Is It Revenge Or Love?

Give In

~Unknown~

I continue to pace in the room, waiting for the call. It’s been a day since I sent her in, and there should have been an answer by now. I hate having to wait when I have a plan in place. “She’ll call. You don’t have to worry.” I sigh and spin toward the sound of his voice.

“It shouldn’t take this long. I made sure everything was flawless so it should have been decided already.” He chuckles in that tone that I can’t stand.

“You are so impatient. Nothing has changed over the years.” I look at him and roll my eyes. Right before I can respond, my phone rings; I pull it out of my pocket and answer the call.

“Well?! You better be calling me with good news.”

“I got the job. I was the best interview out of the four. I start on Monday.” All tension leaves my body, and I plop down on the couch in relief.

“Great. We will spend the weekend making sure that we have a plan intact.”

“Yeah, yeah. All I know is that I expect to get my money back after this. No more stalling or games. You owe me big and I want my money.” I roll my eyes, tired of hearing this complaint all the time.

“Whatever, I got it. You will have what you want as long as you follow the plan we create this weekend.” I end the call and let the phone fall in my lap. I hear movement behind me, but I’m too exhausted to care.

“Now that you got your good news, you can relax.” I huff in response but say nothing. “She’s been looking for you.”

“I don’t care. I’m not interested in anything she’s about to whine about.”

“I know you don’t expect me to handle it, do you? I warned you that it would be more trouble than it’s worth.” I sigh and place a hand over my eyes.

It’s true, he did warn me. I knew it would probably be going too far, but I couldn’t help myself. The plan's benefits were too good to pass up. It would have made all of our issues disappear. One night fu.cked it all up, and now I’m stuck. “I didn’t say you had to do anything, did I? Just leave it. Julia will handle it.” Julia, as annoying as she is, has a true purpose here. I close my eyes and go over my plan again. I need it to be flawless. I need this to work.

~Jaylene~

I hate to admit it, but I’ve been spending way too much time checking my phone. If I’m being honest, I’ve been looking for a call or text from Monroe. I know how pathetic that is, but I can’t help it. I want him to contact me even though I don’t want to have to deal with him right now.

Talking to Amber helped at the moment, but it didn’t take away from my general confusion and unease. I know I need to make a decision, but knowing what’s needed isn’t making it an easy thing to do. I look out of the classroom window as I stir my noodles for the millionth time. “What are you concentrating on so hard?” I jump as the sound of Nancy’s voice reaches my ears. I have no idea when she got back in here or how long it’s been.

“You scared me.” Nancy sits across from me and smiles.

“You have been so distracted lately and don’t need to be.” I told Nancy everything, needing a partial viewpoint on the situation. I love Amber, but she went to school with us and knew about my crush on Monroe senior year. A part of me believes that she’s stuck on what could have been, and that’s where her advice comes from. “The answers right in front of you if you care to see it.” I let my fork drop from my hand and look at Nancy.

“What would that answer be?” Nancy reaches out and grabs my hand. She rubs circles on the back of my hand as her eyes roam over my face.

“Just let go. No matter the intentions or how this will play out, just sit back and enjoy the moment.” I sigh and close my eyes. I hear what she’s saying; I get it. It’s just that I’ve been here before and I don’t want to go there again.

“But, what if-” Nancy pats my hand, and I open my eyes.

“No. Just enjoy the moment.” The classroom door opens, and an office aide walks in.

“Sorry to interrupt. I have a delivery here for Ms. Mackey.” I nod and walk over to the aide. She hands me a bouquet of flowers. I thank her and turn toward Nancy.

“Who’s that from?” I see the gleam in her eye as she tries to keep herself neutral. I know who she hopes these are from, but one never knows.

I dig through the bouquet, looking for a card. I find it and read it, a smile gracing my face. It’s the cutest card that hurls back to grade school. The card asks if I want to attend a party with him, and it’s complete with a checkbox for yes and no. I find it utterly hilarious and endearing. I hand Nancy the card so she can read it. It elicits a chuckle from her, and I smile.

I grab my phone and scroll through my text log to find his number. I haven’t saved it in my contacts yet, but I know which number it is. I dial the number, pacing while I wait for the call to connect. “I take it that you got the flowers.”

“I did, and they are lovely.” Silence envelops us for a few moments. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to gather my courage. “So, a party?”

“Yeah. It’s a business thing that I have to attend. I would love to have you with me when I go. I will do anything to get you to agree to go.” I turn my head to the side, enjoying how humor back and forth.

“Anything? So you’d agree to dance like a monkey for five minutes?” His chuckle is deep and makes my body shiver.

“If that’s what it will take to get you to go with me, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” I can’t help the laugh that escapes my lips.

“You are so silly.”

“Maybe, but it doesn’t make my statement any less true. So…”

“So….”

“Please tell me that you will go with me.” I close my eyes and try to shut out the millions of questions that are swirling around in my mind. I open my eyes to find Nancy staring at me. Her eyes are telling me everything her mouth isn’t.

“Yes. Yes, I’ll go with you.” I laugh a bit at the absurdity of it all. “And there’s no need for the monkey dance.” Monroe laughs heartily in my ear.

“Just know that I’m willing if you ever change your mind.”

“Noted.” The call disconnects, and I stand lost in thought.

“You did the right thing, Jaylene. Trust me when I saw this will work out.” I hope Nancy is right. I’d hate to regret this decision.