Page 24 of Fallen Petal

Chapter 12

J

“Does anyone know that you’re here?”

She shakes her head, sitting on my couch with her legs curled up and her arms wrapped around a black pillow. She’s wearing a summer dress tonight, in a bright mint color that compliments her beautiful eyes. Her skin is kissed by a feeble tan that is still more red than brown in some places. She told me that she’d spend some time at the beach with her friend after graduation, but I didn’t know that they planned a visit to Newport.

And maybe they didn’t. Maybe she just showed up here to see me.

“I’m sorry to ambush you like this, Jayson,” she says as I sit down next to her, my expression streaked with questions. “I... I just needed to talk to you.”

“About what?”

She presses her lips together, tightening her grip on the pillow simultaneously. It’s obvious that she’s in pain, in yet another phase of distress, most likely caused by him.

“I told my dad,” she says, proving my suspicion right. “I told him about California, about college, and that I’ve made my decision. I told him I would go.”

She pauses, casting me a cautious look from the side, as if she was awaiting some kind of reaction from my side.

“And he didn’t take it well?” I presume.

“Not at all,” she responds, shaking her head while a new wave of sadness scurries across her face. “He flipped. He called me an ingrate and...”

Her hand doesn’t fly up to her face fast enough to hide the tears that emerge with sudden force. She can’t stop herself from sobbing, again. And again, it’s because of something that man did.

God, how I loathe him.

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise to him. You’ve talked about this before. He knew you’ve been accepted a while ago,” I say, moving closer as I place my hand on her shoulder in an awkward attempt to soothe her. My motion is robotic and speaks of the restraint that’s put on both me and her. I never dare to touch her, only allowing myself a hug if she’s the one to initiate it. Nothing else.

She leans into my inept touch, placing her dainty hand on mine before she continues to speak.

“Yes, sure,” she utters, her lips trembling uncontrollably. “But in his eyes, it was never more than a vague consideration, nothing I’d actually go through with. He let me play with the idea because he never expected me to actually do it. He wasn’t prepared for this.”

“He can’t stop you from going.”

Her face lights up, and she looks at me with wide, teary eyes, as if I’d just said something surprising, something she wasn’t aware of.

“He can’t, can he?” She looks bewildered, and her eyelashes flicker nervously as she locks her gaze on mine.

I shake my head, never breaking eye contact. “Only if you let him. It’s your decision, Petal.”

A pink blush adorns her face and she lowers her head.

“I just wish he’d be more supportive,” she murmurs, the sad undertone of her voice stabbing me right in the chest. “Like you are.”

There’s a question lingering in the look she throws me now, seeking reassurance for something I’ve promised her long ago.

“I gave you my word,” I say, before she gets a chance to voice her question. “And I’m sticking to it. I’ll pay for your tuition for as long as necessary.”

“I might still get one of the scholarships and—”

“Even if you don’t. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

She smiles weakly, shaking her head as she fiddles with a loose yarn that’s sticking out from the pillow. “I’ll be forever in your debt, Jayson.”

“No, you won’t,” I insist, removing my hand from her shoulder as I distance myself. “Haven’t we talked about this?”

She shrugs. “Yes, but I just don’t get it... you keep saying that you’re the one owing me. And—”

---