Awkward
Nothing forces the feelings issue more than Valentine’s Day. Matty is finally moving on, or at least working at moving on. Jake’s at a more stable place with how he feels, but he is still trying to impress Jenna who is so determined to move beyond the damage Matty has caused that she fails to see the damage she’s causing to her relationship with Jake.
Though determined to keep her focus solely on Jake on this romantic day, feelings of jealousy simmer when she sees Matty hanging out with a new girl. First loves are the hardest ones to get over and Matty and Jenna’s complicated secret lives meant their feelings never went away, but the circumstances changed the status of their relationship. Jake’s a more stable presence, more open, which has made Jenna more secure, but it’s allowed Jenna to ignore Jake a bit too. All through, her thoughts are focused on Matty and the hold he has on her will always be greater.
It gets messier when both Matty, his date; and Jenna&Jake end up seated right next to each other for their romantic dinners. Part of Matty wants to change all those things he did wrong with Jenna (like keeping them a secret), but he couldn’t have known they too would be at the restaurant so the change wasn’t for Jenna to see. But once she is there, he uses the opportunity to make her jealous too (probably assuming Jenna’s trying to do the same). The public handholding, the feeding each other; that was as much for her benefit as it was for their own.
Jenna’s insecurities with Matty means she fails to see all that Jake’s done for the evening. While she believes that the beautifully (almost perfect) planned evening is because of all the tips she gave Matty, Jake’s done it all on his own, making him the kind of attentive boyfriend every girl wants. But Jenna is oblivious to all this.
With Jake’s proclamation of love, Jenna realises how deeply involved he is in the relationship. Jenna’s not exactly reciprocating those feelings, but instead she feels triumphant at having managed to find someone who loves her and isn’t hiding it (and her). This reaction isn’t entirely about her inability to say those words back, it’s about the selfishness with which she percieves this as a victory after her failed secret relationship with Matty.
- Ming has found an Asian man. Since she’s “white”, I’m guessing this isn’t stereotyping (it probably is).
- Jenna’s father is still mad at her mom, but he’s still wearing his wedding ring so that’s a good sign right?
- Ricky Schwatrz and Sadie have been secretly hooking up. Breaking Tamara’s heart and her bladder too. Sadie’s increased aggravation towards Tamara has more perspective now.
- Team Matty – First with the ice pack.
- Team Jake – First with the “I love you” while being in the relationship.
