Page 35 of Still Here Without You

“Relax, it’s a spare I have for Lucy. Dylan’s sister.”

I sigh in relief and nod.Of course it is.

Pulling my arms through the sleeves, I slide the jacket on and revel in the feel of it against my skin. It’s so intricately made and seems to fit me like a glove. I’ll have to meet Lucy and thank her for being the same size as me.

“Okay, Joelle. Now, we can go.”

He smirks at my lack of praise, but my expression no doubt screams how much I’m in love with this item.

Throwing on some jeans, a tee, and his own leather jacket, he leads the way through the house and out into the garage.

I slide onto his bike like the pro that I’ve become and smile. “Do you think I could captain her today, Joelle?” I say, gripping the handlebars and wiggling my body.

“Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. No one captains this baby but me.” He walks to the back of the bike and grabs my waist from behind, pulling me backward. He’s always manhandling me on this bike, and I love it.

Tossing him the sass he loves, I roll my eyes and pout, even though there is no chance I’d ever want to ride it myself. Not that he needs to know that.

Joel drops me off at my dorm while it’s still quiet out. Most of the students are no doubt still in bed or haven’t come home yet. My suitcases are haunting me as soon as I walk through the door. In a little over two weeks, as soon as finals are over, I’m moving to Paris.Paris, France. And I’m not at all ready for it. I’m excited beyond belief, but there's something that’s making me anxious. There are several legitimate reasons why I’d be nervous. For one, I don’t speak French, and even though the company assures me that they speak English in the office and have set me up with an English roommate, it’s still cause for worry. There’s also the fact that it will be my first time overseas. And the first time on a plane…period. But something tells me it’s none of those things. Whatever it is, it’s eating away at me and causing me to lose sleep. I curl up in bed and try to drift off, but my ever-growing to-do list won't leave my mind. And number one on that list…don’t fall for the frenemy.

My alarm alerts me to the time a few hours later. I haven’t slept, my mind too busy thinking about all the ways I might screw up the internship. After I’m showered and ready for the day, I make my way to the stadium. I agreed to help with auditions for my replacement, and one of the girls, the coach's favorite, hasn’t been available until now. Talk about cutting it close.

“Ah, Delilah, you’re here. Kara, I’d like you to meet Delilah. You’ll be replacing her on the squad.”

Kara looks me up and down, her lips pulling into a sneer. “Let me guess…you got yourself knocked up.”

Both the coach and I stare at her in shock, until Coach finally speaks. “Let’s just get to it, shall we?”What?

“Um, no. First, I need to say, I didn’t get myselfknockedup, but even if I did, it would be none of your damn business and a blessing. Being pregnant is never something to sneer at. You better check your attitude if you want to join this team. They may have their faults, but they are loyal to the end and will not tolerate that crap.”

Coach clears her throat and moves back to the panel of judges without saying a word, but I don’t miss the little smile on her face. Nothing that transpired just now will hurt Kara’s chances of joining the team; Coach is all about sheer talent. But she'll be happy I put her in her place and reminded her that the cheer squad is a tight-knit team.

Kara and I practice the short routine and stunt a few times before it’s time for her to perform in front of the panel. They didn’t make it easy on her, expecting her to perfect one of my most difficult flips with barely any time, but she is amazing and one hundred percent taking my place. There’s no doubt in my mind, and I feel a sharp pain in my stomach because of it. Am I making the wrong decision? Doing that routine with her made me realize how much I’m going to miss being on the squad. Am I stupid to be taking an internship now, when I have plenty of time in the future to focus on my career? Right?Ugh, what am I doing?

Kara walks over after talking to the coach and holds out her hand for me to shake. “So I got the position.” She smiles, now actually coming across as genuine. “Thanks for challenging me out there today. You’re good, really good. They’re going to be tough shoes to fill.”

Maybe this girl isn’t so bad. “You were pretty amazing yourself. The team’s lucky to have you. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. So you are obviously not pregnant after your rant. Why are you leaving?”

“I got an internship in Paris. I’m gone for six months.”

“Wow. Yep, I’d be leaving too if I had an opportunity in Paris.”

I laugh, though I’m not sure that’s true. “Here’s hoping I made the right decision.” I lift my hands in a ‘who knows’ motion before walking to get my things. Paris sounds glamorous, sure. But what if it’s too good to be true? Am I giving up too much to go?It’s only six months.I have to keep reminding myself of that fact. But how much can change in six months?

“Nice jacket,” a voice calls from behind me as I’m walking to class a week later. I look down at the mentioned jacket. I may or may not have been wearing it as often as possible since I borrowed it. Turning around to say thanks, I find Dylan and cringe.Ah shit.

“Sorry, I promise to give it back. It’s just so comfortable.”

His brows pull in, and he tilts his head to the side. “Huh? Give what back?”

“The jacket. Actually, here.” I take it off and hold it out to him. “Why don’t you take it with you?”

Dylan looks between the jacket and me a few times but doesn’t move to take it. His lips pull into a smile, and he shakes his head. “Sorry, I was confused. You can keep it for now.Borrowit for as long as you like.”

“Oh, thank you. I’m sure I’ll see Joel on the weekend, so I’ll give it back then.” I actually know I’ll see Joel. We seem to be messaging a lot more this week. Since he stopped tutoring me, it’s only been the odd text here and there, plus our weekend catch-ups. But this week, we’ve been texting almost all day, every day, and even spoke on the phone last night. It’s not helping my cause.

“I’m sure you will too.” Dylan smirks, causing my brows to furrow. “In the meantime, I’m glad I caught you,” he adds.

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