“Liz has been trying to get in touch with you. She’s worried. She doesn’t know I’m here.”
“She’s not my problem anymore, remember.”
“That’s a fucking stupid thing to say. Of course she’s still your problem, because she’s still your friend. Her heart is breaking because she misses her best friend, and I promised her that I would fix it.”
“Get out of here, Jay. I’ve heard enough of your bullshit.” I turn around and decide to ignore his stupid ass. Apparently, he’s not taking the hint.
“Look,” he grabs me to turn me around to face him, “I fucked up. I’m sorry.”
Flinging my clipboard down, I throw my arms up in the air in exasperation.
“What more do you want from me! I came to you and Julien, I looked you dead in the eye and told you how I felt about her and what I was going to do about it, how I was going to tell her. And you just fucking up and ran as fast as you could over to her house and laid claim. You didn’t care about how I would feel. You didn’t care about how much that would hurt me. You took our friendship and stomped all over it.”
Fed up with him, I begin to storm off not wanting to hear anything else that comes out of his mouth.
“She loves you, you know.”
I stop.
Exhale.
Dammit.
I turn around.
Jayson pulls out a metal stool and sits down on it like he has no more energy to stand, the heaviness of our situation taking its toll on him.He leans forward, arms propped on his knees like that night in my backyard.
“She loves you, and it kills me knowing that. I couldn’t deal with it. Couldn’t deal with the fact that I could lose her. She has been my universe since the day I gazed into her gorgeous green eyes. God, I remember that day like it was yesterday.” He looks up at me then. “I know she loves me, but I. Am. Terrified. I’m terrified that maybe, just maybe, she loves you a little bit more.”
“You should have told me that instead of bolting.”
“I panicked, man. You are the better person here. You always have been. I’m just the selfish asshole. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of it. I wish I could go back and do things differently.”
“Do you?”
“Like I said. I’m an asshole.”
He stands up.
“But Elizabeth is the one getting hurt here. She needs you in her life. I need you in my life. You’re my best friend. Is there any way you could forgive me? I will do anything to make this right.”
I want to shout back at him,Well then fucking give her up,but I keep quiet. Knowing Elizabeth saw me the other day in a full rage, fists flying, makes me feel two inches high. Seeing her cry, throwing herself on me, begging me to stop, and now ignoring her texts and calls. Jay’s not the only asshole here. I think about what Julien asked me. Do I love her enough to let her go, make her own decisions, and find her happiness, even if it’s not with me?
“I’m not saying that I forgive you. It’s going to take time for me to even want to be in the same room as you. You broke that trust. You’re gonna have to earn it back. But this is not Elizabeth’s fault. She shouldn’t have to suffer because of us.”
I hold out my hand to his. No fist bump this time. This time we are shaking hands like men.
Elizabeth
Jayson said he had to run out for a bit and would be back later. We are officially going on our first date tonight. Seeing as he’s still grounded, I wonder exactly where he thinks we’ll be going. The fact that his mom even let him out of the house to run an errand is a miracle of its own. Over the past several days, the swelling on his face has disappeared leaving the fading yellowish bruising on his cheek and eye. It doesn’t bother me because all I see is Jayson. What does bother me was seeing Ryder and Jason fighting, a scene that keeps playing out in my nightmares every time I fall asleep.
Hailey and I are enjoying some quiet time out on the back patio. I can’t believe it’s almost the Fourth of July and we’ll be spending it at the beach. I hope that I’ll be able to get through to Ryder since he’ll be a captive audience, so to speak, for a week and won’t be able to hide from me or ignore me like he’s been doing the past few days.
Hailey throws a water bottle at me before sitting back down in her lounge chair. I have my earbuds in, listening to music, while I read a book on my tablet. The summer heat is picking up so I’m wearing one of my new bathing suit tops, the blue halter one, and a pair of shorts, hoping to soak up some sun or at least get a nice rosy blush going on my pale skin. I twist the cap off the bottle of water and tip it back, the coldness a relief on my parched throat. Then I choke.
Ryder is standing in front of me.
Hailey rushes over to pat me on the back as I continue to sputter.
