Page 6 of Only Forever

Caleb stumbled down the stairs after giving me a hateful glare. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have it over with. The crowd scattered, now that the drama was over, until just me and Jason were left.

“Your lip is bleeding,” I said, my brow furrowed in concern. I reached up but stopped myself from touching his lip. That seemed too personal. “Let’s go wash it off.”

I walked back towards the bathroom I had just left, hoping he would follow me. When I turned around after reaching the sink, I was startled by how close he was. He was close enough that I could see the gold flecks in his blue eyes.

I averted my gaze, busying myself with grabbing some tissues and turning on the faucet to wet it.

“Here,” I said, handing him the tissues, taking care to not actually touch him. My heart was beating oddly, and I didn’t want to worsen the issue. I had felt weird around Jason earlier,but after seeing him come to my rescue. I felt even more strange being near him.

“Thanks,” Jason replied, wiping the blood off his lower lip. He grimaced a little and then threw the tissues into the trash. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “He just freaked me out. He’s just some jerk who apparently goes to Darrenston. Hopefully I never see him again.”

“Why don’t I take you home?” Jason said. “Chris drove me here, but we can take an Uber together.”

I shook my head as we made our way back downstairs. “It’s okay. I drove. But Iamready to go home.”

Jason opened his mouth to reply, but Chloe bounded towards us before he could say anything.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” she said, looking concerned. “I heard there was a fight upstairs and you were involved.”

“I’m fine. It was just some jerk who couldn’t take no for an answer, but Jason and Shelby stopped him before he could do anything.”

“Shelby?” Chloe said, looking surprised. “What did Shelby do?”

“It’s a long story. But I’m tired and ready to go home.” I checked my watch. “It’s still early. Why don’t you stay and have fun, and catch a ride with Tracy, like you planned.”

I saw Chloe about to protest, but she seemed to think twice about it and just nodded. She looked meaningfully at Jason before continuing. “Are you okay going home alone? Maybe someone should go with you.”

“I’ll go with—“

Before Jason could complete his sentence, Jillian materialized next to him out of nowhere.

“Jason!” she squealed, grabbing onto his arm. “I heard you beat up one of the college guys.” Her eyes sparkled in admiration.

“I’ll see you guys later,” I said, not wanting to watch Jillian fawn over Jason.

“Wait,” Jason said, ignoring Jillian. “I’ll leave with you.”

I shook my head, not wanting to be responsible for ruining his night. “No, I’m fine,’ I said. “You stay.”

I didn’t give Jason a chance to respond, and made my escape. I didn’t look back, not wanting to see Jason and Jillian together.

Chapter Two

I had a hard time falling asleep that night. I tossed and turned, not able to get Jason out of my mind. Why had I reacted so strangely to him? As if…I had feelings for him. Never once since I had known him, had I ever had any romantic interest in him. Why had it been so different tonight?

I was exhausted the next morning, and I was grateful it was a Saturday. I spent most of the morning lazing about in bed, until Chloe called and convinced me to go shopping with her. After going to several stores, we finally took a break and grabbed a couple of frozen coffees at our local coffee shop.

I sank into the chair at our table in relief. “What was the point of going to all those stores if you didn’t buy anything?”

Chloe shrugged. “I didn’t find anything I liked.” She took a large sip of her coffee, wincing as she swallowed. “Brain freeze.”

I laughed as she leaned in closer. “By the way,” she asked, her eyes gleaming. “What happened last night? I was waiting for you to bring it up, but you haven’t said a word.”

I shook my head. “Nothing, really.” I explained to her about Caleb and his aggressiveness. Chloe’s eyes narrowed as I spoke.

“What a dick.”

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