Pieces - (Spanking)

28

It was about eleven-thirty when we finally left the house, with a few bags of snacks and a cooler in the backseat of Jason's car. We decided that we'd try to have a little picnic if the weather allowed for it.

The drive wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be.

Jason let me play songs from my phone (with the exception of a few that he disapproved of), and we kept the talking to a minimal — focusing more on the passing sceneries. 

I didn't mind the lack of conversation. Knowing us, we'd probably end up in some kind of argument.

We ended up reaching the national park three hours later, and I was ready for food. 

"What are you doing? Don't you wanna look around first?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow as I grabbed the bag of snacks out of the car.

I frowned. "Do we really have to?"

"Don't tell me you wanted to go on a road trip just to eat," Jason groaned.

"Fine," I sighed, compromising by grabbing a bag of chips out of the bag and leaving the rest of the food in the car.

The park was a large forest, with a thin trail leading to a large viewpoint that looked over the ocean. I followed behind Jason for half an hour, as he pointed out the various trees and birds.

"How do you know all of this?" I asked.

"Me and Elliot used to go on a lot of hikes and trails. He's the one who taught me most of this stuff," Jason said, taking a seat on a park bench. 

I sat beside him, and stretched my legs.

"Why'd you become a teacher?" 

"I don't know. It was the best option I had. My grades were pretty bad while I was living with Mom and Dad, but they improved when I moved out. I guess I always liked science."

I observed Jason for a few moments before speaking up again. I didn't want to push his buttons too much, but I really did want to know more about why he left and what happened afterwards.

"Why did you move out?" I asked.

Jason was quiet for a few minutes, leaving me to believe that I screwed up by asking.

"A lot of reasons," Jason finally answered, clearing his throat. "A lot of things happened. Dad and I had a big fight over those things, and I reached my breaking point and left. I wandered the streets for a night or two, before Elliot found out and took me with him."

"And then?" 

Jason kept his eyes trained ahead, seemingly lost in his thoughts. 

"And then I went to a new school. I struggled a bit initially. I thought that leaving the house would mean that I would leave all my problems behind, but that wasn't the case. I had a lot of growing to do. Elliot had to learn how to be a good guardian, which was tough for him being only nineteen. Eventually, I adjusted to my new lifestyle and started smartening up. Got better grades, got accepted into university, and became a teacher."

I absorbed all of this information, trying to imagine what it would have been like.

I played with the zipper on my jacket, contemplating whether or not to ask the next question on my mind. 

"And you never came back for me?" I quietly asked.

Jason broke out of his trance to glance down at me. 

He was quiet for a long time, probably wondering what the safest thing to say was.

"It's not.. It's not that I didn't care," Jason started. "It's just that.. there was a lot going on during that time in my life. I just needed to get out of that house, and I couldn't think about anyone else other than myself. It's not a good excuse, but I wasn't in the right mental state."

I remained silent.

"It took a lot for me to begin healing. I put Elliot through hell before I finally understood the depth of my trauma. I'm still not a hundred percent okay, and I think you coming here helped me realize that I still have a lot of work to put in."

I nodded, not trusting myself enough to speak.

Jason looked at me again, probably sensing that I still didn't accept his answer fully.

He left for eight years. The first two years — fine, maybe he really did need to heal. But what about the six years that followed? He couldn't make a single attempt to get me out of that hellhole?

"I'm sorry, I know that my answers probably don't make you feel any better."

"It's whatever," I replied, trying my best to act nonchalant. He already thought I was dramatic enough.  "Can we head back and grab some food?

Jason looked like there was more on his mind, but he pressed his lips into a tight line and nodded. 

"Let's go."

- 

We grabbed our food and headed back into the park to sit on a park table and eat. We headed back not too long after, and the ride home was spent in comfortable silence, with Jason's pick of songs keeping the awkwardness at a minimum.

By the time we reached back home, it was almost time for dinner.

"You should go and get some homework done. I'll call you down when food's ready," Jason said, as we entered the house.

I nodded, and began heading up the stairs, before turning back around to look at Jason.

"Today was nice. I like hanging out together," I said.

Jason gave me a small smile (which was quite impressive for him).

"Me too."

~~

a.n:

not sure if u noticed, but i just uploaded 3 chapters. this is because i won't be able to post the next update for a while (family tripppp) 

this is actually my favorite chapter so far, even though it's on the shorter side. i hope those who hated jason in the beginning (i know theres a lot of u) can somewhat understand his point of view. i really wanna work harder on this character development, so let me know what you think and also your opinion on what will/should happen next!