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Jill
My holidays all begin the same: sleep in, lie around the house thinking about Eli, and then actually see Eli. I know things will change once school starts back, so I’m determined to make the most of the time we have, and hopefully make it harder for him to end things.
It’s the day before New Year’s Eve and it’s a rare day where the rain has stayed away. The snow has been falling sporadically, but it melts away quickly as the sun bathes in the sky. Mom is home and my afternoon is spent outside in the garden with her. Our house backs onto a reserve, so behind our yard are tall pine trees. The location is peaceful, until I hear two men bickering in the distance.
Standing up, I walk toward the argument. It’s coming from Jamie’s house. Crouching down behind a large bush that divides our properties, I spy Jamie and his dad outside on the back porch.
“I fucking told you to stay away from her, didn’t I? I swear, Jamie, if I get one more call that you’ve harassed her again, I’ll beat your ass to the point where you won’t be able to walk for a couple of weeks. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you fucked up?” A few seconds go past and then I hear their back door slam.
I stand up until my head is just over the fence and work my hands to part the bushes, just enough so I can make out what’s happening. The sounds of the trees moving, along with the wind rustling the leaves, echo in my ear. Jamie turns his head my way.
His eyes meet mine and remain stoic. They’re so cold. I shiver, holding my breath, realizing I’ve been caught. I don’t know what to do. Am I supposed to say something, acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation, or will that just make it worse?
“Fuck,” Jamie curses. He tears his gaze off me, storming into the shed at the rear of their yard. A resounding slam echoes through the air.
Fucking great. Because this is just what I need: another reason for him to hate me. Jamie’s father’s words echo in my mind. What the hell was he talking about? The only person Jamie is harassing is . . . well, me.
At least I think it is.
“What are you doing, Jill?”
Jumping, I turn around, my heart pounding, and stand back up. My face flushes. Mom is standing there, eying me suspiciously.
“I didn’t realize you knew our neighbors,” she adds.
I pick up something in her voice, but I’m not sure what. Uneasiness? Anxiety?
“The, um, boy goes to my school,” I mutter, wiping my hands on my shorts. I’m desperately trying to think of a way to finish the conversation when my phone vibrates in my pocket.
It’s Sophia. Thank fucking God.
Sophia: Want to catch up?
Me: Sure, come over if you like.
“I better get showered. Sophia is coming over,” I say, brushing past Mom.
I can feel her gaze follow me as I race inside. I don’t want her knowing what an ass Jamie is to me, because I know she’ll try to fix it and end up making things worse. I need to figure out what he and his dad were arguing about. This might be my only chance to have something over him. If he knows something about me and Eli, I’m going to need all the ammunition I can get.
Sophia comes over later that afternoon, and we’ve been lying on the bed reading magazines for the last hour. Every now and then she will ask a really weird question like ‘Have you tried anal?’ which will have me in hysterics. Worse, she seems to have no idea why I’m laughing.
I haven’t had a real friend since Alice, so this is a nice change. I’m beginning to feel like a teenager, which is ironic since I just turned eighteen and I’m sleeping with my teacher.
“Do you know what college you are applying for?” I ask, reading an article on deciding the right path for your future.
Sophia sits up from the bed and crosses her legs. “Yes, I’ve gotten into an exchange program at The University of Colorado. What about you?”
“I’ve applied to a few.” I sigh. “UC has always been where I wanted to go to college, ever since I was little. That’s part of the reason we moved to Denver. Alice is going there because they have an awesome art program, and their history courses are pretty damn good too. But now, I’m not sure.”
I hesitate, not wanting to go into too much detail. What if Eli goes back to New York? Sophia sits up, her hands combing through her short blond hair.
“Because of Eli?” Sophia asks, raising an eyebrow.
My heart begins to pound. I can feel the blood draining from my face as I begin to panic. Did I just hear her correctly? She cannot have guessed. If she has figured us out, then who else has? Jamie, Sophia . . . who next?
“Why would you think I have anything going on with Eli?” I frown, placing a confused expression on my face. I can feel my heart beating in my head and I’m praying to God I can pull this off.
Sophia glances out the window and bites her lip. It’s as if she’s trying to figure out whether she wants to say what’s on her mind or not.
