Page 4 of Only Forever

“Biology. And fingers crossed on U of Chicago. It’s a hard school to get into, and I’m not sure if I’ll get accepted.”

I wasn’t surprised with Jason’s choice of major. As a kid, he had been fascinated by animals and nature, and loved science. In addition to being an athlete, he was not only smart, but studied hard. I wondered what it was like to seemingly have it all. Wealthy, handsome and smart with a charismatic personality. If he wasn’t such a good person, I would find his perfection annoying.

“What about you?” he asked.

“I’m planning on staying local and going to Darrenston College. I don’t want to leave my mom alone.”

Jason nodded. “Darrenston is a good school, but I bet your mom would want you to go where you want, even if it meant you leaving home.”

Jason had been close to my mom when we were younger, since we had been such good friends, and, as a result, our parents had become friends too. His parents had been supportive when my father left, and I really owed it to Jason for helping me get through it. Fourth grade was when a lot of friendships between boys and girls started to splinter, and friendships with just your own gender became the norm. But Jason had stood by me as my world shattered. My mom, despite struggling, tried to stay strong for me, but she suddenly became completely financially responsible for everything. It meant working more hours, so she was at the office a lot more than before.

I knew she had been worried about how I would get to my after-school activities now that she was working so much, butI started to not want to do any of them. I had no interest in gymnastics and piano anymore, and despite my mother’s protests, I ended up dropping both of them. It wasn’t just because I didn’t want my mother to worry about paying for these activities and how I would get to them. It was also because my world seemed empty now, and filling them with meaningless activities seemed pointless. My father had packed his things with no word, and just left a note, saying he was sorry but he felt suffocated and wanted to live his life for himself. We had no idea if he would ever get back in contact with us or if he had disappeared for good. My father, who used to toss me up in the air and tell me I was his forever princess, had decided forever was just ten years.

After my father left, Jason decided that we would hang out every day after school, now that I had nothing to do. His afternoons used to be filled with sports, but he quit them all so that he could spend time with me. We did nothing extraordinary during those afternoons. We usually just hung out at his house since his mother was a stay-at-home mom, and sometimes she would take us places, like the park or mall. Or even the zoo or amusement park on days we had off from school. But mostly it was me and Jason at his house, watching TV or playing video games. It didn’t sound like much, but having his presence be a constant reassured me. On the weekends, he would hang out a lot at our house, since my mom would usually be home then.

I had forced Jason to return to his sports in fifth grade. I was handling things a lot better, and despite his insistence that he didn’t care, I had always felt guilty about him abandoning the things he loved. But we still spent a lot of time together, especially on the weekends if he didn’t have any games. It was sixth grade that things started to really change. We weren’t little kids anymore, and I started to realize how different Jason and I were. I felt like I was dragging him down, when he was anaturally social person who loved being out with friends. That year, I met Chloe, and I tried to lessen my dependence on Jason. He became busy with sports and I drifted into my own interests, like music, and we just naturally grew apart.

Kid Jason seemed a lot different from the almost-adult Jason that was now looking at me.

“How are your parents?” I asked, wanting to change the topic from colleges and my mom.

“The same, “ he answered. He cocked an eyebrow. “My mom still asks me how come you never come over.”

I laughed. “I think she still thinks we’re little kids. She probably wants to schedule a playdate.”

“I’m willing,” Jason asked, his eyebrows lifting. “How come we stopped having playdates in the first place?”

I swallowed hard, not knowing how to answer him. What was be doing? Was heflirtingwith me? I gave myself a mental shake. Jason and I didn’t flirt.

I forced a laugh, trying to sound natural. “The last time we had a playdate, I think you put slime in my hair. No thanks.”

Jason grinned. “I promise, no slime will be involved from now on.”

I was saved from having to respond by Jillian Fairchild slinking up next to Jason. If Jason was the “It” boy at Sherman High, Jillian was the “It” girl. With her perfectly applied makeup accentuating her emerald green eyes, and her golden blonde hair shimmering, she looked like a pageant beauty queen. Unlike Jason, she wasn’t exactly the nicest person. She was nice when it suited her. And it seemed like at this moment, Jason suited her.

“Hi, Jason,” she said with a coy smile. “I’ve been looking for you.” She glanced at me, and imperceptibly, her smiled changed from genuine to fake, although I doubted Jason noticed. “Hi, Daphne. Nice to see you.”

“Hi, Jillian.” I gave her a fake smile in return. I knew she would never be rude to me in front of Jason, but I had seen her be rude plenty of times to other people. I wanted no part of her.

Fortunately, I spotted Monica across the room at that moment. “It was good to see you, Jason. I have to go talk to Monica. See you later.”

I made my escape before Jason could say anything. “What took you so long?” I complained to Monica when I reached her. “You were in the bathroom forever.”

Monica gave me a mischievous smile. “I was out ages ago,” she said. “I didn’t want to interrupt you and Jason. It looked like you guys were having a cozy conversation.”

I rolled my eyes. Not Monica, too. I depended on her being the sensible one, since Chloe and Tracy were prone to flights of fancy.

“We were just talking about colleges.” I glanced over to where I had left him, and Jillian had her hand on his arm, now occupying the seat I had been in. She was laughing loudly at whatever Jason was saying, and I looked away, annoyed. It was just because she was such a fake, I told myself.

Tracy and Chloe soon migrated back towards us, announcing that the two boys they had been talking to were duds. Apparently, they were full of themselves and more into bragging than getting to know them.

We spent the next couple of hours having fun by ourselves. The lights darkened and the music starting blasting louder, with the makeshift dance floor getting bigger and more crowded. Despite not liking parties, it was fun letting loose and dancing with my girls. We were laughing and breathless as we danced, jumping up and down when a particularly raucous song came on.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I yelled to the girls over the music. “I’ll be right back.”

I maneuvered my way in the dark, trying not to stumble and fall on one of the many couples making out on the couches. I let the light of the kitchen guide me, as I knew there was a bathroom right next to it.

When I got to the bathroom, I slammed the door shut as soon as I opened it. The couple inside seemed to not care about privacy as they didn’t even look up from groping each other when I opened the door. My need to pee was becoming urgent. so I went upstairs, hoping a bathroom there was unoccupied.

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