1,171Your Definition of Love
Chapter 13
No Idea
"Knock, knock," I heard Taylor say from outside the screen door.
Smiling, I let her and Jake into the house. "Thank goodness you guys showed. I don't think I would have been able to survive a whole barbecue planned by my parents without you."
"No problem," Tay said. She held up a container. "We brought sustenance."
Jake grinned. "Taylor made brownies, in other words."
"Ah, yes. Life is good." I took the container full of chocolatey goodness from her. "Come. I'll lead the way."
They followed me out to the backyard where my family was waiting. My mom was busy preparing a salad while Paul was attempting to cook some burgers using the barbecue. Attempting being the key word, of course.
Paul looked up for a second as they entered and then looked down again nonchalantly. Then, as if just realizing who had come in, he suddenly did a double-track.
"Taylor." He glanced quickly at Jake before turning back to Taylor. "Hey."
"Hi Paul," she replied indifferently. "Hi Mrs. Simmons."
I had to give her props for being so casual. I would never have been able to do anything like that.
"Hey sweetie," my mother greeted. "Mr. Simmons should be arriving any minute now."
"Oh." I motioned to Jake. "This is Jake Thompson, Mom. You know, the guy you let Taylor invite?"
Jake grinned. "Thanks for letting me come, Mrs. Simmons. I've been looking forward to this barbecue."
"Oh, we're glad you could make it. Any friend of Taylor's is a friend of ours." My mom smiled chirpily. "Jake, honey, maybe you could help Paul with the barbecue?" She laughed. "I'm afraid he's going to set the lawn on fire."
"I've got it, Mom," he said, sounding aggravated.
"Paul, baby, no you don't. You've burned so many burgers already, and you still have to cook the hotdogs. Just let Jake here help you. He seems like such a-"
"I said I've got it, Mother."
"Alright," she said, frowning. "Jake, Taylor, why don't you two go on ahead and make yourselves at home?"
I suddenly heard the doorbell ring to the front door and went to go get it. I opened the door to see Bryce and Charli. It felt a little weird seeing the two of them together, and I briefly wondered if they had come together as well.
"Hey Jaelynn." Bryce kissed my cheek.
"Hi," Charli said, flashing her perfect teeth. It was frustrating; just about everything about this girl was beautiful.
"Hey," I greeted. I walked towards the refrigerator and rifted through its contents. "You can go ahead on back. I'll be out in a minute."
I assumed that Bryce headed back there, from the sound of his footsteps. He knew the way already, after all. However, when I turned around from the fridge, I unexpectedly bumped into someone. It was Charli.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
I smiled. "It's fine. Was there something you wanted?"
"No, not really." We both stood there awkwardly for a couple of seconds. However, just as I was about to tell her she could follow me to the barbecue, she opened her mouth. "So I heard from Bryce that the two of you are actually a couple."
I nodded, slowly. "Umm, well, yes." Had he not told her the truth? That was also probably why he had kissed my cheek when he had come in.
"Yeah. It's kind of hard to believe, you know? You and Bryce."
I frowned. What was so hard to believe, that Bryce would actually go out with someone like me?
She must have noticed my face. "No, no. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that I guess I'm not used to seeing Bryce dating someone else. Especially someone as genuinely nice as you." She smiled. "And it doesn't help that you're so pretty."
"Oh," I laughed, feeling a little embarrassed. "Thank you."
"But anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you on the relationship. Bryce is a great guy."
Strangely, I felt a little defensive of my relationship with Bryce. "Oh, yeah, I know. I've known him for forever."
She looked at me, and I couldn't quite read her. "I see." She looked towards the back of the house. "So shall we join the rest?"
"After you." As soon as we stepped outside, I walked up to Bryce, who was talking with Paul. I nudged him lightly. "Hey, can you come to the kitchen with me?"
He looked up, looking a little surprised. "Uh, sure."
"You two better not try anything in there," Paul warned us.
I merely stuck my tongue out at him before grasping Bryce's arm and leading him quickly inside.
Finally, I faced him. "Why haven't you told Charli yet?"
"Well," He stuck his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "that's probably because I'm not going to tell her."
That took me a little by surprise. But once the surprise passed, however, I suddenly realized I was... happy about it. Thrilled, even.
"Why not?" I asked him, despite my sudden relief.
"It's not any of her business. I don't really know why I wanted to tell her in the first place. Besides, you obviously didn't want me to."
"That's not true," I objected. Bryce merely raised an eyebrow at me. I sighed. "Okay, maybe I would rather you not tell Charli. But still, she's your friend and-"
He placed a finger on my mouth. I was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that he was touching my lips. "Jaelynn, shut up."
He must have noticed my discomfort, because he quickly removed his hand. "Oh, sorry." Bryce even seemed a little embarrassed about it, because he shifted his feet.
"Bryce," I said, changing the subject. "Is something- Was something going on between the two of you?"
"Charli and me?"
I nodded.
He looked at me for a few seconds. "Kind of. During the past year or so, every time my family visited, we would..." Bryce wouldn't look at me. "We would hook up. But it was off-and-on. It wasn't a friends-with-benefits thing, but it wasn't a definite relationship. It was actually more complicated than anything."
"Did you ever really break it off then?" I asked. He simply shrugged. "Did you sleep with her?" I paused for a second and then shook my head. "Wait, never mind. I'm sorry; it's none of my busin-"
"No, it's okay," he interrupted, his voice strangely quiet and hoarse. "I never slept with her. We came close one time."
It took a while for his words to sink in, and once they did, my voice was down to a whisper. "Close?"
"It was during the summer, and I was just really bummed because of this other girl, and Charli-"
I covered my ears and shut my eyes. "No, no. I don't want to hear about it."
He was silent for a little, but then slowly brought my hands down from my ears. "We're just friends now."
"Friends? Oh no," I pointed at the two of us. "We are friends. You and Charli- I have no idea what you two are."
"Nothing," he said grimly. "We're nothing but friends. I have no feelings for her."
My eyes met his. "Not even just the tiniest hint of attraction?"
He stared back, his blue eyes intense. "Nothing."
I wasn't sure what to think. In fact, I was still having trouble believing the fact that they had had somewhat of a relationship at all.
"Lynn, come on," he said. "I agreed to help you with this plan thing, and I really don't mind."
"But you can't go out with any other girls besides me," I reminded him.
He merely shrugged. "And I don't want to, Jaelynn."
Somehow, that last sentence made me feel better.
He was quiet for a few seconds, but then cleared his throat. "At least, I think I'll be okay. I can go a few weeks without a girlfriend." He grinned lopsidedly.
I raised an eyebrow wryly. "I don't know, Bryce," I commented, shaking my head jokingly. "Those hormones of yours..."
"Well, if that ever happens, I could just take advantage of our little deal."
I laughed, mouth open in shock. Then, I shoved him.
Caught off guard, he stumbled back a little. "Uh oh, Jaelynn. A little birdy just told me that you're about to get your butt kicked."
I shook my head, grinning. "Oh, Bryce. You and your hormones. You really need to control your fantasies about my butt." Suddenly, I felt myself being picked up off of the ground. I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to suppress my shriek. "You can't just pick me up every time your ego gets bruised, you butthead!"
He laughed. "And why not?"
"I don't know. Considering how easy it is to make fun of you, I might start getting a little lazy." Once I said these words, he raised me even higher in the air, making let out a squeal. I pounded on his chest. "Let me down, you bully!"
"Not until you admit that in truth, you actually find me unavoidably good-looking."
I wrinkled my nose. "You? Eww."
He raised his eyebrows threateningly. "Do you have a death wish?."
"You are just so gorgeous, Bryce Healy," I said dryly, rolling my eyes. "You good-looking man, you." I was laughing by now. "Kiss me now, baby!"
I heard a cough, and my attention flew towards the other end of the kitchen.
"Am I interrupting?" Charli asked. She was standing there, arms crossed, looking at straight at us.
I was sure my whole face was bright red by then. "No, no," I mumbled. "Not at all."
Bryce, meanwhile, was cracking up with laughter. I smacked him, and his laughter got choked up as he let out an, "Oof."
"Let me down," I hissed at him.
He complied, and I straightened my clothes. "We were just- We were-" I stopped talking and bit my lip, embarrassed. Finally, after a long, awkward silence, I clapped my hands together. "Okay, so who's up for some food?"
Charli smiled weakly, grabbed a pile of napkins, and left the room. I glanced back at Bryce, who had finished laughing and now was watching me with an amused expression on his face.
I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Come on, lover boy." I grabbed Bryce's arm and dragged him to the backyard.
My father had arrived home by then, and Paul was nowhere to be found.
"Hello, Mr. Simmons," Bryce said.
My dad clapped Bryce on the back. "My wife tells me that you and my Jaelynn are now dating."
"Umm... yes, sir."
He pointed at Bryce. "Now you take care of my little girl, you hear? No 'getting jiggy with it' or whatever you kids are doing these days."
I closed my eyes tightly. "Dad... please stop."
"What, am I not hip enough for you?" he asked, frowning.
I shook my head sadly and patted his shoulder. "It's okay, Daddy. It's not your fault." I turned around to pour myself a cup of water.
"Oh Jaelynn," my mom gushed. "I always knew that you had a secret crush on Bryce. Your big brother's best friend. It sounds like a fairy tale!"
I suddenly choked on my drink.
"You're a lucky man," my dad said to Bryce. "Jaelynn hasn't had a boyfriend in such a long time-"
"So Dad, where's Paul?" I asked quickly.
"I'm here." He came through the fence. With him came Andy, the girl he had been making out with earlier.
I glanced discreetly at Taylor, but she seemed busy laughing at what Jake had just said at the table.
Andy smiled. "It's wonderful to finally meet you all. Paul here has told me so much about you."
I gave her a weird look. "He has?"
Paul poked me in the side, causing me to let out a squeak.
"Nothing bad, I hope," commented my mother. She hugged Andy and laughed. "Wonderful to meet you too, dear. The food is almost ready."
We all went to the table as my mom began to lay down the rest of the food. I quickly disappeared inside and came out with Danny in my arms.
"Jaelynn, I didn't know you had a baby!" Andy said excitedly.
I shot her a skeptical look. "Umm, I'm only a junior in high school, Andy. You're in my grade."
"So?"
I sighed. "I don't have a baby."
"Then why do you have a baby in your arms?" she challenged.
"He's my brother." I pointed to Paul, who was next to her. "Brother A." I motioned to Danny. "Brother B. Meet Danny Simmons."
"I'm not a grandmother just yet," my mom chipped in.
A look of dawning crossed Andy's face. "Ohh... I see." She giggled. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little confused today."
"And every other day," I heard Taylor mutter under her breath next to me.
"I'm just a little over the weather," Andy said.
I exchanged confused looks with Bryce. "You mean... under the weather?" he asked.
Andy's eyes widened excitedly. "Yeah, that!"
"That means that you're feeling sick," I informed.
"Oh. Just kidding!" She giggled at herself, and I felt a little bad for her. Nobody joined her, but Paul did attempt to smile.
My mom ushered us all to the table. "Come, sit. I just have to finish placing all of the food down and then we can eat."
We all sat down, and for a bit, there was no talking.
"I can't believe Halloween is coming up," I finally said, trying to make conversation.
"Oh, Bryce," Charli said. "Remember the time we went trick-or-treating together?"
He groaned loudly. "You made me dress up as the lion from Wizard of Oz."
She giggled. "I really wanted to be Dorothy. And you can't have Dorothy without one of her friends from Oz!"
"I still have the scars from that night."
"How did you get scars?" I asked.
Charlie waved her hand in the air nonchalantly. "Oh, it's a long story."
I raised my eyebrows. "Oh."
"What's your Halloween costume going to be this year, Charli?" my mom asked. "You have to make sure it's sexy, of course."
I coughed.
"Can't forget that," Charli agreed.
"Jaelynn never dresses sexily for Halloween," my mom continued. "She always dresses up in boring costumes."
"That's not true," Bryce said. "Remember that time when she..." He had a blank expression on his face.
I kicked his leg under the table. "Shut up."
"Nah, I'm kidding." He grinned. "Jaelynn's a pretty cool chick. Just a little on the boring side."
I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Bryce."
"It's always nice to shower your girlfriend in compliments."
It took me a while to realize that the rest of the people at the table had been watching our little exchange. My mom had an unabashed smile on her face, my dad and Paul looked at us warily, Taylor and Jake were smiling slightly, and Charli and Andi were expressionless, the latter most likely because she was thinking about something completely unrelated. After an awkward silence, I cleared my throat and looked at my dad with wide eyes, trying to convey the message to change the subject.
Thankfully, he seemed to understand. "So are you two a couple now?" my dad asked, focusing his attention on Taylor and Jake.
Taylor smiled at Jake. "Well, I guess you could say that." I noticed she was very carefully avoiding Paul's gaze.
"That's wonderful news!" my mother exclaimed. "You make such an adorable couple. Just like Bryce and Jaelynn. Wouldn't you say so, Paul?"
He didn't say anything, but he did stab his food a little more forcefully.
The rest of the meal went by pretty smoothly, with the exception of all of the tension between Taylor, Jake, and Paul.
At least, until my mom brought up a subject that I definitely didn't want discussed.
"I'm so glad that that Connors boy is out of the picture now," she commented.
I froze, mid-chew.
"What?" Bryce asked.
Paul looked around, confused. "What? You mean Adam Connors?"
"Mom," I protested.
"Oh honey, it's okay now. We all know you're over him by now, with you dating Bryce and everything." She turned to Bryce. "My Jaelynn used to have the biggest crush on that boy."
"It was a long time ago," I lied.
"I knew it!" Paul exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "I knew you liked that kid."
"Hey Paul. Shut up."
"By the way," Taylor suddenly said, "the food is delicious." I silently thanked her for changing the subject.
"Thank you, honey," my mom said.
"I'll be right back." I got up from my seat. "I have to use the bathroom." I headed inside, but a second later I heard someone come in after me.
It was Taylor. "Okay, Jaelynn. We seriously have to have a chat."
"So many private talks in this kitchen today," I commented.
Taylor ignored me. She pulled me inside the room and turned around, arms crossed. "Jaelynn, what the heck is wrong with you?"
My smile died. "What?"
"I don't know how else to get it into that pretty little head of yours, so I'm going to just be blunt, okay?" She sighed. "Listen to me. Bryce likes you as more than a friend. You're always in your own little world with Adam, and you don't even see what's in front of you."
"Taylor-" I started, but she wouldn't let me interrupt her.
"No, listen," she continued. "You're driving him crazy insane with all of this 'oh Bryce, my best friend' crap. Seriously. Can you be any more clueless? Even I can see it, and I'm not around the two of you nearly as much as... you are around the two of you. And I totally know that that didn't make sense, but I think you get the point."
"You're right, Taylor," I admitted. "You haven't been around the two of us all that much. So maybe you should know what you're talking about before you call me clueless."
Her eyes widened. "PMS much?"
I sighed, rubbing my temples. All of this stress was giving me a major headache. "Okay, fine. Sorry for snapping at you. But I really don't need this right now. I just don't feel like explaining everything."
I turned around to leave, but she reached out to stop me. "Explaining everything? Explaining what, Jaelynn?"
"Explaining," I practically snapped, "how I know he's not interested."
Taylor crossed her arms. "Okay, so how do you know this? Did he tell you this, Jaelynn?"
"Yes!" I sighed in frustration. "Yes, okay?"
She stared at me, waiting for me to continue. I knew I had no choice now but to explain.
I cleared my throat. "The night I asked him to help me with this stupid 'popularity' thing. That was when he told me he wasn't interested in me, okay?" I shrugged. "Can I go now, Miss Taylor?"
She stared at me for a few seconds. "Do what you want."
I should probably have stayed there to apologize to her and explain why I was so grumpy. But the truth was, I had no idea why I was in the mood that I was. So instead, I turned around and left.