Текст книги "To Love Jason Thorn"

Автор книги: Ella Maise

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 1 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

 To Love Jason Thorn

by

Ella Maise

Copyright

Copyright © 2015 by Ella Maise

All rights reserved.

Editor: Editing by C. Marie

Cover Design: Ella Maise

Permission from this author must be granted before any part of this book can be used for advertising purposes. This includes the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

Disclaimer

Usually when a book is optioned for the movie rights, it can take years to get to the production process—so many hoops to jump through. However, in this book, I didn’t want to make you wait for a year—or quite possibly longer—for the filming to begin, which is why you’ll see that it was a fairly quick process. Or maybe…just maybe Olive’s book was just that awesome…

Table of Contents

Disclaimer

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Epilogue

Books by Ella Maise

About the Author

Acknowledgements

 

 

This book is for everyone who once loved a boy and felt those butterflies overwhelm them in the best possible way.

And, well, if the boy didn’t love you back, shame on him! What a jerk.

Chapter One Olive

Up to the day I met Jason Thorn, my dreams were made of fluffy white clouds, pretty pink dresses, tasty apple pies, and of course, our neighbor Kara’s big brother.

“I don’t want to hear another word about this, Jason. You are always welcome to stay here, sweetheart.”

I was about to go down to help my mom set the table when their voices carried up to me and I stopped.

“See, I told you it would be okay. Come on, let’s go up to my room.”

“Hold on, Dylan. Not so fast.”

I heard mom’s coffee cup softly clink on the kitchen counter a few seconds before I heard her speak again.

“Jason, are you sure you don’t want us to call anyone? Maybe they should check on your mom and make sure everything is okay, or we can call your father and let him know that you are spending the night with us. I bet he would be worried if he called your house and couldn’t reach either one of you.”

My mom was a soft, compassionate woman—soft as in she carried a heart that was purely made of shiny liquid gold. I’d heard my grandpa tell her so countless times for putting up with my father, so as a child I knew it had to be true. There was also a side of her that could be seen as vicious at times, as she was fiercely protective of the ones she counted as her family.

Other than that, she was a sweetheart, as my father liked to call her. She had this secret way of making anyone smile, even when they were sad about something. I knew that because she always made me laugh when we were at the dentist, which was a big scary place for a six-year-old (almost seven!). If she was in the room, chances were she’d have you beaming up at her in no time.

It wasn’t just me and my brother; she had the same effect on my friends too. Whenever it was her turn to pick us up from school, they all looked up at her with these big, silly smiles stretched across their faces. Actually, now that I think about it, they reminded me of Buzz, the puppy Kara had gotten a few weeks before. Oh, how much I loved watching Kara’s brother Noah play with that puppy; I’d always thought we could buy a few puppies for ourselves after he asked me to marry him.

Sigh…

Anyway, I hadn’t been allowed to have the puppy in the house, and of course I would never ever sneak him in whenever my mom was out—sshh, don’t tell anyone—but I did see the faces the little guy made when he wanted something from Kara.

All in all, back then, I believed it was tough to be a kid, but having a mom like mine made everything a bit easier. That’s why I’d always wanted to be like her. I’d wanted to make people happy, make them forget about their worries for a while, be their sunshine, as she was ours.

There had been only one teeny-tiny issue…the blaring fact that I didn’t have a golden heart because I was never good at being peaceful or graceful, where my mom, on the other hand, was the epitome of those traits.

It wasn’t my fault though; it was always Dylan who made me angry. If blame were to be assigned, it would fall squarely on Dylan’s shoulders, not mine.

Dylan was my big brother, the one who kept ruining everything for me, probably since the day I was born. Unfortunately, I didn’t remember those early years of my existence, but I was pretty sure that he’d been messing with me back then, too. According to my mom and dad, a few days after they brought me home from the hospital, he told them they should take me back to where they’d found me—next to the garbage cans.

Can you believe the audacity? My loving big brother.

It didn’t even end with a cleverly veiled threat either. I remembered myself that he would steal my stroller and run around with me in the park. Why, he was probably trying to kill me with sheer excitement!

At an early age, I’d come to the conclusion that I would get to have my own golden heart when Dylan wouldn’t be around to throw me off of my game. Whenever he was around, chances were he’d do something and I’d lose my cool, which would lead to us getting into a screaming match.

There was nothing graceful about screaming your little heart out at someone because they wouldn’t play My Little Pony with you.

Jason’s carefully chosen words brought me back to the present where I was plastered to the wall just to the left of the staircase, listening in on them.

“Thank you, Mrs. Taylor, but I don’t think my father cares about where I’m spending the night. And…um…my mom will probably be okay in the morning. I’m sure she just fell asleep. It’s my fault really; I should’ve checked the time and made sure I was home before six.”

“We were playing catch on the street, Jason. Like, right in front of your house. I don’t think you are the one to blame here. And who goes to sleep at six, Mom? Even Olive stays up later than that.”

“Dylan,” my mom said in a low voice before sighing.

I grinned, feeling proud. I could stay up pretty late. Sometimes I could even go until nine.

There was complete silence for a few moments, and then the feet of the chair scraped the floor as someone got up from the table.

“Okay, Jason.” I heard mom’s strained voice breaking the thick silence. Who was this boy they kept calling Jason? Maybe he was part of the family that had moved in across the street a few houses down a few days ago?

How come Dylan hadn’t introduced me to his new friend?

“You are always welcome in this house. I want you to remember that, okay?”

“Thank you Mrs. Taylor. I appreciate it.”

“Why don’t you go and get cleaned up while I get dinner ready? After dinner we’ll call your dad and make sure he knows you are safe.”

“That’s not really necess—”

“Let’s say it’s for my own peace of mind.”

“Come on, Jason.” I heard my brother murmur. “I’ll show you the new video game my dad bought me.”

Oh, about that…I’d always thought it was quite rude of him to hoard all the toys. He never let me play with him.

I turned on my heels and was about to run back to my room to check out who the new boy was through the small opening of my door when my mom said, “Dylan, can you stay and help me set the table first? Then you can join Jason upstairs until I call you guys down for dinner.”

“Sure, Mom,” my brother answered readily. “The bathroom is the second door to the left, Jason. My room is next to it. I’ll be right up.”

“Is there anything I can help with, Mrs. Taylor? I wouldn’t mind.”

“Oh, you are too sweet, Jason. How about you be our guest for tonight, and any time you come by after today, you’ll give me a hand, too, okay? And you call me Emily from now on.”

“Okay, Mrs. Tay—umm…Emily. Thank you so much for letting me stay here tonight. I’ll be in your room, then, Dylan.” His footsteps started up the stairs.

I stood still and patiently waited for the owner of those footsteps to reach me. Since Dylan wasn’t with him, I could say hi and welcome him to our neighborhood without getting into trouble.

Argh Dylan… Just because he was four years older didn’t make him the boss of me.

Would he be blond? Maybe he would have dark eyes and dark hair and be all dreamy, exactly like Kara’s big brother, Noah, who had turned eighteen just a few weeks before. My mom thought he was a little too old for me, but she had also once said a girl should always dream big. While I loved my mom dearly, clearly she wasn’t right all the time.

Anyway, since this Jason seemed to be friends with Dylan, I highly doubted he would be something to dream about.

Suddenly my stomach got all fluttery for some reason. I frowned and smoothed down my dress. Dylan’s friend or not, he would be a guest in our house and I thought I should be welcoming since he sounded very stressed out about staying with us.

Tommy, one of my best friends from school, believed that we would get married one day, but I’d never said yes to him. I’d never even gotten excited whenever we were on playdates.

First, I saw Jason’s sneakers. I still remember: they were white and very clean for a boy his age. I thought maybe he wouldn’t be that bad and make fun of me like Dylan’s other friends.

Putting on my best smile, I slowly lifted my head up to meet his eyes. His steps faltered when he saw me hiding next to the wall. I got a good look at him and my smile slowly vanished as my mouth dropped open.

Jason? Jason what?

Butterflies? Were those tiny flutters in my stomach butterflies? The ones my mom had told me about? It sure felt like it. Thousands of them. Were these the same butterflies my mom had felt when she’d met my father?

What was his last name?

I wanted—no scratch that, I needed his last name to be my last name.

Not the day after, not ten years or twenty years later. I needed it to happen that day—right at that moment to be exact.

He seemed surprised to see me for a second, but recovered faster than I did. He gave me a stupidly cute smile with a dimple showing on his left cheek.

“You have a dimple,” I breathed out, totally lost in that tiny little crevice. It was almost magical.

 I closed my mouth and felt the heat rise up to my cheeks. I managed to return his smile with a wobbly one.

“Hey, little one. You must be Dylan’s little sister. I’m Jason.”

“Hi,” I greeted sheepishly as I gave him a small wave.

His smile picked up a notch, and I felt my face flush again. Tucking a loose hair behind my ear, I smiled bigger.

Oh, boy.

He was so cute.

I cleared my throat and extended my hand, just like I saw my dad do when he was meeting someone new. “I’m Olive. My friends call me Liv or Oli because they think I have a weird name.”

Quirking his brow, he looked at my hand then up to my eyes as he gave it a good shake. “Do they now?” he asked, and I nodded enthusiastically, hiding my hand behind my back again. “I think you have a good name, little Olive. It would be hard for someone to forget a name like Olive. You have very beautiful green eyes; I’d say the name suits you.”

Beautiful?

Beautiful?!

I was never going to wash my hand again.

My smile got bigger, and I believe it was the first moment I fell in love with the mysterious boy who had an adorable dimple and was going to spend the night right across from my room.

“Are you our new neighbor?” I asked. He had to be our new neighbor. I had to see him again.

“Yes, we moved in last week.”

I nodded. That was good news—more time for us to be together.

“Since you like my name, would you like to marry me?” I asked.

His face turned red and he opened and closed his mouth a few times.

Finally he laughed and said, “What?”

I shrugged. “My dad doesn’t want me to get married for at least another thirty years, but I don’t think we should wait that long. So, can we get married sooner?”

He scratched his head and even made that look cute. “I think we are too young to get married, little one.”

Crushed, I looked down at my feet. “My dad says that, too. I’ve always thought I would marry Noah, our neighbor, but my dad is pretty set against that. Even my mom thinks he is too old for me. I think I can wait for you to get older, though.” I nodded to myself. “Make sure you wait for me too. Okay. I’m gonna go down and help mom with dinner. Dylan always screws it up. You know,” I started, clutching my hands behind my back as my eyes fell to his shoes. “I helped her bake the apple pie and the vanilla sauce earlier. I’ll make sure you’ll get the biggest slice. You’ll love it, and I’ll give it to you first.”

I knew guys cared about food because my dad had always appreciated a good home-cooked meal. My little heart had fallen in love for the first time and I was hoping Jason would fall for me, too, after he tasted the pie.

He chuckled and touched his finger to my chin. Surprised at the contact, my head flew up, my eyes huge. When I saw his smiling face, I had to bite down on my lip so I wouldn’t grin like a little girl, which would surely be a dead giveaway that I was in love with him.

“Thank you, little one. I’m sure it’s delicious if you had a hand in it. I better let you go then. I’ll look forward to seeing you at dinner.”

Passing by me, he tugged a piece of my hair, his smile still going strong on his lips as he headed for the bathroom.

I fidgeted with my hands so I wouldn’t wave him a goodbye and sigh like my friend Amanda did whenever she saw Dylan.

Inside, I was dancing on the clouds.

He had touched my hair.

He had touched my chin and looked into my eyes.

Jason.

Our one-dimpled new neighbor. Had. Touched. Me.

Ah…

I was pretty sure he’d fallen in love with me, too. I mean why else would he smile, look into my eyes, and touch me, if he hadn’t?

Right?

Right?!

Chapter Two Olive

Seven years later…

 

“Thank you for letting me have your phone, Amanda,” I whispered as I was hiding in my closet.

“Why are we whispering?”

“So Dylan and Jason can’t hear me.”

“Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, come on Olive, what if he realizes it’s you texting him?”

“But I do want him to realize it’s me.” I thought about that for a second, and then changed my mind. “Well, okay, maybe not at first, but eventually.”

Amanda sighed on the other end of the line. “I’m not so sure this is a good idea, Liv. What if he tells Dylan?” She gasped. “What if they recognize the number and think it’s me?”

“Oh, stop it. How could they possibly recognize your cousin’s number? If you don’t open your mouth, no one will know. And it’s just for tonight. I won’t text him again. My parents are gone, he is staying over, it’s the perfect timing.”

“Olive!” My brother banged on my door. “The pizza is here, come down if you don’t want to find an empty box.”

“Break the door down, why don’t you,” I muttered to myself. Opening the door of my little closet, I yelled back, “I’m coming!”

“Okay, I’m heading downstairs. What time is it?” I asked Amanda, getting up from the floor.

“Nine. When will you text him? You have to let me know what he is saying.”

“I can’t text you while I’m texting him. I’ll be too excited. I’ll call you tomorrow to let you know how it went.”

“Nope, I’m coming for breakfast then, who knows when you’ll call me. Plus, I need to get the phone back to my cousin. They are leaving tomorrow afternoon.”

“Fine, then I’ll see you tomorrow. Wish me luck.”

Throwing the phone on my bed, I took a deep breath and looked at myself in the mirror. My strawberry blonde hair was falling down on my shoulders in soft waves, my eyes were sparkling, and my face was flushed with excitement over the possibility of what might happen later that night.

I looked down at my shaky hands and laughed at myself.

All I wanted for that night was to text Jason and talk to him as if I was someone else, like an admirer. You see, I’d had it all planned for days. I was going to text him, of course keeping my identity a secret, preferably when Dylan was not by his side, and then simply talk to him. Maybe I could ask him who he would want his admirer to be… Wouldn’t it be something else if he said me?

So far the plan was working smoothly. Depending on how the rest of the night went, I would make my move accordingly.

“Olive!” my brother thundered from downstairs.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep refreshing breath, hid the phone under my pillow, and walked out of my room.

“What are you yelling for? I said I was coming,” I said when I spotted Dylan sitting alone in front of the TV.

“Pour the drinks and bring out the pizza,” he answered, not even looking at me.

“Why can’t you get up and do it yourself?” I shot back.

“Just get on with it already. I’m about to start the movie.”

I opened my mouth to—

“Hi little Olive,” someone whispered right next to my ear, causing me to jump.

“Jason,” I whispered back, my hands jumping to my chest to keep my heart in place. “You scared me.”

He chuckled, showing me the dimple. “I know.”

I laughed back, my eyes shining with love for the boy I’d known for seven years now.

Tugging at a piece of my hair, he winked and walked past me with a cold water bottle in his hand. He pushed over Dylan and sat right next to him.

Eyeing the small seat next to Jason, I asked, “Do you want anything other than water?”

Turning his head, he smiled at me. “Thank you, beautiful. I’m good.”

I melted into a small, very happy puddle on my mother’s favorite carpet.

“Stop flirting with my sister, you shithead,” Dylan muttered, but I was too occupied with my dreams to tell Dylan to shush—not that he would listen to me.

Grabbing Dylan’s soda and a few paper plates for the pizza, I went back into the living room.

“Pour your own drink,” I said, dropping the bottle a little too harshly on the coffee table in front of him.

“How many slices do you want, Jason?” I asked, kneeling on the floor and not quite meeting his eyes.

Dylan sighed and muttered, “Here we go again.”

He didn’t like that I always gave the first slice of pizza—or cake, or pie, or any type of food actually—to Jason.

Putting his water bottle down, Jason reached out to help me up. “You are not sitting on the floor.” He pulled me up to the couch. “I’ll handle the pizza.”

Plopping down next to him, I let him divvy up the slices between the three of us.

“Two slices good?” he asked, giving me the first share.

Be still my heart.

“Yes, thank you.”

When he leaned back and shot me another quick wink, I forgot all about my pizza and reveled in the fact that I was about to spend two hours sitting right next to Jason watching a movie. It was the perfect night to text him.

“What are we watching?” I asked, taking a small bite from the huge slice.

“Nothing you’ll enjoy. We are already spending our Friday night babysitting your ass so you don’t have a say in the movie choices.”

“Don’t be an asshole, Dylan,” Jason murmured with his mouth full.

“So you’re saying you prefer to stay in tonight instead of going out with the girls?”

As my eyes filled with tears of embarrassment and something else I couldn’t name, I put my plate down and attempted to get up, only to be pulled back by Jason.

“Children,” he said in a tone similar to my dad’s. His warm hand was still closed over my wrist, keeping me seated—or more like paralyzed. “I promised Emily I would babysit both of you just in case you decided today was the day to kill each other. So, cut the crap and start the movie already. The girls aren’t going anywhere, Dylan.”

Still embarrassed, I cleared my throat to get their attention. “You guys don’t have to stay in for me. I’ll be okay, Dylan. You know I don’t mind staying alone.”

Looking at my miserable face, Dylan finally shook his head and reached for his plate. “Nah, it’s okay. Jason is right; the girls aren’t going anywhere and we’ve wanted to watch this for weeks, now is as good a time as any.”

The movie started and they both settled back as all my excitement for the night slowly trickled out of me.

When Dylan jumped up and said, “I’ll get the lights,” I was still playing with the paper plate in my lap.

Could he have a girlfriend?

I was sure he didn’t have one. Neither did Dylan actually, not since he’d broken up with his on-again, off-again girlfriend Vicky.

“Don’t worry, little one, it’s not a horror movie or anything. It’s action, you’ll like it,” Jason whispered into my ear before Dylan took his seat again.

Hearing him use the pet name he’d always liked to call me, I managed to put a sincere smile on my face when I looked up at him.

“Thank you. You guys can leave after the movie, you know. I won’t tell Mom and Dad when they come back tomorrow.”

“Are you kidding? I was looking forward to a quiet night in. Pizza and a movie with a beautiful green-eyed girl by my side?” He gave me a light shove with his shoulder. “Your brother is the stupid one, not me.”

Dylan turned off the lights and hopped back onto his seat. Luckily this time I was melting into another puddle on my mother’s not-so-favorite couch. I stayed that way until the end of the movie because Jason’s shoulder stayed plastered to mine the entire time.

About to die from sensory overload, I still had a stupid smile on my face as I headed to my room for the night.

Let the texting begin…

***

Around 1:30 AM, huddled under my covers, I listened to Dylan’s bedroom door open and close for the second time. The TV in his bedroom was on, but their voices were low. Either they didn’t want to wake me up or they were about to go to sleep, though I highly doubted that was the case.

Reaching for the phone under my pillow, I tried to get a handle on my breathing and erratic heartbeats.

As much as I was dying to text Jason, I was also scared out of my mind.

My fingers as cold as ice, I quickly sent the first text of the night.

Me: Hi Jason.

Original, I know.

I waited to see if I would hear his phone go off, but I couldn’t hear anything. My heart in my throat, I sat up in bed and dropped my head back on the headboard. Maybe Amanda was right. Maybe, this wasn’t the best idea I’d ever come up with…

Jason: Who is this?

 

There might have been a squeak that escaped from my mouth when the phone lit up in my hand without a sound. In the darkness of my room, an unexplainable rush going through my body, I started talking to Jason as a stranger.

Me: I don’t think you’d know even if I said my name.

Jason: We can’t know if you don’t try me.

Me: My name is Michelle. We go to the same school.

Jason: Hmm… You’re right. I don’t think I know a Michelle.

Me: Can’t exactly say I’m surprised.

Jason: And why would that be, my new friend Michelle?

Already lost in a different world, my fingers stopped flying over the buttons when I heard Dylan’s door open and close quietly. Not knowing whether it was my brother or Jason, I hid the phone under the covers so the light wouldn’t draw attention.

Me: There are always so many people around you. Doesn’t give many opportunities for new people to introduce themselves, I guess. But then again, maybe you already know me.

Jason: That’s interesting. Our friendship is so new, Michelle who is not really Michelle, and you’re already lying to me?

Me: I wouldn’t say it’s lying. Let’s say I’m one of your many admirers and a little shy one at that. Just wanted to talk to you.

Jason: Let’s play your game. What would you like to talk about?

Me: I have no idea. Maybe you can start with where you are and what you are doing?

Jason: Easy enough. As I’m already sure you are not a Michelle, you must already know my friend Dylan, I’m over his place.

Me: I know of him and I know that you are close friends, that’s about it.

Jason: Would you like me to introduce you two? It’ll be like a second introduction for us, too.

Me: Not necessary.

Jason: As you wish, new shy friend. What else would you like to talk about?

Me: Do you have any guesses as to who I could be?

Jason: Oh, another game. You sure are full of games tonight, mystery girl.

Me: It’s not exactly a game for me.

Five minutes passed but no texts came in. When it hit the ten-minute mark, I got anxious, worrying if he already knew who I was and had put a stop it. Getting up from my bed, I started pacing my small bedroom. When the space wasn’t enough, I sneaked out of my room and quietly went downstairs to grab a bottle of water and distract myself with something else.

Padding into the kitchen in a tank top and pajama bottoms, I stopped short when I found Jason staring out the small window over the sink.

“Jason?” I whispered.

Turning to me, he whispered back, “Hey, little one.” His chocolate eyes looked tired for his young age. “What are you doing up so late?”

Spying his phone on the kitchen counter, I forced my gaze away. “Bad dream, I guess. Couldn’t go back to sleep.” Acting nonchalant, I opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water. “What were you looking at?”

“Just at my house.”

“Your mom okay?”

“I don’t know, Olive. I really don’t know.” Letting out a deep sigh, he absently reached for his phone and walked over to me.

“You can talk to me if something’s on your mind.”

He stopped right in front of me, his eyes almost invisible in the dark.

“I can?”

“Of course. I know you worry about your parents sometimes. I can listen if you need to.”

“You’re right, little Olive. I do worry about them, but they are the last thing I want to talk about.”

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, looking down at the floor.

“No need to be. Come and get us if you need anything, all right? I don’t think we’ll go to sleep for a few hours yet.” A gentle tug at my hair and he was gone.

I waited a few minutes before I padded back upstairs.

Just as I was about to go into my room and run for the phone, Dylan peeked out of his room.

“What are you doing, Olive?”

Damn it! Didn’t he have anything else to do other than make my life miserable?

“What are you doing?” I asked back, a little peeved and a little nervous.

He cocked his head, his eyebrows knitted.

“Go back to bed, Olive. It’s late.”

“I was doing exactly that before you stopped me.” I lifted the water bottle in my hand so he could see. “I went downstairs to get a drink, Dylan. I wasn’t doing anything.”

Neither one of us backed up. Just because his friend was staying over, I couldn’t leave my room to get a drink?

“Leave her alone, man.” I heard Jason’s voice coming from behind Dylan.

“Goodnight, Dylan,” I said at last, then slipped into my room without waiting for an answer. Who knew what was up his ass…

Jumping into my bed, I searched for the phone under my covers and had a small freak out when I couldn’t find it. I relaxed when I realized it was under my pillow.

The silly excitement rushing over me once again, I checked the messages only to find no new text messages from Jason.

Settling down, I told myself that I would only send one other text and then maybe try my luck in the morning before Amanda came to get the phone.

Me: What? No guesses? I’m surprised.

Jason: Sorry, I was busy. Which game were we playing again?

Seeing my first opening, I couldn’t help myself and jumped on it. Would he mention me?

Me: Busy? Busy with what? Already found a new friend, huh? You really are quick.

Jason: You amuse me. I was cornered by Dylan’s sister. Not exactly in the arms of another girl.

 

Not knowing my heart was about to get broken for the very first time, I swallowed the pain the word ‘cornered’ had caused and forced myself to text him back.

Me: It’s almost 2 AM, and you were with Dylan’s sister? This sounds good. Do tell me more.

Jason: She is just a little kid. A clingy one maybe, since she always follows me around, but still a kid. She sometimes forgets that. I’m much more interested in who you are. I’m ready to play. Are you ready to be discovered by me?

 

I read the text a thousand times, or maybe it was a million. A tear escaped from the corner of my eye, and I drew the covers over myself and lay back.

Gently, I put the phone down and pushed the covers off of my face to stare at my dark ceiling. At some point it buzzed with two new messages, but I ignored them. No, that’s not true, I remember reaching for the phone and deleting everything before the unexpected words could hurt me again, but at that point it was all blurry for me. I couldn’t read them even if I wanted to torture myself.

Clingy?

Cornered?

My heart broken into pieces, suddenly I couldn’t bear to see Jason in the morning. Couldn’t bear to sleep in the room across from him again.

Swinging my legs down from the bed, I didn’t realize I had kicked my own phone into my closet door.

Seconds later, Dylan burst into my room.

“Did you hea—Olive, what happened?”

Wiping at my tears, I looked up at my brother and more fresh tears slid down my already wet cheeks.

When he sat down on my bed and gently put his hand on my back, I threw my arms around him and hid my face in his neck. His arms came around me.

Warm and safe.

I heard footsteps at my door, but I was too scared to lift my head and come face to face with Jason. I didn’t think I would ever be able to look him in the eye again.

My breath hitching against Dylan’s neck, I said, “I’m sorry, just a bad dream.”

“It’s okay, little sis,” Dylan said. He hesitated, then added, “I’m sorry, too.”

The next few days were pure hell for me, having Jason sleep right across the room from mine, sitting right next to him at the dinner table. The worst was when I looked at him and found him smiling at me but knew it meant nothing at all.