Headlights turn down our road, sending a shriek of panic through my chest. Grandma and Grandpa aren't supposed to be home this early—I'll have to make sure I tell them my made up plan exactly as I rehearsed: My best friend is in the hospital and our mutual friend Ian drove over here to tell me about it.
The car's lights don't slow down near our driveway though. They keep going and turn into Jace's house. My anxiety morphs into another form of panic. Only this one isn't so bad. It's dark outside and Jace can't see us on the porch since I kept the light off. His car comes to a stop and he gets out, then walks over to the passenger side to retrieve something from the front seat.
Ian's hand touches my cheek, gently pulling me back to face him. “I want you to forget about all that stuff, babe.” He goes in for a kiss, but I turn slightly and he gets my cheek instead. I have no butterflies with Ian this close to me. I always had butterflies before.
“What the hell, Bayleigh?” He pulls back with a look of disgust. “I drive all the way out here and I don't even get a kiss?”
“Shh,” I hiss, trying to shush him from talking so loudly. The last thing I need is for Jace to walk over here. “I'm just having a hard time accepting that I should forget about that girl. That's all.”
Ian throws himself off the porch swing and punches a wooden wall post. “You need to learn to let shit go. I got over everything bad about you.”
“What's bad about me?” I ask, forgetting to keep my voice quiet.
He counts off on his fingers. “Your mean as shit mother, your constant knack for getting grounded, you never put out, you are completely jealous of some bitch on Facebook,” he points to this thumb but then stops midsentence. “Who the fuck is that?”
I jump off the porch swing and spin around to find Jace crossing the yard, coming straight toward us. His car keys jingle in his hand until he slides them in his pocket. His other hand holds a long stem pink rose with the stem wrapped in white ribbons. My stomach twists in knots. He probably heard everything.
What am I going to do?
“Bro, this has nothing to do with you,” Ian calls out when Jace is only a few steps away from the porch.
He steps onto the porch. “It is my business if you're yelling at Bayleigh.”
My cheeks flush and my heart feels like it's going to burst right out of my ribcage.
“Like hell it is,” Ian growls. Jace takes a step forward, his eyes glaring at Ian as he approaches me. He holds out the rose to me. “For you,” he says with a smile. With a shaky hand, I reach out and take the flower. Our eyes meet and he winks at me.
Ian shifts on his feet, looking like he's about to explode. “What the fuck is this? You're gone two weeks and you replace me with this dipshit?”
“I'm guessing you're Ian,” Jace says.
Ian glares at me. “If you know who I am then you know you need to leave now.”
Jace shoves his hands in his pockets and leans against the wall, making it clear he has no intention of leaving. “If you'd like directions back to the interstate, I'd be happy to help you out.”
“I'm not going anywhere.”
Jace lifts an eyebrow. “I'm afraid you are.”
Ian grabs my arm and pulls me across the porch and away from Jace. “Tell him I'm not going anywhere.” I look from Ian to Jace and back, knowing who I would choose if I had the liberty of making that choice. Jace.
But Jace won't be here after summer, and Ian will.
But Ian has never given me flowers. I twist my arm from Ian's grasp and swallow. “I'm sorry,” I tell him. “I think you need to go.”
Ian's fists clench tightly at his side. From the corner of my eye, I see Jace still leaning against the house, a small grin stretching across his lips. Ian grabs his keys from the porch swing and scales the three stairs down to the grass. “Fuck both of you. Don't bother calling me when you get home, Bayleigh.”
I look away, unable to meet his eyes or say anything else. Ian seems to be frustrated that I'm not fighting for him to stay. He spits on the ground. “It's my fault for dealing with some whore still in high school.”
Jace flies off the porch. I watch in horror as he grabs Ian's shoulder and turns him around. Ian's eyes go wide as Jace throws his arm back, preparing to punch him. “Jace, no!” I run after him, grabbing his elbow just in time to stop him from beating the hell out of Ian.
Jace's muscles flex under my grip and I know I'm not strong enough to stop him. But he lowers his hand anyway. Ian stares, mouth open in shock. I grab Jace's lowered arm with both hands and don't let go. “Please, don’t,” I whisper loud enough for him to hear. Jace's cologne smells amazing as he turns back to look at me. His eyes look into mine while Ian lets out a string of profanities.
“Come on, Bayleigh,” Jace says, linking his fingers into mine and pulling me back toward my grandparent's house. “He isn't worth it.”
I don't look back as Ian's car starts up and peels out of the driveway, sending rocks scattering everywhere. Jace leads me into the house, up the stairs and into my room. Tears pour down my cheeks as I dive face first onto my bed, not wanting to talk to him but not wanting him to leave either. The bed sags as he sits in the middle of it. I open my eyes and turn my head to the side. Jace places the pink rose on my pillow.
“I had no idea he was going to show up like that,” I say after a few moments of silence.
