Hate Notes

Chapter 9

If mum was here, she would have shut me or Jason down before it turned into a fight, but dad ignored us, too engrossed in watching his game to listen.

Jason walked back to the kitchen, returning without the bowl of cereal. He plopped down on the one seater. "That reminds me," he stated, a smirk curving his lips. "I saw the seat arrangements. Have fun sitting next to Jesse and have fun being his partner. Do you know what that means? It means you get to dance with him."

I could practically hear my own heart stutter. "You didn't..." I trailed off, pulling my lips between my teeth, physically restraining myself from screaming his head off.

"Don't chew my head off, sis. I've been around you both to know I'm not dumb enough to do that. Kelly thought it would help make you bond a little." He laughed. "If I didn't think this would be funny, I wouldn't let my best friend suffer or risk the chance of you two ruining my wedding."

"Why didn't you say no?!"

"Because Kelly is the boss." He gave me a stupid look. "I won't argue with her if it's about the wedding. She knows what she's doing."

"Most of the time," I corrected, panicking a little. Sit next to Jesse through the whole wedding? Dance with him? That was a level of intimacy that scared me.

You've kissed him. What more could you possibly fear?

I groaned and pressed my face into my hands.

"Don't worry, sis. I'm sure the two of you will find a way to be civil to each other. One of you has to step up to be the mature one."

The point is, we were trying to be civil with each other now, but it was the awkwardness that bothered me so much. All I had focused on before was one emotion, but now that Jesse and I had agreed on putting aside our differences and locked up our weapons, things would not be in order.

"But, why do we have to dance?" I questioned. "Why can't I bring my own date?"

Suddenly, his brows went high. Dad paused his game to stare at me.

"There's someone you like? Are you seeing someone? Who is he?" He shot me with questions. Even Jason had leaned forward with interest. Dad seemed more surprised that I was dating than concerned about who I was dating.

Has it really led to this?

I rolled my eyes. "Dad, calm down. I'm not saying I'm seeing someone. I'm saying I want to be given the opportunity to ask someone to be my date, as long as I don't have to dance with Jesse."

"Oh." He puts on a disappointed look and returned to his game. I huffed in disbelief at how disinterested he looked while my brother coughed out a small hiccups of laughter. I shot him a dirty look.

"Iris, if you can find a date before the wedding rehearsal, I can find a way to get you out of being Jesse's partner."

"The rehearsal is in six days, Jason. How the hell am I supposed to find a date?"

"You've gone soft about this," he observed with another chuckle. "The Iris I know would have gone to hell to drag a dead soul if it means she doesn't have to sit or dance with Jesse."

His words gave me a startle. It sprang me into action and my head swam with questions. I was barely holding my breath. Was my brother right? Would I have found a way out of this if the dynamic between me and Jesse hadn't changed? Some part of me feared for that to be true. The feelings I had towards Jesse had gone soft. I was no longer immersed in him. No longer hating him as if he was the air I breathed, and now I couldn't believe I wasn't jumping out of the chair to find a solution.