Title: Cards on the Table

Author: Juana

Part 1 of ?

Rated T with a slant towards M

Author: Awkward is my new obsession. I love shows where there are two guys you can actually root for.

Story Summary: This begins after the "Slap heard round the Quad" or the "Smack Attack." Jake is ready to put all his feelings out there for Jenna, the burning question is will that be enough to make Matty come clean too?

"What are you doing here?" Jenna asked unable to hide her surprise at seeing Jake at the door of her room – the door Matty usually showed up at.

"I uh…I needed to talk to you."

"Okay."

Jake had hoped for an invitation inside but could see now that what he was going to say would have to be said here in the backyard of Jenna's house and he was more than a little nervous.

"Well first I wanted to apologize to you about Lissa and the slap – she had no right to do that."

"You admitted to her in front of all her friends that you had kissed me. I'd of slapped me too."

It was just like Jenna, thought Jake to take responsibility for the chain of events he had set into motion with that kiss.

Damn…that kiss with Jenna. It was all he ever thought about anymore, that and how it felt to hold hands with her in Valerie's office during Crashd week.

"None of this is your fault Jenna. I caused all this."

"You don't need to beat yourself up over this Jake, it was a kiss and it's over and now it's no longer a secret – so game over."

Jake wished it was that easy.

Nervously he swallowed before continuing. "You see, that's the thing Jenna…I liked kissing you and I would like to do it again and again and again…if you wanted that too that is."

Oh s***, was all Jenna could think now. She had never imagined that Jake had any real feelings for her and he had completely caught her off guard.

"Jake…"

"No…it's cool. I'll give you time to think about it.

"No…I don't need time…you have a girlfriend and I have…,"

As if to finish her sentence Matty came strolling around the corner of her backyard now completely shocked to find his best friend standing there with Jenna, but it was Jake who spoke up first.

"Matty?"

Yes, Jenna thought to herself I have a Matty.

For Matty now it was sink or swim time, the moment of truth upon him and Jenna knew that how he handled these next few minutes would forever changed how she perceived him.

"Jake…hey man. What is up?"

Clearly Matty was nervous. Jake on the other hand was just confused.

"I uh…I stopped by to apologize to Jenna about Lissa."

Okay, so Jake felt the need to omit some very important parts of their conversation. Jenna held her breath now hoping Matty would step up his game and tell the truth.

"Oh that's…good, great."

"What are you doing here?"

"Uh…well uh…I called Jenna to ask if I could borrow her biology notes and I'm here to pick them up."

Liar…thought Jenna. Clearly not that much had change since her 16th birthday hook up with Matty. He still wanted to keep her a secret.

"Oh cool." Jenna couldn't help but see that Jake seemed a little relieved and she…well she was a little pissed and a scorned woman is never a good thing.

"I should probably go then," stated Jake but Jenna grabbed on to his arm. She was dressed for a date and she was damn well going on one, unfortunately for Matty now it wasn't going to be with him.

"No, stay…I'll just get Matty the notes and then you and I can go somewhere to talk about things."

Matty knew he had f****ed up as he followed Jenna into her bedroom.

"I'm sorry," he tried.

"Don't be…I get it now – you can handle private Jenna but you're never going to take me public and I'm not okay with that."

"Jenna…"

"Save it Matty…I don't need your pity."

"I don't pity you."

"I don't care. Do you know what your best friend was saying to me right before you got here?"

"I have no idea," Matty was a little frustrated now. He'd planned a big night for him and Jenna and now everything was turning to crap because he hadn't manned-up in to his best friend.

"He was telling me that he likes me and that he wanted to kiss me again."

Jenna waited for it to sink in and it did fast and Matty was clearly not happy about it.

"And what did you say?"

It was not the expected response and it irked Jenna more than his lie in the yard now.

"What did I say? You mean did I keep your little secret for you?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Yes, it is…and yes, I did – your secret about your Jenna indiscretion will go to the grave with me, because honestly right now I'm a little embarrassed that I was so stupid about you for so long.

She wanted to hit him or burst in to tears or both, but just then Jake popped his head in the door of her bedroom curious about what was taking so long.

"Everything okay in here?"

The look that Matty gave Jenna was one of pleading and the look she returned was one of indifference now, he'd hurt her again and this time she wasn't sure she would forgive him.

"It's all good. I can't seem to find my notes though, so Matty was just leaving."

He was being dismissed and for the first time around her he felt like crap. She'd made him feel special for so long that he had not realized until this moment how much he had taken for granted that she would always be there.

"Okay, well let's go then…see ya later bro." Jake said taking Jenna's hand in his now to escort her out the door.

It was the final straw for Matty seeing his best bro interlocking hands with his girl. And dammit that was what she was - his girl.

"She can't go with you."

Both Jenna and Jake turned back around to face Matty now.

"Why not?" Jenna said silently urging him to grow a pair and out them as a couple once and for all.

"Yeah, why not?" Jake chimed in.

The moment of truth was at hand, if he was an idiot about this any longer Matty knew he would lose Jenna for good and he didn't want that, so he took a deep breath and dove head first into his confession.

"Because…Jenna is the girl I hooked up with at camp."

The look of shock on Jake's face now was priceless.

But Matty wasn't finished, "The same girl I've been hooking up with since then and that I wanted to tell you was my…I hope…"

Come on Matty you can do it thought Jenna, just say the magic word.

"Girlfriend," Matty finished a look of pure relief on his face now as if a ton of weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Jenna smiled as she dropped Jake's hand now and walked over to Matty and into his arms.

Jake on the other hand had lost any semblance of a smile as he took in the site of the girl he liked in the arms of his best friend.

"I'm just gonna go."

"Jake wait…,"Jenna began but he quickly put out his hand in a gesture to silence her.

"I'm psyched for you Jenna, this is obviously what you want and you too McKibben, but I gotta go."

And before either Matty or Jenna could protest he was out the door.

"He hates me," Jenna stated a little sad at the thought of losing a friendship that had helped her through so many speed bumps.

"He doesn't hate you, he likes you…and I just told him he couldn't have you, if he hates anyone right now…it's me."

Jake sat in his car now, stunned and sad. He'd really fallen for Jenna and to find out that he didn't have a chance in hell with her now stung.

Matty was such a train wreck when it came to relationships that Jake knew probably sooner rather than later he would screw things up, but the bro code at that point would prohibit him from ever being with Jenna, unless Matty was okay with it. In this moment Jake really believed that his life truly sucked.

He didn't want to be with Lissa anymore because she didn't measure up to Jenna and Jenna didn't want to be with him because she was McKibben's and she was head over heels for him. Things probably could have been much worse, but he didn't really see how…except, he knew now that he was going to have to break things off with Lissa and be crowned King Douche of the school tomorrow by Sadie and her army of brain dead cheerleaders.