Page 112 of Withered

“Chill out. There’s still a month.” She leans back.

My gaze draws to the window, where the light is turned on. I am happy when I see that his shadow is moving, but the drapes quickly obscure my view.

Kristy stands with her hand on her hips. “No more thinking about that jerk. Just watch the movie. If he wants to talk, he will; if not, we will show him what he is missing.”

I’m a little scared of the smirk she throws at the end. I’m sure she has some wicked things racing through her head, and I know better than to ask.

Kristy will be staying today, and I’m happy as well as sad. She texts Tyler the entire time I'm watching the movie. That reminds me that I haven’t checked my phone since I got home from school.

I take out my phone and look through my messages. But my gaze is drawn to one particular text.

Jake:Meet me outside your house. I’ll be waiting.

Iblinkmyeyes,and the message still exists.

My heart tells me to rush downstairs and meet him, while my mind is screaming to wait and think. Kristy is on her phone, and I’m debating what to do. If I tell her, she probably won’t let me go.

But what if she does? No, that’s not possible. She’ll go down herself and make a scene. That cannot happen. I ignore the message and toss my phone on the bed.

We go downstairs, eat dinner with my parents, and then return upstairs. My bed is large enough to fit both of us, but we decide to sleep on the floor with fluffy comforters and many pillows.

My phone pings again, but Kristy beats me to it. She takes it and reads the message. I make a silent prayer, hoping it’s not from Jake, but at the same time, I want that message to be his.

Kristy looks at me with no emotions on her face, which is rare for her to do so. She sets her lips in a tight line, then puts my phone aside.

Her reaction is enough to let me know it’s Jake.

“Who was it?” I ask her to confirm my thoughts.

“Jake,” she says. My heart leaps at just hearing his name.

“Uh, what did he say?” I dare to ask her.

“Does that matter?” She asks.Does it? I guess not.

I shake my head. It does not matter. He clearly said there was nothing between us. Just like that… To him, I was just another girl.

We both settle on the floor, Kristy with her phone and me with a book. My phone pings several times, but Kristy ignores it.

When it starts ringing, she ignores it, gets up, opens the curtains, and gasps.

“What? What is it?” I ask, getting up and checking.

Jake is leaning against the wall, his face buried in the phone.

“Go talk to him,” Kristy says as she hands me my phone.

“But you just told me to ignore him and not go.” I’m confused.

“That was all before. I’m telling you to go now because he’s been there for an hour. If that doesn’t show he cares, I don’t know what does,” Kristy states.

I smile and hug her before going downstairs.

I open the door, and Jake’s head jerks towards me. Goosebumps cover my skin, and I hate that he still has that effect on me. Jake stands before me, keeping at least a foot’s distance from me. Even though he is here, near me, in front of me, he’s far away from me.

“Rose,” Jake mutters, taking a step forward.

I take a step back, and a painful expression crosses his gorgeous face for a moment before it is replaced by his infamous smirk.

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