Altered

Chapter 22: Jealousy

The rest of that summer wasn't any different than the first half. Dean was the only guy I slept with and Mia, Ava, and I continued to go to parties to meet up with "Ava's hoes" as we liked to call them. I babysat during the day and painted at the church during the evenings when I knew my chances of having another run in with Jordan were slim. By early August, I had finished the biggest of the two rooms. And only lacked one wall in the smaller room. While I was busy painting one evening, I received a text from a new group message.

Gabbi: Sleep over at my house Friday night?

I looked to see who was in the message. It was Mia, Gabbi, Katherine, and me. I groaned at the thought of having to deal with another Jordan run in, but I knew the sleep over would give me an opportunity to talk to Katherine about it and let her know what happened.

Mia: I'm down. I have to work Saturday though.

Katherine: I'm down too.

Indie: I'm down. I need to finish painting this youth room before Sunday though, so if you guys want to help me paint on Saturday if you're not busy, I'll buy lunch.

Gabbi: Yeah! Sounds fun.

Katherine: Maybe. We'll see.

If Katherine painted with me and Gabbi was there, she would be a good buffer. I thought quickly and shot a separate message to Miles who I hadn't talked to in months.

Indie: Painting party at the church on Saturday, I'll order pizza. You in?

Miles: Heck yes! I'm in.

I clicked the side button once to darken my screen and smiled as I continued painting. If Gabbi was a good buffer, Miles was a professional buffer. Katherine and Jordan both cared too much about what he might say to other people to show him their true colors. Miles's presence would at least keep hostilities at a minimum.

~ ~ ~

That Friday evening was the first time the four of us had been together since the cruise. I kept my mouth shut as the other girls talked. There was no way I could trust Katherine like before. If she had told Jordan that I told her to flirt with Ian, what other words was she twisting in her favor? She must have noticed my silence and finally, she spoke up.

"So, I have to tell you guys something," she started, looking directly at me. Oh, God. I swear if she's pregnant... My thoughts trailed off.

Almost as if she had read my mind, Mia blurted, "Oh my God, you're not pregnant, are you?"

I gaped at Mia's bluntness and forced down a laugh.

"No, I'm not. Pretty much the opposite of that actually. We broke up. I think for good."

That caught my attention and my head snapped towards her. She was looking straight at me.

"He told me what happened at the church," she started. "I want you to know that I told him you said those things to stop him from hurting me."

"Wha-" Katherine held up a hand as I was finishing the word.

"He is crazy, Indie. Like, really crazy. Ian found my social media and tried to message me. Jordan saw the messages and I had to think of something to tell him."

"Katherine, he came at me. Not just arguing. He was in my face." Tears welled in my eyes at the memory, and I tried to choke them down. I looked between Katherine and the other girls who were staring at the two of us.