LIB

Chapter 14

           **Everyone please read the A/N at the end of the chapter. It is really important!**

            When I saw Rachel the next day, I was ready for her. I put on a sad face as I walked into my math class and sat beside her. “Hey,” I mumbled.

            She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Hey,” she replied softly. “You okay?”

            I shrugged. “I confronted him about it last night and he admitted to it. Says he met her about a month ago and that he never meant to hurt me.”

            “If he didn’t want to hurt you, he shouldn’t have cheated on you,” Rachel replied acidly.

            I looked at her in surprise. I was so used to her being happy and bubbly, that it caught me off guard to hear her use that tone. “That’s what I told him,” I said with a sigh.

            “Well, don’t worry. I’ll find you someone much better.”

            I shook my head. “No, I’m swearing off men for awhile. I don’t want to get hurt again.”

            She frowned. “So you want to be alone?”

            “Yeah, at least for a little while. I promise that I’ll let you know when I’m ready to date again.”

            She sighed in disappointment, but reluctantly nodded. “Okay, I won’t try to set you up with anyone yet.”

            “Thanks Rachel. It’s nice to know that you want me to be happy.”

            She smiled. “Well, I was lucky enough to find David, so I want everyone to be as happy as we are.”

            “I’m sure I’ll find that one day. But for now, I’ll be happy being alone.”

            That evening, my phone beeped, signaling that I had a text. I assumed it was from Blake, but when I checked the number, I didn’t recognize it. I opened the message and when I read it, the phone slipped out of my hands.

            Baby, I need to talk to you. I miss you so much. Love, Marcus

            Jared glanced up from where he was sitting and he jumped to his feet when he saw my face. He snatched my phone off the floor and read the message. His face became a mask of fury when he realized who it was from. “I’m going to go beat the hell out of that little prick,” he snarled.

            I moved to the couch and sat down with a thud. I dropped my head into my hands and a moment later, I felt Jared sit next to me. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. “Why does he think I would actually talk to him?” I asked.

            “I don’t know, Hales. But I’ll deal with him, I promise.”

            I shut my eyes and leaned my head against him. “Don’t make too much of a fuss, okay? We may not live in that town anymore, but your parents do and I don’t want them to have to deal with anything because you hurt Marcus.”

            He blew out a breath. “I’ll just talk to him this time,” he promised.

            I nodded. “Thanks. I’m going to go to bed.” I got off the couch and walked to the doorway. I turned back to look at Jared just before I left. “Thanks for always being here for me.”