Any Given Thursday

Four days passed since Jake's confession, and Celina had yet to respond to him. Perhaps it had been a mistake to admit to his feelings to her, but there had been no viable alternative. He was tired of pretending that he hated her and more importantly, Jake was tired of lying to himself.

Celina was not the type of person that one just forgot about and moved on with life. She was an amazing and beautiful person, though hurt by their shared personal trauma.

That night he had laid his heart on the line, hoping that she would not be adverse to the idea of a relationship, but instead Celina said that it was best if they pretended he had never confessed.

He didn't think that he could go back to the way they had treated each other ever again. He could sense that things were changing between them, because now they were at least cordial to each other.

"Jake could you pass me that manila folder to your right?"

He almost didn't hear the soft voice that broke through his reverie. He passed the requested folder, trying to avoid looking into her eyes. So far they had made it through Hampton, having successfully interviewed seventeen respondents.

Dylan and Anna had not yet surpassed them, and at the rate Celina was going, she was determined to ensure that it did not things remained that way.

At the moment they were in the middle of emailing Professor Gaither of their progress and in the down time Jake wanted to discuss where they stood with one another. Once again, they were working in an extended stay suite, having turned the room into a mini office.

"Celina, I really think that we should discuss what happened between us last night."

Passing Jake the revised copy of the response to their political survey, she continued typing.

"Do you recall our rules Jake? I hope that you would remember when we agreed that we would not butt into each other's lives?"

Jake flopped into the chair next to her, briefly scanning the rough draft of their report. He smiled slightly at Celina's writing, admiring her ability to be bluntly professional and to leave personal political ideology out of their report.

"We also promised that we would be honest with each other and 'keep it real'. How can you expect me to lie to you and to myself?"

Celina rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Sorting through the numerous survey findings that they had amassed allowed her mind to forget the importance of that night.

She couldn't afford distraction at this moment. If they won the project then she would be clear to go on to graduate school at any college of her choosing.

She was still mulling over the decision to go to law school. It was a costly and potentially draining experience. At least by graduating with distinction, she could finagle her way into a lucrative career.

Jake needed to keep his eyes on the prize, and preferably away from her. Although she was glad that they could be friendly once more, she wasn't ready to face what his confession would mean.

"Jake do you want to win this thing or what? We have to focus here. Pay attention! What is the matter with you?"

He reached over her shoulder, placing his report on her portfolio bag. When he withdrew his hand, they both struggled to contain the moan that overcame them as his arm brushed her left breast.

"I'm paying attention and I am doing my fair share. I already analyzed and triple checked your report and I waiting for you to finish entering in responses so that I may begin the third chapter of our thesis."

"Well, can't you, I don't know, recheck our itinerary or something?"

Celina asked, desperate to end the uncomfortable moment.

"I already did that Celina. Are you going to be like this for the duration of our trip? I meant what I said last night. I am in love with you. I was being honest and I kept it real. The reality is that you take my breath away and I want to be with you."

Jake leaned closer, whispering into her left ear. His warm breath tickled her sensitive skin and she knew that he could see the goose bumps on her flesh. She didn't want to hear this right now.

Despite the words that she thought she would never hear again, Celina wanted to work at the moment. Diverting themselves away from their task would mean failure, and she had experienced enough of that to last a life time.

"Jacob Collier, I really do not want to discuss this with you right now. I am trying to work and I would appreciate it if you did not bother me with your false love confessions!"

Celina said this all while her attention was riveted to her laptop screen. If she could just keep her focus for a few more paragraphs, she would have completed the first step in their capstone project.

The completion of this thesis was her first class ticket to graduation with distinction, and a one way ticket out of Georgia, away from Jake and all the memories that he evoked within her.

"Who say's we can't do both things at once?! We both know that you are using work as an excuse to avoid the issue. I told you before that I can't pretend with you any longer. Why are you trying so hard to avoid this? Are you scared that you may feel the same way?"

He asked, cupping her cheek with his shaking hand. Unintentionally she leaned into his palm, biting her lip uncertainly.

"I know that you are uncertain of me… I know that I have a bad track record of giving you cause to not believe that what I say is true, but I-I do love you, very much. Please don't run from me."

Celina gently pulled his hand away from her face, and brought his palm to rest on his knee. She grinned sheepishly at his words, clearly affected by his emotional display.

"You have a girlfriend Jake. Melinda Banes, remember her? A few weeks ago she was the light of your life, and word got around about your impending engagement. Even I heard about it and I haven't spoken to you about anything personal in years."

Jake furrowed his brow in confusion, visibly upset by this news. Obviously the gossip mill worked in full bloom on the campus. He had no idea that word circulated about his relationship with Melinda.

Melinda's outgoing personality could be to blame however, because she never hid the fact that she saw a long term future between them. Marriage was not something that he had thought of very frequently, and when he had thought about it, it had always been in conjunction with his thoughts about Celina.

"Celina, I don't know where exactly you heard that from, but I have no intention of marrying Melinda. Melinda is a friend with benefits. Our relationship, if you can call it that, is low maintenance. I don't really care who she is dating, and the same should apply to me."

Celina shook her head and crossed her arms, completely surprised by Jake's willful obliviousness. He was doing what he always did when they were younger. Feigning ignorance was a method that worked well for the young man, but it would not work with her.

"It doesn't matter if that is the way you feel Jake because to Melinda you two are in a committed relationship. Furthermore, how could you disregard her feelings so callously like that? You need to make it clear to her your intentions."

To say that Jake was taken aback by Celina words would be an understatement. Even still, she was able to behave so selflessly to others, especially when he knew that Melinda did not like her very much. Melinda could be fun when she wanted to be, but she had a terrible jealous streak.

"Fine, you win. I will call her and tell her that whatever we had was over. I'll be clear with her because I want a future with you."

Celina's overdramatic groan alerted him to the fact that this was not an amenable course of action.

"I commend you for being honest with Melinda, but this isn't about me. It's about you being honest with the woman you are dating. I also don't want you getting the wrong idea about the two of us. I said that we could be friends, but that is all."

She said, turning her attention back to the draft of the report that they had to finish.

"Why? Why can't we be more than friends? We were before."

Celina shoulders sagged in defeat. Anyone could see that she was clearly upset that she would not be able to get anymore work done due to Jake's incessant need for emotional confessions. She saved her work, closed the word processor file, and shut her laptop down.

She took off her reading glasses, grabbed her suitcase and gestured for him to pack up most of their belongings. Tomorrow they would be off to yet another small town.

Nearly one third of the work was complete and quite frankly Celina looked forward to the break from monotony.

They worked with quiet efficiency and within thirty minutes everything was packed away. They would check out in the morning and get back on the road for the second leg of their road trip.

Tonight however, after working feverishly to the point of exhaustion, they both wanted nothing more than to have fun.

Celina had grabbed his hand and led him to his truck. She gestured for him to get into the passenger side and they drove for what felt like hours, but in reality had only been forty minutes. There were still plenty of day light hours to burn and from the look of the many people milling about whatever they would do would take hours.

Grabbing Jake's hand, the two of them walked in companionable silence, appearing on the outside to be a couple content in their happiness. After walking through the fairgrounds, and passing the many children and adult game themed booths, they finally stopped in front of a family friendly paintball center. The grin on his face was priceless, and Celina was glad to know that she had left him speechless.

"Y-You took me to a paintball center? Why are we here?"

When Jake saw Celina's grin light up her face, he knew then that he always loved the feisty young woman before him. She was in her element now, and somehow, Jake felt like he was fourteen again.

It was as if his heart lifted when Celina smiled at him like she used to, when she loved him. He squeezed her hand in happiness, wishing that he could seal this moment in his heart forever as he looked into the eyes of the plucky young girl that he fell in love with.

"You want us to square this all away, yeah? You want to get back to get back together, but I don't think that I am able to do the whole being in love with you thing again. I can't guarantee loving you in that way. I do however miss my best friend. Is that okay?"

Jake couldn't help but smile wistfully at the woman who stole his heart. He knew that his confession was sudden and out of the blue, but he couldn't help it. He loved her—had never stopped really.

But he did miss her friendship. They had been enemies, then friends, and finally lovers. If he couldn't have her love, he wanted to friendship once more. Hating her had never done anything good for either of them.

"Celina, it's more than okay. I know what I said must shocked the hell out of you. Hell, it shocked me too. I also want to be friends, but I can't ignore what is in my heart. If I can't have you in that way, I still want you in my life. Now tell you tell me. Are you okay with knowing that I feel this way for you?"

As she stared into the distance, Celina said nothing for a moment. She then turned to gaze at Jake shyly, as if she had come to a resolution about something in her mind.

"Tell you what, you beat me in paintball and I promise to answer all of your questions. As for you being in love with me…I want my friend back. I want to be friends with the boy who taught me how to drive, who held my hand when I sprained my ankle…who taught me what it means to have a best friend. I want him back."

"Okay, okay. Heavy love drama can wait, but I promise that I will restore your faith in me. I'll make you realize what my heart already knows…"

Celina smacked his arm playfully, glad that he had acquiesced to her request.

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

Jake leaned down, wrapping his arms around her waist firmly. He gave her a chaste kiss on the mouth, pulling back before she could pull away. Even though her skin was dark, he could clearly see the ruddy hue darkening on her face. She always did look cute when she blushed.

"True love never really dies because, we belong together."

He nicked the twenty dollar bill that Celina had tucked in her back pocket, enjoying the opportunity to briefly brush against her round backside. She squealed, embarrassed that he had drawn attention to them both. Jake rushed off, leaving her standing there, shock etched on her face.

In his wake, Celina's mouth, still in the shape of a 'o' finally closed. She couldn't help but smile at the memory that his actions awakened.

She quickly caught up to him, and grunted when he dropped a large paintball gun into her hand. The clerk had given them goggles to wear and then led them to the paintball field. They debated moving to a secluded area, but before that Jake wanted to get a few things straight.

"So is this your run-of-the-mill, no-holds-barred, modern paintball warfare routine are we going to play by the rules?"

Jake leaned his gun down, looking like the cat that ate the canary. He was so sure that he was going to win. Celina did not excel at these kinds of games so his victory was assured.

"I think we should do away with the rules. That was never our style anyway. I should warn you. I haven't lost my skill in the years since we last played. They don't call me C-Dog for nothing."

"Celina, no one calls you C-Dog. Just remembered no whining when you lose, and you inevitably will lose. I have never lost a game of paintball to you in my life."

Tempted to start the game immediately because of his smug behavior, Celina bit back a retort.

"Those are big words for someone who will soon be covered in all the colors of the rainbow."

Celina lazily waved at him, walking in the opposite direction. Soon she was obscured by the trees and shrubbery.

"Paintball warfare begins shortly Jake. I hope you are prepared to be taken down a notch!"

It was pointless to respond to Celina's taunts. Soon she would know that he was the lord and master of paintball. Slinking behind a cluster of large columns, Jake smirked, pleased with his widespread view of the open field area. There was no way that Celina would get past him, not when he could see her coming from a mile away.

Just as he was moving around back to take her by surprise, he tripped over two legs, two very gangly legs. The squeak of surprise gave away his position immediately and he knew that Celina would be on him in minutes.

The offending appendages belonged to a tall boy, probably no more than fifteen years old. In his arms rested a custom made paintball gun. He had four cartridges loaded and his vest held eight more. Jake glanced over him briefly, debating if he should eliminate the boy from the game, but perhaps he could prove better as a pawn.

He wanted to show Celina that he could still have fun, and more importantly, that he knew her like the back of his hand. It wasn't that Celina was predictable—if anything she could be too much of a wild card—but over the years Jake had become attuned to her thinking patterns.

He noticed minute details about her that would probably fly over heads of most people. Then again, he was in love with her, had been since he was thirteen, and ten years of love cannot be denied or hidden away forever.

"Hey dude, how about doing' me a solid? Can you go stand in that clearing for a minute? I need live bait or I won't beat the person I am playing?"

"Hey screw you man. In case you hadn't noticed I am in the middle of a game myself. Why should I do you any favors?"

Jake grunted in agreement with the boy. The kid didn't have to do him any favors, but then again, the beer cans and the faint smell of marijuana was all Jake needed to know to get this brat in line.

"You're helping me because I saw you come in with people who are obviously your parents. I wonder what they will say when I tell them that their son was found drinking and getting high in the paintball field. I doubt that conversation will go over well with Mom and Pop."

The young man scowled angrily at Jake, upset that he would bribe him over a stupid game. Finally the young man nodded and moved to go to the clearing, but before he could get out of the tangle of bushes, Jake reeled him back.

"Hand over the gear too. The cartridges I mean. You can spare at least four. You already have several unused ones. Just take them off your vest."

The kid looked at Jake as if he were crazy, but looking into Jake's eyes he had a feeling that the older man wasn't bluffing. The kid moved to the center of the clearing, armed with nothing but his wits and a very little ammunition.

Jake almost felt bad for taking advantage of the kid, but he wanted to win. In order to beat Celina that would mean employing less than honorable tactics. In the end it was just a game, but being involved once more in Celina's life, even in a burgeoning friendship was worth the trouble.

Jake walked northeast into the foliage, eager to get the drop on his opponent. He didn't know how far Celina had fled into the cover of trees, but he had a feeling that she was probably somewhere nearby.

"Damn, I don't hear anything. Where is this girl?"

He whispered aloud, wondering how long he had been hiding in the shrubbery. Before he could move closer to the paint splattered columns near what was likely Celina's hiding place, his cell phone's customized ringer went off and the sound of Bob Marley's Could You Be Loved broke the silence of the field.

Instantly, he knew that Celina was close because he assigned her phone number to that specific ringtone. Jake grabbed his phone, quickly placing it on silent but it was too late, he had been caught.

"Come out with your hands up Jake. I know you are there, the ringtone obviously gave you away."

He stepped out from behind the column, and threw his paintball gun to the ground. Celina smirked, pleased with her ability to trick the so-called master of paintball. Jake stepped away from the gun, his hands raised as if he were under arrest.

"It was really clever of you to call my phone. I could have had it turned off. You're pretty amazing you know."

She shrugged her shoulders. She didn't think herself to be that remarkable. She was just herself, Celina.

"Let's get it over with then shall we? You can shoot me anywhere, but stay away from my eyes."

Celina looked over his clothes, wondering where exactly on his person that she should shoot him. His chest was her first thought, but she wanted to shoot Jake in a place that she could tease him about later. Thinking it over quickly, she decided to shoot him in his rather firm derriere.

"Hey Jake, turn around and bend over."

The look that Jake gave her would remain cemented in Celina's mind until the day that she died. His embarrassment was priceless and the idea of being made to walk out of the fairgrounds with his butt covered in paint was not something that she wanted to pass up.

"Oh come on Celina, that's just too embarrassing! Can't you do it some—"

His words were cut off as dozens of paintballs splattered on the ground and shrubbery around them. Celina grabbed Jake's hand and led him to the bushes to hide once more. The two of them watched as three guys emerged from the other side of the paintball field.

"Where did they go? Aiden, I thought you said the guy that stole your gear was in this area."

Aiden, the young man who Jake had stolen from earlier, looked around the clearing confusedly.

"I swear Dylan, I saw him here. He was with a black girl, and she was probably his age too. That asshole stole my gear and threatened to tell my parents that I was getting lifted."

The tallest of the five kids scoffed, kicking the dirt. He had blonde hair and grey eyes, wearing a shirt that read 'I'd do a Twilight Mom'.

"So you just handed over your stuff? Aiden, that guy was probably lying and you fell for it. What kind of loser who has nothing better to do plays paintball with his girlfriend at a county fair?"

Celina watched as Jake bristled at the teens' comments. His hand gripped the paintball gun and he looked as if he was ready to go off any minute.

"Well did you at least get a look at his girlfriend? Was she hot?"

A boy with shaggy black hair with green streaks asked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

"She was okay. She had an afro, not that hot, but hey I'd do her. I like older women, especially when they have a little junk in their trunk!"

The three guys laughed, high fiving each other. Jake snuck a look at Celina and before he could stop her, she was already in the clearing shooting at the three boys.

"Celina, calm down they're just kids!"

Celina kept shooting, laughing as the three teenagers ran for cover. She didn't like anyone talking about either of them in such a rude manner. Paintball was supposed to relax them both, to rekindle their friendship and bring them closer as friends. They needed and deserved to have fun especially after all of the work that they both put into their project.

"I am calm Jake. These little jerks deserve what they get for talking about us both that way. This is a paintball field, and it is not my fault that they wandered into a danger zone."

Jake rolled his eyes, but even he could see where she was coming from. Although he shouldn't have nicked the kid's gear, the little brat was obviously too big for his britches. It wouldn't hurt to get these kids off of their high horses.

"Hey, you can't attack us like this. We're only coming to get our friend's stuff back!"

The third boy, a chubby redhead dressed as a wannabe gangster shouted at them.

"Jake, you stole their stuff? What is the matter with you?"

Celina turned to him huffily. She had her hands on her hips in the way that let him know if he said the wrong thing then her anger would be directed at him.

"Well, I needed to get the jump on you. How was I supposed to do that without more gear? What's a little blackmail in friendly game of paintball?"

Celina dropped her arms, and by the look on her face he knew that he was winning her over. Even if they were not a couple anymore, he knew that Celina could not resist completely resist him. Although Jake wasn't the most romantic guy on the planet, he had more than enough charm for Celina.

Jake tossed the gun and cartridges back to their rightful owner. Celina apologized for getting out of hand, and they walked arm in arm towards the exits. They were almost to the check-in station to return their gear when they heard the distinctive sound of paintballs whizzing through the air.

Celina heard the paintball before she felt it, and she felt the paintball before she saw it. She could feel something sticky and thick hit her in the head and slide down her next. Jake also was hit on his back and hair. Out of ammo Celina was tempted to run back out there and beat the little brats up, but Jake held her waist firmly, preventing her escape.

"Let's just let it go Celina. They aren't worth the headache. We've been here for several hours and I want to get this gunk out of my clothes."

"This stuff is so gross when it gets on your hair. I should have worn a helmet."

"Please, as if you could keep that afro in a helmet of any size."

He said, moving the hair from her eyes.

They took a bathroom break and attempted to wipe off as much of the gooey stuff as possible from their hair and clothes. The sun would be setting soon and they both wanted to see some of the other booths, and sample a few of the fixings.

Jake treated them both to a delicious gelato iced treat at a food stand. They spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other's company and walking companionable silence. After spending a few more minutes exploring the booths, Jake led her to a bench in a less crowded area of the fair.

"You know I just realized that we never actually determined who won our little paintball war."

Celina said, playing with an errant piece of string on her paint covered shorts.

"It was because of those meddling brats. Still, one of them did manage to get me on my rear end. Thank goodness I could buy a pair of shorts at the clothing stand! I am so glad they didn't use brown paint!"

Celina giggled as Jake made wild gestures around his backside.

"I am just glad the day turned out all right. It feels like we made real progress today. Nathan would be proud."

He pulled Celina against him, and she leaned into his friendly embrace.

"I think so too. I really had fun with you today. It reminded me of the old days. I know I didn't say it earlier, but I want to thank you for giving us a chance to be friends again."

Jake whispered, gently kissing her temple.

"You're welcome. Thank goodness I read in the motel's newsletter that the county was hosting a fair this week, otherwise I only had one other option, and I knew doing it would be a bad idea."

"Oh, where would you have taken me today if the fair wasn't in town?"

Celina stiffened slightly, but Jake absently began to rub her arm, encouraging her to continue.

"The only thing remotely interesting I could find was karaoke. After our previous experience with that activity, I figured that it would be a bad idea."

Jake was silent for a moment, but his hand continued to caress her arm.

"I'm sorry Celina. I should have never let Drew into our lives. If it hadn't been for him we would have—"

Celina cut him off with a chaste kiss on his lips. She quickly pulled away, and if weren't for him tasting the strawberry flavor of her lip gloss, he would have wondered if the kiss had ever happened.

"It's in the past, remember? We are moving on with our lives. He can't hurt either one of us and you and I are friends again."

He nodded, hoping that his gesture conveyed agreement. But deep down, Jake knew that the past had a way of coming back to haunt people.

"Maybe you're right Celina, but the past is prologue."

-------------

January 2002

Christmas and New Year's came and went quickly enough and Celina was still getting used to being back in school once more. She passed her final exams, although she was unable to break into her target 3.45 GPA. This semester, she promised herself that things would be different. She was going to do even better academically, because she wanted to be the one to show Jake what it was like to be in her shoes.

He still got nervous whenever they talked about college, but at least he was opening up to the idea of leaving Bainsbridge. Things seemed to be going great in her life and she didn't want to mess it up by overanalyzing every little thing. She finally was able to make more friends in high school, and being away from the influence of the ever popular Jake Collier meant that the friends she had made were her own.

Very few people knew that they were dating, and she preferred to keep it that way. They barely acknowledged each other in the school corridors and she was just glad to be away from many of the kids who had mercilessly teased her when her family first arrived in town.

The weekend was finally here and she couldn't wait to kick back and relax. AP Chemistry was kicking her ass making her regret signing up for the class. She had only done so because Jake was taking the course and it was the only class that they had together. She must be in love if she was allowing herself to be this affected by Jake.

It was hard enough trying to stay awake in the class and ignore Jake's numerous glances her way. She was about to fall asleep until the door opened and a new kid walked into the room. He was tall, handsome and slightly muscular. Just like many of the other girls in the class, Celina's eyes were riveted to his face.

The teacher introduced him as Andrew Esposito. His skin was tan, and he had a beautiful grey eyes. As his eyes perused his new classmates, Celina could tell that he was a player. He had a New York accent, and he probably hailed from the Bronx, and his good looks were sure to be a hit in this town.

He sat in the only empty seat available in the classroom, which was directly next to Jake. Celina struggled to contain her yawn, but the exhaustion she felt at staying up a bit too late last night was taking its toll on her body. Soon enough class was over, and Celina was on her way home.

Over the course of a few weeks, Jake and Andrew, or 'Drew' as he preferred to be called became fast friends. She and Drew hadn't been properly introduced, and frankly, Celina liked it that way. There was something about Drew that she didn't like, something hidden away within him that meant bad news for everyone around him.

A few times she had caught him giving her uncomfortable glances in class, and being one of five African American students of the forty eight minorities in the school made her question his behavior. He had spoken to her once, telling her that he liked black and Italian girls, but unfortunately they were in short supply so she would have to do.

Aside from being offended by his comment, Celina wondered if she should tell Jake about the conversation. Drew tried to laugh it off when she asked him what his comment was supposed to mean, but they both knew very well what he meant. Drew's actions that day were one of many that made her grow to dislike and distrust the Italian boy.

Currently, she and Jake were walking in the mall, bored on a Saturday afternoon. They both had been recently paid and wanted to do something fun.

"Let's do something we haven't done before."

Celina said suddenly, giggling when Jake wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well there are a lot of things that we haven't done before. Wanna start now?"

Celina bumped him playfully, but smiled at his antics.

"You know what I mean. Hey, I know. Let's sing karaoke!"

"Do we have to?"

Jake groaned as Celina pulled him by the hand to the karaoke bar. This bar was family friendly and for a nominal fee they both could sing to their hearts content for two hours. Celina wanted to go dutch this time because she was a 'frugal', in other words cheap.

Most guys would probably be happy that their girlfriend wanted to split everything equally, but it made him feel as if they were just friends, which was no longer the case. He wouldn't be intimate with someone who was just a friend.

Drew was working the register when he saw them walk in hand in hand. Celina ignored the cursory glance that he gave them both. His smarmy grin alerted her to his apparently bad intentions.

"Well, well, who do we have here? I never thought I would see you two together. Are you on a date?"

"Yes." "No." Jake raised his brow, confused by Celina's response. He handed the cash to Drew, ignoring the pointed look Celina was giving him.

"What Celina means in that we are on spending the day together. There isn't really much to do in this town so we decided to have some fun."

"Oh that's cool dude. Well let me know if you two need anything."

"No problem man. Seeya later."

As Drew rang up the sale, Celina walked over to the walls that listed the available songs on the queue. Many of the songs were current top hits, but there were classics such as the Beatles, Bob Marley, the Supremes, Michael Jackson, etc etc.

Celina knew that Jake liked listening to metal, but if he planned on performing karaoke to that type of music then she was leaving right now.

"Celina, let's go back. Drew gave us thirty free minutes. Sweet, huh?"

Celina peered over her shoulder to see Drew smirking at them.

"Yeah, he's a real pal." She said sarcastically.

"You better not be singing Marilyn Manson. I do not want another Jake induced head ache from listening to what you like to call good music."

The room was dark and a bit cramped, but a large plasma television screen was on the wall, along with three couches, and a table in the center. The microphones rested on a counter, ready to be used. Jake left to go order food and drinks for them, while Celina looked through the song book.

The door opened again and Celina turned to speak.

"That was pretty fast, were you running or something?"

"Or something."

Celina whirled around to face the young man that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with. Drew smiled coldly at Celina before plopping on the couch across from her.

"Don't you have to man the register? I would think that employees would not be allowed to be remiss in their duties."

Drew chuckled, leaning back to light up a joint. Celina's eyes widened and she snatched the roach from his hand, throwing it in the trash can. Judging from his appearance and behavior, Drew could care less about employee responsibility.

"What is the matter with you?! There is no smoking in the building and certainly not drugs!"

Drew pushed violently passed her and reached in to pull out the joint out of the trash bin. He used a napkin on the table to wipe it off, glaring at her angrily.

"You are such a fucking prude. What does Jake see in you? Hell what do you see in him for that matter? He's so laid back, and you act like a goddamn schoolteacher. I never met such an uptight black girl in my life."

He said, taking a long drag. Celina controlled the urge to get an attitude. Instead, she brought her attention back to the songbook. If this guy said one more thing out of line, she couldn't be responsible for what she said later.

"You people are all alike…you can't take a fucking joke."

Celina threw her discarded plastic cup at him, unable to take anymore of his ribbing.

"Okay, I don't know how it was in the Bronx, but this is fucking Bainsbridge, Georgia and I am not going to put up with your bullshit! You do not talk to me that way if you want to live to see tomorrow. I'm not like those girls that you can charm so save it for someone else."

Celina stomped over to him, pulling him up by his collar, and throwing him out of the room, ignoring his protests. He straightened his clothes and was about to make a smart comment, but Celina stopped him.

"I don't know what your deal is and I don't want to know. Do not talk to me, do not approach me. In fact, if you see me act like you don't know me, and I will be sure to do the same to you! You're nothing but an annoying loser with too much time on his hands!"

She yelled, slamming the door in his face as hard as she could. That little idiot had made her so mad that she didn't feel like singing one song! Sometime later, Jake returned with their drinks and two orders of philly cheese steaks. Just one look in his eyes let him know immediately that something was wrong. Celina's eyes were red which meant she had been crying and she rarely cried.

"Celina, baby, what's wrong? What happened?"

Celina wiped her tear tracks and looked deeply in his eyes. Were people always going to see them as such an odd coupling? She loved Jake and she was pretty sure that he felt the same. Why did people like Drew have to rain in on their parade?

"It's nothing…I'm just being silly."

Jake pulled her into his warm embrace, rubbing her back gently. Obviously something shook her up, but judging by her behavior, she didn't want to talk about whatever it was that was bothering her.

"You know that you can tell me anything. What's going on here? Did I do something to make you cry?"

Celina shook her head.

"No, it wasn't you. Actually while you were gone Drew came in and insulted us both. He called me a prude and wondered what it was that we saw in each other. He also called me an uptight black girl."

Celina leaned into him, sitting halfway on the sofa on his lap. Jake had become so quiet that Celina almost didn't realize that he stopped rubbing her back comfortingly. He carefully extricated their limbs from each other, leaning in to give her a searing kiss.

"No matter what that asshole or anyone else says, I want you to know that I love you very much. I won't put up with anyone talking about you like this, least of all some douchebag from the Bronx."

He made to leave the room, but Celina beat him to the door. She stretched her hands to block him from leaving.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I am going to go teach this guy a lesson. I thought he was cool, but I was wrong. He needs to be straightened out."

"You can't do that Jake!"

"And just why the hell can't I?"

Celina grabbed his hands, silently pleading with him. She gave his knuckles a feather light kiss. Normally when she did things like this he melted.

"If you confront him then he will know that I told you!"

Jake pulled his hand away, frowning at his girlfriend's behavior. She wouldn't be able to use her charms this time. Although Jake didn't care what people said about him, badmouthing Celina was another story, and there was no way in hell he was letting Drew get away with it.

"Celina, Drew is not going to get away with saying those things about us. Why are you acting like this? Are you afraid of this guy or something?"

Celina's eyebrows rose up under her frizzy hair, her mouth open in shock.

"Please, I have seen his type before, and they are always all talk. I just don't want you getting in fights as you are prone to do when some jerk gets out of line. If you approach him he will probably spread the word that we're dating around the entire school."

The look in his eyes betrayed the hurt he was feeling from her words. Immediately she felt guilty for having said it.

"Are you ashamed of me? Do you not want people to know because I am white and you're black? Or is it because your family is wealthy and mine isn't?"

"Of course I didn't mean it like that Jake, really. I just don't want him to make trouble for us. I am not ashamed of you and if you want we can tell everyone. My concern is that people will say things about you that are untrue and cruel. You're such a kind person and I don't want you to have to go through that kind of thing."

Jake pushed her against the door and kissed her forcefully, desperate to convey all that emotion he was feeling with his body. Celina's personality in general drew him to her like a moth to a flame, but when she displayed those moments of extreme selflessness, it aroused him. Her willingness to see him happy and content made him want her all the more.

He pressed his hard body against hers and they both moaned as his erection pressed against her abdomen. He reached for her face and tilted her head to look up at him.

"I won't allow him destroy what we have. I won't let anyone do this to us."

He grabbed her face gave her the most toe curling kiss she had ever experienced. His tongue fought for entry into her sweet mouth and she moved her lips, which allowed him to begin stroking her tongue. He pulled away from her, smirking when he saw her dazed expression.

"Promise me you won't get into a fight…"

The intense look in her eyes made Jake want to assent to her every desire. However, as her boyfriend it was his job to protect her and that meant making sure that Drew knew to leave her alone. The Italian needed to be put in his place and Jake was more than happy to acquiesce.

"Fine. I promise that I won't get into a fight, but if he makes another crack about you all bets are off."

She smiled when he brought his hands to her hair brushing away an errant strand before lowering his head to kiss her gently. Eyes closed, Celina leaned her forehead against his and sighed happily.

"Sometimes you're so good to me that I don't think I deserve you."

He chuckled at her admission.

"You are good for me."

He pulled away from her slightly, looking about the slightly messy karaoke room.

"Are you ready to get out of here? I don't really feel up to singing now."

Celina blushed slightly as she surveyed the room. In her argument with Drew she kind of messed up the room a bit. Gathering the plastic drinks and napkins, she threw them in the trash bin. The food was cold but they could take it home and eat it later.

"Our time's almost up and we didn't get to sing once!"

"Well maybe it was for the best. You may be a good drummer Celina, but your ability to stay on pitch is another issue altogether."

She slapped him playfully on the wrist, glad to be feeling better.

"So says the guy who thinks Good Charlotte is the best thing since sliced bread!"

They walked out of the karaoke bar, and Celina was grateful that Drew was gone. They had wasted about thirty dollars all in all, but at least she got to spend the majority of the day with Jake, although he had taken longer than normal to grab their food.

"By the way, what took you so long getting back? You must have been gone for at least thirty minutes."

Jake blushed, rubbing the back of his hair nervously.

"Um, well you see. The Kawasaki store had two new ATVs on display, and they were letting customers test them."

Celina's glare stopped his train of thought immediately.

"Oh come on Celina! I couldn't pass it up! The new 2002 model has awesome features and you know that I have been angling for another one so what' the big d—"

Celina cut off his excuses with a quick peck on the lips.

"One day your ATV obsession could get you killed, then what will I do?"

The look in her eyes conveyed the seriousness of her words. She really did fear that if he wasn't too careful he was going to be hurt. She needn't worry because he had been driving them for years with his brother and sister. ATVs were safe as long as the driver was experienced. If Jake had known that later on someone very precious to him would die on an ATV, he would most certainly rethink his opinion.