Neutral Zone (Jordan Baker) COMPLETED

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Important

    I woke up the next day wrapped in Jordan's arms at the same time, somebody knocked on the door. "Jordan, Chrissy. Get up its time to get ready for school,"
      I looked over on the dresser and I realized that my l.e.d light on my phone was blinking, I reached and grabbed my phone and woke up the screen. It was a text message from my dad.

      From: Dad
Doc got back to me and after like an hour of discussion, you can get back to school today but you have to take it easy.

      To: Dad
      I already knew this but I will! Thank you!

      I sat up and looked over at Jordan, who was gazing at me, smirking at me. "Why are you smirking?"
     He leaned over and kissed me. "No reason, good morning beautiful,"
    I leaned up and met his lips. "Morning handsome,"
    I broke the kiss and got out of the bed and began walking towards his door.
    He propped himself up on his elbow "Where are you going?"
      I looked over at him and laughed softly. "To ask your sister if I can borrow some clothes since the clothes I wore here yesterday is a dress and I can't wear these,"
    He gets out of bed and walked into his closet and then back out a second later and tosses a shirt at me. "Well, maybe not the shorts but you can wear my shirt. It looks ridiculously good on you,"
       "I know,"
     "Go ask Olivia for some pants but change into my shirt,"
I chuckled and walked out of the hallway and a little down the hall to Olivia's room. "It's Chrissy,"
      "Come in,"
     I twisted the knob and opened it. She was sitting at her mirror doing her make-up. She was always the fastest one to get ready in the morning. She looks up at me through her mirror and quickly turns around. "You guys did it, didn't you?"
"Wait? Why'd you think that? I'm wearing J's clothes cause I wore a dress over-"
       She shook her head and pointed to my neck. "Not that. That,"
     I threw her a confused look and then I saw what she was referencing. I walked up to her mirror and I caught a red mark that was turning purple on my neck.  "That's why he was smirking... I'm gonna kill him,"
      "You do that. Need some clothes in the meantime?"
      "Just pants and I'm gonna need makeup to cover this up,"
****
     Olivia and I were walking into the kitchen as Laura was talking to Coach after getting ready. "You prepping for Logan high?"
       "I'm telling you, they look deceptively easy,"
       Jordan walked into the kitchen and grabbing a glass of orange juice. "Yeah, well, we'll light 'em up, dad,"
      Jordan looked up at me and I flip him off when no one was looking which cause Jordan to laugh, making him spit out his orange juice cause he knew precisely why I did that. "You okay there J?"
     He chokes a little bit. "Oh yeah, I'm fine,"
    Coach eyed Jordan and then me then back to the iPad and continues to speak. Olivia while pouring herself OJ, shrugged. "They got Mitchell on the end, though. I thought he was injured,"
     Coach started to say something but cuts himself off when he realized it was Olivia who said that. "He-"
     Jordan looks shocked as well. "What? I'm a coach's daughter. I pay attention,"
     "Okay. Look at you. Well, Mitchell will be back by playoffs, so we need a game plan Spencer, Jordan, we should meet up after school, discuss some options. I need to throw in a wrinkle-" Coach started to say.
       Jordan took a swallow of his OJ and muttered. "I can't today. Sorry,"
     "What? Where you gotta be?"
     "Promised JJ we'd watch a movie or hang out since we really haven't hung out lately,"
      "Oh,"
      "Um, but I'll see you guys later? Chrissy, I'll meet you in the car?"
     I nodded. "All right. Bye,"
   They all looked at me but Liv was the first one to talk. "Is it just me or is he acting weirder than usual?"
    I laughed and raised my hand up in defense. "I have no idea,"
     I walked out of the house and see Jordan buckling his seatbelt. I walked over to the passenger seat and sat down. Once, I was buckled in I turned to look at me and I punched him in the arm as hard as I could. He put his hand on his arm. "Ow! What was that for?"
     "For leaving a huge ass mark on my neck and then not telling me about it,"
     Jordan looked at me for a second and then laughs softly. He puts the key in the ignition, turns the car on and pulls out of the drive.  "You're lucky, that your parents didn't see it when I was walking to your sister's room,"
      "Oh well. Are you sure you're ready to go back to school?"
      "Yeah, it was getting old, so are you going to tell me where you're actually going after school?"
     Jordan looks at me, then back at the road and sighed. "How do you know I was lying?"
       "I know you better than yourself J,"
      "I'm going to Grandpa Willie's,"
     I was speechless after everything Willie had said about me and our relationship, he still wants to be around him. I didnt even say anything but look out of the window. We tore into the school's parking lot and parked. "He's helping me with my football,"
     I got out of the car and began to walk into school. "Oh really now?"
     Jordan quickly caught up to me. "Yeah, want to come?"
     I scoffed and then chuckled. "No, not at all, but do have fun,"
     I walked to my locker, opened it and got of the textbook I needed for my first hour class. "I know Grandpa Willie said some stuff and he was wrong but give him another chance,"
    Was he though? Everything Willie said happened besides the cheating part. "He wasn't wrong though?"
      He looked at me confused. "What?"
     I shifted my bag onto my other hip and sighed. " All I have done for the past couple of weeks has caused you problems,"
    He walked over to me and drew me into a hug, I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Babe, you didn't have anything to do with that. It wasn't your fault,"
      "It had everything to do with me. If I wasn't important to you, Ripley would've never gotten you high and the rest of it, you wouldn't have had to worry about me when I was taken. Ripley, wouldn't have came into your life. I made her to come into your life and almost ruined your chance to play in the playoffs," I said. "So like I said, he wasn't wrong,"
      Jordan just stood there for a few minutes before he opened his mouth, but the voice that came out wasn't his. It was JJ's. "Yo Chrissy! You're back!"
     "Yeah, good to be back,"
*****
      Every time, I saw Jordan in the hallways, I would avoid him. I hadn't spoken to him since this morning, even in the classes we had together. Mainly, due to the fact, the teachers push me to the side so I could get up and do the homework I missed. It wasn't that I didn't want to speak to or see him, I just didn't want to continue our conversation from earlier. I was at my locker, putting all the books up cause I finally finished all the missing homework, I had when I heard steps coming up to me. I looked up and saw Layla. "Hey,"
      "Hey Layla, sorry, we really haven't had the opportunity to talk-"
      "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you are okay,"
      "Yeah, same here. So you and Spencer?"
She smiled. I haven't seen her this happy in a few months. "Yeah,"
      "I'm happy you're happy. You deserve it," 
       She looked over and I saw Spencer waiting "Thank you. I gotta go, I'll talk to you later,"
       I nod and she walked away.  I shut my locker and turned to my right and Jordan was leaning up against the locker next to mine. I jumped a few feet into the air. "Jordan, don't do that,"
      "I wouldn't have had to creep up on you if you weren't avoiding me all day,"
     There wasn't any point in trying to lie. "Well, I didn't want to carry on our conversation from earlier,"
     Jordan wrapped his arm around my neck and I grabbed his hand that was falling off my shoulder as I wrapped my other hand around his waist. "Then don't talk, but listen. Yes, all that happened cause of you, but you didn't know it was gonna take place. You had no idea that your step fucker would kidnap you. You had no idea that Ripley was his daughter. You had no idea that he was gonna use her to get between us. You didn't almost cause me to lose my opportunity at the playoffs that was me. All me, so in conclusion none of what happened was your fault,"
      "But you smoked because I wouldn't let you explain what happen and broke up with you,"
     "Listen to yourself, stop blaming yourself for other people's actions. Yes, I smoked cause you broke up with me but that was MY choice. I didn't have to get high to get my mind out of it. I could've lived and threw a football around or talked to Liv about it, but I choose to smoke,"
      "But I still caused you heartache,"
      Jordan looks away from me and sighs back looks back at me a few moments later. "You were the most stubborn girl, I have ever met. You drive me nuts half the time. You have caused me heartache but you know what you always have caused me to have?"
        I shook my head, afraid my voice was gonna fail me. "You have done me so much happiness from the time we first time to right now. You have made me to smile on my worse days. You have made me to believe that I could love so deeply. You are the only reason I can breathe. Chrissy, I don't worry about those heartaches cause you were in the right to cause them. I just care about the love and the happiness you give me,"
      I just stood there, not knowing the words that could express what I was feeling. Jordan reached up to my face and wiped away a tear. I was crying and I didn't even know. I answered what I thought would express my feelings. I grabbed a hold of his shirt and drew him close to me as I smashed my lips against his.
     *****
       "If you feel uncomfortable at any time, we will leave. If he begins to insult you, I will defend you and then we'll leave," Jordan said as he parked the car outside Willie's house.
       I don't know how he got me to agree to come but he did. I was hesitant to even look at his house but Jordan just grabbed my hand and put it to his lips and kissed it.
"I'm right next to you. You know you didn't have to come,"
        "I know but I didn't want you to sit there and have him talk down to you,"
        Jordan slightly smiles. "Are you ready?"
      I nod. I got out of the car and simply stood there until Jordan walked around to my side and held out his hand to me. I walked up to him and twined my fingers through his and grabbed his arm with my other. We started walking up to the house and Jordan knocked on the door, and it takes him a few minutes to go to the door. The longer we were waiting, the tighter my grip on Jordan got. He kisses the top of my head. "Relax, it's gonna be okay,"
       Willie opened the door as he was kissing me and he eyeballed me and looked at Jordan. "Come in,"
     I didn't let go of Jordan as we walked into the home until we sat on the couch, but I sat close enough to Jordan that our legs were touching.