My Complicated Love

Chapter Twenty-Four: Bittersweet things

*Chapter Twenty-Four: Bittersweet things*

"How could you like doing this?" Jace whined a few feet behind Alex. She laughed, slowing down so he could catch up to her. She had started running a couple weeks before and Jace wanted to come with her one Saturday morning, which was a big mistake. "I don't like it, but it has to be done."

"No it doesn't," Jace breathed, "I don't mind being chubby."

She glared at him. "I hate you for not being chubby. You don't even try and you still look hot." He laughed, and suddenly stopped, resting his hands on his knees. "The only good thing about running is your running clothes." She grinned, grabbing his hand and pulling him along with her. "Come on, we're almost back."

When they got back to Jace's house, the entire family was standing in the kitchen waiting for them, and Kelli was holding a package. "This came in the mail... It's from NYU!" Jace immediately froze and stared at the letter with a mixture of horror and excitement. NYU had always been his dream college, and Alex knew that if he didn't get in his dreams would be crushed. He hesitantly took the letter and opened it.

Everyone waited in suspense as he read the letter. "I got in!" he suddenly exclaimed, and everyone erupted in cheers. "And they want to interview me for a scholarship!"

"Seriously? That's amazing!" Alex exclaimed, hugging him around the waist. Everyone else came around, congratulating him and giving him hugs.

"You two go shower and we're going to go out for breakfast to celebrate," Roger said, ushering them up the steps.

"Babe, this is so exciting, I'm so happy for you!" Alex exclaimed, before pressing her lips to his. When she pulled away, he smiled, but it was obviously forced. "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I mean... I'm so happy I get this opportunity, but I don't want to leave you..." She sighed. That was the one bad part about dating Jace. He was a senior, she was a junior. He'd be going off to college and she'd be staying there for another year. "It'll be okay..." she said, resting her head on his chest. "I mean, Caleb and I can drive there on weekends or you could come here... And then there's always holidays that you can come back for. I mean, it's not like you're moving to another country or anything, it's less than a day's drive." He just shrugged, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I know we're strong enough to handle not seeing each other every day..." she muttered into his shoulder.

The rest of the day was difficult for both Alex and Jace. They tried to be happy about what was happening, but doubts started creeping into their minds. What would happen to them when Jace left for college? Everyone says that long distance relationships don't last, would they be the exception to the rule?

When Jace drove her home, it was silent most of the way. Finally, she said, "The school year only lasts like nine months... We'll have holidays and sometimes I'll have long weekends... And then after that... Well, I've heard NYU is a pretty good school..." A small smile crept on his face and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, I guess... You know, when you put it that way..."

She grinned, a triumphant feeling in the pit of her stomach. Maybe she and Jace would be an exception to the rule after all. "You wanna come see Oscar?" she asked when they pulled into her driveway. He rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe you named that thing."

"Nobody has even called about him yet... I should probably get all his stuff done at the vet..." Jace rolled his eyes, but agreed to come in and see the kitten they had saved. He acted like he hated it, but she had caught him petting Oscar a fair few times. "God, he's getting big," Jace chuckled as Oscar ran up to him. "Yeah, I know. Never would have suspected, huh?" Jace laughed and the two sat on Alex's bed facing each other. "You know, I hear when people that are in long distance relationships reunite, it's really... fun..." Jace said suddenly. Alex laughed, pressing her lips onto his. "I love you," she murmured against his lips. "I love you too, baby," he said, pulling her into his lap and resting his chin on the top of her head.

Just then, they heard a door slam and yelling from downstairs. Alex groaned. "My parents are home," she muttered, patting his leg to tell him to let her go. The two walked downstairs to see her parents screaming at each other. "GUYS!" she yelled, making both her parents and Jace jump. "You need to stop this! I'm so sick of hearing you guys fight all the time and nobody in this house is happy! Why don't you just get a divorce?"

Both of her parents froze at her sudden outburst. She'd never said anything like that before. "Jace... I really think you should leave..." her mom said quietly. He looked at Alex unsurely and she nodded, telling him it was okay to leave.

A few hours later, Caleb called Jace into his room. When he walked in, he saw Alex on Caleb's computer screen. "Hey," he said, sitting down next to Caleb, "What happened with your parents?" Her eyes were red and puffy, like she had been crying, but she also looked slightly relieved. "Well, we talked for a really long time about what's been happening lately, and we all sort of agreed that their fighting was hurting everyone in the family. They're not really in love anymore or anything like that, so they decided it would probably be best if they got a divorce."

"How do you feel about that?" Caleb asked reluctantly. She shrugged, a small smile creeping on her face. "I don't know... I mean, it's supposed to be sad that my parents are splitting up, right? But then again, I'm going to feel so much better knowing that we're not all stuck in a house together." Caleb and Jace couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "I think things are going to be a lot better now," she said, hugging her knees to her chest. Jace smiled. "That's great, babe. I'm really happy for you."

She smiled, playing with her hands. "Thanks... I should probably go though. Love you guys."

"Love you too!" they chorused, before she disconnected the call.