Page 20 of The Second Kiss
“Yeah, sure,” I turn around and flee to my bedroom. He still thinks I’m nine.
eleven
The Ex
Jasmine is waiting by my locker when I go to school on Monday. She raises her eyebrows when she sees me. “Are you trying out a new make-up palette?”
“Wisdom teeth.” I pull my books out and hold them high enough on my chest so they cover my chin.
“Oh yeah, I forgot,” Jasmine trails me to our first class, Chemistry. “So how did the weekend go with Soulja Boy and your car?”
I face her so my bruises are fully visible. “How do you think it went?”
“Oh. He didn’t see you looking like this did he?”
I turn around and head toward my class. She doesn’t deserve an answer to that question.
“You know make-up can do wonders to cover bruises,” Jasmine walks fast to keep up with me.
“I am wearing make-up,” I thought the bruises at least looked a little better after the inch thick layer of cover-up I put on my chin. I never wear this much make-up. I’ll probably break out in a huge crop of zits, just in time for Jacob to come work on my car on Thursday.
Jasmine keeps following me. “Your mom wouldn’t let you stay home until the bruises were gone?”
I sigh hard, “I have a test today in government. I couldn’t skip class.”
“I would have,” Jasmine says. I wonder if she realizes how much she’s not helping.
“Hey ladies.”
I lift my eyes from the floor, just for a second, long enough to see the one person that could make this day worse.
“What happened to your face?” Brad leans against the wall, blocking the door to the chemistry lab. “Some guy rough you up?”
“Move it or I’ll rough you up,” Jasmine says.
“But I like it rough. Don’t I Jess?” He brushes the back of his hand over my cheek. I pull away, my skin crawling from his touch. I can’t believe I used to think he was hot.
“She showed you rough, didn’t she?” Jaz says. She reaches toward his face. There’s still a faint pink line across his cheek. Did I do that?
He grabs her hand and pushes her back so she falls against me. “Listen you little—”
“Is there a problem here?” My chemistry teacher steps towards us.
“Just escorting these ladies to class,” Brad leans against the door to open it, and makes a grand gesture of ushering us into the classroom. I catch the glint in his eye as I walk past him, the one that says he hasn't forgotten what I did to him.
I’m sitting in my new favorite spot—on the fence, watching Jacob tinker with my car. I’m trying to find a balance between being with Jacob all the time when he’s over, which is what I want, and trying not to come off as an annoying little girl, hanging around him while he works. The conversation has fizzled out and I'm trying to think of something to say, when a familiar silver pick-up turns off the road.
What is he doing here?
Jacob looks up and watches Brad's obnoxiously large truck as it comes down our long dirt driveway.
“Who’s that?” he asks
“Brad.” I wonder if it’s too late to run into the house and hide or what Jacob would think if I did.
“Brad?” Jacob says his name like he’s heard it before.
“Kind of an old boyfriend,” I answer. Jacob raises his eyebrows. “Kind of a long story.”
