Shattered Ties(68)

We only had a few weeks until my eighteenth birthday. After that, I wouldn’t have to hide Jesse from the world. I would be a legal adult, and I knew my dad would pay for me to stay someplace. I wouldn’t be trapped under my mother’s roof.

I was just hoping that Jesse would wait that long. I could see the resentment in his eyes when we would pass each other in the hallway, and I couldn’t say a word to him because my friends surrounded me. I’d texted him a few times to see if I could come over after school, but he always claimed that he had to work.

The next week was the same.

And the next.

Things were beyond tense when we were together, which wasn’t often. I tried to talk to Jesse about it, but he refused. I just kept telling him to give me a few weeks until I could move out, and then I’d announce it to the world.

Lucy knew what was going on, but she had no way to help me either. She knew I was hurt by the coldness Jesse was showing toward me, and she would try to cheer me up, but it was useless.

Every day, I felt like Jesse and I were being pulled further and further apart. I’d finally had enough of it one night, so I texted Jesse to tell him that he was coming to my house whether he liked it or not since my mom had a dinner she had to go to. It took him forever to reply, but he finally texted me back and agreed to let me pick him up at his house.

I didn’t care how long it took. I was going to make him see how much I loved him and just how hard it was to stay away from him while everyone bashed him at school. I would make things right between us. I had to. There was no way that I could deal with losing him.

I was nervous as I drove to Jesse’s. It felt like London had never happened and that we were hanging precariously at the edge of a cliff. One slip, and everything that we’d accomplished together would fall.

I was surprised to see that Jesse’s mom was home. I knew she worked the night shift, so it was unusual for her to be home this early in the evening.

“Hey, Emma,” she said when she answered the door.

“Hey. Is Jesse here?”

“Yeah, he’s in his room. Please ignore the mess. I’m trying to get everything packed and ready to go. Mark and I leave tomorrow.”

“Already? Jesse told me you were leaving, but I didn’t realize it was this soon.”

“He won’t talk about it, so I’m not surprised that he hasn’t mentioned it.”

“He really hasn’t talked to me period lately. It’s my fault though.”

“Well, go fix it. He’ll need you around more once I’m gone. I don’t want him to be alone.”

“He won’t. I’ll make sure of that,” I said as I walked back to his room. I could hear music blaring from inside the room, so I didn’t bother knocking.

He wouldn’t hear me anyway.

He was lying on his bed when I walked in. He noticed me and turned off the music.

“Hey,” I said nervously.

“Hey.”

“Can we talk? I mean, we are going to talk whether you want to or not. I just wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk here or at my house.”

“We can talk wherever you want.”

“Okay...I guess I’ll start. Why have you been ignoring me?”

“I think you have it wrong. It’s you who’s been ignoring me.”

“You and I both know why I can’t be with you at school. But every time I try to meet up with you, you shoot me down. Why?”

“Maybe I’m sick of being your little secret. Maybe you need to see what it’s like.”

“Jesse, I’m sorry that I’ve hurt you. I just don’t know how to fix this.”

“Neither do I.” He sighed. “Look, it’s not just you who I’m pissed off at. My mom has been driving me nuts while she’s been packing for the last two weeks. She will be gone tomorrow, and I’m trying to accept that I’ll be alone.”

“But you’re not alone. You have me. Just hold on for a few more weeks until I turn eighteen. Once I do, I’ll scream that I’m with you from the roof at school. My mom can kiss my ass because I won’t have to live with her anymore. I’ll be an adult, and I know my dad will let me stay at his place here or pay the rent for an apartment.”

He studied me. “You won’t hide me anymore?”

“No. I’ve never wanted to hide you, but if anyone found out now, my mom would lock me in my room, and she’d find some way to have you kicked out of my school. We just have to wait until I can leave.”

“It was always there in the back of my mind that you were ashamed of me.”

“I could never be ashamed of you. Never.”

He pulled me down, so I was sitting next to him on the bed.

“I sound like a needy girl, but that makes me kind of happy. I thought we had things figured out when we were in London, but then everything went to shit as soon as we got back.”

“I know, and it’s my fault. I promise to fix this.”

“All right, I believe you.” He leaned over and kissed me.

“Let’s go to my house to hang out. My mom has a dinner thing, so she won’t be back until tomorrow. She always prowls those parties for some poor unsuspecting guy to sink her claws into.”

He laughed. “Poor bastard. I can’t wait until I get to meet her. After she hears what I have to say, she’ll love me even more.”