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Her gaze jolts over to her dad to avoid locking eyes with me. "What are you two up to?"
"Jace stopped by to see how I'm doing." He gestures to the TV. "We were just watching a few of his old games."
Just then, the video switches to one of Paige, Carter, and me. We're running around the backyard, all looking happier than ever as we jump into the pool. Seeing it, and knowing Paige is watching it with me, makes me feel things I'm not willing to let in.
Not now.
Not ever.
I glance down at my phone for a second and sigh. "Wow. I didn't realize it was getting so late."
Peyton gives me a look that tells me he can see right through me, but thankfully doesn't question anything. "It was really nice of you to stop by, Jace. Don't be a stranger."
"I won't." And that's a promise I plan on keeping.
As I walk past Paige and toward the door, I give her a subtle nod, for her father's sake. The man has enough to worry about. He doesn't need to waste his time wondering why his daughter and I aren't exactly on speaking terms.
The cold air hits me the second I step outside, and it makes me realize I've been shaking since the second I got out of that room—and I don't think it's because of the temperature. It's like karma is coming back to bite me in the ass, by making me watch someone else I care about die.
One Year Ago
I stand completely frozen in place, not even responding as Carter screams my name from the door. He runs over and stands in front of me, gripping both my arms.
"What the fuck happened?"
My mouth opens, but no words come out.
I can't speak.
I can't scream.
I can't fucking move.
Sirens can be heard in the distance. Carter looks toward where they're coming from, and his eyes widen.
"We need to get the hell out of here."
He's right. He usually is. But it's as if I have absolutely no control of my own body.
"Jace!"
Instead of waiting for me to follow, he holds my forearm in a vice grip and pulls me with him.
I watch from an inconspicuous location as Jace gets in his car. When I came home today, the absolute last thing I expected was him sprawled out on the couch, talking football with my dad. I don't even know how he found out about my dad's condition, but he also made it obvious that he wasn’t interested in being in my presence.
Carter was right—there is definitely something to be worried about. The whole time I spent in his dorm last night, neither one of us said a word. At one point, he started fidgeting and looking really on edge. However, all that stopped when he came back from grabbing his laptop from his room. The logical part of me wants to consider the possibility that maybe he's on drugs. But my heart doesn’t want to believe that. He wouldn't. He's smarter than that.
Jace pulls out and drives down the road, and I can't seem to look away until he disappears. When I can no longer see his taillights, I sigh and close the blinds. Unfortunately, my dad caught the look on my face before I could mask it.
"Uh-oh, what's going on there?" he asks.
I shake my head and try to play it off. "It's nothing. Really."
"Paige Annabelle. You haven't spent the last twenty years lying to me. Don't start now."
Crossing my arms over my chest, I chuckle. "That you know of. What if I secretly lie to you all the time?"
He smiles but still gives me the look. "Then you'd probably be a lot better at it. A monkey can lie better than you."
