Page 32 of Choosing You

“I can’t take you to Taco Hell. Anywhere else but there.” He pauses to think. “How about The Burger Hut? It’s fast and cheap.”

“Sounds good to me.” When we get inside I spot Harper in the hallway coming out of the bathroom. She’s in her pink bathrobe walking with her head down.

“Hi, Harper. This is—”

She puts her hand up, briefly glancing up to see it’s me. “I’m sorry, Jade. I can’t talk now. I’m so sick. I think it’s from that food we ate the other day.”

“The tacos?” I ask cautiously.

“Oh, God. Please don’t say that word.” She turns and runs back to the bathroom.

Garret gives me the I-told-you-so-look.

“Fine,” I mutter. “I’ll never go there again.”

“I’m going upstairs to change quick. I’ll be right back.”

While he’s gone, I go in my room and throw on jeans and a long sleeve shirt. As I’m drying my hair, I start to wonder if Garret will even come back to my room. By now, he’s gotta think I’m a complete nut job. He was probably just being nice back at the pool so I wouldn’t blow up at him again.

Ten minutes pass and he still hasn’t come downstairs. How long does he need to change clothes? He knows how fast I am. Another 5 minutes pass. I sit on my bed and wait. I’ve never waited for a guy. I’m not that girl who gives the guy all the control. So why am I waiting for him? He’s never coming back. He’s probably upstairs right now telling his entire floor about the crazy girl on the first floor.

“Forget this,” I say out loud. As I open my door to leave, Garret’s standing there.

“Were you going somewhere?”

“What took you so long?”

He steps aside and Blake appears, in neon green board shorts, a navy blue t-shirt, and flip-flops, his messy blond hair hanging like a mop on his head.

“Hey, Ohio.” He pushes past me into my room and plops down on my bed, putting his feet up and placing his hands behind his head like he plans to stay a while.

Garret mouths “sorry” to me, then goes over to Blake and shoves his feet off the bed. “Get up, Blake. And get out of her room.”

“I need to rest a minute.” He yawns and puts his feet up again.

“I mean it. Get up. Now.” Garret stands above him, waiting for him to move.

“I’ll get up when I’m ready to get up. And it’s not even your room so shut the fuck up. Ohio’s not telling me to go.”

“My name is Jade. And I’m from Iowa. Not Ohio.”

“Same difference,” he mumbles.

“Uh, no. They’re two different states. They’re not even next to each other. Never mind. Just get out of here.”

He sits up on his elbows. “You’re not very friendly, Ohio. I thought people in the middle were supposed to be all friendly and shit.”

“Get off her bed,” Garret orders, getting impatient.

“What are you doing here anyway?” I ask Blake. “I thought you lived off campus.”

Blake stands up and drapes his arm over Garret. “I’m visiting my buddy here. Ever since you came to town I never see this guy. We were supposed to spend these last few days before class getting wasted and instead he’s hanging out with some chick from Ohio.”

Blake’s been drinking. I didn’t notice it at first because of that disgusting cologne he bathes himself in. But now that he’s in front of me, I can smell the liquor when he opens his mouth.

“It’s Jade,” I say forcefully. “And I’m not from Ohio.”

“Whatever, bitch.”

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