My High School Life [Rewritten - Ongoing]

29. [Jason]

Breathe, Jason, breathe. It's just Isabella. The girl you've known your entire life. Asking her to hang out with you isn't a big deal. Just walk up to her and say, "Hey, wanna hang out today?" She'll either say yes or no. But what if she actually says no? Or worse, what if she—

"Sir."

I looked up and my gaze went towards the guard standing inside the booth. "Ah, yeah?"

"You can head in now."

"Right. Thanks."

He gave me a curt nod and I drove slowly into her backyard.

Looking at the familiar house, it was strange coming back here after so long. Despite how long I'd been away, everything still looked the same. The design was minimalist—a series of rectangles constructed of glass and bricks—and yet it was unmistakingly breathtaking.

Parking the car, I took a deep breath and made my way up the curved pathway to her front door. I stood on her doorstep with my hand in mid-knock. Whatever courage I had before was gone. Just being here made my breathing rapid. My stomach shifted uneasily as my mind raced back to the night that started it all. Even with the cold air of a December afternoon, sweat began to glisten on my forehead. With my left hand clasped tightly on the door handle, my other hand shook in a way I couldn't control as I finally found the nerves to knock on the door.

When the door opened, I came face to face with Mrs. Ace. It took a second or two for Mrs. Ace to get over the initial shock of seeing me, but when she did, she gave me a warm smile.

"Jason?" She continued to stare at me. "It's nice to see you again. What can I do for you?"

"Um, I was wondering if I could speak with Isabella?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible. Even though I was panicking on the inside, I didn't need her to know that.

"May I ask why?"

I sighed, fully expecting that response. "I was hoping she wasn't too busy to hang out with me today. I just want to talk to her."

There was a slight pause and for a second I thought she was going to say no when she nodded her head a moment later.

"All right." She smiled. "Just make sure to bring her back before it gets too dark."

"Of course, Mrs. Ace." As much as I wanted to spend as much time with Isabella as possible, I couldn't blame her for being overprotective. If it wasn't for me, Mrs. Ace wouldn't have to worry about Isabella every time she left the house.

"Jason?" I heard the worry in her tone and I looked up to see her eyes showing the kind of gentle concern she did the night it happened. "You do know it's not your fault, right?"

"I know." I laughed at how pathetic that sounded even to my own ears. Of course it's my fault. Everything's my fault.

"Jason." She reached her hand out to me and laid it lightly on my shoulder. Instead of flinching back like I thought I would, I was soothed by it. "What happened that night wasn't your fault, so, please don't think I blame you. It was just bad luck."

I was only able to nod, unable to say anything. I knew all along that Mrs. Ace didn't blame me, but that didn't stop me from blaming myself. It wasn't bad luck. It could've been avoided if it wasn't for me.

"You wait here," she said, pulling me from my thoughts. "I'll go get Isabella for you. She's probably with John now." She gave me one last encouraging smile and left.

In a few seconds, I heard her voice telling Isabella someone was at the door for her.

I waited patiently as I tried to mentally prepare myself.