Jesse's Girl

Chapter 37

     Unfortunately, opening up to my dad didn't erase the fact that I was still grounded. Disappearing for an entire day only tacked on more days to my sentence.

     The rest of my day after our talk was spent lying in bed, staring at my bedroom ceiling as I pondered what I'd do when I returned to school the next day.

     A part of me wanted to go on blindly. Keep Kale at bay and satisfied; keep Jesse at arm's length and happy. It seemed like the less stressful option, but it wasn't fair. I already knew that, though. I was in too deep now. I'd feel like even more of liar than I already did, and I was sick of making excuses for myself to Jesse and Kale—even to Katrina—and not knowing why.

     I sighed loudly, closing my eyes.

     But they were all lying to me too, guarding their own secrets just as I was mine.

     The sound of thunder suddenly clapped loudly outside.

     I turned to the window, watching as the rain began to lightly fall against the glass, the droplets catching and sliding down.

     I'd get the truth, I thought, watching the window.

     But first I'd have to confront the person who caused this mess.

* * *

     Honestly, I'd hoped that my fight with Farrah would have been water under the bridge by the time I returned to class, but alas, as I walked through the hall on my way to my locker, I could hear the faint sound of my own voice from a phone nearby.

     I pretended not to notice. But as I opened my locker, I couldn't help but linger there, using the door as a barrier to keep anyone passing by from seeing the tinge of red kiss my cheeks. My skin only doubled in heat when I heard Farrah's shriek and the sound of the crowd that had been watching us erupt in gasps of surprise.

     I closed my eyes, trying to shut the sounds of the video out.

     And then I felt a hand touch the small of my back.

     I backed a fraction away from my locker, looking to my right to see the door slowly closing to reveal Jesse on the other side.

     "Hey." It only took that one word, and the soft, almost reassuring way he said it, that helped me breathe out.

     I broke his gaze to glance behind me, suddenly finding the confidence to track down the phone and ask the owner if they wanted to take Farrah's place in my next viral video.

     "You alright?" Jesse asked, casting a look around.

     "Yeah," I sighed. The sound of the video had died down, drowned out by the bustling of the hall. I looked back to Jesse. "I'm fine."

     "Good." He smiled lightly.

     My eyes dropped to his mouth, but I caught myself before he could notice, clearing my throat a little too loudly. I turned back to my locker, grabbing the edge of the door to open it back up.

     "So," Jesse started, moving to my left so that I could have the locker open as I ruffled through my textbooks. He turned with his back against the locker beside mine, his eyes across the hall. "How'd it go?"

     I assumed he must have meant my return home. "They were...understanding."

     He looked at me. "Did you lie to them?"

     "No." He hadn't said anything in response to that for a few long seconds, so I paused what I was doing, looking over to see his eyebrows raised, another smile dancing at his lips. "What?"