I Slapped Mr. Popular

19

Song for the chapter: "With Ears to See," by Sleeping With Sirens

"Jared," I breathe. He still looks the same: dark brown hair, dark blue eyes, flawless pale skin. It's like he never changed. Memories make their way into my head, and I do my best to push them away.

He doesn't say anything for a moment. He just stares at me, shock written all over his face. Finally, he swallows. "You...um... wow...you look...the same," he says.

"Um, thank you?"

"It's nice," he says.

"You haven't changed either," I reply, trying to keep my voice from shaking. I am well aware that his hand is on the small of my back, and I want it off. The only problem? I'm afraid that if I move, I will fall.

"I know," he replies. He's face is so close to mine that I can smell and feel his minty breath on my face. I feel my lip quiver, and Jared sees this. He drops his arm and takes a step back.

I clutch the banister, letting out a breath that I didn't know I am holding. "I'm sorry," he says.

I know what he meant, but I pretend not to. "I should've watched where I was going," I say.

"You know what I meant, Braelyn," Jared replies, staring at me.

I want to stop looking at him, but I can't. I'm too scared to. I don't know why I am scared, but I am.

"Oh my lawd! Is that who I think it is?" someone says over the microphone.

A light falls on Jared, but he's not looking at it. He's looking at me, but I look away toward the DJ, who happens to be the quarterback Alex Cale. Jared snaps out of it, and he holds up his hand. "Well, as I live and breathe, it is! Everyone, Jared Harmon is back in town!" Alex exclaims.

Everyone cheers, and I look at Jared. He smiles, waves, and bows. He didn't change. Jared looks at me, and I hurry up the stairs. I search for the bathroom, and when I find it, I hurry in to it, locking the door behind me.

I slide down to the floor, and I place my face into my hands, crying as memories flood my mind.

***Flashback***
I find Xavier by the pool, and I walk up to him. "Hey, have you seen Jared?" I ask.

Xavier shakes his head. "Last time I saw him, he was going upstairs. Why?" he replies.

"Oh, Kyle just needs me at home," I say, "I'm going to find him."

Xavier nods, and I make my way back inside, maneuvering through the crowd of people. When I come to the stairs, I walk up them, stepping over red and blue cups. I check the bathroom, but there's no one in there. I check one of the bedrooms, and the only person in there is a drunk teenager that is passed out.

I shut the door and open the one next to it. I wish I hadn't. Laying on the edge of the bed is Wren Larson, who is trying to kick her shoes off. The guy leaning over her, making out with her, is Jared.

I gasp, and they both look at me. Wren puts on a smirk when she sees me, and Jared's eyes widen. "Braelyn," he says.

Tears blur my vision as I turn and practically run down the stairs. Jared calls after me. As I reach the bottom, a hand grabs my arm. "Let go!" I scream, causing everyone to look at me and even the music stops.

"Listen to me!" he hisses, leaning in.

"How could you do that?!" I yell, tears pouring down my face.

Jared looks around at everyone then something changes in his feature, and he smiles a wicked smile. "Do what, Braelyn? Cheat on you? C'mon. You can't sit there and say you didn't see it coming," he laughs.

I swallow, not replying. This isn't the Jared I know. This isn't the boy I fell in love with.

"Did you really think I was going to be faithful? You know my reputation, Brae," Jared says, opening his arms, "Everyone does."

I look around, and everyone watches. "I thought you changed," I whispered.

"Yeah, right. Sweetheart, I could never love someone like you. You're a nobody, Braelyn. Thus is your fault, you know. You should've known I would do this. I do it to almost every girl, so you should've seen it coming," he laughs.

Tears pour down my face, and my heart shatters at his words. "Thanks for playing, though, Nobody," he says.

"I wish I never met you!" I scream then push through the crowd of people and outside I go. The music begins to play again, and I pull out my phone, dialing Emma's number.

"Hey, what's up?!" She exclaims.

"Can you come get me?" I sob.

"What happened?"

"I was idiot. That's what happened."

***End of flashback***

"Braelyn?" Emma calls, knocking softly on the door.

"Go away," I sob.

"She's not going to open the door," Emma says to someone.

There's another knock. "Braelyn, please open the door," Xavier calls softly.

"I want to go home," I sob.

"Okay, I'll take you home, honey, but you have to open the door first," Xavier says.

I swallow, wiping my face. Then, I stand up as I hear Ridge say, "Let me try."

Marcus, Emma, Xavier, and Ridge stand on the other side. They look at me with pity. "Take me home please," I whisper.

Ridge steps forward, but Xavier is at my side before he gets the chance. At this point, I don't care who takes me home. "Okay, I'll take you home," he says, placing his hand at the small of my back.

We walk downstairs, and people give me weird looks. Xavier grabs my hand, sending them dirty looks. We walk out of the house and out to his car, and Xavier opens the door for me.

Ridge hurries over to me, and he hands me my purse. "Call me if you need me," he says.

I force a smile, and Ridge kisses my cheek. He closes the door, and Xavier gets in on his side. The entire car ride to my house is silent, and when he pulls into my driveway, I look at him. "Will you stay?" I ask.

He nods, but he looks taken back by my request. "Of course I will," he says, "I just need to get some stuff from my house and take a shower, okay?"

I nod, unfastening my seatbelt. "Okay," I say then grab my purse. I get out of the car and shut the door behind me.

I walk inside my house, and I don't spare a glance at a very frantic Nathan. "Braelyn, I'm so sorry," he says, pulling me into a hug.

I'm surprised by his gesture, but I find myself hugging him back. "If I had any idea he was coming back, I would've warned you," he says.

"It's fine," I say, pulling back, "I'm going to bed. Xavier should be here soon."

He nods. "Okay," he says, and I retreat to my room.
××××××
About an hour and forty-five minutes later, Xavier shows up in my room in a pair of gym shorts and t-shirt. I lay in bed, drying my hair with a towel. He sets his bag beside my chair and walks over to me. "I'm sorry, Braelyn," he says, pulling me into a hug.

"You didn't do anything wrong," I say.

"Yeah, but I'm apologizing for what he did. You didn't deserve it," Xavier says, kissing the top of my head. I inhale his scent, cinnamon of all things mixed in with soap, and I wrap my arms around him.

"Don't. It's not your place," I say, pulling away. I toss my towel into the hamper and crawl beneath the covers.

Xavier does the same, and he pulls me to him. "I hate seeing you hurt."

"Me, too," I say, and I close my eyes. Soon enough, I'm fast asleep in Xavier's arms.