It's Not A Game Of Chance When It Comes To Love

Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight…

Still in an incredibly bad mood, I sulked on Jord’s sofa, trying to ignore how the feeling of his arm carelessly laid across my shoulder was having the opposite effect I was going for. I couldn’t quite get over the anger at my parents, at how careless they’d been and the position they’d put me in.

I’d told Anna that I was staying with Grace for the time being, until things had reached the stage where it would be questioned, but I think we both knew that that wasn’t the truth. All I had to do now was tell Grace what was going on, so that it the police called she’d have an excuse at the ready.

A sigh emanated from Jord beside me and a consecutive one came from myself. It had just gone from very bad, to extremely bad.

And to think we thought it was all going to be okay.

Unable to help myself, I snuggled into Jord’s side. It was an automatic reaction that I couldn’t help, plus it was more comfortable.

Just as I got relaxed enough to let my eyes droop and the inviting lure of sleep become more realistic, Jord spoke. “I think we need to talk about…stuff.”

Instantly, my heart dropped. Stuff, was more than likely us. My instinctive reaction was obviously to assume that he’d changed his mind; that that rationality had come back to him and he’d realised that this thing we had going on was going to cost more than it was worth. That was obviously the opposite to how I viewed it, but I wouldn’t be the one to suffer if we were caught.

Hesitantly, I found myself agreeing. As much as I didn’t want to, this was something that needed discussing, sooner rather than later.

I was shocked by his opening line, however, and found myself relaxing much more quickly, my heart warming to the conversation. “I want to do this, Jess.”

“I want to do this too.” I agreed, immediately, hoping that there wasn’t a but coming at the beginning of his next statement.

“But,” and there it was. The ‘we can’t’ I’d been expecting. “There are a lot of risks involved.”

That wasn’t a direct no, which I took as something. “I know that.” I assured him. “I know how dangerous it would be. For me and you.” Another valid point, was the way that this could affect me as well. I could be expelled or suspended if we were found out, ruining my education. And with the limited jobs as it was, having something like that on my record would ruin the prospect of me getting a career, even if I did get fantastic grades.

Jord nodded solemnly. “I’ve done a little bit of research into it.” He admitted, making me smile to myself. He’d cared enough to actually find out what the risks were. As unromantic as that sounds, it was still kind of touching. “And it is illegal, punishable by jail, for me to be in a relationship with you.”

I felt my stomach churning. I couldn’t imagine Jord behind bars and me being at least partly to blame for it.

“Until you’re 18, I can be punished by law, but afterwards, it is down to the school to make a judgement. And in their eyes, I’ll be fired and lose my license to teach.”

I was outraged about the jail thing, because there was nothing wrong with our relationship. Jord wasn’t taking advantage of me, like the law would be assuming. What we had was genuine.

“What’s the point in having an age of consent, at 16, if all the laws are for when you’re 18 instead?” I complained rhetorically.

Jord chuckled, breaking the tension that had been crowding the room as we discussed such serious topics. The reality of our situation was far more serious than we’d been making out and that wasn’t something we could risk forgetting.