Dear Jonah,

I remember reading a quote once that said, "There's always a little truth behind every 'just kidding,' a little curiosity behind every 'just wondering,' a little knowledge behind every 'I don't know,' and a little emotion behind every 'I don't care.'" I also think there's always an open wound behind every half-answered question.

(This is the next day)
(Joe)

Pressing my phone to my face, I pushed my way against crowds of students, slamming through doors until I was out of that school. After I suffered through several unanswered rings, her answering machine picked up once again. "Hey, it's Jamie. Sorry I couldn't get to the ph—"
"Damn it!" I yelled, slamming my phone shut. Sometimes I thought that I'd heard her recorded voice over the phone more in the last week than I'd heard her speak to me in person in all the time I'd known her. She hadn't been at school that day, so I took it upon myself to go check up on her. I told myself that I was furious with her for avoiding me like this, but the truth in me knew I would keep snapping back to her like a rubber band until that last slap that's so hard, it breaks me.

I knocked on the door softly at first, hoping she'd come to the door without looking through the peep hole. But when she didn't answer, a mix of worry and resentment boiled in my blood, and the knocks became more furious. "Jamie? Jay, I'm so sick of this. Can we just talk?" After several agonizing seconds of silence, I turned my back to the door, and had taken my first step away from the house just as a click sounded behind me. She had opened the door! Finally!

As I turned around to face her, my swelling heart dropped when I found myself staring in the eyes of a guy. Was she dating someone else? Why didn't she tell me? Why would she tell me? Does she love him?
"Who the fuck are you?" I asked flatly, teeth clenched and knuckles white. He chuckled lightly, which frustrated me beyond comprehension.
"You must be Joe, then. Jamie warned me you might come around. I'm Nick," he said smiling brightly and holding out his hand.
I glowered at him with the most intense glare I could manage, but he didn't even look uncomfortable.
"Yeah, you're Joe, alright. I've heard lots about you. I'm Jamie's cousin."
Instantly I felt like a total ass hole. "Yo, dude. I'm sorry. I thought you were… well, never mind. Where's Jamie? I've been looking all around for her."
He nodded slightly, "Yeah, she told me you would be. She took a vacation, man. Said she needed to get away for a while."
I knew she'd been fed up with me, but I hadn't known that it was to the point where she couldn't stand to be near me anymore. I frowned at him.
I was about to turn away when he said, "Yeah, well, listen, I was about to catch a wave, and you look like you've got some stress to blow off. Wanna come with?"
I offered a glum, effortless smile and a slight shrug of the shoulders.
"Why not?"

. . .

Once the sun had exhausted us, and we were past soaked to the bone, we sat down to take a breather.
"Aw, dude, no way!" We had been laughing and telling stories all evening. Despite the fact that most of them were exaggerated or made up anyway, I couldn't deny that it had been more fun that I'd had in a long time.
"Nah, dude! True shit. It had to be the best week of my life, hands down," he smiled, apparently in recollection of the event. A silence fell upon the conversation, so I thought of something else to say before it had a chance to become awkward.
"So, um, where are you living now, Nick?" From what he told me, he'd been everywhere.
"Well, I'm usually a little east from here, but uh, you know, Jamie's gone for a while, so I kind of have to stick around and… do some uh, house maintenance, and that sort of stuff, so I guess I'm living here for a few weeks."
I nodded slightly, acting on a reflex. "That's cool… So um, what made you come visit in the first place? Bad break up?"
He laughed a little. "Nah, man, just… thought I'd come and see my little cousin."
"Oh, come on, man you can tell me. Why are you really here?"
"Well, to be honest, yeah. Bad break up. It's not fun to be cheated on, you know? So I uh, moved out of our apartment."
"Jeez. Sorry to hear it, man."
He looked at me then, wearing the most innocent eyes and a cheesy grin, which I found the most peculiar thing to do after discussing such a dark subject.
"It's life, you know?" His childlike smile only brought one to my face too.
"I guess so."

I noticed the sky grow suddenly darker as the sun inched closer down the horizon, and glanced at my watch. "Holy shit dude, I'm gonna be late for work!"
"Aw, shit. I'm sorry, man. Look, I'll drive you there. I insist."
"Thanks, man. I owe you one."
He looked back at me and his quirky little smile reappeared on his face.
Then he said finally, "Alright, let's go."

I like this chapter. It's when they first meet and stuff. :)

Yeah, so this isn't very eventful, but I promise if you stick with me, it'll get so much better. :)

With Love, Carlie :D