Living with the Karters

Chapter 17 : Acting Weird

When I get home from the party it's 2 am. It was fun, but it would've been funner if Jeremiah were there.

Adrian still isn't done with my room, so I have to sleep in Jeremiah's room. I silently slip into his room. I start slipping off my dress when he says, "Jasmine?"

"Yeah?" I ask.

"I missed you tonight," he says.

"I know," I say slipping on his shirt and a pair of his boxers and slid into bed with him. "I missed you tonight."

"Yeah?" he says.

I nod, "I guess it was fun but all that happened was guys were hitting on me and I just walked away."

"You just walked away?"

"Yeah," I say,"Do you not trust me?" I ask kinda hurt.

"No, I'm just really happy you just walked away."

"Oh," I smile, "I trust you Jeremiah, you know that right?" I hear him gulp. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he whispers, kissing my head, "just go to sleep." I nod and doze off. Last night I had a feeling that something was wrong. Maybe I should've listened to it.

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"Jasmine," he says. "Wake up." My eyelids flutter open to see Jeremiah, his wet brown hair and blue-gray eyes and that's when I notice a little scar above his eye.

I reach up, smiling at him and run my finger over it. He smiles but when he notices what I'm doing his smile fades, so I stop, embarrassed. "Sorry," I whisper and get up and rush into the bathroom.

While I'm in the shower, humming the melody of Jeremiah's song. "It was from a fight," he says.

I know that he's talking about his scar. "Go on," I say.

"Some guy cheated on Sammie about 3 months ago," he tells me, "I marched over to his house and punched him in his jaw. and he dug his finger above my eye."

"Wow," I say, getting out of the shower and wrapping a towel around myself.

He kisses my forehead and I put on just a plain peach button up shirt and jean shorts. (Pictureee on side) When I go to put on makeup, Jeremiah stops me.

"Not today," he tells me and kisses me. I brush my hair and we get in the car. Sammie rides with us.

"Jeremiah," she says before getting in the car, "a word please."

He gets up and she says something, he shakes his head 'no' and then comes over and we drive to school in silence.

Journalism goes by slowly. I've been writing about my parents, but its hard for me and I get teary eyed.

Kelsey has been avoiding me lately and Jeremiah has been quiet. I'm feeling eerie and weird. When we get to gym, it's free time. She just wants us to talk, because she has something that came up and that a substitute should be here for tomorrow.

I walk over to Kelsey who's talking to Frankie and Frankie's yelling at her, but I don't know what about.

They immediately stop talking. "What?" I ask.

"Nothing," Frankie says, and walks away.

"Why have you been avoiding me all day? You and Jeremiah have both been acting really weird," I say and take her hand and we go over with Jeremiah and Sammie.

No one talks and it feels really awkward. "Okay, what's up???" I ask, suspiciously.

The bell rings and Sammie rolls her eyes, "I'll see you at lunch," she says.

"Well?" I ask. Neither one of them say anything. "Guys, I'm serious, what?!" I almost scream. Jeremiah takes my hand, but I jerk it away.

I make my way to a table with Sammie, Isaac, Tristan, Adrian, Frankie and Kaytlyn. I plop down between Isaac and Sammie and steal one of Isaac's french fries.

"Sure, Jasmine, you can have a french fry," he says sarcastically.

"I don't feel good," I say.

"How come?" Kaytlyn asks, passing me an apple. I take a bite out of it.

"Because, everyone's acting weird today," I frown at Sammie and Frankie.

Jeremiah and Kelsey both sit down and it gets awkward again. "Again?!" I say, and put my head in my hands.

"Are you guys serious? it's been 5 periods and you guys didn't tell her?!" Sammie says loudly.

No one says anything. Jeremiah just avoids eye contact and so does Kelsey.

"Fine, if you don't think she deserves to hear it from either one of you, she deserves to hear it from someone who ACTUALLY cares about her," she rants to them. My stomach flops and I'm thinking the worst thoughts.

She pauses, probably waiting for someone to speak. "Fine, Jasmine," she says to me softly, "Jeremiah cheated on you." When she first says it, I can't breath or think... But just two days ago we...

Before I can finish that thought, she continues, "...with your so called bestfriend over there." She nods towards no other than Kelsey.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. At first, I want to be mad. But even more than that, I feel betrayed, and sad. Though my first reaction is to punch him and scream, I say one thing and one thing only, "I'm going to be sick."

Tears prick my eyes as I run to the bathroom. "JASMINE!" I hear Jeremiah. "Leave her alone, you've hurt her enough," Tristan.

I open the bathroom door and puke in the first stall. I sink down onto the floor, not caring about how disgusting it is. I cry until nothing comes out and my chest aches. Wow. Jeremiah was right when he said I shouldn't have worn makeup today.

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Teaser : Jeremiah's POV for the reveal.