. "My point was that he's serious. And he really does like you."
"So what am I supposed to do now?" Megan asked. While she was certainly glad that Jake might actually like her, it didn't exactly change her current circumstances.
"Talk to him!" Jen said. She acted like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I thought he wasn't allowed to talk to me." Didn't Jen read that note too?
"Doesn't mean you can't talk to him." Jen shrugged. "Besides, you should at least confront him about it. See how he reacts. Then maybe you'll be able to tell for sure if he really does like you."
"Sure..." Megan said.
She decided not to point out that she had thought he'd liked her. At least, until she saw how he acted when she wasn't in charge of him anymore. That had hurt her more than she would have thought.
"I know – and it really is less than ideal." Jen conceded. "But this could all be a good thing – now that he's not your genie anymore, maybe he'll be more honest."
Megan fought the urge to point out that when Jake was her genie, he hadn't been able to lie to her; he probably never would be more honest than that. But she knew what Jen meant. Even when he didn't lie, Jake always seemed to have a way of twisting the truth. Oddly enough, he was actually one of the least honest people that she knew. She just hoped this wouldn't be one of those times where he was somewhat less than forthcoming with her.
"Ok. After English." Megan agreed slowly.
She kind of didn't want to do it at all, but if she really was going to talk to him, that would probably be the best time. English was just before science, and she had to know before she sat down to face him and Greg for yet another seriously awkward class.
Megan and Jen walked to the cafeteria and sat down with their friends at their usual table. The entire time she was at lunch, Megan watched Jake with his friends at a table halfway across the room. He just looked so normal – like nothing was wrong. He seemed to be acting just like he had every day since he'd started coming here to school with her. And after lunch, it was the same. Actually, seeing him like this was starting to give her confidence. And why should she be nervous anyway? She'd known him for months now; she was just being silly.
In English, they had to take a test on what they'd been reading about in their book. Fortunately, that wasn't too hard for Megan. She might know next to nothing in school, but she did like to read. So, she'd actually finished not only the chapter she was supposed to have read but the next one as well. Jake probably would have been proud of her if he knew. She even managed to finish her test a minute or two early. She took the time to try and plan out what it was she'd be saying to him when the bell rang in a few minutes.
When the bell finally rang, Megan got out of her chair, gathering up what confidence she could muster. Jake didn't wait up for her, but she'd expected that. She hurried after him as fast as she could. When she got into the hallway, she called out to him.
He stopped when he heard his name. Slowly, he turned around.
He didn't look all that excited to see her. Actually, he hadn't really looked like he wanted to be anywhere near her since she'd lost that bottle. She would have thought he was mad at her – or that maybe he really didn't care about her after all. Maybe he'd just been pretending to like her because it was easier for him when she was in charge. But she forced herself to remember the note that Jen had shown her. Why would he have written it if he really didn't like Megan at all?
"I got your note." she told him finally.
He looked relieved, but he didn't say anything.
Megan tried not to be nervous. He had never managed to intimidate her before, but the way he was staring down at her without actually saying anything was starting to change that.
"So...I just wanted you to know that I understood...I mean, it's kind of weird, but then I guess I should be used to that with you by now."
Jake grinned at her, and for a second she thought he was going to make one of his obnoxious comments. But of course, he didn't.
"Well, anyways...I was kind of hoping we could figure this out, you know?" she said uncertainly, shifting from one foot to the other.
It was starting to get weird talking to someone who didn't actually answer her. She would have thought he was totally disinterested if she hadn't just read that note of his. By this point, all of that confidence she'd gained from finishing her English test had deserted her, and she started to wonder why she'd actually thought it was a good idea to approach him in the first place.
"Anyway, I thought maybe we could meet in the library after school if you're free. Don't worry – I'll bring Jen." she added quickly. There was no way she was going to sit through another awkward, one-sided conversation like this again by herself. And maybe he'd actually talk to Jen.
Again, she was met with silence.
"So, I guess I'll see you there." she shrugged. "Or not. I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine too."
She was starting to get really nervous. She knew he had a bunch of new rules now, but it was still kind of awkward to see them in action.
"That letter – that was real, right?" she found herself asking. "I mean, you were serious right? About all that?"
Jake looked shocked for a second. Then hurt. Megan didn't remember him ever being that easy to read. But maybe the fact that he wasn't allowed to talk to her meant he also wasn't trying to hide as much.
"I'm sorry." she said quickly. "I didn't mean to insult you – I just wondered, that's all. I mean, you don't exactly seem happy to see me, and it just kind of made me nervous, and I–"
Before she could get too carried away in her self-conscious rambling, he grabbed her hand. She stopped talking and looked up at him. As soon as she did, he leaned down and kissed her.
"Not at school, Mr. Alfarsi." Mr. Lowell said as he walked by.
"Sorry, sir." Jake told him, pulling away.
Then giving Megan a quick grin, he headed for class. Megan just stood there in shock for a minute, watching him go.
***
Megan stood in the middle of the hallway, trying to compose herself. Did that really just happen? Well, she guessed it certainly answered her question about whether or not he liked her. Actually, it looked like he liked her even more than she'd suspected. So now what was she supposed to do?
The bell rang, and Megan realized that she was late. She rushed to class as fast as she could.
"Sorry I'm late." she mumbled as she slid into her seat.
All throughout class, Jake kept giving her knowing looks. She felt herself blushing, which of course only made him grin wider.
Megan might not have particularly liked him teasing her like that, but at least he wasn't acting aloof. And it kind of made her feel like things were almost back to normal with them – minus him actually speaking to her, of course.
And of course, Megan couldn't forget that kiss. Even with him technically being her boyfriend for a little over a month, they'd never actually kissed. But the reason had been really obvious – they weren't ever actually dating. But suddenly, Megan wondered exactly why that had been. She guessed it was because she'd always kind of wondered in the back of her mind if he was just messing with her. But they weren't together anymore, and he really had nothing to gain by doing that. Megan was actually starting to believe that Jake might really like her more than he'd been letting on. She felt her heart jump at the thought and was surprised to realize that maybe she actually felt the same way. Too bad she wouldn't be able to ask him any time soon.
She could always ask Jen, but somehow she didn't think that was a good idea. So Megan would just have to be patient. Of course, Megan would also have to ignore the fact that that was her first kiss. Somehow, she always thought her first kiss would be a little more romantic than that. As Megan glanced back one more time at Jake, she could feel her cheeks burning all over again. Jen took one look at her and just rolled her eyes.
"Everything ok?" Greg asked.
"Looks like they're getting back together." Jen told him.
Megan tried not to grin at the thought.
"Maybe." Jake shrugged somewhat disinterestedly, but he still grinned in that way that meant he probably wasn't telling the whole truth – again.
"What's that mean?" Greg asked.
"It means that we just need to keep it quiet for now." Jake said.
Megan nodded a reluctant agreement. She might not like it – especially after that kiss – but she knew she'd have to live with it. She knew that his new master had made him break up with her. Apparently, whoever it was hadn't said anything about it being a permanent breakup, but it still probably wasn't a good idea to let them know that Jake was doing these kinds of things so soon after he was allowed back at school. Besides, with him not actually talking to her, it would be kind of awkward anyway – it wasn't like they'd be able to go out together with any of their friends.
Greg gave both of them a look that clearly said he thought they were out of their minds, but he didn't push it. Megan was just glad it meant that maybe science would be a little less awkward at least. Jake might still ignore her, but at least he wasn't mad at her. And she was pretty sure it meant Greg might not be so hostile anymore either.
After class, Megan met up with Jake and Jen in the library. She knew she'd probably be late to track, but that was ok. Besides, if Jake's new master was anything like Megan herself had been when she'd first started letting Jake come to school, she figured he wouldn't have long. So Megan probably wouldn't be late enough to get in trouble. And hopefully he could give them some hint as to who they were looking for.
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