Page 12 of Her Second Chance

By the time I walk up to the front doors of Wilham, Jason’s already there, standing with a blonde girl whose back is to me. Without seeing her face, I have this sense of dread, telling me I know who she is. They’re surrounded by a cloud of smoke. I forgot Jason smoked when we first met.

“Hey,” I say, interrupting what appears to be a serious conversation.

He smirks. “I was beginning to think you decided to stay at the party.”

I shrug. “We had to drop off a friend first.”

The girl with him turns around and glares at me, but I ignore it. A few seconds later, I recognize the bitch. Misty.

Fuck. Please tell me I’m not too late, that she hasn’t sunk her talons into Jason before I’ve even had a chance to spark his interest.

“Hi.” I start to stick my hand out for her to shake, but rethink the action. I don’t think eighteen-year-old girls shake hands. Instead, I give an awkward wave. “I’m Hannah.”

“Misty.” Her tone says, get the fuck out of here.

I smile wider. “It’s so nice to meet you, Misty. Are you in a sorority?”

She scoffs. “Vapid isn’t my thing, and I don’t have to buy my friends.”

Jason chuckles.

I jerk my eyes to him. What the fuck? Is he laughing at me?

He must see the fire behind my eyes because he quickly stops. “Misty is a bit opinionated,” he explains as if that excuses her rudeness.

I nod. “Cool,” I say flatly, pursing my lips.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he tells her. Then he turns to me. “Want to go?”

I shoot Misty a smirk over his shoulder. That’s right, bitch. He’s mine.

“Sounds great.” I give him my best seductive look.

Misty walks off with a huff. Jason doesn’t turn to watch her. Instead, his focus is on me.

I snarl at her back. “Can you believe she called me vapid? She’s the stupid one.”

“She’s premed and in the honors college. Misty isn’t stupid. She plans to be a surgeon.”

My cheeks heat. “Oh.” Just because she might have wronged me the first time around doesn’t mean she deserves my distaste now.

“Did you have fun tonight?” he asks, dropping his deep voice even lower, reaching out to squeeze my hip.

I nod, biting my lower lip. Deep voices are my kryptonite. “I think tonight’s about to get even better,” I flirt.

He holds out a hand for me to take, leading me to the boy’s side of the dorms. “My RA is out of town, so it’s safe for you to come up to my room. We don’t have to sneak around.”

I know he’s a virgin at this point of the past since we both lost our virginities a month after we started dating. If I remember correctly, and I’m starting to question some of my memories, we’ll spend tonight talking. Even though I know it’s common for kids our age, this whole sneaking into the dorm room thing feels wrong. Maybe I should make him work a little harder.

Trying to figure out my next move, my exhaustion hits. I yawn so wide my jaw cracks. Today has been busy, and I’m feeling the effects.

He chuckles. “Maybe we should do this another time.”

I want to argue, but apparently past Hannah has future Hannah’s stamina. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I’m pretty tired.”

The elevator dings, and the door opens. No one is on it, so he puts his foot in the door, then pulls me into a hug. His broad arms encircle me, and I feel a tug at my heart. This part is exactly how I remember it.

He leans down and brushes his lips across mine.

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