Damn it. It was like talking to a brick wall. Whatever I threw at him, it just bounced off without making any impression whatsoever.
I gave him a pleading look. "Jake–"
"Why were you fired?"
I blinked up at him. "What?"
"You said you were fired. What were you fired for?"
I paused, startled by the sudden change of topic. "Technically, I'm notcompletelysure I was fired. I justthinkI was. It's all kind of complicated."
"Right."
Standing there in my stupid work uniform, the room was feeling colder with every passing second. "Gee, thanks for the sympathy."
He gave a half-hearted shrug, but said nothing. His gaze drifted downward, and I was increasingly conscious of my stupid, frilly white blouse and my high-cut shorts. No wonder I was cold. Probably, I should've grabbed a coat or something.
When Jake still said nothing, I asked, "Are you mad at me or something?"
"Nope."
Just great. Another nope. "Is that all you can say?"
A ghost of a smile softened his response. "Nope."
"Oh come on," I said. "Now you're just goading me."
Jake was good at goading people. I'd seen that for myself. From what I'd witnessed firsthand, he could make just about anyone lose it. But why me? And why now? What was I missing?
He glanced toward the elevators. "We done?"
I crossed my arms. "Nope."
This time, he offered no hint a smile. In fact, I saw no real expression at all as he gazed silently down at me, waiting for what, I had no idea.
I waited, too, and as the seconds passed, all of my frustrations – my crappy day, the uncertainty of my job, the fact that he was acting like a giant asshat – it all bubbled to the surface, and I couldn’t help but say, "God, what's your problem?"
"Luna," he said in an obscenely calm voice, "you don't wanna know."
"You're wrong," I told him. "I do want to know."
"No. You don't, because it's nothing new, and I don't want to fight about it. Not today."
I made a scoffing sound. "Yeah, right."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that you're always up for a fight. Why should today be any different?"
Over the years, I'd seen Jake in countless fights. Some I'd seen in real-life. Others, I'd seen on-line. Some of them were so brutal, I could hardly watch. But I knew one thing. Jake didn't shy away from anything, especially a good fight.
But in front of me, he remained obscenely calm. "Is that so?"
With a look of defiance, I nodded.
"You sure you don't want rethink that?"
"Oh, I'm sure."
