i sat back down on my towel beside jade, my mind racing. oliver seemed to care so much yet he had been with someone behind my back, jack is abusive, and sam wants me but he hurt me in the past.
"he had another girlfriend." i say to jade.
"what? who?"
"ollie."
"that piece of shit!" she shouts, a couple of people with kids glaring at her.
"it's whatever. i don't feel bad anymore for being around these guys." i shrug.
"he always talked about how much he loved you, there's no way he was with someone for a month." jade sighs.
"i don't know what to believe anymore. i just know i want to enjoy my last summer in LA." i reply.
-
i watch as sam and bryce struggle to light the bonfire we set up on the beach. we each had a blanket and nate was currently on a mission to find two things: alcohol and marshmallows. jack never showed up to the beach, which leads me to believe him and madison sorted things out and are back together. i can't blame him though. it's been two years. i've never had a relationship that long.
"johnson, man, can you help us?" sam asks, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"you need some paper, dude. to light it." he laughs at them.
"where are we going to get paper?" bryce groans. jade rolls her eyes and reaches into her purse, pulling out a small planner.
"use this."
"you're a lifesaver." bryce tells her, grabbing both of her cheeks and kissing her.
"just doing my part." she laughs.
nate shows up with a bag and pulls out a bottle of malibu and takes a swig before he says a word to anyone.
"any word on gilinsky?" he asks johnson, passing the bottle to him.
"he said he'll be here in 20." johnson says, glancing down at his phone.
"he's coming?" i ask, opening the bag of marshmallows and putting one at the end of a stick.
"yep." johnson hands the bottle over to me. "let's hope he's not mopey."
as if on cue, sam points towards the street. we all turn to see jack's figure trudging through the sand.
"mopey? why would he be moping?" i ask, the sight of jack alone nearly being enough to make me start gulping down the rum.
"madison. what else?"
a hush comes over as as jack arrives and sits down at our little encampment.
"rose, can we talk?" he asks immediately.
"sure." we both stand up and i take another gulp before passing the bottle to jade.
"so you and madison fixed things i'm guessing?" i ask him. i spent time on twitter too, reading all of the things people said about him and madison and what went on with their relationship. cheater.
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"no, we didn't." jack says.
"oh. i'm sorry, i guess?" i reply awkwardly. by this time, we were underneath the pier.
"are you cold?" he asks, taking notice to the fact that i was only in my bikini. before i respond, he takes off his jacket and wraps it over my shoulders.
"thanks." i laugh lightly.
"let's sit here."
we sit down underneath the pier on the cool sand, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore soothing my stress.
"i'm sorry if i was too straight forward with the picture i posted of you. i just really mean it when i say i want something with you." he tells me.
"i don't know if i can trust you, jack. i heard how you talked to madison." i say quietly. "i don't want to have to take that."
"i'm not like that anymore. it was four months ago, i was drunk -"
"cut the excuses. no one should be treated that way, irregardless of sobriety." i interrupt him.
"you're right." he says. "but please give me a chance to at least prove it to you? if i scare you or hurt you, you can leave me. if i talk to you like how i talked to madison ever, you can dip the first chance you have, okay rose?"
i stay quiet for a few moments, feeling his gaze on me.
"okay."
"really?!"
i nod. "yeah. but you have one chance, jack gilinsky."
he pulls me into his arms and presses a kiss on my cheek.
