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I slipped into my jeans and located my shirt on the floor in front of the closet. As soon as my hoodie was over my head, I heard the iconic line linger off the pillow Cora was sunken into.
“Where are you going?” she whispered and sat up so she could see me. She ran a hand through her tangled mess of curls. “Do you want to get breakfast or something?”
I shrugged. “Can’t. I have to head back to school today.” I grabbed my phone from the end of the bed and cracked open the bedroom door to take a peek in the hallway. If I made my exit now, I would avoid running into anyone else in the house.
“You’re really just gonna—”
I cut her off by shutting the door. I didn’t have time to explain myself more than once. Cora had known me since high school, and if she didn’t know how I operated by now, that was her problem. I was pretty sure we had done this run around a year ago, the summer after my freshman year at BG. Same outcome, different day.
According to the location tracker on my phone, my Jeep was parked outside on the street. I had no idea how it got there, but I didn’t have time to care. If I remember correctly, Natalie shared a house with three other girls, and I was pretty sure I performed this same vanishing act on two of them. I needed to put miles between me and this location.
Once I was safe in the car, I took out my phone to assess any further damage. I had a text from my brother telling me he was home for the night, a text from Heather asking if I was back at school yet, and a text from Bryson. I tossed my phone on the passenger seat and rested my forehead on the steering wheel. I shouldn’t have expected a text from Maci, but I still hoped she would let me know she made it back to campus okay.
Over break, I may have done too well of a job making sure that Maci knew I wanted nothing more than just a friendship. It was the only way to draw a clear line between what she deserved and what I could offer. She had to be reminded of the guy I was outside of our hangouts and the time we spent together, especially after the few days we had before leaving for break.
I replayed the scene repeatedly in my head of us saying goodbye at her apartment. Only in this updated version I kissed her, and I kissed her in a way that let her know I would be thinking about her every single day while I was away from her. In this version, I didn’t sleep with anyone else while I was here. In this version, I called when I said I would call, and there weren't any drunken interruptions from other broads or pictures of half-naked girls.
But I didn’t know how to be anything more than what I was currently doing to Cora. Maci already had one guy doing that to her. Right now, the only difference between him and me was our names.
A sharp pang came from my gut. I knew Bryson was already back in BG, and I had a good feeling I knew where he was waking up this morning. For Bryson, keeping a girl around for three months was out of character, and it completely sucked that Maci had to be the exception. I hadneverwanted someone this bad that I couldn’t have before.
My phone buzzed on the seat. When it buzzed more than once, I looked over at the screen. It was my mom.
“What’s up, Ma?” I mumbled. I dragged a hand down my face and leaned against the seat, waiting for the pounding in my head to subside.
“Hey baby,” she chirped. “Rough night?” The sound of pots and pans clanging in the background let me know that she was in the kitchen and I was on speakerphone.
I smiled and relaxed at the sound of her voice. After a night out, she knew all too well what kind of position I was in by this time in the morning. “Not at all.”
She laughed. “What time are you taking off today? You’re coming home first, right? I have to be at the luncheon by eleven to help set up the gift baskets.”
“I’ll be there soon, Ma.” I sighed. “I’m going to hang up now because I feel like my head is close to exploding.”
“Drive safe.” Her voice sounded further away and completely unphased by my hangover. “Alex should still be here when you get back too. Boy is still in bed, so it’s safe to say he isn’t in a hurry. I love you.”
“Love you too.” I hung up and started the trek back home.
Since it was a Sunday, there wouldn’t be too much traffic on the outskirts of Charlotte. But since my head felt like it was splitting in two, I decided to take the scenic route to avoid any surprises. I loved coming home for breaks and an occasional long weekend visit, but North Carolina was a world away from Bowling Green, Ohio. A month had felt like a year, and I was ready to get a break from city life for a little while.
Since I had rolled into my hometown, it had been the usual pattern of reuniting with friends, locating a party or scene for the evening, going with the flow of where that night would take us, and hanging around someone’s house all afternoon until we could repeat the cycle. Most of my friends went to school, but some had taken other avenues after graduation that kept them here all year round. Either way, whenever we got back together, it was as if no time had passed.
After twenty minutes, I rolled up to the gate and punched in our code. I was happy to see that Alex’s car was still in the driveway, along with my mom’s. As soon as I stepped out of the Jeep, I was greeted by a familiar voice.
“Jaxon Hayes.” Bella smiled from the front porch. Her blonde curls were in a messy bun on top of her head, and she was in leggings and a light purple sweater.
“Bella Kingsley.” I grinned and scooped her up in my arms.
Bella had been like a sister to me since I met her in elementary school. She quickly became close with Alex when we were growing up, and my mom completely latched onto the idea of having another girl in the house all the time. She came to holidays and family functions and even tagged along on a few of our vacations. There was a week in high school during my freshman year when she stayed with us because of a lousy fight with her mom. Bella was family.
She rested her hands on my chest and stared up at me. “I am so happy I got to see you before we left. My flight got in last night, and I was disappointed that you weren’t here when Alex brought us back.”
I stared at the freckles that ran along the bridge of her nose. I didn’t even know that Bella was going to be in town.
Bella’s gaze narrowed, and she slowly shook her head. “Your brother didn’t tell you, did he?”
I played back all of the recent conversations Alex and I had. “Imma go with no.”
“He’s such an idiot. Come inside. Your mom said she has something to give you before you leave.”
