I wait until Jaxon pulls up in front of my house to reveal my secret. “I had a really good time,” I say.
He puts the car in park and looks over at me. “Me too. I hope we can do it again?”
I nod slowly. It’s now or never. Once I get this out in the open, I’ll have a clear conscious to date Jaxon.
“Listen…I have something kind of funny to tell you.”
His head tilts. “What is it?”
My throat feels dry, but I put on a smile and tell him the truth. “So… my friend has this awesome guitar, and she said she’d give it to me if I did this stupid thing for her.”
“How stupid?” Jaxon asks. He’s watching me with curiosity.
I shrug. “It’s really stupid, actually. And it’s funny because I don’t even care about it anymore, and I was going to just drop the bet with her, but I figured I should tell you just in case you ever hear about it later on.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “It’s about me?”
“Kind of.”
His shoulders straighten. “But you just met me.”
“It’s not aboutyou, you. Look, she made a bet with me that I couldn’t date a guy for thirty whole days, and if I did, she’d give me her guitar.”
His eyes widen and I talk faster so I can explain it all to him. “But, it was stupid, and after I met you, I really liked you so I was going to tell her that the bet is off and I just want to hang out with you and see where things go.”
His jaw hardens. “You only flirted with me so you could win a bet.”
“No!” I say, but he levels a stare at me that makes me feel bad. “Well… kind of. But after I got to know you, I really liked you, so…”
“I’ve heard enough,” Jaxon says. He looks away, his gaze focusing on something in the distance. “You can go now.”
“Jaxon,” I plead.
He reaches over me and opens my door. “Just go,” he says without looking at me.
“I’m sorry. I thought telling you would be a good idea. Please don’t be mad at me.”
He starts the car, keeping his eyes focused ahead. “Too late.”
I step out of the car and turn back, hoping I can still plead with him to forgive me. But the second my feet are on the ground, he puts the car in gear and drives away.
A million terrible emotions float through me, but one of them is stronger than the rest.
I deserve this.
#
I hope the weekend goes by slowly because I do not want to go back to school. Knowing my luck, even though I never found Jaxon when I wanted to see him, now that I want to avoid him, he’ll probably be everywhere. I am mortified and ashamed.
I call Jacie and tell her everything that happened. She’s silent for a long time.
“Hello?” I say. “You still there?”
