10Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed so far including i3rilliant i3runette, nhatters, AnotherDreamer, cassandra26 and sweetiepiemoi! You guys made my day.
Chapter 2:
The Day After
Krista sniffed loudly as the first drop of rain landed on her miserable downcast face. Soon enough it started to pour down with rain so that she was quickly drenched and she could tell that her make-up was running something terrible. It was then that she just gave in and bawled her eyes so that she couldn't tell how much of the "wetness" on her face was due to the rain or her tears.
Why? She thought. What had she done to deserve this?
It was soon that she noticed the car travelling slowly behind her. She quickened her pace, only to find that the car accelerated to keep up with her.
"I'm almost home and my parents' are going to kill you if you touch me!" she yelled.
"No you're not. You've got another twenty blocks till you arrive anywhere near your house." Came back the reply.
Krista turned around and squinted at the car.
"Luka?"
"The one and only. Now jump in before you get a fever or something."
Krista relented and hastily got into the car.
They drove on in silence for a few minutes, each deep in their own thoughts.
"I'm sorry. I heard what happened." He spoke first, seeming unsure as to what to say.
"So am I." Krista muttered. She then thought of something. "You knew, didn't you?"
"Knew what?"
"You knew that Travis was cheating on me with Carla. That's why you asked me about her this morning. And Rachel knew as well. That explains why you two were acting so strange at lunch."
Luka turned his head away from Krista as much as possible but so that he could still see the road.
"No, I didn't."
"Oh bullshit, Luka. As if you didn't! You know, you could have told me. Instead you just watched as I followed him around like a puppy dog or something!"
"I'm sorry Krista, I just didn't know how to break it to you. I didn't want to upset you." He began to explain.
"So actually seeing him cheating on me was supposed to be a better way to find out?" she spat. "You're pathetic."
"Look Krista, I know you're angry with me and Rach at the moment and I don't blame you-"
"Damn straight I'm angry." Krista cut in. She clenched her fists. "Just let me out of the car."
"Are you crazy? It's raining like mad and we're almost there."
"I don't care." She retorted.
"Well I do." Luka stared determinedly out onto the road.
"Luka," Krista flopped back into her seat, all of a sudden she was just drained of all the energy she originally had and she had never felt so tired. "Please just let me out of the car."
"No can do." He said calmly.
Krista sighed. "Fine, be that way."
When they finally did arrive in front of her house, Krista stepped out of the car silently.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He said to her.
Krista continued on walking and entered her house. She didn't say anything in reply.
The next morning, Krista was thrilled to find that she had woken up with a hangover.
"Why is everything so loud?" she groaned.
She made her way downstairs and stumbling around in the kitchen, she made herself breakfast.
Already seated at the breakfast table was her younger sister, Clarisse. She was a petite girl who was in the ninth grade. She looked as different from Krista as she possibly could with her fair skin, blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Clarisse looked more like their father while Krista took after her mother in the looks department.
"How was the party last night?" Clarisse asked amicably as she buttered some toast.
"Don't ask." Krista massaged her temples. When would the ringing in her head stop?
"Looks like it was a wild night." Her younger sister smirked knowingly.
Krista dropped the bowl that she had been carrying.
Clarisse snorted. "Just how much did you drink last night?"
"I don't drink." She lied. "And when you're older you should follow my example." Great, she was starting to sound like her mother.
"Aaaalright then."
Krista's mother then entered the room. "Hey sweetie. How was last night?"
Why does everyone keep asking me that? Krista plonked herself down into a wooden chair.
"It was okay, I s'pose."
"I think Krista drank a little too much alcohol last night." Clarisse piped up.
"I did not!" Krista protested. "Mu-um! She's lying."
Krista's mother narrowed her eyes. "Krista, is that true?"
"No, it isn't." she persisted.
"Come here, Krista."
"But Mum-" Krista whined.
"Come here." Her mother crossed her arms over her chest and leant forward so that she could smell Krista's breath. "Oh, Krista. You reek of alcohol." She shook her head in disappointment. "Krista, you should know better than that."
"I'm sorry, I just had a really rough day yesterday."
"Well your week's going to get a lot rougher. You're grounded for a week, young lady." Her mother spoke forcefully.
"Bu-"
"You just better hope I don't tell your father." Krista's mother warned her.
Could Krista's day become any worse?
At school, everyone was discussing what had happened the night before at Travis's party. Soon the whole school seemed to know that Krista had caught Travis cheating on her.
Some people, including strangers that Krista had never spoken to in her life, told her that Travis was an idiot who didn't deserve her and that she was better off without him. One or two guys had come up to her to ask if that meant she was officially single now.
Krista spent the whole morning though, trying to avoid Travis, Carla, Rachel or Luka.
At lunch, Krista planned to eat her food in the bathroom, as nobody would simply leave her alone.
"Krista!" she heard somebody call her. "Krista! Wait up."
It was Rachel.
"Rach, I don't want to talk." Krista continued walking.
"Look, I'm sorry." Rachel apologised.
"I don't want to hear it."
"I'm really sorry, I really am. But what would you have done if you were in the same position?" Rachel asked her.
Krista stopped walking. "The same thing, I guess." She answered ashamedly. "I'm sorry, it's just that I can't believe he cheated on me."
Krista felt an arm around her shoulder and saw that Luka had come join them. His other arm was around Rachel.
"So are we all friends now?" he asked teasingly.
"Yeah, you ass." Krista laughed as they entered the cafeteria.
Many pair of eyes turned to them as they sat down at their usual table. Well, Rachel and Luka's usual table. While Krista was dating Travis she used to sit with him where all the popular people were.
Two other people sat down at their table: Tom and Lea. The were a couple that had been going out together since they were in seventh grade and were still as much in love with each other than ever, though with the way they constantly fought you never would have guessed it.
"Hey all." Tom sat down and pulled Lea onto his lap, nuzzling her neck.
Krista winced. She and Travis had been like that just yesterday.
Her gaze soon moved passed them when she saw Travis enter the cafeteria with Carla all over him like a leech.
Travis stopped for a moment when he saw Krista, and then kept on walking over to his table.
Krista took a deep breath. She wasn't going to do anything. She would just sit there rationally and continue eating the disgusting processed food that was on her plate. But before she knew it she had pushed back her chair and stood up.
She marched over to Travis, her anger simply radiating from her.
"Hi, Trav. How's it going?" she asked in a deliberately sweet sickening voice.
"Krista," He sounded bored. "I know you want me but we just weren't going anywhere. And I get really bored easily."
Carla snickered from beside him and she could see that Jake was quietly watching her from the opposite side of the table.
"Oh, so you mean that I wouldn't screw you like the tart your sitting next to." She bit back and grinned triumphantly as she saw the can of coke that was resting in front of him on the table. She then looked at his head and smiled even wider as she made the connection.
Picking the can up, she opened it and dumped its contents on top of his head.
Everyone in the cafeteria seemed almost stunned for a second. And then almost miraculously, Luka started clapping from behind her. Rachel, Tom and Lea soon joined in so that eventually, the cafeteria was filled with the sound of people clapping and laughing. Even Travis's friends such as Jake joined in.
"You cow!" Travis stood up furiously.
"Sure, whatever you think. Why don't you go back to the real cow next to you? Seeing as she's the only one willing to give you what you want." Krista jeered and walked off, leaving Travis to clean himself up with the help of Carla.
"That was simply unacceptable. I'm really surprised at you Miss Carpenter, you've never done anything like that before." Principal Davies spoke harshly.
Krista had been called soon after lunch to see the Principal about what had occurred with Travis. She looked around the bare office and noted the bland creamy white walls and the old-fashioned mahogany furniture.
"I was provoked." Krista tried to say to the woman sitting before her. Principal Davies was not usually a strict woman, and Krista liked her normally.
"You caught your boyfriend cheating on you, I understand. But pouring a coke on top of him is not appropriate behaviour at school." The older woman said. "Though amusing." She added and Krista could have sworn that she saw her smile. "But I'm afraid that I'm going to have to give you detention for a week."
Krista felt like hitting herself on the head. Detention? Her parents were going to kill her.
"Is there anything else?" she asked the Principal.
"Just one more thing, are you feeling okay? You seem to have been upset and troubled lately." The Principal looked at Krista with concern.
"No. I'm fine." Krista lied, and then she left the office.
Outside waiting for her was Jake.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him, surprised.
"Waiting for you." He replied.
"I know that. By why?"
"We need to discuss our project. Why else would I want to see you?" Jake told her.
"Oh. Well I've got detention all week, and I'm grounded. So I guess you'll have to come over to my house afterwards to work on it." She replied reluctantly. All she needed was Jake around her house making fun of her. That would really be the icing on her week.
"Great, see you then." He left her quickly but turned back around and said something to her before he disappeared around the corner. Krista blinked in shock.
"Congrats of teaching Travis a lesson, he deserved it." He had said.
Detention could not seem to go any slower for Krista. She kept glancing at the clock every few seconds to see if it was time to leave yet. She knew she only had to stay in the room for an hour, but time just seemed to move so slowly.
There was only one other person in the room apart from the teacher supervising (or rather, sleeping), and it was a girl in the grade below her. Krista turned back to doing her homework but she found it hard to concentrate.
The whole afternoon people had come by to congratulate her for standing up for herself. It was as if she were some kind of hero.
Psst.
She heard somebody suddenly whisper. She looked to her left and saw Jake trying to get her attention through the window from outside.
"Jake?" she mouthed. "What are you doing here?"
"Its time to go." He mouthed back.
She looked up at the clock. "No it isn't." she looked at him confused.
Jake rolled his eyes. "What are you, a wimp?"
"No!" she mouthed back.
She stood up quietly and packed her belongings quietly. She then tiptoed past the teacher, hoping that he wouldn't wake up. He didn't.
She then quietly left the room and hoped that the other student there wouldn't rat on her. Krista joined Jake outside.
"If I get a detention, I hope your satisfied." She rebuked.
"Sorry, Miss Perfect. C'mon, I want to get this over and done with."
"Alright, alright. Hold your horses." Krista said.
"Hold you horses." He mimicked. "Who says that these days?"
"Oh, shut up." She griped. They had only been in each other's company for not even five minutes and they were already trying to bite each other's heads off.
"Lets take my car." He told her.
"We can just walk there, that's how I go to and from school." Krista suggested.
"We'll take the car." Jake repeated as he opened the car door for her.
"Should I be flattered?" Krista battered her eyelashes.
Jake did not even bother to dignify her question with a response.
At her house, Krista tried to explain to her mother the detention she had received but she would not listen to her.
"We'll talk about this later." Her mother told her. To Jake however, Krista's mother was perfectly charming.
"Such a nice, good-looking boy. Hopefully you'll rub off on my Krista." She gushed.
"Yeah. Bye, Mum." Krista hinted and tugged on Jake's arm, pulling him upstairs and into her room.
He looked at her bed and the discarded underwear on the floor. "You want to get personal, do you?"
"You're an idiot." She hit him playfully with a pillow as she hid her underwear under her bed. "Anyway", she began, pulling up a chair and sitting at her desk. "Lets get to work."
Soon enough, a few hours had flown by and it was time to leave. Krista examined all the work they had done, impressed.
Judging by the expression on her partner's face, he was feeling the same thing.
"We've done a lot of work. I never thought that it would be this easy." She admitted.
"Neither did I. We should work on it again tomorrow." Jake suggested.
"Yeah." Krista walked him downstairs and to the door. "See you tomorrow." She waved him goodbye.
"See ya." He called back.
Krista shut the front door and leaned against it. The house seemed so much emptier now without Jake in it.
Krista shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
She then heard the shrill voice of her mother calling her from the living room.
"Kri-sta!"
Krista cringed; not at all excited about the argument that was no doubt about the take place.
A/N: Anyway, I know I updated really quickly but I'm not too sure when I'll be able to update again. So please review – it encourages me to write!