Modern High - 23. Chapter 19: Finding Lies Behind Truth

Modern High

Chapter 19

Finding Lies Behind Truth

When Monday finally hit, I asked myself why Jacob hasn’t called or at least tried to come over. I wondered this as I walked to school. The weather today seemed to be matching my mood, well, not really, but close. My mood was Mystery, the weather, cloudy.

“Hey Zach!” called someone from behind me, normally this doesn’t happen.

As I turn around, I spot Nathan running to catch up to me. “What’s up?” Those were the first words he'd spoken to me in three days.

“Well, I was wondering what happened to all my friends... and I’m still wondering.”

“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have left you high and dry. I should have helped you out. However, I didn’t and I’m sorry for that.” He lifted his right hand to me. I looked at it and then him. I actually wondered if he was serious... “Friends?” he asked.

I took the hand of my best friend and shook it. “Friends! Definitely friends.” I let go of his hand and resumed walking, I had to ask, “Where's Nichole?”

“She had to do something, and I wasn’t invited.” I decided not to even ask what she was doing; it wasn’t my place.

“How’s Jacob?” Nathan asked. He did ask innocently, right?

“How would I know?”

“Well, aren’t you dating him?”

“I wish I knew that too, to be honest. Jacob hasn’t called or even considered coming over, so I want to know what’s up with him. Do you know, Nathan?”

“I... Um... No Zach, I don’t.”

Doesn’t he know by now that I know when he is lying? Ugh, men!

“Tell me, Nathan!” I demanded.

“Look, I promised Nichole and Jacob that I wouldn’t say anything until Jacob himself said something to you first, alright? I’m sorry again, but I can’t, ok?”

“Whatever, man. I know where our friendship lies now.”

“Don’t be like that, Zach. Jacob will tell you, I’m sure of it.”

“Right. And how do you know that he will, huh, Nathan, how?”

“I don’t know, but have faith.”

“Sure, I’ll just do that.”

When we got to the school, it was abuzz with people talking loudly, and yelling. It was as if some kind of bomb went off. Everything Nathan and I heard was about Toby and Jacob. However, I couldn’t get any more than that.

“What’s going on?” I tried to ask a girl who was near the entrance, but she didn’t reply. Well that’s a good sign; at least she didn’t call me a freak or something of that sort.

“What’s all the gossip about, Nathan?” I turn to ask him, but he disappeared. So great, some gossip is going around the school about Toby and Jacob, but no one wants to give me any details. I’m going to have to ask Jacob himself.

I didn’t see Jacob for the whole day. I searched every possible room he could be in. Still I came up empty, I wondered for the whole day where he was, but no one would tell me. It seemed that people got over my being gay and started on the rumor of Toby and my boyfriend. However, like this morning they didn’t tell me anything.

Walking home was an uneventful thing; me being worried didn’t help matters any, either. Jacob should have called me and told me what happened, but he didn’t and now here I am wondering and worrying as I walk down this cold, lonely street.

“Zach, wait up!” someone yelled yet again from behind me. However, this time I didn’t turn around.

“Zach!” Jacob called. Doesn’t he know what I have been through today? Doesn’t he realize that he should have told me before the school found out?

“What, Jacob?” I asked him icily.

“Whoa, what’s with the attitude?”

“I wondered that myself today... Or could it have been that my boyfriend should have told me what was going on?”

“I’m sorry about that. You know they are lies, right?”

“I don’t know anything. That’s the point, dammit! You should have told me... But you didn’t!” I started to walk away from him, but he grabbed my arm, making me stop. “Let go of me.” He did, but he moved in front of me instead. “Jacob, I would like to get home. Would you please move?”

“Fine! If that’s how you’re going to treat this, then fine.” He moved out of my way, but I didn’t move. It was as if I was frozen, contemplating whether I should ask him the one question that I knew might not be answered truthfully...

“Jacob?” He looked at me with sad eyes.

“Zach, I’m sorry, okay. I know that we haven’t been able to have any time together and with this rumor going around it’s harder than hell. Plus, with Toby...”

“Wait! What about Toby?”

“Oh it’s nothing...”

“Toby isn’t nothing, he’s big trouble... and...”

“Look Zach, it’s complicated right now... Leave it alone.”

“Fine! But let me say this... He will use you and then throw you away.”

“Whatever, I gotta go...” He kissed me lightly on the cheek and left me standing there in the cold.

“What a boyfriend...” I told myself.

As the first week of November started with Jacob and I not talking, it felt lonely. It even seemed as though I didn’t have a boyfriend anymore. That day back in October when Jacob and I talked, it seemed that he was actually saying goodbye to me. I had time to think about what he meant when he said, "I gotta go." I guess my mind got confused or something, because we barely talked for the rest of October, and every time we did, he had to bring up Toby’s name. Sometimes in the conversations we had I would tell him to shut up. I know it seemed wrong to tell him, but he wouldn’t stop talking about Toby, my nemesis. That’s how we ended up not talking for awhile. I missed him really, really badly; I wanted my boyfriend back.

“Nathan?” I’m on the phone with him, he’s trying to cheer me up, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

“What, Zach?” I guess I would be irritated too, if I kept being asked what to do.

“Like I said before Zach, you have to talk to him; go over to his house. Make sure you guys talk. That’s the only way this thing will be fixed. Remember back on the vacation we had? Wasn’t that pretty bad?”

“Yes, that was bad. However, we got through it... I don’t know if I can get through this.”

“What’s the worse he can say, that he doesn’t want to talk to you?”

“Well, if you put it like that, then yes.”

“Alright then, go talk... Nichole is here and she wants to spend some time with me.”

“Alright, well, tell her I say hi and I miss her, will you?”

“Yea, I'll mention it. Goodbye, love you Zachie!” After that, he hung up and I felt like shit, because I knew what I had to do.

Grabbing my coat, I walked outside into the cool night air. The wind whipped around me, as I made my way across the street and around the corner, on my way to Jacob’s house. I had time to think about what I wanted to say to him, and what I wanted to happen. However, all too soon I was standing in front of his house, still thinking about what to do or say.

Stepping up to the door, I raised my hand. It was only inches away from knocking when I let it fall, was I nervous. Did I really want to confront him? All these things were running through my mind when the door opened up...

“Why, hello Zach. What brings you by?” Helen, his mother, said to me.

“Hello, Ms Woods, I was wondering if by any chance Jacob can talk to me.” I held my breath as I waited for her to speak again... It seemed like forever before she replied.

“I’m sorry, Zach, but he’s at Toby’s house.” Crestfallen and defeated is what I felt when she said that. I didn’t know that a tear had slid down my cheek until she spoke again. “Zach, is everything alright?”

Sniffling back a sob, I reply “Yea... Yea, everything is fine... Thank... Thank you Ms Woods...” I turned around before she could see me cry. As soon as I reached the sidewalk I ran for it, I didn’t know where I was going, but I didn’t care either.

When I couldn’t run anymore, I walked, and when I didn’t feel like walking anymore. I sat in a park. There seemed to be many parks where I was going, was it coincidence that there were? Were the gods telling me something, that I should end my miserable life and get on with it? Hell if I knew, but I wasn’t giving up until I found out the truth. Making myself get up, I faced south heading to Toby’s house.

On the way, I had time to think again, but about different things. Did enough time pass between Jacob and I that he found someone else without even telling me? In addition, if we haven’t broken up, then why is he at Toby’s, what could he possibly be doing there?

The closer I came to his house, the more paranoid and nervous I became. As I got up enough nerve to continue on, I started to sweat. It was sticky and uncomfortable, but I had to continue, I had to find out.

Once on Toby’s block, I stopped. I had I to think; I had to know what I wanted to say and I wanted to make sure it came out right. Not like the other times, when I fumbled out a reply or an answer to something.

Standing at the sidewalk, looking at Toby’s beautiful house, it seemed lovely. With the rose bushes and the delicate designs of the green, mossy, pine trees. Like a wonderland, I became mesmerized at what I saw, so much so that I completely forgot why I was at his house to begin with. Shaking myself, I climbed the stone stairs that brought me to the front door. Stalling for time, I rethought of all the things that I wanted to say to him, but as I brought my hand up to the door and banged on it, they all seemed to fly out of my mind.

I heard rushing from inside the house, I couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like Toby was telling Jacob “here...” When the front door came unlocked and it opened, there stood my prince, my boyfriend. What I saw shocked me... I couldn’t believe it, what I feared was coming true... I didn’t want it too...

“Zach...” He looked shocked to see me standing there. Shaking my head, I backed away from him...

TBC!

Author's note:

It seems yet again that something is happening in Zach's life. Something that will surely turn it upside down. I know you guys/gals think I’m wrong for making Jacob the bad guy in this story. However, when you come to think about it, he’s a teenage male. At the age of sixteen, hormones get the best of you...

You’re probably asking yourself right now, "What about Zach? Wouldn’t he be doing what Jacob is doing?" The answer to that is no, he wouldn’t. Because, Zach loves Jacob and he doesn’t want to cheat on him. I mean if you recall back in the convergence, I almost had him cheat... but he didn’t.

I guess I made Jacob the cheater because he just came out of the closet and fell in love with Zach. When things started to happen, Jacob thought with his dick, not his head. Therefore, as any male will tell you, things happen and they can’t be undone... but they can be fixed.

Comments or Reviews would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Remijay <3 ((Hugz)) Take Care and Be Safe!