Chapter 68: Chapter 68

"And, who are you talking to on the phone?" Joey's voice cut through my thoughts, making me flinch.

I forced myself to look away from my phone and set the phone down on the table. I realized that I had been staring at my phone for longer than I intended. That was the effect Romeo's last message had on me.

The thought of whether or not to see him left me torn. A part of me wondered if he was being sincere, probably he needed my help. But, another part of me could not shake the feeling that he was up to something. What if this was all some kind of game to him? What if he was just trying to prove that I was gullible and easy to manipulate? I could not let myself fall for his tricks again.

Joey's eyebrows shot up. "You were talking to Romeo, right?" She asked.

I shook my head. "No," I lied.

"Don't bother lying to me," My best friend said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I can tell it's him. Damn, I can see it written all over your face."

I drew in a long breath, knowing I had to come clean. "Alright, fine. It was him." I admitted.

"But, it's nothing. I promise," I quickly added.

Her brows snapped together. "You know you can't just say it's nothing and expect me to believe you. Now, spill the beans." She probed.

I sighed. I could not get out of this one. I was going to have to spill the beans, no matter how much I didn't want to. But, there was nothing bad in the conversation Romeo and I had. It was even barely a proper convo. There was nothing to worry about.

"Romeo actually asked to meet up with me," I blurted out, feeling the need to be honest with her. "But I told him no."

Joey's eyes widened. "Hold up. He asked to meet up with you? Why on earth would you still have his number? I thought you were done with him. And what if you are already in a relationship with James? What are you doing talking to Romeo?" She rambled , sounding a bit irritated.

My eyelids dropped. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but nothing came out. I hate the words that slipped out of her mouth. I felt a pang of hurt at her words. I knew she didn't mean to be mean, but her words stung all the same.

Jake cleared his throat, breaking the silence. I had forgotten that he was sitting with us.

He stared at me for a while, before turning to his girlfriend."I'm sorry to interrupt, but I feel like I need to say something. You're being a bit too harsh here, Joey. I mean, Ivy dated Romeo in the past and she loved him. You can't just expect her to act like they never had a relationship,"

"I know you're going to support him. I saw this coming," Joey retorted, her voice sharp.

"That is not what I'm doing here, baby, " Jake uttered. "I'm just trying to make you see things from Ivy's perspective. She is your best friend, remember? She deserves a little understanding."

He continued. "By the way, Romeo might be going through something and he needs someone to talk to. That might be the reason he texted her."

Joey scoffed. "I knew it. Your last words say it all. You were just trying to defend your friend. Bros before hoes, right?" She asked with sarcasm in her voice.

Jake raked his fingers through his hair. "You are twisting my words, Joey. I'm just trying to understand where he's coming from and why he might have reached out to Ivy. That doesn't mean I am taking his side. You should chill," He rambled.

I sat down, muted and frozen. I didn't know what to say. I hated that they were arguing. I looked back and forth between them, wishing I could make it all stop. But, I was the reason they were arguing and I didn't know how to fix it.

"You know what? If you have any red flags or secrets that I don't know about, please just walk away from me now. I don't want to end up getting hurt later," Joey blurted out.

Jake's mouth fell open. I could tell that he was just as shocked as I was by Joey's sudden outburst. Before I could say anything, she was already packing up her things and heading out of the door. I watched as she walked out of the cafeteria without even sparing us a glance.

"I can't believe she just said that," I muttered under my breath.

Jake let out a loud sigh. "Yeah, that was . . . damn!" He burst out, hitting his fist on the table.

"I'm so sorry, Jake," I apologized. "I'm sorry this happened because of me. I will talk to her."

"This is not your fault. Joey was just overreacting. I don't know what's going on with her," Jake said softly, giving me a little smile.

"She was just trying to protect me from another heartbreak," I mumbled.

Jake leaned in, his voice hushed. "Listen, Romeo didn't break your heart intentionally . I didn't know much about what was going on in his life, but I know he had some issues that he didn't open up about. He kept a lot bottled up inside. I know that he genuinely cared for you, and that he was just dealing with some things at home," He paused.

"And, I'm not telling you this so that you can talk to him. I am sure you would be happier with James." He added.

My mind raced. I wasn't sure how to feel.

****

"Promise me you will take some aspirin for your headache," James said, reaching out and gently touching my cheek.

"I will," I replied, giving him a small smile.

"Do you want me to get you some ice cream?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm okay," I said.

The two of us were sitting in his car in the parking lot of my house. He had picked me up from school, as he always did, and we had just arrived at my home.

"I will walk you to your door," James offered.

"Thank you,"

We got out of his car, and just as we were about to start walking, a familiar car pulled into the parking lot.

My heart skipped a beat. It was Romeo's car. What was he doing here?

"Do you know the person in the car?" James asked, following my gaze.

"That is m…my ex," I stuttered.