Sweetest Sin – Chapter Four
Disclaimer – With the exception of Jake, I don't own them. Lucky me, huh? ;)
Author's Note – Now that school is out I can update a lot faster. Lots of Jake/Gretchen action here. Hope you all enjoy!
Thanks to my reviewers:
SUmMeRiTh – Thanks! And Jake will more than make up for what Jason did, no worries there ;).
Norma Jean the Dancing Machine – First off, I love your pen name! Jake is so hot – to me, he's a Justin Bruening/Jensen Ackles type, but that's just me ;). You'll like the end of this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!
Wild-lotus – A lot of drama for 3 chapters? Tip of the iceberg, honey ;). It's only going to get better and more intense as it progresses. Thanks for the review!
Arcadie – Consider Jason dropped ;). There's a little more of Gretchen and Cady's friendship in this chapter. Cady will be like Gretchen's right hand gal throughout the story. More things from the movie will show up in future chapters as well. Thanks for the review!
Gretchen looked one last time into the mirror, frowning at the unflattering black and blue mark stained on the left side of her face. A constant reminder of why she would be much better off without Jason in her life.
The makeup she used to try and conceal the mark didn't successfully hide it from prying eyes but if she wanted to see Jake tonight she would have to settle with it. She grabbed her keys and pushed a curl of hair behind her ear before walking outside and taking a breath of fresh air.
She gasped when she saw a figure standing in her front lawn, arms crossed and leaning against an oak tree. She was more surprised when, by taking a closer look she realized it was Jason. He came closer to the front porch where Gretchen was standing, bringing with him an air of unpleasantness.
"What do you want?" she asked, a bit of hostility entangled with her voice.
"I only want to talk," Jason replied.
"I don't want to hear anything you have to say," she brushed past him, heading for her car.
Gretchen clutched her jacket closer to her body in an attempt to ward off the chilled October air. Jason's presence was anything but comforting after the previous night, when he showed his true, hideous colors.
Seeing that the cold was getting to her, Jason wrapped his arm around her shoulders, which was awkwardly shrugged off. His touch no longer sent the sparks through her skin as it had before. Her pace quickened as her Jeep came into view in her driveway.
"Gretchen, wait!" Jason ran up behind and grabbed her arm, a signal to stop.
Gretchen jerked herself away from him, recoiling from his touch as if it burned into her skin.
"Just leave me alone," she said in a hushed tone, shooting a warning into his eyes.
"Fine," he threw his hands up in defeat. "You'll regret this."
With one last look he turned his back and stalked off to his own car. Gretchen shuddered from the lingering feeling of his hand forcefully grabbing her.
Gretchen seated herself among the local football fans and her fellow classmates, conveniently in the perfect position to steal a few glances of Jake throughout the game.
"Look what we've got here," a familiar voice startled her.
Gretchen whipped her head around to see Regina, Karen, and Cady looming above her. "Have a seat," she offered.
Cady scooted next to Gretchen, whispering low enough that Regina wouldn't overhear, "Did you get a chance to talk to him yet?"
"Not yet," Gretchen sighed, her gaze moving down the stands to Jake sitting behind his drums, "but I want to find a way to meet him after halftime." She watched longingly as Jake made way for the concession stand.
"Look, now's your chance! Just go, I'll keep Regina occupied," Cady urged.
Gretchen took the opportunity to have a quick word with her only interest, rushing down the stands to reach him.
Jake was almost thrown off balance, taken by surprise when Gretchen tugged on his uniform. "What's up?" he asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
"I don't have long before Regina notices I'm gone," Gretchen replied, glancing over her shoulder at Cady firing up a conversation with Regina where she had just been sitting. "Can you meet me under the stands after halftime?"
"Sure, but," he looked toward the stands where the one woman who could quite possibly be his worst nightmare was seated with her minions, "how do you plan on meeting me while Regina has you under constant surveillance?"
"I haven't really thought this out yet," she bit her nail, knowing she had to find a way to pull this off.
Gretchen's chin drifted to her hand, anxiously waiting for the five minutes on the timer to drain away. She could not help but grin when Jason was tackled to the ground by one of the opposing team's larger players.
Three minutes, thirty seconds.
Her foot began to tap against the cold metal of the stands, the metallic clinking meshing with the cheers of the fans surrounding her.
One minute, fifteen seconds.
The home team miraculously ran in a last minute touchdown to end the first half. She sat up straight, her eyes scanning the crowd of uniforms lining up on the opposite end of the field for Jake.
Her gaze didn't release him the entire time he was on the field running through their routine. Halftime buzzed by and Gretchen could feel the anxiety rushing through her veins. It was time. She didn't know what she was going to say, but she knew she had to see him.
She watched him move through the crowd and duck behind the stands before she slipped away from her Plastic counterparts. Fighting her way through the vast amount of people in line for the concession stand she followed Jake behind the stands.
Just seeing him standing there, a thin band of sweat lining his forehead from his workout on the field, was enough to calm her nerves. He always seemed to have this effect on her when she was close to him.
"What's so important?" he asked as she came closer.
"There's something I really need to get off my mind."
"I'm all ears," he grinned.
Gretchen took a moment to gather her thoughts. "It's about Jason."
Jake's grin faded away with the worry in her voice. In the dim light casting shadows under the stands, he noticed the bruise on her cheek. "What happened to you?" he asked, concerned, as he reached out to gently caress the tender skin. "Did Jason do this to you?"
"Well…," she paused, "he got upset and thought I was cheating on him because he saw your car in my driveway last week."
"That doesn't give him the right to lay a hand on you!" Jake fumed. "And besides, there's nothing going on between us."
'Unfortunately,' Gretchen thought to herself.
"That's what I told him," she answered. "He didn't believe me." She tried to fight back the tears welling up in her eyes.
Jake stepped closer, pulling her into a hug. She gratefully leaned her head on his chest, the fabric of his uniform soft against her skin. She let out a quiet sob as Jake's hand rubbed her back, his actions numbing the pain inflicted by Jason.
'Just tell him! Tell him you're interested in him, that you can't get him off your mind, that you've been having romantic thoughts about the two ofus together.'
She felt so at home in his arms that she never wanted to leave. When he backed out of their embrace, wiping a tear from her eye before it could trail down her cheek, she let out a sigh.
"I should probably get back out there," Jake said quietly.
"Wait!" she blurted out, though not sure what she needed to tell him.
"What is it?"
Acting on impulse, she wrapped her hands around his neck and placed her lips on his. A sensation unlike any she had ever felt before rushed through her senses. He stood in awe before he kissed her back, much to her delight.
She pushed herself into his body, never wanting this feeling to end. She tingled with bliss, her lips lingering on his before she ruefully pulled back, the sweet taste of his lips driving her up the wall. She didn't know what came over her but she didn't regret her course of action.
Without a word she hurriedly ran off, lost in the colossal throng of people just beyond the stands, leaving a dumbfounded Jake staring into the distance where she disappeared.
