Since Joe and Stella started dating, everything seemed wonderful. They were so darn cute and we all were happy for them. Everything was quite calm 'till two weeks after that magical day when they finally recognized their feelings for each other.
It was lunchtime and we were all sitting in our usual table. Joe and Stella were talking happily and I was talking with Nick and Kevin about the maths exam. Then Van Dyke came along.
"Hey, sup people?" he said with his typical idiot smile. Because, let's face it: he had that face –who some girls found hot, and that doesn't include me – and that smile that made him look like a jerk the whole time.
"Ehm, we're fine?" I answered, noticing that no one was going to speak. I couldn't blame them, we were all a bit shocked. He hadn't talked to us since his date with Stella (which was
a complet desastre but ended as a happy ending, at least for the lovebirds, aka Joe and Stella).
"Not to sound rude or anything but, what are you doing here?" Nick asked.
"Yeah, there's nothing you can do. Stella is with me now" Joe said, overprotective as always. He even put an arm around her to prove his point.
"Chills, Joe, I'm not interested in her anymore" Van Dyke said. I looked at Stella: she was fine, but I could feel a bit of disappointing on her face. Totally understandable. No girl on earth likes to hear that someone isn't interested in you anymore. But she didn't care much. She was with Joe, duh!
"Then, why are you here?" that was Kevin's turn. We didn't want to be that rude, but no one knew the reason why that guy was there.
"In fact, I was looking for you, Misa" he said, looking at me. He wasn't sending me that flirty smile to me, was he?
"M-Me?" I asked very confused.
"Her?" Joe said. I looked at him for a second. I honestly didn't expect that reaction of him. But well, it was Joe. He was the most jealous guy I've ever met. And he hated Van Dyke, a lot. But it was still weird: shouldn't he get jealous about Stella and not me?
"Yeah. Well, I know we don't really get along when it comes to sports, but I was thinking..." he didn't look at me when he put his hand on his neck. He was acting...shy?! No way. "Well, I was wondering if you'd like to, I don't know, hang out. We don't need to go to 'El Meat', at least you want to, but we could also go..."
"Wait a minute" I said, putting my hands on the air. "Are you seriously...asking me out?" I said, totally shocked.
"Well, I...yeah?" he said. Oh, wow, that was unexpected. Van Dyke Tosh asking me out? That guy who I always compete on sports? The guy Joe hated? The guy who asked Stella out several times? That guy was asking me out? "So, are you free on Saturday?"
There was a very awkward silence. Everyone, even Van Dyke, was staring at me. They wanted to hear an answer.
"Well..." I started, but I never got to end the sentence. You wanna know why? Because no other that Joe Lucas answered the question for me.
"She can't" we all looked at him. What?! "We are actually going to...ehrm... the amusement park". My jaw almost touched the floor. What the hell was he saying?! Who was he to enter in my personal life?! Then I knew exactly how Stella felt every time Joe interfered in her social life.
Hang on. I can't understand Stella, because if Joe acted like that was because he was jealous, and Joe was jealous because he liked Stella. Joe didn't like me, so I couldn't understand Stella. But I somehow did.
"Oh, well, in that case... See you around, Misa" he said as he quickly touched my shoulder. There was a silence. All the glares were focused on Joe and me. Before I could open my mouth to say something, the bell rang. Joe stood up very fast and start walking away, not even kissing Stella goodbye as he usually did. I followed him as soon as I could. I didn't care hearing Stella and Nick calling my name. I had to talk to Joe.
"Joe!" I yelled his name, begging him to stop. He didn't want to listen to me –cause I was absolutely sure he heard me – so I started running and got him by his shirt. "You stop now, Joseph". He obeyed, but not looked into my eyes. What was wrong with him?
"What do you want now? I gotta get to class" he said in a bored tone. What...? He was going to hear me out.
"Look, I don't understand at all what happened back there" I said in a calm and confused tone.
"What? Were you going to say yes?" he sounded...worried?
"What? No! Well in fact..." he shot an intense look at me. Darn, his eyes were so deep... "I don't know, okay? I didn't even have time to think about it! It was so unexpected".
"Well, then if you wanna go out with him, go and tell him! Kiss him! Hug him! Live happily ever after!" he said angrily and started to walk away.
"Hey!" I said, grabbing him by the shirt once more. "I'm not done yet" I waited for him to say something. He didn't, so I continued talking. "Look, I just don't understand it. Why did you act like that? What do you have against him?"
"Against him? Macy, please. That guy can't be more jerk, stupid, idiot..."
"Ok, ok, I get it. It just surprised me seeing you act like that when it wasn't about Stella" I said. A second after, I regretted saying that sentence. Me and my stupid mouth which always said my stupid thoughts out loud.
"You thought I was...jealous?" he said slowly. Ok, my heart started beating fast.
"What?! No! Pft, you thought that I..." he was looking at me with that intense glare again. Oh, I couldn't resist it. "You know, I think you were right. We better get to class" and with a fake smile, I started running to my class without looking back.
Joe's POV
I watched her run away, obviously nervous. I thought to run after her for a minute, but I just stood there.
Macy Misa. My (now) girlfriend's best friend. My once biggest fan, now a fan/good friend. In fact, I didn't even know why I acted like that. She was right: I always acted jealous with Stella when Van Dyke asked her out. Then...why did I do that? Why did I become jealous when Van Dyke asked Macy out? Sure, she was my friend, but she could date whoever she wants.
I liked Stella, that's why I always treated Van Dyke like that. But Macy? I didn't like her...right? No. Of course not. What was I thinking?! I suddenly remembered about my PE class and ran to the gym. I needed to think about something else than Macy.
Macy's POV
Three days. Three freaking days have passed and Joe and I hadn't talked since then. It was so awkward between us. Every time we saw each other, we just avoided the eye contact. And I didn't even know why. Ok, our last conversation was a bit "weird", but... Why were we acting like that? It wasn't like we did anything wrong.
So I decided to talk to him to fix things out. We couldn't live like that forever. We were friends, right? And friends talk to each other. So when the bell rang, announcing our freedom, I went straight to the music room, where I knew he was.
"Hey Joe" I said as happily as I could. He looked at me like I was crazy, with a...scared face?
"Hi Macy...Gotta go" he said those words so quickly that I couldn't react at first. But when I saw him walk away, I woke up.
"Hey, wait!" I yelled. And he surprisingly obeyed me. But he didn't turn around. I sighed. "Look, we can't act like this. I mean, what have we done? Excluding the part of you acting weird the other day when Van Dyke asked me out, nothing has changed, right? We're still friends...right?" I asked with my voice trembling. Seriously, I didn't know what I would do if I lost Joe as a friend.
"Yeah...of course" he said, still not turning around. What the heck was wrong with him?
"Then...why are we acting like this? Why are we avoiding each other?" I demanded. I needed to know the truth.
"I don't know..." he murmured. Hey boy, that wasn't the answer I was looking for. I sighed again. What are you supposed to say in occasions like these?
"Well, then I won't move from here 'till I find the answer. And you aren't moving either" I said as I left my school bag on the floor. I heard him sighing.
"Macy, I'm Stella's boyfriend now" he admitted. The only word I could've said right then was "Huh?!" What was he thinking? That I didn't know that one of my closest friends and my best friend were dating? He thought I was idiot or something?
"Erm...Thanks for the information?" I said a little bitter. "Joe, I don't know what you mean by that. Of course I know you and Stella are dating!" He finally turned around. His face scared me. He looked... absolutely devastated, like something was killing him. "Joe?" I softly said. "You ok?"
"No, Macy. I'm not ok" he said as he took a step forward. Ok, I was totally lost right then. What was he doing? What was going on? He sighed hardly. "This ain't right..." he whispered.
"W-What? What is not right?" I said. My voice denoted fear. I didn't know what the heck was happening.
"This. I'm Stella's boyfriend..." he was walking very slowly towards me. I slowly took a few steps back until my back was pressed against the wall.
"Sorry, but... I don't get it. You and Stella are together. How can that be wrong?"
"That's not wrong. That's right. Great, actually. But then there's you..." he said. I couldn't recognize his face. I had never seen him like that before. It was a bit scary.
"M-Me? What about me? What have I done?!" I exclaimed with low voice. Hey, I felt like he was blaming me for this situation. How was it my fault?
"The other day...When Van Dyke asked you out. I felt...very angry. Like something buring in my chest. That's why I acted how I acted. Then you came and asked me why I said that. Then you kinda suggested I was jealous. And then...I was very confused. I became obsessed. With you" he said. He was so serious. And I don't know how I didn't notice, but he was very close to me in that moment. It was VERY awkward.
"B-but... how... me?"
"Yeah, I know it seems strange... It is, actually. But for the past few days, I couldn't think about anything else. I haven't even talked to Stella much. I just could think about you and about how I acted and about what would I have done to Van Dyke if he dared to ask you out again".
If I could, I would've fainted. That was the strangest situation I could've imagined myself in.
"I still don't get it" I murmured.
"I don't know what's going on, either. The only think I'm sure about...." he said as his face moved closer to mine "is that if I don't kiss you right now, I'll die". I couldn't think after that. His lips crashed onto mine. And I can't tell you when, but I kissed him back. It wasn't right. It was wrong. Extremely wrong. But...it felt so good. After several minutes, we pulled apart, both of us breathing hardly.
"This ain't right" I repeated. It was exactly what he had said few minutes before.
"I know" he said. Our faces were still very close. "But it's killing me. I don't know what the heck is wrong with me, but... I need you, Macy". Unexpected confession. We stood there, so close, with our eyes locked. Then, I spoke.
"What are we---" I stopped myself "---you going to do? Stella loves you, Joe. And you love her. We can't just..." I didn't finish the sentence because I didn't know what to say after that.
"I don't know... I love Stella, but then you..."
"Joe. You love Stella, not me. There you have your answer" I stated as I tried to get out of there. "This never happened, ok?"
"No. Not ok" he said. His voice changed. He sounded furious. "Macy, I know it's hard to understand, but just listen to me". I stopped walking, not turning around. I knew that I couldn't look into his eyes in that moment. "Look. I love Stella and she loves me---"
"Not to sound rude, but that's a thing the whole world knows" I said. Ok, I sounded rude, but it was the pure truth.
"Just---let me finish" I didn't say a word, letting him continue. "Well, as you said, we all know that. After nearly ten years, Stella and I are finally dating. But then..."
"Then what? I ruined everything?"
"NO!" he exclaimed. "You didn't do anything. It's just me. This is my entire fault" he sounded really depressed. "I really shouldn't be feeling like this".
I thought I'd probably regret saying that, but I just had to say it. "Feeling like what?" He looked at me with that intense look that could make me melt.
"Feeling like I need you for breathing. I forget about everything, even Stella, when I'm with you. And...I have to be with you" he once more took a step forward and put his arms around my waist. I couldn't breathe.
"Then what are you going to do? Cause you can't leave Stella for me....You just can't. And you can't have both of us". I felt tears ready to fall from my eyes. It was a very intense situation.
"I don't feel this way when I'm with her. And of course I know I can't have both of you..." he looked away, like he was thinking. "Macy, how do you feel about me?"
"W-What?" I asked. I couldn't be more confused. Well, the whole situation was very unreal, but still...
"I told you how I feel about you. Now is your turn" he said. As if it was that simple! I never thought about Joe as more as a friend, and then...that happened. It wasn't easy. Not at all.
Wait. A part inside of me felt happy. Like I was waiting for that to happen. Like I had always liked Joe, but because of Stella, my feelings stood quiet. I never noticed that feeling before. And his kiss was like the key that opened my heart and let my feelings flow.
"I—I--- don't know" he looked disappointed. Broken. I couldn't see him like this. "Look, I've never considered good to feel like this because of Stella, but then you come and kiss me and say me those things and... Now I don't know what to do, how to feel. Cause this ain't right, we shouldn't be like this, you love Stella---" his lips pressed against mine once again to shut me up. I melted again. How could he have that effect on me? How could I suddenly kiss him back, not noticing?
"Macy. I just can't tell you that I love you, but...It's something different. In a better way. I can't longer be with Stella after this" he said. Wait, what?! No!
"No! Joe, don't! You can't break up with Stella! Not because of me! You two are perfect for each other and... She'd never forgive me! And I would never forgive myself, either! No, Joe. You can't"
"Macy. I can't be without you. And I can't be with her. It's the best" he started walking away. I couldn't let him ruin everything because of...a weird situation like that.
"Joe! Wait!" he obeyed me once again. Great, at least he would listen to me. But I still had to make up some excuse to stop him.
"Lie to him", a voice in my head said. It probably was the only way he'd believe me and be with her. Even though that meant I'd live my whole life wondering what we could've been. Even though that meant pain. Even though that meant not kissing him never again.
"I don't love you, Joe. You can't leave Stella because of my, cause I don't love you" his face didn't change. He just kept looking at me. Not a move. Nothing. Just silence.
"That's the biggest lie I've ever told", I thought. True. But I just had to.
He started walking again towards me. What? He never got tired of that? I just told him I didn't love him! He should run away and live happily ever after with Stella! Not walking towards me!
"You meant that?" he asked. Still no change on his face. And his intense look didn't disappear.
"You lied to him once, you can do it again"
"Totally" my voice was lower than I thought. Like I didn't want to say that. Indeed I didn't, but I had to.
"Then look me in the eyes as you say it" that surprised me. Our faces were once again very close to each other. "Tell me that those kisses didn't mean a thing. Then I'll believe you"
I couldn't. I just couldn't. I couldn't tell a lie like that. Not even for Stella and her happiness. How egoistic I am... I preferred my own happiness instead of my best friend's. I hated myself.
But I also deserved something good in my life, right?
"That's what I thought" he whispered. I could see a smirk on his face. So Joe. "Macy, think about you for a minute. Isn't this what you really want?"
"I can't lie anymore"
"Yeah. It is" I sighed. No more words were needed. He kissed me. This time it was a bit softer than the other kisses.
I knew that Stella would be hurt. I knew that people would think that it was wrong, that I was some 'boyfriend-stealer' , that we would never last... But I didn't care.
Stella would always be a part of our lives. Like a ghost, a shadow that would always be there making us feel guilty. But we needed each other. We needed to think about us instead of others. I hoped she forgave me some day.
But I would worry about that later. In that moment, all I could think about was the boy in front of me. The boy that make me melt. The boy I needed so I could live.
*_*_*_*_*
Weird? I know. I don't even know how did this come out. I just started writing a simply "Joe is jealous because Van Dyke is asking Macy out", and then the rest happened.
I missed writing, though. And about my other stories...I hope to continue them some day. But you know us. Writers. When they have an idea, they can't write about anything else.
I have LOTS of ideas I hope I can write some day. A Joe/Macy one-shot using the movie Dirty Dancing somehow (it's my favorite movie EVER) and some Nick/Macy song-fics .
So...reviews?