You Remember Me, Right?

Chapter 18

She was not going to be some rebound; she knew it and he knew it. Months had passed since that infamous dance. News had spread throughout the school within hours that the famous Jaubrey was no longer a thing. It was just Jesse and Aubrey now, and people could hardly believe it. Rumors spread that Unicycle had to be hospitalized because Jesse had hit him so hard. Other people believed that Jesse wasn’t even mad because he was already dating Beca Mitchell on the side. Before long, everyone knew about the breakup and everyone had an opinion about it.

 

Jesse, Beca, Aubrey, and Unicycle caught people eyeing them from the corner of their eyes as they walked down the hallway from the first few weeks. In class, they could hear whispers from their fellow classmates, only catching their own names whispered in the conversation. It had gotten so bad that Beca and Jesse had now made it a game to stare at the people who were obviously talking about them to make them as uncomfortable as humanly possible.

 

But now, late May, everything had generally died down. New gossip had popped up, sparking the interest of the masses and better yet, distracting them from the Jaubrey break up. Jesse and Beca were back into their usual groove of hangouts. He would make her watch movies, repaying her with juice pouches and candy. Every morning, Luke and him would stuff food into their mouths as they waited for Beca to emerge from her bedroom, running a brush through her tangled mane and pulling her backpack over her shoulder.

 

Aubrey on the other hand, had lessened her stress levels. Somewhere along the grapeline Jesse had heard that she was now really into yoga, especially since she didn’t have to worry about too much stuff now that her senior year was coming to an end. Finally, even though she was rejected from many of her safety schools, she had been accepted to Touro Law School in New York. It wasn’t the best but it certainly wasn’t the worst.

 

The problem was, well Beca would call it more of a problem than Jesse, they were getting closer. Their weekly movie nights had turned into biweekly or even triweekly nights. He knew more about her than everyone, not including Luke. Somehow, he slipped back into her life without her even realizing it. Sometimes when it got super late, they would crash together on her couch, her laying on top of him. She would either wake up to him tracing circles on her back or him complaining that her weight was cutting off his circulation. Whichever one occurred, they would fall back asleep, together, both comfortably and contently.

 

At some points, Beca did feel her stomach start to clench up. It first happened at the New Year’s Eve party at Chloe’s house. The lights were dim and the music was loud. The party had started many hours ago so people were passed out on the couches and chairs or they had retreated back to their own homes. Jesse, who had to drive his parents to the airport during the day, was extremely tired. No matter how everyone tried to keep him awake, he wasn’t standing it. Beca had blasted music in his ears, and he just pulled a blanket over his head and was out for the next hour or so. Chloe and Luke both tried to get him to wake up with the smell of the desserts Chloe had cooked the night before, but even sweets weren’t getting Jesse up.

 

Finally, Bumper and Amy had the genius thought of throwing an ice cold bucket of water in his face. Even though Chloe wasn’t thrilled with getting her furniture wet, she was up for it. As the wave struck his face, Jesse’s eyes shot open. He shivered for a minute before running after Bumper. The two had a duel outside, armed with water guns and hoses. In the end, Jesse was crowned the victor after skillfully stealing Bumper’s singular water gun. Even in the heat of Atlanta, they both were shivering, their bodies turning a shade of blue.