Title: Face Down
Author: silentunawares, or Kami (Quiet REBel girl -with VoDKa-)
Theme: Set Five, #1, Crash (x-posted at community. and
Disclaimer: I don't own a damn thing. TRUST me.
All his life, his mother had always told him that he'd know when he fell in love, especially the first time, because it would hit him all at once, a rush of feelings, and it would send him crashing to the ground. Oliver Oaken doubted, however, that she meant that literally. But then, that seemed to be how everything in Oliver's life was. Literal or nonexistent. He seemed to be either the butt of all the jokes, or his life was the joke for him.
So basically, he wasn't all that surprised when, every time he was around Jake Ryan, he managed to trip over his own feet in a way he hadn't before. He figured it was his life's way of getting back at him. All he wanted to do was make friends with Jake, maybe for his own selfish reasons, maybe not, he couldn't really distinguish that. Either way, all he wanted was a friendship. Right?
It was about the fifth time in a day that Oliver had fallen, this time landing face down in the sand, that Oliver began to think that maybe it was something other than karma or his own sheer klutziness that was shaking his equilibrium this bad. Oliver was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize he hadn't yet lifted himself off the sand until a hand appeared in front of his face. He grabbed the hand, turning a light pink, and let the other boy help him up. Oliver muttered a thanks as he dusted himself off, and then finally looked up to offer a smile to whomever had helped him, maybe laugh it off with a joke-
-and realized he was looking straight into the face of Jake Ryan.
Oliver turned crimson. His eyes grew wide and his mouth opened a bit. Oliver flubbed like a fish for a moment, his mouth opening, closing, opening, closing. Miley and Lilly watched in amazement as Oliver stood speechless for the first time in his life. Miley was stunned. Oliver hadn't even been speechless when he had met Hannah Montana down on the beach, chewing her black gum. But no one was more stunned than Oliver.
Come on Oaken!! Say something!! Oliver thought to himself. But nothing came to mind.
It suddenly registered that Jake was laughing. Oliver flushed even more and wracked his brain to see if it had caught Jake saying anything. Jake suddenly caught his breath, still smiling that spectacular smile, and leaned closer to Oliver, their face nearly touching.
"Oliver, I know I'm hot, but trust me, I won't be offended if you just come out and say it." Jake said, smiling. He straightened himself back up and ruffled Oliver's hair before walking away a bit. He turned around and began to walk backwards for a moment, long enough to call back to Oliver. "You think too much, Oaken! It's not good for you! Because trust me, sand isn't nutritious in the least!"
Then, Jake turned and walked away. Oliver stood in shock, his eyes wider than they had ever been. He was still dark red, and he found himself short of breath. His head was clouded and his tongue seemed to be swollen in his mouth. His heart was racing, ready to rip through his shirt and chase after someone at any moment. He turned to walk back over to Miley and Lilly where they had been sitting at Rico's bar when his feet got tangled again.
This time Oliver didn't even register himself hitting the ground. The whole world was spinning. It had been for a few minutes now. He leapt back up and stood stock still for a second. The girls rushed over.
"Oliver, are you okay?" Miley asked.
"Yea, what's up with you lately?" Lilly asked.
The two were concerned. But Oliver didn't even look at them. His eyes were glazed over.
"I've gotta go." Oliver said quickly and began to walk off toward his house.
Both girls just stood and watched him leave in shock.
Once he was out of eyesight, Oliver took off at a run, his eyes facing the ground, his arms pumping, his heart racing. His mother had been right all along.
I'm in love with Fucking Jake Ryan…Oliver thought as he ran. Well isn't like just peachy.