Decay by J. F. Jenkins Page B

some quiet, but the walls in the house were thin so it was done in vain. He was tempted to go back to The Apartment and sleep there for the night. There was no way he'd be able to keep his cool tonight in a house packed tighter than sardines.
    He lay down on his bed and grabbed his head phones to try and drown out the noise with music instead. Unfortunately for him, Angela opened the door to his room and sat on the end of the bed. Why won't Mom and Dad let me get a lock for my door? This is exactly why I need one. Maybe if I ignore her, she'll go away. Three songs played on his MP3 player, and she was still there, sitting, waiting, for him to acknowledge her.
    â€œYeah?” he asked and paused his music.
    She nodded towards his MP3 player. “That the one Orly gave you for Christmas?”
    â€œHmm? Yeah,” he said. An expensive gift to get from someone he'd just recently gotten close to, but it would have been rude for JD to turn it down. Besides, it must have had some kind of sentimental value to Orlando because he had customized the contents just for JD. It kind of reminded him of a mixed CD. It was an unexpected gift, but JD appreciated it because through the music Orlando had chosen for him, he was finally able to understand how the guy viewed him. Everyone in the group had gotten one, so a lot of thought must have gone into the present.
    Angela leaned forward to try and read the track on the display screen. “What kind of dorky music did he put on yours?”
    â€œMine isn't dorky. Why, is yours?”
    â€œSome of it. There's like thirty songs. Mixed genres.”
    â€œI only got ten.”
    â€œBut I bet yours are a lot more meaningful,” she said with a shrug. “Still trouble in paradise?”
    JD groaned. “She wants to think about it, and we're going to talk Monday at school. I get I messed up, but she should know she's the only girl for me.” He'd been in love with her and petrified of saying anything about it for months. Losing her was the reason why he was petrified, and now he was positive he'd done just that.
    For a moment, all his sister did was watch him. Then she shook her head. “You know, you've almost ruined everything right?”
    â€œWhat?” He blinked, not expecting her to be so callous. They'd been getting along so well lately, he almost considered her a friend as well as his sister. I guess it was too good to last. I should have known her ugly side would come out again sooner or later. If there was one person he could count on to be honest with him, Angela was definitely it.
    She twirled a strand of her dark, curled hair, around her finger. “Alan's stressing out enough already, and you've basically made him have to alter all of his plans. He's pretty upset. I am too. I'd expect you to be like this with anyone else, but Cadence? She deserves a lot better.”
    â€œThank you for stating the obvious. As for Alan, he doesn't need to change anything. I'm not going to let my personal life impact what needs to be done. He should know I take this all seriously.”
    â€œI think he's more concerned about her. Just think before you do anything else to screw things up more, okay?” She paused. “For what it's worth, I hope you two can work something out. I've always believed your soul mate should be your best friend.”
    JD waved a hand at her dismissively. He did not want to talk about his love life with her. Who is she to judge me anyway? It's not like she's ever had a successful relationship. She's never even been kissed. What does she know about love for that matter? Nothing! Telling me I've ruined everything, she doesn't even know what she's talking about.
    He picked up his phone and briefly contemplated sending Cadence a text to tell her...something, anything, about how deeply he cared for her. The right words weren't coming to his head though. “I love you” would have been the most simple, but it didn't seem to convey