Just a Game

Wouldn't Catch Him

Alice // chapter twenty

F I V E songs later, I was tired and my feet were starting to hurt. I hadn't seen Jace since he walked off the stage. I went around and asked as many people as I could if they'd seen Jace, but they either hadn't seen him or were too busy dancing to even notice me there.

I let out a loud sigh as I went around the restaurant looking for him. My feet were definitely hurting at this point, but I wanted to find him. I wanted to make sure that he was okay because he didn't look okay when he walked away earlier. I kicked myself for even allowing him to go before really making sure he was okay when I knew he was lying to me.

I decided to give it one more shot and walked outside to see if he was there.

My feet halted as my eyes landed on two people I never want to see together, ever.

Jace stood outside with Tanya next to him. They were too close for my liking and when I saw Tanya laugh at something he must have said, I felt my smile actually drop. My breaths became shallower as my heartbeat picked up.

Have you ever felt like you've just been slapped even though no one's really laid a finger on you? I couldn't even sort out my feelings because everything in me was trembling and breaking and just not okay. I could feel the anger boiling within me.

I did all this for him and he didn't even dance with me.

He couldn't wait to get out and flirt with his ex?

All my efforts and hopes for this night just went down the drain and he didn't even thank me properly for everything? Did he think I wouldn't catch him?

God, I'm stupid.

Maybe I should call up one of my exes and mess around with him in front of his face? Maybe that'll give him a clue about how it feels to be on the other side because this was the second time he's done this to me. At least the first time around I wasn't invested in him as much as I was now. God, I was thinking about introducing him to my family and here he was, messing around with his ex-girlfriend, who was pregnant with his child at one point. I haven't seen them together, not has he brought her up, in the era of the five months we were together for. I thought we were great, better than any other relationship I've been in, especially since my past relationships didn't last more than a month. Plus, I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about Jace.

He was so good to me. He, himself, was good. So, I wondered why he would do this to me. Why would he decide to hurt me like this? He wasn't even being careful about hiding because anyone could easily spot them if they decided to step outside for some air.

He wasn't being careful. He either didn't care about getting caught or he...he wasn't doing anything wrong.

I almost pushed through the doors and into the restaurant to grab my keys and drive away when something he once said to me echoed in my head.

"I wish you weren't so quick to judge, Alice."

I stopped short in my tracks because I knew in that moment that I was doing the same thing I'd done back then. I was judging before listening to his side and I'd promised him I would never do that. It took all I had within me not to smack the shit out of myself for the thoughts I was having about him just seconds ago.

I shook my head and decided on what to do. There was no point in me running away like a scared child. Taking a huge breath, I took my hands off the door handle and walked towards where Jace and Tanya stood.

Her giggles were all I could hear as I approached them. "Jace?"

He turned to me fast, taking a step away from Tanya faster. "Alice, hey."

My eyes narrowed in on them and I glanced at Tanya and turned to him with questioning in my eyes. "What are you doing?"

Tanya's annoyingly high voice came in. "Oh, I just brought him a gift, but I didn't want to take him away from the excellent party." Okay, it wasn't really annoying. But it annoyed me because she was my boyfriend's ex. I admit it's spiteful, but I can't help it.

I'm pretty sure I gave both of them an "are you stupid" look, because what kind of an excuse was that? "You're joking."

"She's not," Jace shook his head, showing me an opened box and the remains of the gift wrapping that had been torn.

I blinked. "Jace, you've been gone for over twenty minutes."

He sighed. "I know, but nothing happened."

"Jace."

He bit his lip and I knew I was getting in his head. "There's a security camera right there, A," he pointed at the top of the door where there surely was a camera, "check it out if you don't believe me."

I scoffed. "Okay, why are you getting annoyed with me? You left literally after four minutes into the party and you haven't returned since. Then, I try to look for you and I find you out here giggling with your ex. What was I supposed to think?"

"Not that I was cheating on you with my ex," he stated, shaking his head.

My eyes narrowed at him once again. "I didn't walk in on you reading a book with her, Jace. You were giggling together like it was so funny for you two to be out here instead of you being in there with me enjoy the party your friends and I struggled to put together."

"I was about to come in, Alice," he countered and I could tell that he was trying to keep his cool.

Too bad, 'cause I already lost mine. "Really? When, in an hour?"

Then, she steps in, literally shocking bewilderment throughout my body. "Well, I'm sorry about this and all, but I need to go. Bye, Jace."

She moves on to then give him a kiss on the cheek and wave goodbye at me before walking away.

I stared at Jace with wide eyes. "Please tell me that nothing really happened and that she was just trying to mess with my head because I'm this close to actually going off right now."

And instead of trying to answer me seriously, he laughs.

He laughs.

Oh my God.