Anti Cupids

Seven

07.

The dark crept in as Jace and I made our way to the parking lot. Gushes of wind blew my hair out of my face. I could feel the faint smell of damp soil invade my senses. It was definitely going to rain and we had to reach home before that.

I was pretty sure Mom would be having a heart attack back home. She has always been a bit overbearing.

I fished in my back pocket looking for my phone. I felt the crumpled ball of paper instead and like a reflex, I pulled it out and straightened it. I folded it back properly this time and placed it in one of my jacket pockets carefully. 

After a couple minutes of searching my clothes like a madwoman and lots of internal panicking, I figured I must have forgotten to take my phone before leaving the house. I hadn't thought it would take that long to get back.

"Jace?" I called out, my voice hoarse from all the freaking out and screaming I had managed today.

"What?" He replied in a calmer tone than I had expected. 

"You have your phone with you?" I asked.

"Yeah. Why?" He asked.

"Why do you think I'd need a phone? I want to call Mom, doofus!" I snorted, shaking my head.

"I didn't mean it like that dummy! I meant that you usually have your own phone with you and you hardly ever ask me for mine."

"I forgot mine at home," I said, with my palm outstretched.

"I always said you were a dumb ass. What kind of teenager forgets their phone before going out?" Jace laughed, looking so proud of himself, like he'd just won an Olympic gold.

"Could you please stop being so difficult and give me the damn phone?" I said, my voice dangerously calm. Jace stared at me for a moment but then understood how bummed out I was and how much I didn't want to be messed with.

Without another word, he handed me his phone and resumed walking. We were now inside the parking lot and I could see our truck parked in the corner, with just a couple other cars in there.

Hurriedly, I dialed my Mom. She answered on the second ring.

"JACE!?" Mom all but screamed into the speaker. She sounded mad and pretty shaken up. I didn't even want to think about the hour-long lecture that we'd have to endure once we got home.

"Mom! It's me. Jasmine," I said, trying my level best to calm her down.

"Thank the Lord! OH MY GOD! Jasmine, where the heck are you two!?" Mom yelled at me, all in one breath and I had to pull the phone away to protect my ears.

We both were in deep deep brown waste and Jace was the one to be blamed for everything. 

That stuck-up moron!

"Don't worry Mom! We're all good. We were just stuck in some problem so it took a bit longer, but we're safe. We're coming back in, like, ten minutes. Please calm down!"

"Wait! What problem? Did something bad happen?" Mom asked, totally ignoring my pleas for her to stop worrying.

I didn't know what to tell her. Mom would be quite pissed if she got to know about Jace making out with some brainless girl in a dark locker room, with the emphasis on 'brainless' and 'dark'.

I did the next best thing that came to mind.

"Mom, I guess Jace would be able to explain the problem better," I replied, my voice clearly showing how annoyed I was.