Two Thousand Miles Away

Chapter 32

Ella

"I missed you so much," Becca said as she wrapped me in a hug.

I hugged her back as I smiled. "I missed you too." Then I took my suitcase and threw it on the bed. "How was your break?" I asked her.

She groaned and sat down at her desk. "Don't even get me started."

"Okay."

Then, of course, she kept talking. "So I get home and everything is fine, right? Nope. My parents are moving. Out of my house."
I glanced back at her. "Okay. You're not there anymore. Why does it matter?"

Becca glared at me. "I grew up in that house." I kept quiet until she added. "So did that bartender text you?"

I shook my head and sat down on my bed. "He never even gave me his number."

My phone beeped beside me and I grabbed it. The text was from Maddie. I frowned. I'm sorry about what Jacob did. I told him to tell you or I said I'd tell. I hope you're happy I did that. You deserve to be treated better.

I frowned and just felt completely disgusted. He wouldn't have told me. Maddie is the only reason he told me.

"Then we're going there tonight to get that number," Becca corrected. I jumped, forgetting she was there. Then she got up and went to her closet, no doubt that she was picking out her outfit for tonight.

I got up and put the dress she had in her hand back. "No," I told her. "It was a month ago. I doubt he even remembers me."

Becca shrugged. "There's only one way to find out."

***

Becca, of course, tried to get me to wear a tight, sexy outfit to the bar. But that wasn't going to happen. If Clyde remembered me then he remembered me. He didn't need to come over thinking I was little Miss Sexy and then realize it was me.

We walked in and I quickly felt my heart began to race. Caleb got us drinks so I didn't need to face Clyde. Halfway through my Diet Coke I almost choked. "Caleb," I said as I realized who had just walked in, "I thought you said he was staying in tonight."

Caleb turned to Jacob. "I thought he was. We don't really talk now because of what he did."

I turned to Becca with a help look on my face. "Let's go," she said.

Right as we were trying to slip out, Jacob saw us. "Ella wait!" he called as he rushed through the crowd trying to get to us. I froze with fear. When he reached me he said, "Thanks for waiting."

I glanced at the bar. Clyde was looking right at me.

I shook my head as I tried to speak. "What do you want?" I asked quietly.

"Can't we just talk?"

I shrugged and then looked around. "Talk," I told him, "cause you're not gonna get another chance."

Jacob then took a deep breath and grabbed my hand. I pulled away. "Ella I miss you."

I shook my head. "Would you have ever told me?" He scrunched his eyebrows, clearly confused. "Maddie told me that she gave you no choice. Would you have told me if she hadn't forced you?"

Jacob looked away from me for a second and I knew whatever came out of his mouth next would be a lie. "Yeah, of course."

I gave a curt laugh as I wiped my eyes. I was about to start crying. Then I thought of my mom's words; don't get taken advantage of. "When? In a year? When we moved in with each other? When we're married with kids?" I took another step forward and shook my head at him. "You still cannot stop lying. You never would have told me."

Jacob then shocked me by what he said. "What was I supposed to do? If I told you originally you never would have talked to me again! If you weren't so freakin over dramatic then none of this would have happened!"

I rolled my eyes. "You had all this information on me and I had no idea. I wasn't ready to tell you about my past but you already knew and never told me."

"Can't we just forget about this and go back to how we were?"

I shook my head. "No."

Jacob gave me one of those looks that you give a child when you think they are being dumb. "Why? You liked college me and high school me."

I shook my head again and gave Jacob a long look. I still couldn't believe this was him. He wasn't the guy I fell in love with. "Do you remember Ben?" I asked. Jacob nodded. "You told me to stop letting him take advantage of me. And yet you want me to let you take advantage of me."

"That's not fair."

I shrugged. "But it is. I'm sorry Jacob," I told him, "I don't love you anymore. I don't even think I like you." Then I laughed. "At least you proved me right about jocks. They are all dicks. Even the good ones."

Then I turned around and walked back to the table. "Bye R2-D2," I told him.

Then he left and for the first time I actually felt really, really good about myself. I deserved better than a guy who would lie that much and I was going to give myself better.