Dorming With The Jocks

Chapter 24 -

Squid reassured Kent and I that he would make sure Jackie got back to her dorm room safely before closing our door. I was still bundled up on my bed, hugging my knees to my chest while Kent locked the door and shuffled towards me. 

"Alright, make room for me," He smiled down at me before plopping down on the bed, pushing me against the wall even more and ripping the blankets away from my already cold feet. We had closed our window a while ago but the room was still chilly. Kent's arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me into his warm body, my eyes were swollen and stung from how much crying I had done tonight. 

"Do you want to talk about it at all?" Kent whispered, his lips pressed against the top of my head and his thumb was drawing circles on my shoulder. It was comforting to have him there, to have his support, but opening up about one of the biggest regrets I had made me anxious. 

Kent cleared his throat when I hadn't answered him for a few minutes and pulled both of us down the bed so we were laying together, facing each other, with my head curled into his chest. I felt the sudden urge to start crying again but my eyes wouldn't allow anymore tears to fall.

"If you don't want to tell me about it, that's fine, I just have a few things to say though," He took a deep breath and my heart hitched for the third time this evening, "I don't think of you any differently, Sadie. Okay? I want you to believe that. If anything it makes me want to get closer to you and to understand you better," 

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He wasn't disgusted by me? He still wanted to be around me?

"My whole school saw that picture, Kent. I didn't even. . . I didn't even take the damn picture, it was. . . my boyfriend at the time," Explaining the situation that I had to go through just last year was almost as painful as when it had happened, having to relive the bullying and isolation I had felt from all my friends I considered close to me. 

Kent pulled me even tighter against his chest and kissed my head over and over again, and now the tears started falling again, burning more than before. I was so embarrassed and ashamed of my past, I never wanted anyone to know. 

"What happened to you wasn't fair, it wasn't okay at all," He took another deep breath and left his lips pressed lightly against my forehead, "It doesn't make you any less of a person and it definitely doesn't change my feelings for you, alright? I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I'm always here for you and you'll never have to go through that again. I got Missy's phone in time, no one saw the picture and no one is going to see it, I promise," 

I didn't say anything after that, I couldn't, my throat was raw and my eyes involuntarily shut on their own, stinging the whole time from tears and staying open for way too long. I don't remember falling asleep, all I remember was listening to the slow and steady rythmic beating of Kent's heart from where my head was pressed against his chest before drifting off into much needed sleep. 

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The stress from the two tests I had coming up quickly washed away while Jackie worked on putting rollers in my hair and Josie turned on some music. I had snuck into the girls dorm for the night to be with the girls and pamper ourselves for the dance. Although I was still one edge about the bonfire incident, nothing had been brought up about it.

I hadn't heard much from Missy or seen her around for the past couple of days. I had been too stressed with the dance and trying to lay low. I was just thankful nothing had ever come to light about the picture or my past. Everyone who had been around at the bonfire had kept it quiet. I was forever in their debt for that and I knew they really were amazing friends at this point. 

"I can't wait to see you in your dress," I commented to Jackie, desperately wanting to change the subject.

"I can't wait to see Squid in a suit," She admitted, the familiar blush creeping up her neck and to her cheeks. Squid and Jackie might just be the cutest couple at school, in my opinion.