I rub my face, and it feels hot and sore. Now I’m not even pretty anymore. The thought is so ridiculous that I burst out laughing. Then there are tears again. God, this is exhausting.
My door opens again, and I don’t even look up. I’m beyond caring who comes in anymore. It’s Jase.Of course it’s him, I think, and another laugh escapes. But even I can hear how tragic it sounds.
I stay where I’m lying, because I don’t have the strength to sit up anymore, and watch Jase come closer. There’s a scowl on his face, his eyes are like storm clouds, and there’s a crease between his brows. His lips are pressed together, and his jaw muscles stand out clearly. I know that expression, and I used to know how to make him smile at me. Now I don’t even know who I am.
He reaches out a hand to me, and I want to flinch because he can’t touch me now, not without making it worse. But then I see the note in his hand, and it feels like a thousand-ton weight is on my chest.
I take the paper because I can’t do anything else. He folded it messily, and my heart jerks. Before I can even unfold it, he turns around and disappears. This time, he’s not coming back; I know it. But he doesn’t have to.
He wrote me a note.
I unfold the paper, and it’s the same question again. His handwriting is still messy and still familiar.
What happened?
And just like that, our game starts all over again.
Chapter 13
Jase
What’s your favorite place in the world?
I don’t have one anymore.Your treehouse.
—J
Her eyes follow me. I wish it were different, but it’s my own damn fault. After all, no one forced me to go into her room. Certainly not twice.
Fuck.
I’m so screwed. But apparently, so is Zoe. She had hit her breaking point when I burst into her room for no reason. It just... happened, because I heard all that noise and thought—
Yeah, what was I thinking anyway?
Obviously, I wasn’t. I just opened her door, and there she was with wild hair and puffy eyes. She was pale, with red streaks going down her face. That’s why I went in a second time. That’s why I gave her the note.
Fuck. The note. What the hell was I even thinking?
Surprise! Again, I wasn’t thinking at all. I don’t even know what I expected. That she’ll tell me the truth? Actually tell mewhat happened? She has no reason to confide in me, and we both know it.
But when I went back into my room and saw the notepad on my desk, my hands took on a life of their own. I tore off a sheet and wrote down the same question I’d asked her back then in the treehouse. It was easy.
Easier than it should have been.
“Jase! Are you even listening to me?” Skye throws something at my head, which on closer inspection turns out to be a T-shirt.
I look up and see her accusing gaze. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“I said, you’re going to have to talk to Zoe. If she knows that your scholarship depends on it, maybe she’ll make more of an effort,” she says, pulling the straightener through her hair with a practiced motion. She glances at the curl she’s created with satisfaction.
“Isn’t that thing supposed to straighten your hair?” I ignore her suggestion because I can’t shake the feeling that pressure is the last thing that Zoe needs right now.
Are you getting soft or what?
“Basically, yes, but this is an exception.” Skye reaches for the next strand of hair. “Don’t try to change the subject. You have to get this scholarship. I want you to be my partner next year. It would really be stupid if you were thrown out of school before that happened.”
I groan and throw the T-shirt back in her direction but miss her. “No kidding.”
