Page 18 of The Fallen Ones

I sighed and glanced back to Jace, my heart right where I’d left it. The girls were still clinging to him and he was still watching me, a curious expression now on his face. I was sure he’d seen me having my vision of being thoroughly fondled just moments ago.

My cheeks heated again, making him narrow his eyes at me. I watched as he focused back on the girls, making them laugh before he backed away.

“I have to go,” Olivia said, getting to her feet. “I have to get this calculus class over with so I can focus on things that actually matter. We’re still on for Satan’s Hollow?”

“Yeah,” I murmured, watching Jace check his phone and glance back at me.

“Promise? You’re not going to back out? I’m working on getting us a token to enter.”

“Promise.” I gave her a tight smile. That vision I’d had seemed to have lit a fire in my, well, lady parts. Jace and his harem of bimbos seemed to help too, truth be told.

She bid me goodbye and left, leaving me alone at my table. I hesitated for a moment before getting to my feet and bravely approaching Jace.

“Jace?” I called out tentatively as he stared down at his phone.

He snapped his attention to me immediately, his face an emotionless mask. He used to greet me with a smile. A hug. A kiss. Not with cold indifference, but I understood where it came from. I’d hurt him. I deserved that.

“Can we talk?” I asked.

“Talk? What do we have to talk about?” He gave me a hard look which made my stomach clench. He’d stopped texting and calling me a week ago.

“I-I just wanted to see how you’re doing,” I answered softly.

“I’m doing fine, Lily. No complaints here.”

I twisted my fingers together in front of me. “I-I’m doing OK, too.”

“Yeah?” He nodded. “That’s good. I’m happy for you.”

“You’re not,” I whispered. “You’re upset.”

He said nothing for a moment. “Of course I’m upset. You broke up with me, Lily. I thought everything was good with us. That we were… progressing. Then you flipped out and just ended it.”

“I-I wanted to?—“

“What? What did you want? To continue leading me on with the hope for more? We were together seven months. I was beyond patient with you. I let myself slip one fucking night and that’s it. Game over.” He shook his head at me. “I’m over it.”

“Are you?” I winced at his words.

“Clearly I am. Haven’t you heard the rumors?”

I nodded miserably. I knew he’d been with Jessica. That was probably just the tip of the iceberg too. I shouldn’t let it hurt me, but I couldn’t stop the pain from searing through my heart at the knowledge of him making love to someone else.

“Everything that happened, everything that’s going to happen, is on you,” he continued. “You did this. Not me.”

“I know. I deserve it.” I wiped quickly at my eyes and offered him the strongest smile I had. “There’s no point in me trying to salvage a friendship with you.”

He remained quiet as he stared back at me.

“I’m sorry, Jace. I am. I’m just screwed up in my head from my mom and everything. I don’t want to be like her.”

“Trust me, Lily Pad, you’re nothing like your mother,” he said, his voice soft. “You’re a whole different kind of monster.” He pushed past me, his words like a punch to my guts.

I didn’t try to stop him. Instead, I let him leave.

Stopping him would only prolong the pain and neither of us deserved that.

“You OK?”Caleb asked me later that night as we wandered through a costume store in town. “You’ve been quiet today.”

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