The unspoken Rule (4 page)

Problem solved, right?

Wrong, horribly wrong. I approached the ticket booth, trying to speak over the din of the crowd.

"One ticket please." The man handed me the ticket and I tried to find Jake. I felt a warm hand on my wrist, and I tried to jerk out of it, scared. I looked up to see Jake loosening his grip on me, smiling.

"Ready?" He asked me, leading me into the court.

I nodded, knowing he wouldn't be able to hear my answer.

We found seats in the middle section, perfect for seeing the game. We had arrived just before the game began.

Our team skipped out onto the court, trying to get the crowd fired up. They clapped, getting us to cheer louder. Since I was close to the floor, I could actually make out everyone playing.

37 is now my favorite number, I told myself. The player in the number 37 jersey turned towards me. He smiled and winked at me. Wesley.

My cheeks blushed. He looked good in our school's scarlet and gold colors.

Jake noticed my reddening face. He looked back at Wesley, with a look of disapproval.

"Who is that kid?" He questioned, leaning close to me so I could hear him.

"Wesley." I told him confidently.

"I don't like the way he acts around you." He stated.

"Since when are you my body guard?" I teased.

"Since now."

I rolled my eyes, not liking how suddenly protective he was acting towards me. A single whistle blew out, signaling the start of the game. Our team was good, very good.

"I'm open, I'm open!" Wesley yelled, wiping sweat off his brow.

One of our players faked left, then dribbled it up the court then passed it to Wesley. And their team was no match for him. He sprinted up to the basket and swish! Nothing but net.

Our team high-fived each other, glad for the basket.

A little while later, and our school won, creaming the other team. Jake and I jumped up at our final basket, the buzzer ringing loud. The people in the stands were cheering and clapping, glad that our school had won. People started to file out of the bleachers, returning to their homes.

I told Jake I wanted to wait until Wesley changed to congratulate him. He reluctantly agreed.

Jake stepped out of the locker room and I descended the bleachers, trying not to trip down them.

"Hey." He told me as he saw me.

"Hey," I smiled. "You did great!"

"Thanks." His fire colored hair clung to his forehead, wet from the shower. He had changed back into his formal clothing, complete with a tie and dress shoes. Yep, I'm definitely liking this rule about dressing up for basketball games.

"Hey," He continued, leaning in closer to me. His tone was soft. "Some of the guys are heading to B-Dubs after this to celebrate. We're allowed to bring a friend. You wanna come?"

I stood dumb-founded before Wesley. He was asking me to a restaurant with him? It wasn't like a date, was it? Someone cleared their throat behind me, reminding me of Jake's presence. I had completely forgotten he was still here. He stood a few feet away, impatient. I turned my back towards Wesley, trying to send Jake a silent message to leave. I jerked my head towards the door. He shook his head no, crossing his arms.

I faced Wesley again. "I'd love to."

"Sweet."

We headed out of the gymnasium and headed to the parking lot. As we passed Jake, I stuck my tongue out at him while Wesley wasn't looking. Melancholy flashed across his face, making me feel bad. Why should I feel bad? I had liked him while he made out with his girlfriend, so why couldn't I hang out with a guy my own age? This was a free country, after all.

Wesley led me to his awaiting Lexus. It was sleek and silver, the perfect car. He held the door open for me, to my surprise. I loved it when guys were traditional by having manners around ladies.

"Awesome ride." I commented, taking in the interior of the vehicle. He pulled out of the lot, entering the freeway.

He gripped the steering wheel, taking a moment to glance at me. "Thanks."

Shadows danced around inside the car as we sped through town. After a few minutes we were at the restaurant. It seemed crowded, just by looking at the almost full parking lot. He gently grabbed my wrist and led me inside the warm building. We found the rest of the team in the back of the restaurant, loud and rowdy. They were laughing and recounting the game. As we stood before the table, I was glad that I wore somewhat formal attire. I had chosen some dark jeans and a matching sweater.

The group fell silent as they noticed us.

"Guys, this is Maria." Wesley introduced me.

"Hey Maria."

"'Sup?"

"Hi."

"Lookin' good, Maria."

My cheeks reddened at the comment. Wesley glared daggers at the rude guy. He held his hands up in protest.

"Sorry about them," He murmured into my ear as we sat down.

"It's fine." I whispered. We ordered our food and chatted.

"So how long have you two been going out?" Derek, who Wesley introduced earlier asked us. I sputtered on my water, but quickly recovered.

Wesley through me a life vest. "We're just friends."

"Oh?" Derek countered. "I think I see something going on here." He smirked, pointing between us.

"Shut up." Wesley quietly demanded from his fellow team mate.

Derek held up his hands. "Jus' saying'"

He dropped the topic. Some of the guys brought their girlfriends, so I chatted with them too. It was actually kind of enjoyable hanging out with everyone. They were hilarious and yet still kind.

After gorging on desserts, people said they needed to get home. We said goodbye to everyone and Wesley grabbed my elbow, us going back to his Lexus.

"Again, I'm sorry about some of them. They don't think before they speak."

I gave a small smile. "It's fine. I enjoyed the dinner. Thanks again for paying."

"No problem."

I directed him to my home. He pulled into the driveway and walked me to my door. We both stood their awkwardly on the front porch.

"Thanks for coming, Maria." He told me. He was close to me, since our porch was tiny.

"Thanks for inviting me."

"I'll catch you later?"

"Definitely."

He hesitated a moment, then kissed my cheek, confirming my suspicions. He retreated to his car, and drove away, leaving me still standing in the brisk night. The warmth of his lips still lingered on my face as I stood there. He must've felt the spark between us, as I did

That weekend I had Laura spend the night at my house. We were hanging out in my room, talking.

"Did you hear that Michael asked out Lyndsey?" She asked.

I sat criss-cross style on my bed, listening.

I shook my head no, surprised. "No, I had no idea." I absently drew circles on my bed sheet.

"Yeah. Lyndsey said no so he asked Cynthia-"

I lifted my head in alarm. "What?"

Laura looked at me with confusion. "Michael's going out with Cynthia."

"Since when?"

"Since this week." Laura told me, not catching why I was so shocked.

Instantly my mind flashed to earlier that week. Jake and I hanging out. Jake getting a call from Cynthia. Him yelling at her, angry. And him later telling me that he was actually alright.

I rapidly blinked a few times. Why didn't he tell me?

"Are you okay?" Laura asked me, waving a hand in front of me.

"I'm...fine."

She didn't look so reassured. "My brother actually seems okay being single. Usually he hates it, but for some reason, he's embracing it." She shrugged indifferently.

Jake embracing loneliness? That did sound unusual, even for him.

"Hmm," I mused.

Laura looked at me thoughtfully, as if she was trying to figure me out. "There's something different about you Maria, I just can't figure it out."

Jake asked me over later that weekend. I agreed, but not without worry. How much longer would our lie of working on our project last? We couldn't fool Laura forever. She would definitely get suspicious if she knew Jake was just inviting me over to hang out.

"Do you have anything to tell me?" I asked him.

He looked over at me. "No, do
you
have anything to tell me?"

"No."

"Then the feeling's mutual."

I sighed, hating how he wouldn't tell me. I looked around the room, not meeting his gaze. "Any, I don't know...girl problems?"

I looked into his deep azure eyes, wondering if he would confess.

He shifted his position on the couch. "Well, Cynthia broke up with me when you were here last time."

Why didn't he tell me? I thought.

"I felt it wasn't important to tell you."

Confused I looked at him, and I then realized I guess I must've voiced my thoughts. I couldn't help the pain that rose on my face. Did he not trust me, then? Or he just didn't care to tell me?

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." He told me apologetically. He scooted closer to me on the sofa.

I shook off his apology, still stunned. Jake watched my features carefully.

"You're...you were jealous, weren't you?" He inquired slowly, realization trickling to him.

"Me? No!" I blew off the absurd notion.

"Mhmm, sure." He smirked, not believing me one bit.

"And what about you?" I questioned him. "You obviously didn't like me going with Wesley. Why should it bother you?"