Bad Luck with Love

Chapter 38: Keeping Secrets

Tyler hadn’t been happy when he found out that I had kept Jake in the dark about us, but he couldn’t do a thing about it since it was already done. He didn’t understand my reasons but frankly I didn’t care.

Jake didn’t know me, not at all. How would he feel if he found out we were dating when all he could remember of me was that we were once kind of friends when we were younger? Not only would he probably feel awful, but he’d no doubt feel awkward about the whole situation. I wanted him to know me before I dropped that kind of bomb on him.

And a little part of me hoped that, even though he didn’t remember much about me, that his feelings for me were still the same and that he might just decide to ask me out all on his own, without my putting the idea into his head.

I hadn’t told him everything about the accident. I told him I wasn’t allowed too, not yet anyways, and that I would tell him when I could. All he knew was that he was driving and got into an accident, but he didn’t know why he’d been driving, why he’d been where he was.

It had been a week since he woke up, finally the weekend, so I could spend much more time with him. And even though it was a struggle to keep things from him, I lived for these visits. It felt so good to talk to him, even if he was still in the hospital, it didn’t matter. Things were returning to normal and that was all I cared about.

He wouldn’t be able to leave for another week or so since the doctor’s wanted him to do some physical therapy. Not having done any physical movement for two and a half months had left him weaker. They worked his legs, had him walk a little, pick things up, feed himself. They made sure he remembered how to do all the necessary things in life. He would return to school at the end of March, so he would have another two weeks off school.

People at school had all heard the news that he was awake, and people couldn’t stop talking about what they knew or what they thought they knew. That he didn’t remember anything, that apparently his brain was so damaged he’d never be the same again. Some even went as far as saying that he was paralyzed from the waist down, never to walk again. It was all a little ridiculous and it drove me crazy to hear everyone talking about it, and I couldn’t do a thing but ignore them even though many people came to me, asking questions. It was all very annoying.

And I was just coming down the hall to see him Saturday morning, glad I’d have two days away from all the gossip, when I ran into someone I never thought I’d see.

Shannon.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I gaped at her, having nearly bumped into her.

“Visiting Jake,” she sent me a glare. I guess old habits die hard. Even if she did help Jake and I get back together, that didn’t mean we were buddies now. In fact, I still disliked her greatly. “Why are you here?”

“Didn’t you hear? I became a nurse overnight and today’s my first day on the job,” I retorted sarcastically.

“Oh very clever,” she said, equally sarcastic. Someone wasn’t in a very good mood today. “I see you’ve been keeping things from him.”

“Excuse me?” I gaped once more. Did she tell him? About us, Chad, the whole thing? My horror couldn’t have been more obvious.

“Close your mouth and calm down. I didn’t tell him anything. I thought I should leave that job to you.” She flicked her long hair over her shoulder and smirked at my panic. “But honestly, I’m surprised you’ve been keeping secrets. I would have thought you’d have at least told him you were dating.”

“What did you tell him?” I asked her, still more than a little scared and anxious. Everything had been going so well! We were getting along just like we used to before this whole mess. She better not have ruined it all.