4. Jacob
November 17, 2020 (8 weeks)
"Okay," she replied, and I grinned. "But before that, I want you to know that I have a two-year-old," I said, nodding. "I know people talk about me being a whore who got knocked up by the first guy she met, but that's not the case."
"Hey," I said, noticing that she didn't want to discuss it, and I wasn't going to force her or demand anything she wasn't ready to share. "You don't need to tell me now. I have a feeling this is something hard for you, so I don't want you to share if you're not comfortable. Tell me when you’re ready."
She nodded and gave me a small smile. "Thank you. You're the first person—other than my family—who has actually understood and not tried to push me to tell them what happened." I shook my head.
"People need to respect other people's business," I replied with a sigh, running my fingers through my hair. "Anyway, Saturday. All three of us. I'll figure something out."
She blinked, taken aback by my statement, making me smile. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel obligated."
"Nonsense," I said, and she raised a brow. "I'm not feeling obligated to do anything. I was the one who said you could bring him, so don’t worry. Besides, it'll be nice to get some practice in before the baby gets here."
She bit her lip before nodding. "Alright."
The next morning, I woke up to the most beautiful voice filtering through the speaker of my alarm clock.
*Just a little bit of your heart is all I want,
Just a little bit of your heart (just a little bit),
Just a little bit of your heart,
Just a little bit is all I'm asking for.*
"That was Brooklyn Payne's debut single, 'Just a Little Bit of Your Heart.' Make sure you pre-order her album, which drops May 10th," the radio host said once the song ended. I froze when I heard the name. I knew she could sing; whenever I walked by the music room, I could hear her playing the piano while she sang. But to actually release a song? That was surprising.
Hanna will have a field day when she hears about this, no doubt, and I was looking forward to seeing her reaction. Chuckling, I grabbed my backpack and threw it over my shoulder before grabbing my wallet and keys. I jogged down the stairs, where I could hear my sister gushing about the song that was playing on the radio.
"Her voice is incredible, Mom," Tory was saying when I reached the kitchen.
"I know, hon. You've been asking me to lend you my card for the past twenty minutes so you can pre-order her album and buy her single," Mom said with a chuckle before looking up and smiling.
"Morning, Jake," she greeted.
"Did you hear the song, Jakey?" Tory asked with wide eyes.
"Yes, and it was pretty good. I'll let her know that you liked her song," I told her just as she was about to open her mouth. She beamed.
"You're the best big brother ever!" she giggled, and I rolled my eyes fondly at my little sister before walking over to give my mom a kiss on the cheek and bidding them a good day. Tory was in eighth grade, meaning she didn’t have to be at school until 8, unlike me. I had to be there by 7:45, but since I didn’t like being on time, I decided to take my sweet time and headed to the park to smoke for a bit before school.
I walked over to my bike when I was outside and just admired her for a moment.
"See you later," I mumbled as I gave them each a kiss on the cheek before walking out of the house and smiling at the bike parked in the driveway. Ever since my dad walked out on us—thank God my mom had a great-paying job because I couldn't handle her having to bust her butt just to keep a roof over our heads—and Trevor, despite them living together, has also been a great help to her. I've been working as a mechanic on the weekends. I've also started recording a few songs whenever I'm home alone since I don't want my mom or Tory to know yet. Hopefully, one day I'll put out an album like Brook, but until then, I'll keep my recordings a secret.
Shaking my head, I climbed onto my bike and turned it on before making a dash to the park, then to school.
"JACOB!" I closed my eyes at the sound of Hanna's voice yelling my name down the hall as she stomped her way toward me.
"Hey, Jacob," I smiled at hearing Brook's voice and turned to see her just a few feet from me, with her friends and sister behind her.
"Hey, Brook," I replied with a smile, slinging my backpack over my shoulder and completely ignoring the banshee down the hall making a scene as she stalked closer. "I heard you on the radio this morning."
"Oh," she said, a blush coating her sun-kissed cheeks.
"My sister's a big fan," I chuckled, and she smiled. "You sounded like an angel."
Axel and Dylan raised their brows at my compliment, while Anna and Wynter smirked as Brook blushed an even deeper red.
"Th-thanks," she stuttered.
"Jacob!" Hanna all but growled my name when she reached us. "What are you doing talking to this... bitch!" I clenched my jaw, closing my eyes and counting down from ten to calm down.
"Oh, shut up, Hanna," Wynter groaned in exasperation. "When will you quit bugging Jacob? It's clear as day that he's not interested in you. I mean, wasn’t yesterday enough proof of that?"
"You're just jealous that Brooklyn is more popular than you and practically a celebrity," Anna said with a chuckle. "It's sad, really. Why don't you admit it? It'll save everyone the trouble of hearing your voice screeching like a banshee."
"Come on, Brook, I'll walk you to class," I said, and she blinked in surprise before nodding her head, letting me lead her away from the three girls bickering back and forth.
"I'm sorry about Hanna," I said, and she shook her head.
"It's not your fault," she said as we walked side by side to class. We had three classes together, with art being one of them.
"I know, but still, you don't need to deal with her, especially since you know," I said, and she bit her lip before nodding. All eyes turned to us as we walked in. We made our way to our seats at the back of the class, and just as the bell rang to signal class starting, both Axel and Anna walked in. They also walked to their seats at the back next to Brook before they began whispering among themselves as the teacher started the lecture on abstract art.