"So, Gina used to through ragers when you two were in high school?" Amy asked. "Actually, that doesn't really surprise me."
"Yeah, her parties are some of my best memories of high school," Jake enthusiastically explained. "Her last one, her graduation party, was crazy. The entire senior class was there. The cops were called twice! I barely remember it."
"That's great Jake," Amy replied sarcastically.
Amy looked over at Jake in the driver's seat. He looked giddy as he drove to Gina's childhood home. Yesterday, Gina had announced that her mother was selling the house she grew up in. To mourn the loss of her childhood memories, she was throwing a rager, just like the ones she used to throw in high school. She also demanded the attendance of Jake, her oldest friend. And, he was dragging Amy along with him.
"I'm so excited!"
"Clearly," Amy said, unamused. "It's not going to be exactly like your high school parties, is it?"
"I hope so," Jake said. "According to the Facebook page, just about everyone who still lives in the area is going."
"Everyone?" Amy asked. Amy had only ever met one of Jake and Gina's former classmates; Jenny Gildenhorn. She was Jake's first girlfriend. He was heartbroken when she left him for Eddie Fung at his Bar Mitzvah. He pined for her for years, spending way too much time and effort keeping tabs on her. Last year, at Gina and Charles' parents wedding, Jake had been hopeful that he could get together with Jenny. He was devastated when he saw her with some other random guy. If she was being truthful, Amy had been extremely jealous at the time. She had feelings for Jake, feelings that she hadn't wanted him to know about, and seeing him pine after Jenny, broke her heart.
She was with Jake now, and they were happy and in love. But, there was a small part of her that was worried that Jake would see Jenny and all of his old feelings for her would return. How could she compare to his first love?
Jake didn't seem to notice the panic in Amy's voice though as he continued to enthuse about the party. He was looking forward to the trip down memory lane, getting a chance to reconnect with some of his high school friends and relive Gina's epic parties. He was still going on as they pulled up to Gina's house.
"Ready?" Jake asked as they got out of the car.
"Mhm," Amy answered.
Jake met Amy as they exited the car and he grabbed her hand. She walked half a step behind him into Gina's house, taking a deep breath and trying to calm her nerves.
"Yo, Gina!" Jake yelled as they entered the house.
"Jakey! Amy! You're the first ones here," Gina called out. "Come into the kitchen!"
Jake led Amy into the kitchen. Covering the entire surface of the kitchen island was booze. There were bottles of vodka, whiskey, rum, tequila, and wine and buckets of beer on ice.
"Got enough booze?" Jake enquired. "You weren't kidding when you said you wanted this last blowout to be just like the ones you used to throw in high school."
"Of course I wasn't kidding," Gina responded. She grabbed three red solo cups and the bottle of tequila, pouring some into each cup. She passed a cup to Jake and Amy and held hers up in the air. "Cheers!"
Amy waited a second and watched Jake and Gina down their shots. She shrugged and threw hers back.
"So Gina, when are you expecting everyone else to arrive?" Jake asked.
"Now," Gina stated as the doorbell rang. She left to answer the door, leaving Jake and Amy alone in the kitchen.
"This is going to be an amazing party." Jake refilled his cup up with rum and headed to the fridge. He pulled out a bottle of coke and added it to his cup. "Want some?"
Amy nodded and Jake poured her a cup of rum and coke as well. "Thanks babe," Amy whispered.
"You okay?" Jake asked.
Before she could answer, a group of guys entered the kitchen, shouting "Peralta" as they high-fived Jake. Amy moved to the side as Jake caught up with his old friends. She stood awkwardly in the corner for a couple of minutes before Jake seemed to remember that Amy was in the room.
"Hey guys, this is my girlfriend, Amy," he said as he walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Ames, this is Jay, Andy, and Bill. We were all on the soccer team together."
"Nice to meet you." Amy shook each one's hand and smiled pleasantly.
"Glad to see you're finally over Gildenhorn, Peralta," Andy said.
Jake laughed nervously. "Yeah, I've been over her for a while."
"Yeah, right. Well it was nice catching up with you man." Jake shook their hands as they left the kitchen.
He turned to Amy and squeezed her waist. "Shall we check out the rest of the party?"
"Yeah," Amy said.
Jake took her hand and led her out of the kitchen. By now, Gina's house was beginning to fill up with her and Jake's old classmates. Jake introduced her to numerous old friends. Gina met up with them, bringing them shots and beers. Amy was enjoying hearing embarrassing stories about Jake from high school. She was feeling a little tipsy as she cuddled up closer to Jake.
"Jakey, look who's here!" Gina taunted.
"Huh?" Amy looked up at Jake and saw him looking at where Gina was gesturing. She followed his eyes and saw that Jenny Gildenhorn had arrived. Amy looked back at Jake and watched him gulp. She unwrapped her arms around him and held onto his hand.
"Jake?" she said, trying to get his attention.
"Huh?" He seemed distracted by the new arrival to the party. Amy gripped Jake's hand tighter. He squeezed her hand and looked down at her. Amy raised her eyebrows at him and he smiled at her. He turned back to Gina. "Why would I care about Jenny Gildenhorn?"
"Uh, maybe because she was your first love and up until like a year ago you basically knew her every move?"
"I did not," Jake argued, letting go of Amy's hand.
"Didn't what?" At that moment, Jenny Gildenhorn had joined the circle.
"Jenny!" Gina exclaimed. "So good to see you."
"You too!" Jenny responded, embracing Gina in a hug. She let go and turned to Jake. "Jake Peralta. It's so nice to see you again."
"Yeah, you too," Jake said. He stood awkwardly for a moment before Jenny embraced him in a hug too. They stepped apart and stood in uncomfortable silence. Amy moved closer and took Jake's hand again. Jake seemed to remember that Amy was standing there. "Jenny, this is my girlfriend, Amy."
"Oh, yeah. I think we met last year at the wedding," Jenny said, holding out her hand to shake Amy's.
"Yes, we did. It's nice to see you again," Amy said, shaking Jenny's hand.
"Well, I think I'll continue to make the rounds. See you around," Jenny said, grazing Jake's arm as she walked away. Amy glared at Jenny's back as she walked away. She looked up at Jake who was looking anywhere but at Amy. Amy let go of Jake's hand and walked away. She stamped down the hall and into Gina's old bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Gina's things were packed away into boxes and piled up against the wall. Amy noticed a box labeled "Jake." She picked it up and placed it on the floor. She sat down and opened it up. Inside were pictures of Gina and Jake through the years, CDs, baseball cards and various other knick-knacks. Amy pulled out the photos and perused through them, laughing at the dorky pictures of Jake as a teenager. She came across a photo of Gina, Jake, and Jenny, at his Bar Mitzvah. She realized then that there were tears welling up in her eyes. She stared down at the photo and teardrops fell down onto the photo.
"Ames!" Amy heard Jake at the door and quickly wiped away the tears. She didn't respond, but that didn't stop Jake from entering Gina's room. He joined her on the floor and put his arm around her shoulders. "What's up Ames?"
"Nothing."
"Are you jealous of Jenny?" Jake saw the photo Amy was looking at and took it out of her hand. "This was a long time ago. Trust me, I'm over her."
"Are you though?" Amy felt a surge of confidence. She had concerns about Jake's feelings about Jenny and finally felt confident enough to discuss it with him. "Gina said it. Up until a year ago, you were tracking her every move. Are you really over her?"
"Ames," Jake whispered, grasping her tighter. "I love you."
Amy didn't respond to Jake. She loved him too, but, at this moment, she was unable to reciprocate.
"Amy, Jenny was my first love. Or, she was the first girl I thought I loved. Now, I think it was just infatuation. With you, this is real love."
Amy still didn't say anything. She shrugged off Jake's arms and stood up, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge.
Jake sighed and turned to face her. "When I see Jenny, I'm reminded of the pain I felt when I saw her dancing with Eddie Fung at my Bar Mitzvah. It sucks having your heart broken. It was really hard to get over. That's the only reason why I was so interested in what she was doing for the past twenty years. I wanted to know if the girl who made me feel so much pain was going through any pain. And I know that that sounds terrible but, you know I'm not good with emotions and that was how I dealt with it. And, I'm scared to feel that way ever again. I love you so much and I don't want to lose you."
Amy smiled shyly. Jake smiled back and moved closer to her.
"Go on," Amy said.
"I'm afraid that, one day you're going to find someone better than me and leave me. I'm afraid that you're going to make me feel the same way that Jenny Gildenhorn did. And, I can't deal with that."
"I love you Jake!" Amy slid down to the floor and embraced him in a hug. "I can't ever imagine finding someone better than you. I promise that I will never leave you and make you feel the way Jenny made you feel."
"I know," Jake replied, returning the hug. "You know, you don't have to be jealous of Jenny."
"I know." Amy rolled her eyes, annoyed with herself. She leaned back to look Jake in the eyes. "But, I can't help it. She was your first love. How can I compete?"
"What do you mean 'how can you compete?' You're Amy Santiago. You're sexy and smart and irresistible. And, you're the second best detective at the 99."
"You're an idiot," Amy laughed, punching Jake's shoulder lightly. "I'm the best detective at the 99."
"Yeah, you are," Jake conceded.
Amy embraced Jake again. She held onto him for several minutes. "Should we get back to the party?"
"No, I like this, being here, with you."
"I like it too."