Jacob: Part Two

You knew it was coming didn't you? Yes, here is the second part of the Jacob saga and no, it didn't get better. Unfortunately, it got worse. Much worse.

Freshman year rolled on by and I still did not have a boyfriend. Heck, I barely had any boys I could call friends. So that summer went past and band camp snuck up on all of us. It was nice no longer being the little freshman. I was now a big dog on campus, at least I thought I was. Okay, the point is I was not a freshman anymore ergo, I was no longer at the bottom of the food chain. Essentially what happens to sophomores is that they get way too big for their britches and they are probably the most annoying class in high school…okay college too. But anyway, I was finally starting to feel happy, actually happy, and secure, which was a big deal for me.

I should have known better, I should have known way better, but when Jacob started to take interest in me again I couldn't help but be ridiculously giddy and excited. It was happening again! It was finally happening. So here is how it happened.

We were sitting on the bus coming back from one of our band competitions and I was sitting with Jacob. We spent the entire time talking and laughing with everyone else. That always seemed to happen, no matter how long our day had been or how hard we had worked at the contest, we were always full of energy when we got on the dark school buses to start to long trek home.

I remember exactly where he asked me that magical question. (I still have flashbacks whenever I pass that spot on the Ohio Turnpike.) It was the Richfield exit of the Turnpike. Right where the road makes the deepest curve. He looked at me and asked, “Hey, do you want to go to homecoming with me?”

I could barely contain my smile. “Yes! Oh my gosh yes! I would love to!” I said. But at the exact moment that I said yes, I got this pang in the pit of my stomach, the kind of pang that tells you that you just made the wrong decision.

I should have listening to that pang.

But can you blame me? I had never been asked to a real dance before and I was so excited. I had already bought my dress and I was thrilled that I would finally have a date to look gorgeous for. Visions of corsages and dancing the night away floated through my head.

He had asked me a week before and just a few days before his birthday. So, thinking that I was essentially his girlfriend because he had basically implied that without ever really asking, I decided that I was going to make him cookies for his birthday. Boy was that exchange awkward. I don’t think he really knew what to do with himself after I gave them to him on the bus the morning of his birthday.

“Here you go! Happy Birthday!” I said as I presented to chocolate chip cookies with a flourish.

“Oh,” he said unenthusiastically, much more unenthusiastically than I expected. “Well, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” I said a little disheartened. I had expected a much bigger reaction than that. Little did I know that was the least of my problems.

Homecoming came and it was pretty much exactly what I expected. I still have the happy pictures to prove it. I did not know anybody in the group that we went with but we had so much fun together. The picture taking was probably the most fun I have had to date taking pre-dance photos. Although, Jacob and I were probably the most out of place and awkward couple there.

We did dance the night away. He is the only guy who actually danced with me for the duration of a homecoming or prom. It was fun and I loved having a date. I especially loved having someone to slow dance with. I can still remember that first slow dance. It was so weird. We kind of just swayed and I could feel his hips or something clicking with each movement. He finally let out a slightly exasperated sigh and said, “Can we spin in a circle or something? My knees are killing me.” (Knees, that is what it was…but let’s continue) I actually remember feeling kind of nauseous because of all the spinning. Ugh.

The next thing that happened was straight out of the movies, but not the right kind of movie.

Nicole had driven Jacob and I home and when we pulled up his driveway to his house, all three of us knew what was going to happen. But, I think we did it wrong. You see, in the movies the guy walks the girl up to her door and then there is an awkward hug and the expectation of a kiss.

Well, that didn’t happen.

Nicole put her car into park and remained silent. Jacob and I exchanged some pleasantries.

“I had a great night!” I said, “Thank you for asking me to the dance.”

“Sure, I had fun too.” He said.

Silence.

The tension hung thick in the air.

“So,” he said. “Night”

“Yeah, night” I replied.

Silence.

Then he kinda, sorta leaned in and gave me what I think was a kiss. It was really fast and light. In a nutshell, nothing like the movies. So there it was, my first kiss. My first kiss ever and it was a total flop.

But it was still a kiss and that was all that mattered to me.

I think Nicole flipped out after Jacob got out of the car and I was happy floating on my first kiss high, but then it all came crashing down.

After homecoming Jacob stopped talking to me. He never called or talked to me unless he was really bored during the weekend. “Hot and Cold” by Katy Perry became my anthem. I had one super awkward triple date with Bryan and Sara, Ben and another Sara, and then Jacob and I. It was at Applebees. Wow. It was terrible. I think we had a few more really awkward kisses, five to be exact. It got to the point where I was so desperate to have him talk to me that I joined stage crew just so I could be a presence in another aspect of his life. That backfired. Boy did that backfire big time.

I wasn’t able to be on backstage crew so I went to every single play that weekend. We were doing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Jacob was Oberon and every single time I saw him kiss the Queen of the Fairies I got upset. (Haha, oh my gosh. The fact that Jacob was the King of the Fairies is painfully ironic. That will be explained later though.)

Anyway, the day after the play we had set strike but more was broken down than just the scenery. After we were all finished, Jacob came over to me in the lobby of the atrium of the school. People were milling around everywhere, so we had no privacy whatsoever.

“Abby, I need to talk to you.” Jacob prefaced.

Oh no. I thought. “Well that doesn't sound good.” I said.

“My life has become very complicated and you are making it more complicated. I just cannot be in a relationship with you anymore. You are making it too hard,” he said.

Straight for the throat.

I was in total disbelief. I started trying to reason with him. The tears started rolling down my face. “What can I do to help you be less stressed? We don’t have to break up. I am trying to help you. Come on, please don’t do this.”

People started to take notice of us.

“No. Sorry. I have made up my mind”

“But, please?” I begged. The tears fully flowing now.

“No.”

He walked away and I stood there, totally dejected. he had broken up with me in the middle of all of those people. People who were my friends. People who I had come to like and love spending time with. He publically humiliated me in front of all of them Needless to say, the school was buzzing about the break up the next day. Who would have thought I would be the source of gossip?

I saw my nanny pull up in the van. I ran outside and fully burst into tears the instant I got into the car. My heart was totally broken.

Later that week I found out that he posted on Facebook that night “Finally free and not freaking out.”