Chapter Twelve: Past Experiences
Manny, Chris, and Jimmy followed Paige to her car. Manny handed Lucas over to Jimmy and sat down in the backseat next to Paige. She put her arms around her and hugged her.
"It's gonna be okay," she told her.
"Manny I still love him," Paige whispered, still crying.
"I know Paige, but you don't need him. He has an obligation to be with Hazel and their baby. From his big pause in there, it's obvious that he loves you too. He just has to be with his baby."
"They didn't have to get married!" Paige screamed. While Manny talked to her, Jimmy and Chris were putting the twins in their car seats in Manny's truck.
"We don't have to go to the reception," Manny told her. Paige sat up a little and wiped her eyes.
"Yeah we do. I don't want him to know how I feel right now. I have to pretend that nothing happened. I just need a few minutes to fix my makeup. I'll meet you guys there," she said.
"Okay, see you there," Manny agreed. She left the car and went back to her truck. "Hey Jimmy, how did you get here?" she asked him.
"I walked, it's not too far from my apartment," he said. He had his own place that his parents paid for ever since he was emancipated from them.
"Well, do you want a ride to the reception with us?" she asked.
"Sure, thanks," he replied. He got into the back of the truck, in between the twins' car seats. Chris and Manny got into the car and drove off.
"You're finally here!" Marco said to Paige as she entered the room. He found Manny, Chris, and the twins about ten minutes after the reception started. It had been going on for almost an hour, and Paige had just shown up.
"Yes, I'm here," she said proudly. She handed Avery to Marco and walked past him, right up to Spinner and Hazel. "Congratulations!" she yelled, hugging them both. Then she walked back to her friends and took Avery.
"Paige, I want you to meet someone. He's really cute," Marco whispered in her ear and led her away.
"Marco, I don't know if I'm up for meeting someone right now…" she stopped talking when she noticed a guy looking at her. He smiled, and she smiled back. She realized that this was the guy Marco wanted her to meet when they stopped right in front of him. Marco nudged her. "Hi, I'm Paige," she said, extending her hand.
"I'm Jake," he said, shaking it.
"How do you know Marco?" she asked him.
"I've known him since we were little. We used to live next door to each other and then he moved. But now I've moved into an apartment here in Toronto," he explained. Jake was an inch taller than Paige and had brown hair and blue eyes. "And who's this?" he asked, tickling the baby. She laughed and Paige laughed with her.
"This is my daughter Avery," she told him. She was afraid that the minute he heard that she was her daughter, he'd walk away.
"Aw she's so cute," Jake said. "I love kids."
"Yeah me too," Paige agreed.
"Would you mind if I asked where her father is?"
"He's gone. It's a long story, but all I want to say is that he's not in our life at all, and never will be," she said.
"Oh, I'm sorry…" Jake started to say.
"No, don't be. It's really okay," she said.
"Can I hold her?" he asked.
"Sure." Paige handed her over to him.
"I think I'll leave you two alone," Marco said. He winked at Paige before walking away.
"So, do you know Hazel and Spinner? Or did you just come because of Marco?" she asked him.
"I don't know them at all actually. I called Marco up and told him that I moved here, and he told me to just come to the wedding because he wanted me to meet his beautiful best friend and goddaughter," Jake explained.
"He said that?" Paige asked. "That is so sweet."
"Well, I added the beautiful part," he said, a little embarrassed.
"Thanks," Paige said and blushed.
"How do you know Spinner and Hazel?"
"I have history with both of them. Spinner is my ex-boyfriend and Hazel is my ex-best friend. They both disowned me when I got pregnant. But I wasn't even with Spinner at the time. And then I was invited to their wedding randomly," she explained.
"I'd have to say that really sucks," he said and laughed nervously, afraid his comment might offend her.
"Yeah it does," she said and laughed with him. Just then Avery started to cry. Jake quickly handed her back to Paige as if he'd done something wrong. "She's probably just hungry. Do you want to come with me to find something for her to eat?"
"Sure, I don't have anything better to do," he said and followed her. Within a few minutes, they found the buffet table and noticed that pretty much everyone was sitting down, eating. They missed the best man's speech, but didn't really care. They got some food and found Manny, Chris, and Jimmy's table. There was an extra high chair there for Avery.
"Guys, this is Jake," she said, introducing him. That's Jimmy, Manny, and Chris. They're my real friends. And that's Lily and Lucas, Chris and Manny's twins," she said, pointing to the babies.
"Hi Jake," they all said, in between stuffing their faces with food. Paige and Jake sat down and Paige put Avery in her high chair.
"Hi," he replied. "Wow, people here have kids at young ages," he commented.
"Yeah, it's a long story," Manny said.
"That's exactly what Paige said," Jake told her. "I'd like to hear those stories some time."
"So Jake, are you going to our school?" Jimmy asked.
"No, actually I graduated last year and moved here for a change in my life. I had to get away from my parents, and this was the farthest away I could find. I'm taking a year off of school and I'll probably find a college around here somewhere," he explained.
"I should have graduated last year," Jimmy informed him.
"Let me guess, long story?" Jake joked.
"Actually, I could sum it up. During my junior year, I was shot by this kid who came into the school for revenge. He thought I did something bad to him but it was actually Spinner and this other kid Jay. I was shot in the back and paralyzed, but I went through two years of extensive physical therapy, and missed too much of my senior year, so I had to do it again. But it's all good cause I get to hang out with these awesome people here," he finished.
"Wow, that's great. Well, I mean it's great that you can walk again," he said, correcting himself.
"I told him it was a miracle, but he didn't believe me," Manny said, laughing.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Marco asked as he and Dylan walked up, dragging chairs up to their table.
"Just talking about past experiences," Jimmy told him.
"Sounds like fun," Dylan said. As soon as he said this, some music started to play.
"Okay everyone, it's time for the bride and groom's first dance together," Spinner's best man announced. No one knew him except for Spinner and Hazel. Everyone watched them dance, and then another slow song was put on.
"May I have this dance?" Jake asked Paige.
"Of course, she said, taking his hand. Dylan and Marco got up to dance as well, and then Chris held his hand out to Manny.
"I guess I'll just watch the babies!" Jimmy yelled after them, but was pretty much ignored. He pulled the three high chairs closer to him and finished feeding them. Then he sat back in his chair, watching Manny dance with Chris, and sighed.
A/N: There's gonna be I think only one more chapter concerning Paige and Jake, then there will be some more Manny drama! Tell me what you think.