Another love story this is not. This is about the struggles of two teens and how they relate to one another causing them to be drawn to each other. But Elizabeth Rodwell, being new in town, doesn’t know that the boy she’s falling for is hiding a dark secret.
Elizabeth saw Jake playing his guitar through the window of his house. Jake lived across the street from Elizabeth and she had the perfect view of his room. For months Eliza watched Jake play his guitar every night! But during the day, Jake was nowhere to be found. Finally, she became so enraged with the boy; she marched straight across the street to his house, and knocked on the door. Jake’s father, Rich, opened the door. He gladly greeted Eliza into the house. He made a small pot of tea in an old kettle. As she sat at the dining room table, Eliza heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Down walked Jake. He had shaggy brown hair and blue eyes. His body was like nothing Eliza saw in the city. It was slim yet washboard like. He was a tall child about sixteen, Eliza’s age. She began to sweat, and her knees were shaking. She knew that this was what it meant to have love at first sight. Jake looked at Eliza, taking in details as well, like her slim cut figure, her long rich dark brown curls, her jade green eyes, the way they held a hidden past and the way she drew him closer.
Jake sat down two chairs from Eliza. The old wooden chair squeaked as his body came in contact with the ancient wood. Jake’s father sat down, sipping, gently, his cup of warm tea. As the minutes passed by, Eliza began to tell about her friends back home, her school, and every detail of her room back in California. At about 10:45, she realized that she had been over at their home for an hour without letting them speak at all. After Rich spoke for a while, he asked his son to speak a little about the school, and the people in town. Jake did not say much. He just stared down at his glass of milk. Eliza’s cell phone rang, her mother. She picked up the phone,
“Elizabeth, get your butt in this house in ten minutes or I’m going to drag it in!” “CLICK!” The phone went dead. Eliza apologized for having to leave so abruptly, and gracefully walked out of the Edmans’ home. In two weeks, school was to be starting. Eliza knew that meant, more time with Jake. Almost every night, she went over to his house hoping to have a more engaging conversation each visit. A few nights before school was to start, Eliza went over to Jake’s. She knocked… no answer. She knocked again… no answer. She rang the doorbell… no answer. She rang the doorbell furiously and knocked, forcing her knuckles to bleed. Jake came to the door.
“Hello Eliza,” he looked at her, head to toe, acknowledging her bleeding knuckles, “And what brings you here tonight?” Eliza couldn’t believe that he was actually talking to her.
“Umm, I umm, wanted to talk to you, if umm, you weren’t umm, busy.” Eliza blushed.
“Never to busy for my best girl! Can I get you a bandage or something for you’re…err…hand?” Eliza nodded her head and followed Jake up the stairs and into his room. They went past his surprisingly neat closet, past the deep purple waterbed, and into his bathroom. He opened his medicine cabinet and pulled out a box of bandages. He gingerly placed one on each of her knuckles.
Eliza and Jake walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?” “Oh no thank you!” “Okay. Suit yourself.” Jake sat and gulped down a glass of creamy orange juice. “So, I don’t know what it is about you, but there is something that keeps drawing me closer to you. Maybe it’s your evergreen eyes, or your rich chocolate locks of hair, or the secret that you have hiding in your eyes, waiting to come out.” Jake interestingly said. “I don’t know what it is that draws me closer to you, maybe it’s your intense ocean blue eyes, or your shaggy brown hair or your chiseled body, or your amazing smile, or the way you play the guitar so passionately…” “WHAT? HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT I PLAY GUITAR? WHAT? ARE YOU SPYING ON ME, OR ARE YOU ASKING AROUND? HMMMM WHAT IS IT? HOW DID YOU GET INFORMATION LIKE THAT?” “Your room is directly across from mine. I see you playing every night. You look so happy. I just like seeing you that way. And why don’t you ever sing? You just seem to play. No words. Why is that?” she said hurt by Jake’s outburst. “I don’t have any lyrics to any of the songs I write!”
“Oh, well I’m not a good singer at all, but maybe I could help you.”
“Okay, well let me grab my guitar.” As Eliza waited for Jake’s return she thought in her head what she could sing about.
‘Maybe,’ she thought, ‘I can write about shooting stars? Hmm.’ As Jake descended down the stairs, Eliza shouted to him,
“Jake can you please grab me a pen and a notepad?” Jake replied cheerfully, “Yes I certainly can!” It only took him but a second to find a pen and paper in his tidy room. Eliza and Jake spent forty-five minutes working on the chorus, the first, and the second verse.
“Okay, so we have this done, but um, now, we have to match the words with the song.” Eliza stated in a nervous way.
“Oh. Um, I am going to take your word for it that you’re not the best singer, but could you please, please, please, sing it for me?” Jake pleaded in an irresistible voice. Seeing as though his voice was a velvety smooth voice, to Eliza, it was always irresistible. She began to sing as Jake played his guitar, and his jaw dropped.
“Your voice, it’s so amazing. You don’t even know. I mean I never fathomed it would be so heart stoppingly beautiful.”
“Oh, thank you. Personally I think my voice sounds like a cat stuck in a garbage disposal, but hey, it’s all about what the ears hear!”
“Well I think that we just started a band!”
“Really? Wow! This is great!” Eliza said with an honest smile. Jake started to lean towards Eliza; Eliza started to lean towards Jake. They were about to share not only their first kiss together, but also their FIRST kiss.
Just before their lips met, Eliza immediately stood up and silently walked out of Jake’s house. After she shut the door she ran into her house, tears streaming down her face, and ran into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She spent hours crying in her room. Around 2 or 3 in the morning, she fell asleep. By noon the next day she was rolling out of bed. She found her hot pink skinny jeans, and her black camisole. She then did her hair into a very cheerful ponytail, and did her makeup. She squeezed into her black wedges and walked out of the house. She got in her baby blue Toyota Tundra and drove straight to the mall. Whenever Eliza gets upset, she shops. She spent until 6:45 p.m. shopping without buying a thing. She decided she was hungry considering she hadn’t eaten anything since her dinner last night. She went to the food court. Eliza got a slice of pepperoni pizza and a side salad. She sat at a table in the far corner of the mall. She was watching other people shop and talk and eat, when she saw the worst possible thing at that moment. Jake that is with another girl!
She threw the rest of her food in the trash and tried to sneak out of the mall unseen by him. As she dashed-like a mad woman- through the mall to get to the front doors, she realized she had left her purse at the table. She snuck back and grabbed her purse off the back of the chair. But as she started to walk away from the table, Jake turned and his eyes locked onto hers. It was like a freeze-frame moment. Eliza caved first and stalked promptly out of the mall. The next morning her alarm clock blared the annoying buzz of morning. She had been dreading this day since she moved into this town. The first day of school.
Eliza did her thing to get ready. She ate a bowl of cereal and headed out the door. She arrived at school at 7:45. Hundreds of students crowded outside of the front entrance. The only person Eliza saw though was Jake. He stood leaning against his car talking to a group of his buddies. Eliza got out of the car wearing a silky v-neck top, and a pair of khaki Capri pants. She walked over to an empty bench and sat reading a book. Two girls walked over to her and greeted her with a warm welcome. Inside Eliza knew that these were going to be her friends. For the first time, Eliza felt that she fit in.
She went through her first day of school meeting lots of new people and figuring out the cliques. She looked over her schedule multiple times. First period, English, second period, English, third period, math, fourth period, science, fifth period, lunch, sixth period, gym, seventh period, art. She went to each class hoping to be in it with Jake. First period, yes, second, yes, third, no fourth, no, fifth, yes, sixth, no, seventh yes. Eliza was very much okay with this. She went through each day without saying but a word to Jake. She spent most of her time with Emily and Jenna. The first quarter of school ended. They had their mandatory break and then, school resumed.
Whenever Eliza’s math class had a test, they were let out early. It was one of those days. Eliza leaned against her locker reading another great book. From behind her came a moderately cute boy. His name was Mark. He was not a tall kid but not a short kid. He wasn’t super buff, but not out of shape, short well kempt blonde hair framed his face, and light hazel eyes. He came up behind Eliza and startled her. She turned and jumped to see who had done this. She was surprised to see Mark standing behind her seeing as though they had barely said two words to each other.
They talked for a bit, and then Mark began to sweat. He started fidgeting with his thumbs. He asked Eliza, “Eliza, I… was wondering… if you… might… be… interested in… going out with me… like… on a … date...”
“Oh I’m flattered but I don’t know. I guess it wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“Yes!” Eliza said in a stressed voice.
“Great I will pick you up at 8 tonight.” Mark happily scurried away. Eliza noticed out of the corner of her eye that Jake had been watching that entire conversation and she could tell by the way he was so enraged, that he could hear it also. Eliza felt almost happy that he was jealous of her. She continued on with her day. And when she got home she did her homework, fixed herself a snack, and sat down to watch a short show.
It was about 5:30 when she got up from her couch to go down to her basement and into her exercise room. She got on the treadmill for a good 45 minutes. She then hopped on her Stairmaster for another 45 minuets and finished her workout. By the time she was done, it was 7:00. She knew with a shower, hair, clothes, and makeup, it would take her a good hour. So she set off to get ready. She took a shower, then she picked out her clothes, then she did her hair and makeup, and she was set. Her finished look was a high ponytail, with some bangs straightened off to the side of her face. A very sexy red dress with no straps and a medium dip down, with 3-inch red-hot high heels. And to top it off, some pink lip-gloss with a nice eye shadow and some light mascara. She sat on her porch waiting. 8:00, 8:05, 8:10, 8:15, 8:20, 8:25. Eliza waited. Eliza’s mom poked her head out the front door.
“Honey, it’s getting cold out, come on in and wait.”
“No mom! I will wait out here for him.”
“Okay! Fine.” And she slammed the front door. 8:45, 9:00, 9:30, 10:00. Eliza’s head dropped down between her knees and she held it in her hands. She sat on her porch crying. She went into her house mascara running down her face, her once beautiful dress now tear stained, and her hair, messed up by her hands.
Across the street Jake had a bittersweet moment. He knew it was bitter that the love of his life was hurting, but sweet because she didn’t go out with Mark. Two weeks passed and Jake and Eliza still hadn’t spoken. On the second to last day ‘till the semester ended Jake seized the moment that Eliza was alone dumping her tray at lunch. He did a slight unnoticeable jog to catch her before she left.
“Hey!”
“Hello.” Eliza said in a cold way.
“I was wondering if it would be alright if, after school I stopped by your house?”
“Sure? But may I ask why?” Eliza said almost curious.
“I just thought that we could maybe smooth things over?”
“Oh okay. Sure.” Eliza said in a non-believing rude way. Jake grinned at her.
Eliza drove home after school. She did her homework. When she was done it was 4:30. She watched television. 5:30. She changed and went to work out. 6:45. She changed back into some normal, yet comfy clothes. She cooked dinner. Chicken and rice. 7:15. Eliza sat down at the dinning room table. Just as she began eating, DING-DONG! Eliza did the jog that Jake had done that day at lunch. Her ponytail flipped up and down as she did this. She opened the door. It wasn’t Jake. It was Mark.
