"…Is this real? Or are you just saying this to bother me? Like, is this some kind of revenge to get back at me for having a girlfriend?" Jake asked slowly, his face utterly expressionless. I wanted to run and hide…under the covers, in the closet, under a desk – really, anywhere would work. Val's office was even looking preferable; I would definitely rather be suffering some hardcore V-time than have to explain myself while spotlighted by Jake Rosati's eyes. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to feel guilty (it certainly wasn't my fault that Matty and I were on the DL), but I didn't feel so confident about what I was saying all of a sudden.

"I…" My mouth was dryer than dry; it reminded me of the week that my mom had decided to take up baking (let's face it, some women are just NOT cut out to be domestic goddesses) and force-fed me the resulting chalky mounds. "I don't know why he didn't tell you. I don't know why he won't tell anyone," I managed to spit out as Jake pushed me off of him gently and stood.

"You're his mystery girl from camp?" he asked quietly, his eyes wide and blank.

"We got together at camp, and then ever since…on and off…and I don't know if it's going anywhere, but, I mean, expected it to, but now…he apparently didn't even tell his best friend, so maybe not, but I really thought...I don't know…" I was babbling worse than Val off her meds, and I knew it, but I didn't know what to say. I only knew by his silence and the look on his face that I had said the wrong thing.

"This is the real Jenna Hamilton, huh?" Jake finally murmured as he stared at me. "Just another member of the Matty club? Well, good job, because you sure had me fooled. I thought you were different, Jenna. But I guess you're just like everybody else."

His words hurt like a slap across the face, but instead of my cheek burning with the sting, I felt my throat burning as a lump of tears welled up.

"I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear," I heard myself whisper.

"Not what I wanted to hear? Jenna, I basically just asked you to date me and you tell me you've been doing the nasty with my best friend. I think that's an understatement. I should leave." He turned toward the bedroom door to go, and I felt a swell of anger under my tears.

"I never pretended to be anyone I wasn't…I've never kept anything from you on purpose. I've always said we should just be friends, Jake. So don't take it out on me." Jake spun around to face me again. He looked about as confused as I felt.

"Jenna," he said flatly, taking a step toward me so that our noses were only inches away, "I know Matty better than anyone. And he has never been looking for a relationship. But somehow – Every. Girl. In. Palos. Hills. Falls for his shit. And I actually thought that you weren't one of them."

"Maybe I don't want to be one of them," I breathed. Silence. I was suddenly aware of how overly close we were as he stared into my face; it felt all-too-familiar to the moment before our kiss not 10 minutes ago. He tilted his head forward a bit closer, and I felt the edges of everything blur as my heart pounded harder than the dubstep blaring down the hallway…

He drew back, his eyes less hard than before, but unreadable. "I'm sorry for ruining your night. You're right…it's not your fault…." Abruptly, he turned back toward the door, wrenched it open, and disappeared down the hall. I flopped back onto the bed, alone and miserable. Not how I had pictured my first big in-crowd rager. I buried my head between two pillows, and laid there for a few minutes before thinking better of it: as if I needed someone to walk in and think I was attempting to suffocate myself. Time for a tried-and-true cure for misery…carbohydrates. Lots of them. I dragged myself off the bed, out the door, and down the hall to find the kitchen.

Ignoring whatever shenanigans were going on in the living room, I headed straight for the archway that I knew led into Sadie's kitchen…only to find a couple having a tongue-to-tongue convo on the marble countertop.

"Oh – sorry!" I raised my hand to cover my eyes, then did a double take. I could only see the guy's back, but on either side of his hips hung skinny legs with black platform pumps. Over the top of his head, I could see a hat on the girl's head of dark hair…one that had been hand-knitted. With organic yarn free of harmful dyes or bleaches.

"Ming? Is that you?" Sure enough, her face popped out from behind the guy, glasses and all, looking flushed and shocked.

"Ohmygod...um, it's not what it looks like. I mean…I don't know what I mean. I don't even know how this – Jenna, are you crying?" Ming pushed back her boy toy (who I still hadn't gotten a good look at) flung herself toward me, and started dabbing at the runny mascara on my face. "What happened? Unless this is the look you were going for…a bold choice, very Lindsay Lohan, post-clubbing..."

"You're one to talk, Ming! Get a little drink in you and you're like a walking, talking Jersey Shore episode, apparently. Who even is this guy?"

Ming turned redder, and began to speak, but her partner in saliva-swapping crime cut her off. His backwards baseball cap and drunkenly glazed eyes were looking unpleasantly familiar. "Hey, you're my little bro's slampiece!" Jaimie McKibben was grinning ear-to-ear at me.

I grabbed Ming's arm in a death grip and steered her away before he had time to react. "Gotta go – bathroom – bye".

"Hey – what was that for! He was cute. And I know he's related to Matty and everything, but it's not that weird…" Ming complained as I led her into the hall.

"It is when he's a grade-A perv! I've met him before, he interrupted a moment between Matty and I outside their house…"

I decided we had better actually go to the bathroom in case we were being followed by a certain creeper, and we started trying doors in the hallway. Or at least I did, while Ming balanced against the wall. Passing partygoers stared at her.

"No, that was a closet…this one's locked…ah, I think this is it…" The door swung open much more quickly than I was pushing it; someone was pulling from the other side. I raised my eyes slowly and saw…a much more welcome member of the McKibben family.

"J-town! Been looking for you everywhere!" I got a glimpse of Matty's smiling face, emanating drunken joy, as he pulled me into a bear hug like he hadn't seen me in decades. "Where'd you go for so long?"

"Sadie sent me to help Jake…remember?" I spoke, muffled, against his chest.

"Oh…right…" He held me back at a distance, a hint of a frown now on his face. "Uh, I don't know if you're busy right now or anything, but would we be able to…talk?"

My eyebrows popped up like Lissa's mom's after her semi-annual Botox appointments. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Just about….I mean, I haven't been able to be…well, I don't do relationships too well, but I know…Jenna, you're special to me…" He stopped, looking more tongue-tied than ever.

Okay, so he hadn't exactly defined the relationship, but I could tell that some wheels were turning in his head, and maybe they would have gotten somewhere if cheap beer wasn't clogging them up. I leaned in, hoping he'd show me just how "special" I was to him with a very public kiss…

"Jennnna! Help me get to the bathroom…I need to pee like a pregnant woman…can't walk in these shoes…" Ugh, Ming's timing. I looked over to where she had slid down against the wall and was trying to take her shoes off.

"I'll be just a minute," I mumbled to Matty.

10 minutes later, I wrenched the bathroom door open and two toilet paper rolls fell out into the hall. Matty was nowhere to be seen.

…

I have to apologize for taking so long to get this bit up…I've been really busy with schoolwork (yes, I'm a college student), so writing has taken last priority. Also - totally did NOT expect another party themed episode - so after watching "Aunt Ally and the Lil' Bitch" I was a little unsure of what direction to take my story in.

And I'm sorry this chapter ends so abruptly! But I figured it would be better to just put up what I have, since I won't have time to write again for, potentially, another week. A big helping of Matty in the next chapter, I promise (with a little side of Jake)...