Love Lessons

C H A P T E R T H I R T E E N || J E S S

|➳| R U N A W A Y |➳|

The snow crunched under my feet as I walked to my morning math class. I cursed myself and my luck as I dug my hands deeper in my coat pockets to stay warm. The cold wind slapped me in the face as I trudged forward and I became grateful for remembering my hat. My iPod played good music and despite the cold weather, I felt positive about the day. As I crossed the main roads, I walked with other college kids who looked as if they were ready to murder their professors as they hiked from their homes and dorms. No one enjoyed the bitter weather on a college campus, but in Wisconsin, you have to be prepared for everything.

"Hey stranger." Looking up, I saw Jerry smiling widely at me, a peaceful expression laced his face and a cup of warm coffee warmed his hand. Unlike the previous encounter I had with Jerry, he looked relax and had a happier glint in his eyes. Whether it was fake or maybe he was taking something, he still seemed more approachable than Jerry and that much I appreciated. No matter how hard he tried hiding his pain, I could see right through him. Luckily for him, I lived through hiding years of pain, and I knew that there wasn't anything I could do; when he was ready to talk, he would. Until that time, I would enjoy is chipper company.

"Hey, Jerry, what's up?" I pulled my headphones out of my ear, looking at the unusually happy guy.

"Heading to Biology, you?" He smiled.

"Math." I groaned. Laughing at my expression, Jerry shook his head at me.

"That's unfortunate."

"Tell me about it." I snorted. "Are you...uh, feeling any better?" I asked awkwardly, hoping he would catch my drift. Apparently, it was an obvious one because he smiled tightly at me.

"Oh, sure." He nodded. "I decided that I can't control things, and Tyler and I will have things to work out. We didn't...I shouldn't have-basically I'm cutting my losses." I raised my eyebrow at him and tried to find the meaning of his words.

"So you're not friends?" I asked slowly. Jerry shook his head, masking his face of any emotion.

"It's easier...we're in different places."

"Isn't that...the point of being friends? You can be in different places in life but you're still...connected, so that really doesn't matter. It just means point blank that you're at different places so your understanding of certain things won't always match?" He swallowed loudly and bit his lip. When he didn't answer, I smiled softly.

"I promised myself I would only have people in my life that would better myself. We're just...not good as a team." He said vaguely. Shrugging, I dug my hands in my pockets and looked at the snow covered ground.

"Makes sense." It didn't.

"I'll see you around." He groaned when he looked at his watch. "Biology time." I walked to my math class, completely caught up in his dilemma. I could be possible that maybe...maybe something drastic happened between them and possibly they weren't exactly just friends.

Jess, don't read too much into this, you don't know anything about them.

Forget it, I'm too nosy to leave it alone.