PART TWO
Somehow I managed to catch my flight. I don't know how my Vegas luck had suddenly turned, since I'd obviously had a pretty unlucky time the night before.
But when I'd gotten to my room I found that Nicole's sister had packed my things for me and that the group was waiting expectantly, ready to leave me behind if I didn’t show in another five minutes. Before the girls could notice I had remembered to slip the ring off my finger and throw it in my purse, not really sure what to do with it.
"Oh my god where have you been?" asked Nicole with a hint of annoyance on her voice as I ran in, grabbed my things and then tried to usher them out the door again.
"My worst nightmare," I mumbled to her as we got in the elevator.
"Babe tell me!" she said, her eyes wide.
"Later," I sighed, indicating that I didn't really want the whole group to know. I wasn't that close with Nicole's sisters, and I didn't know some of the other girls very well. In fact, I'd only known Nicole for a few years. I'd answered an ad she'd put on the internet, looking for a roommate in New York City. I'd moved there straight out of college to attend uni, and then had bagged a job right out of school in advertising, allowing me to stay in the city after graduation. It had always been my dream.
The whirlwind of checking into our flight, getting through security and finding our gate meant that I was able to avoid contact with Nicole for the hour before our flight. And then, luckily, I was upgraded to first class due to my frequent flyer status, meaning I could avoid her for the duration of the flight too. I had to think carefully about how I wanted to tell her what had happened, and what exactly I wanted to tell her.
As we took off I felt incredibly ill, so I took some sleeping pills in the hope that I would pass out and sleep off my hangover. Instead though, I found myself thinking back to my past… with Aston.
*FLASHBACK*
"Hey Jess!" yelled a voice at me as I walked down the street towards my house after school. I turned to see my neighbor Aston chasing after me, his school tie hanging loose around his neck and his bag bouncing off his shoulder. My first thought was that it was weird that he was coming after me. We were in distinctly different groups at school and hadn't really talked in ages. Sure we’d grown up next to each other and played together a fair share when we were younger, but now that we were older we just fell into different groups, we didn’t have many similar interests it seemed.
"Hey," I said to him as he came up alongside me, a slightly curious look on my face. "What's up?"
"So I've been wondering something for awhile…" he started, giving me a sly smile. I could feel my mouth going dry at this, his smile was something that had set me off for ages. It set every girl off in school really.
"What's that?" I asked as the butterflies started.
"Well…" he said, kicking the ground lightly with his shoe.
"What Aston?" I asked pointedly, stopping in my tracks and turning to face him.
"Will you go on a date with me on Friday night?" he asked very quickly.
"Sorry?" I asked, confused. We'd hardly spoken in the last few years, only when we had to at school or if our mothers, who were good friends, had us together for something. Why was he all of a sudden asking me out? Had I heard him right?
"I said, will you go out with me on Friday?" I just stopped and stared at him for a minute, trying to figure out where this was coming from. "Please?" he asked, "Only, I've been dying to ask you for ages…" The look in his eyes seemed so sincere, so hesitantly I agreed. "I'll come round yours at 7pm," he grinned as we continued to walk home.
The rest of the walk was silent. We walked side by side, and I kept sneaking glances at him as I tried to figure out what he all of a sudden saw in me. It was just so weird that he was asking me out.
As I got home that night I found myself more excited than I'd thought I'd be. I was 16 and no one had ever asked me out before. I was a bit of a nerd in school, very focused on my art, and I didn't talk to boys very often. I told a few of my friends about it as we chatted online after school, I was buzzing! Finally something good was happening for me! Finally I was being notice by a boy! Granted it was just my neighbor, but still!
On Friday I picked out my outfit for our date. Aston hadn't really told me what we were going to do so I just put on a simple black skirt and a flowery top. I did a bit of makeup, more than I normally wore, and styled my hair. I thought I looked quite nice. Much nicer than I ever did at school at least.
After I got ready I sat and waited in the front lounge with my younger sister as she watched TV. I watched the clock pass 7pm. Then 7:15.
At 7:30 I sent him a quick text to see if he was still planning on coming, but I didn’t get a response.
At 8:00 I felt pretty rotten, he was a full hour late. And he only lived next door.
"He's not coming is he?" I asked my younger sister after awhile, the wind having left my sails. I felt defeated.
"Well if he is, he's over an hour late."
"Should I go knock next door? Make sure he's ok?" I asked nervously. “Maybe something’s happened and that’s why he’s not here? And not responding to his phone.”
"You could do," she said, not really interested.
I ran upstairs and changed out of my skirt, opting instead for a pair of jeans and a jumper. Nothing fancy in case something really was wrong. When I was changed I slipped some shoes on and then ran out my front door, jumping the hedge and ringing the bell of the Merrygold's house.
"Oh hello Jessica," said Aston's mum with a smile. She seemed fine, but where on earth was her son?
"Hi," I smiled. "Is Aston here?"
"Yeah, he's downstairs with some mates," she replied.
Wait… what?
One & Two
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