Chapter 12

Chloe’s POV

The concrete felt hard and unforgiving beneath the soles of Maya’s sneakers. Every few steps, those lopsided glasses slid down my nose, and the tight grip of her retainer made it hard to even swallow.

I was wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead when a sleek, black engine roared to a halt right next to the curb.

The passenger window of Jaxon’s truck rolled down.

"Maya? Hey, hold up a second," Jax said. His voice didn't have that usual mocking, sharp edge to it. He killed the engine, stepped out of the truck, and walked over to me, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I’ve been looking for you. I just to talk.”

“Talk?”

“Yeah. I wanted to say... I'm really sorry. For the bullying, for being a total dick all these years. And for lying to Chloe back in the eighth grade about apologizing to you. I feel horrible about it everything."

A cold shock ran straight through my chest. The world around me seemed to vanish, leaving only Jaxon standing on the gravel path.

He lied to me. The realization hit hard. All these years, I thought Maya was just being bitter, but Jax had looked me in the eyes and lied.

Before I could stop myself, the anger boiled over. I clearly forgot who I was.

"So you didn't apologize to Maya?!" I yelled, my voice cracking with an intensity that surprised us both."I can't believe you lied to me, Jax!"

Jax blinked, completely thrown off. He took a step back, staring at me. He had absolutely no idea he was actually looking into the eyes of his own girlfriend. "Wait... Maya, what are you talking about? Why are you calling me Jax? And why do you care so much about what I told Chloe?"

Realizing my mistake, a wave of panic washed over me. I couldn't explain this. I turned on my heel and began to march down the sidewalk, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Hey, wait! Maya, please!" Jax called out, jogging to keep up with my fast pace. He walked right beside me.

"Listen to me, Maya. Chloe has been acting completely weird lately. She’s pushing me aside, acting cold, and I honestly think it's because she misses you. I think she wants your guys' old friendship back, and she feels guilty."

I kept my eyes locked on the pavement, but my heart softened.

"I really like Chloe, man," Jax muttered, his voice dropping to a sincere whisper. "I don't want to lose her. I just wanted to clear the air with you so things could go back to normal."

He looked right at the messy hair, acne, awkward stance and he poured his heart out. He didn't care about the face card or the popularity. He just wanted things right.

By the time I finally reached Maya’s house, I was practically floating. I ran up the stairs to her messy bedroom, my mind racing. I began pacing the floor, trying to process everything. In a fit of nervous energy, I grabbed a stack of old papers, empty soda cans, and random junk from her cluttered desk and threw them straight into a trash bag by the door, trying to clear away the suffocating mess.

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open.

I jumped, spinning around to see Maya.

"Chloe, we need to talk right now," Maya said, closing the door firmly behind her.

"You won't believe what just happened," I blurted out, too excited to care about her serious expression. "Jaxon pulled over while I was walking home."

Maya crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe. "What did he say to you?"

"He apologized, Maya," I said, a wide smile breaking across my face. "He actually pulled the car over, got out, and told me he was sorry. He admitted he lied to me in the eighth grade. And I lost it, I yelled at him, forgot who I was. He followed me all the way here, begging me to listen. He thinks Chloe pushing him away because she want our old friendship back. He looked me right in the eyes, Maya. And he was so sincere."

A bitter, harsh laugh escaped from my actual mouth as Maya shook her head. 

"Sincere? Jaxon? Chloe, listen to yourself. It’s a setup. It’s a prank. He’s probably recording it, or his friends are watching from a car down the street. They are trying to play a joke on you because they think you're just regular old Maya."

"You're just jealous," I whispered, stepping back.

"What? Jealous of what?" Maya asked, stepping further into the room.

"You're jealous because I just realized something you never could," I said, my voice trembling. "Jaxon doesn't care about popularity. He doesn't care about a perfect face card or what clothes someone wears. He cares about the heart. He likes me for me, whether I’m standing there as Maya or as Chloe. He proved it today."

"Chloe, open your eyes!" Maya shouted, her eyes wide with frustration. "Look at the body you are in right now! Jaxon Reid would never love someone who looks like that. He spent the last three years making my life a living hell because of how I look. You think he magically changed overnight?"

“If we could switch overnight, why can't Jax be a nicer person?” I shot back.

“Cause he's Jaxon, Chloe.”

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. "You are a horrible person. You're just trying to ruin my life. First, you take my body, you get inside my house, you take advantage of everything I have... and now that someone actually sees the good in me, you try to crush it."

"I'm trying to protect you!" Maya yelled back, reaching out a hand.

"No, you're not," I choked out, pointing toward the door. "You're just bitter. Just get out, Maya. Get out of my sight."

Maya stared at me for a lonng time, before she turned on her heel and slammed the bedroom door behind her. I sank onto the edge of the unmade bed, staring at the trash bag by the desk.

I didn't care what she said. Jax loved me. And I was going to prove her wrong.