Title: FML- It's too Late.

Author: Juana

Rating: T

Authors note: After last night's episodes I can't help but be intrigued by the thought of Jake being clueless about the Jenna and Matty situation as he embarks on a relationship with her. I'm still rooting for Matty and Jenna can't help myself but there are a lot of fun and angsty directions this situation can take.

Story summary: Jenna has given the death blow to her and Matty's semi-secret relationship by deciding to follow her head instead of her heart and Matty has to find a way to deal…heartbreak aftermath sucks!

So this is what it feels like to want to die thought Matty as he sat shell shocked in his truck. He had come to the winter formal to convince Jenna that he was all in this relationship with her and that he had been being, as she said, a pussy.

And he'd had nothing but good intentions, as corsage in hand he had walked into the dance to find her and had been subjected to her and Jake in a steamy lip-lock.

It had felt like a cross between a knock-out punch and a gut kick as his eyes had processed to his brain what he was seeing, which had quickly translated to his heart the death blow he was now feeling, the wind knocked out of him and all his good intentions.

He'd wanted to bolt before either Jake or Jenna spotted him but he couldn't seem to find the strength, without saying a word Jenna's actions had wrecked him and he was a hot mess of hurt feelings and maybe even a little sense of betrayal.

It was a nightmare of epic proportions as he had watched the girl who had his heart and his best friend walk hand in hand over to him. He'd never seen Jake look so happy, but the look of misery on Jenna's face was getting pretty familiar and he knew it was because he was the one responsible for always putting it there.

As usual Jake had been the bigger and better guy, actually feeling bad for him as he taken one last shot to ask Jenna without actually saying the words, because he didn't want to out her to Jake, to give him another chance and she had shut him down.

It was too damn late and it was only himself that he could blame for that as he finally started up his truck and prepared to leave the parking lot. All he wanted now was to get the hell out of there and get drunk, really…really…black-out , don't remember your middle name drunk.

As he put the car in reverse and turned his head to make sure there was no one behind him he was startled by a knock at his car window. Turning quickly he saw who was there and managed a half smile as he rolled down his window.

"Hey Ming, what's up?"

He liked Jenna's friends a lot they were an odd bunch but they were also completely comfortable in their own skin, something he was still working on defining for himself…sometimes he felt like he had no idea who he was.

"Promise you won't blow me off?"

"Okay…I promise."

"And that you will hear me out until I say I'm done?"

"Cryptic, but fine…yeah all the way to the bitter end."

"Good. Jenna sent me."

Even the sound of her name punched holes in his heart now.

"She did?"

"Well okay…sort of sent me."

"How does someone sort of send you?"

"Does it really matter?" Ming said clearly on her own little mission now.

"No, I guess not…but I got to be honest, I'm not sure what you could say right now that would make me feel any better."

"I really like Jake, he's a good guy."

"Especially that…god you suck at this."

"You didn't let me finish."

Honestly now Matty wasn't sure he wanted her to. Of course Jake was a good guy, maybe even the better guy, but right now he was the last person Matty wanted to extol the virtues of.

"Jake isn't the guy for Jenna."

Although it was nice to hear, Matty knew it wasn't true.

"Ming, you're wrong. Jake is the perfect guy for Jenna, the kind of guy Jenna deserves."

"Okay yeah Jake is like super nice and good looking and …"

"Do you have a point here?" Matty said begging her to end this torture now.

"He's not you."

Lord knows that was true. Matty knew he and Jake were as different as night and day and always had been.

"That can only work to his benefit." Matty admitted.

"I'm not going to lie to you Matty, you screwed up royally keeping Jenna a secret for so long, making her feel like she didn't measure up to your life, but I know Jenna and this is fixable."

"She told me it was too late and she seemed pretty sure about it."

Ming wanted to say more but stopped herself as she saw Jake and Jenna approaching now.

"Hey we thought you left, we're bailing on the dance now, did you want to join us at the after party we are going to?"

Matty saw Jenna visibly tense next to Jake who he noticed was still holding on tightly to her hand.

"Nah, I'm good."

"Aw, come on McKibben what are you gonna do, go home and wallow over some girl who obviously doesn't get that you are a great guy?"

Met by silence Jake continued on with his persuasive argument.

"I've never seen a girl take you down before McKibben."

"Well this one was pretty special." Matty admitted cringing on the inside as Jake let go of Jenna's hand to put his arm around her now.

"All the more reason to come out with us, have a few drinks and find one of your fan club groupies, to help get her out of your system."

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

Probably the worst idea ever thought Jenna who could feel the next sentence she was trying to choke down working its way back up her throat and out her vocal cords before she could stop it.

"No, you should come."

Matty wasn't sure what had possessed Jenna in that moment to make such a statement, but if it was an olive branch he was determined to hang on to it.

"Okay, just give me the address and I'll meet you there." He said more to Jenna than anyone else, but it was a bond that was still only obvious to them and well of course Ming.

"You should come in the limo with us." Jake said happy now that his best friend wasn't going to be flying solo tonight when he'd obviously been victim to a heart break hit and run.

"You got a limo…"

Just another reminder of how much better Jake was than him at knowing how to keep a girl happy.

"You can't do a formal without a limo dude."

"Course you can't." Matty said a touch of sarcasm in his response now.

Inside the limo Matty took a seat next to Ming and Vera, a seat which unfortunately gave him a front row seat for the Jenna and Jake show. Jenna had given Jake the green light means go on their relationship and Jake was not one to waste a single minute as he alternated between nuzzling her neck and kissing her.

Unable to take it any longer Matty leaned over and whispered into Ming's ear.

"This is f****** torture."

Ming couldn't help but feeling sorry for the guy.

"I'm sorry." She whispered back.

Jenna was doing her best not to appear as uncomfortable as she felt. She'd followed her head into the beginning of a relationship with Jake and in the very least he deserved her to be all in it.

But even though her body and lips were, her mind clearly wasn't as every time she closed her eyes she imagined it was Matty kissing her only to open her eyes for confirmation and realize it wasn't.

It was Jake.

FML…she thought how was this ever going to work when just like tonight Matty would always be far too near as he lived on inside her heart.

As the limo pulled up to the party and everyone started to get out Jake stopped Matty.

"Can I talk to you for a second bro?"

"I'll just wait inside," Jenna said her level of discomfort escalating now at the closeness of Matty to her face now.

Matty sat back down as Jake closed the limo door for privacy before talking to his friend.

"I know what you're thinking man."

It was just like Jake thought Matty to want to fix everyone.

"You do?"

"Yeah, you're thinking this thing with Jenna is too soon after Lissa."

"Oh…yeah…right…maybe a little too soon," Matty said relieved now that Jake really had no idea what he was truly thinking.

"See I don't think it is though…she's pretty amazing you know."

"I do," more than you could possibly know or understand thought Matty now.

"I kind of think this is it," Jake confessed once again putting his feelings out there.

"It?" Matty questioned hoping he was just misunderstanding his friend.

"Yeah…like she's the one."

"You're sixteen dude and this your first date with her." Matty said desperation in his voice now.

"My mom and dad started dating at sixteen. Besides you know me man, I'm not like you…I like being in a relationship and Jenna; well she just makes things so easy."

Not for him she didn't thought Matty, for him she had made everything more complicated as he had struggled with his need to be accepted by his friends while wanting, so completely and desperately to be with her. He'd let his social standing win and now he was paying for that big time.

"I'm happy for you man." Matty said trying his best to keep the sincerity in his voice. It seemed odd to feel anything but brotherly love for Jake but in this moment he kind of hated him for having the balls to grab for the brass ring with Jenna. He'd taken a risk with her and the reward was getting to be with her, something Matty sensed deep down inside was going to slowly kill him as, he being Jake's best friend, would be forced to watch it.

"Thanks. I think there may be a problem though. It's why I asked you to hang back for a minute."

"Okay…what's the problem?"

"I think there's another guy."

Matty felt his face start to heat up now and a feeling of dread creep over him.

"What makes you think that?"

"Call it a hunch. Someone else was supposed to take her to the dance tonight and I'm not sure but I think she was pretty bummed it didn't happen."

"That doesn't mean anything." Matty said trying to reassure his best friend now.

"There's more, she told me a while back that there was a guy she liked but it wasn't going to work out because he had a girlfriend, I thought at the time she was talking about me, but now I'm convinced it was this guy who was suppose to take her to the formal."

"Even if it was, she's with you now."

"Right, which is all great and stuff, except…"

"What?"

"Well call me paranoid, but I don't want to be anyone's pinch hitter…especially not with Jenna. I really like her dude."

And twist the knife a little more Rosati was all Matty could think now.

"So you think she's still into this guy?" Matty said a little more hopeful than he should have.

"Maybe…I don't know. It's why I want you to help me."

"Help you how?"

"Help me find out who the guy is. I would just feel better if I knew who my competition was."

"I actually think you should leave it alone."

"You do?"

"Yeah, Hamilton is pretty straight forward, if she wants you to know who the mystery guy is I'm sure she'll tell you."

There is no way in hell she is ever going to tell you Matty thought silently now. Not if she wanted this thing with her and Jake to work.

"So are you saying you won't help me then - bro I would totally do this for you."

Matty knew Jake would and he obviously wasn't going to be letting go of this desire for knowledge anytime soon. The best he could do was give his friend what he wanted and warn Jenna that he was on to her.

"Sure…okay…I'll keep my eyes and ears open for you."

"Excellent. I guess we should get inside then and go find everyone."

"Yep, lead me to the closest beer."

"And the easiest cheerleader," Jake added remembering that Matty had problems of his own to solve too.