Chapter Twenty-Three…
“I meant it.” My mum stated confidently.
I tried not to sigh and give away the exasperation I was feeling. “You were off your head when you made that promise. Isn’t that enough to prove you can’t do this.”
“You were the one who said believing I could do it was the first step, and I’ve taken it. But I need you to have confidence in me as well. I most certainly can’t do this without your support.” She reminded me.
I really did let out an audible breath of air this time. She had got me with that point, but I hadn’t realised the severity of the situation at that time. I hadn’t witnessed her drug induced state and how unrealistic my suggestion had been. “And what happens if you can’t do it? Then you lose me for good. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?” I queried, trying to make her see the seriousness of what she was vowing to accomplish.
“Of course I’ve considered that.” She looked at me as though I was a fool for even implying that she hadn’t. “But it isn’t a risk, because I know that I can do this. I have to, for you.” She assured me, before tagging on something I hadn’t even considered onto the end of it. “Plus, Harry’s going to do it as well, which will be more support for me.”
With all the things going on, Harry had slipped my mind altogether. My mum had been so panicked to make sure I never told him, but in the end I hadn’t needed to, because he’d been alerted of it. I wasn’t sure what his opinions were or what he’d known before Arthur turned up though. “What does Harry think about the circumstances?” I inquired. “How much did he know when you didn’t want me to tell him about it.”
“Harry’s always known Arthur was alive.” She revealed, making me stop her before she could carry on.
“You told Harry, but never me?” I was hurt by that. Did it mean she trusted him more? Or just loved him more.
“I knew it would ruin us if he ever found out and I hadn’t told him.”
“But it wouldn’t ruin me if I ever found out and you hadn’t told me?” I asked incredulously. Had she expected me to just understand and accept everything she had lied about?
“I already explained why I never told you.” She pointed out.
“That didn’t make me feel much better though.” I retaliated, not allowing her to think that he explanation had made everything okay again. I still resented her for not telling me the truth for so many years.
She tried to ignore what I’d said, but I didn’t miss the flash of regret in her eyes. “Should I ring Arthur and let him know that we aren’t giving in then?” She inquired, her face alight with victory. We hadn’t won yet though, and I was still having lots of doubts that we would.
“No.” I told her. “We should wait until he comes back to us. It gives us more time for you to come clean.” I explained. There was no point in letting him know and then him jumping in before she was ready to get the drug test done.
She weighed this over and then nodded in agreement. “You’re right. When do you think he’ll be coming round?” She questioned.
I thought about it. It had been a couple of days since his last appearance, so it would either be later tonight, or tomorrow more than likely. I could still hope it would be later than that though. “Tomorrow maybe?” I suggested.
“Yeah, probably.” She agreed. “I’m going now though, I have to meet Harry, he’ll be coming out of work soon.” She informed me, standing up and going to grab a pair of shoes from the rack which held them in the corner. “I’ll see you later honey.”
“Stay off the drugs!” I called after her.
She didn’t respond, but Mel, who I’d asked to wait upstairs whilst I talked to my mum, came traipsing down the stairs. She sat next to me on the sofa, twiddling her thumbs almost awkwardly. “Do you want to go shopping or something?” She suggested.
I thought about it for a second. I hadn’t been shopping for ages and having a job now, meant that I had a lot more money to spend. Normally when I shopped, I was looking rather than buying whilst Mel would come out with millions of bags. “Sure.” It was only about four, and because it was Thursday, I didn’t have to work. It gave us lots of time to look around.
When we arrived in the heart of Sheffield, we began browsing the many shops on offer. “So your mum stuck to her promise then? She’s really going to give up the drugs?” Mel inquired.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Were you eavesdropping?” I asked. She confirmed it when she blushed slightly, but I wasn’t bothered. I just chuckled at her sheepish expression. I still answered her question though. “Yeah, she thinks she can do it.”
“Do you think she can do it?”
I was stumped slightly there. “If she believes in herself then so do I.” I stated confidently. Part of me believed that statement, whilst half of me knew I didn’t really believe she could do it. I knew how hooked she was on them. How would she avoid those substances long enough for them to conduct a test and do the results?
“She’ll do better if you have that much confidence in her.” Mel appraised me, making me feel slightly better. As long as I didn’t express how doubtful I was, it might inspire my mum to try harder.
We dropped that subject then, deciding not to ruin a plain shopping trip by ruminating over such trivial things.
“I was talking to Ben yesterday.” Mel casually let slip, but I could see the excitement behind her cool exterior. When Mel’s previous boyfriend (not including Zack), James, had moved away, she had set her sights on Ben. That had been on the first day back at school, but apparently she hadn’t gotten over that yet and was still excited by the prospect of speaking to him.
“Really?” I asked, smiling at her as I waited for her to unload all the details.
“He said he was impressed by how I stood up to Leonie.” I hadn’t even realised he was in my science class, but now I thought about it, I knew he sat in the front left corner. “He said that we should go to the movie’s or something sometime.”
My smile made way for a full blown grin then. “So have you made any arrangements?” I checked. Like with Matt and Lydia, I was happy for Mel to have a good love life, even if I didn’t.
She nodded vigorously, her face alight with joy. “We’re going to the cinema on Sunday.”
“I’m happy for you!” I announced. “A much better choice than Zack.” I teased.
She chuckled. “Zack was definitely a mistake.” She agreed. “He was quite good in the bedroom though. You missed out a bit there.”
“More like on the dining table.” I taunted. She flushed, obviously having forgotten that Matt and I witnessed that. I winced then as I realised what she had implied. “And I’d rather not, thanks. Zack’s an arsehole.” When he’d tried to pressure me into sleeping with him, it had been the final straw for me and although I’d still been with him when I found him cheating on me, I’d been seriously considering breaking up with him.
“You are getting a bit old without having done it though.” Mel pointed out. “You’re missing out on a great experience.” She winked at me.
My cheeks reddened slightly, but I couldn’t imagine me having sex anytime soon. Especially not whilst I was still so fixated on Jord. That didn’t appear to be something I would be getting over soon and I didn’t want to waste my virtue on someone I didn’t care about.
Mel had lost her virginity to her long time boyfriend James and she had definitely cared about him a lot. She had proceeded to sleep with more people when he moved, but she wasn’t a slut like Leonie.
As if my thoughts had conjured him up, I saw Mel’s eyes flicker to a certain point. “Mr. Armstrong doesn’t look to happy.” She told me randomly.
I let my eyes follow her own and they focused on Jord. He was with his mother and they were looking in some kind of shop that sold kitchen utensils. I could imagine how bored he would be.
I chuckled as I saw him smirk at something wryly. Then they both burst out laughing and I felt my breathing hitch. I hadn’t seen him laugh so openly for such a long time and the way it lit up his face made him appear even more gorgeous than normal. I wished he’d laugh like that when he was around me more.
Mel was watching them also, before she started heading towards them. “Come on, we should go and say hello.” She suggested, still strolling in their direction.
I hesitated, before grabbing her arm and holding her back. I took in Jord’s still chuckling form. “But he looks fine. I don’t want to drag his mood down.” I admitted. According to his mother, he’d been down in the dumps when she went to visit him and me turning up now might just ruin that. I would feel so guilty if that happened.
Mel rolled her eyes. “No you won’t.” She assured me, before ripping her arm from my hold and continuing to walk that way anyway.
I sighed, but followed her regardless of my doubts. When his mother recognised me traipsing behind Mel, she sent me a frosty glare and I was surprised when she didn’t pull Jord further into the shop to avoid me.
Jord seemed to realise that his mother was observing something then and also turned to notice me. His smile actually widened when he took in my approaching figure. He wasn’t the first one to speak though, it was his mother. “Hello Jessica.”
“Hi…” I trailed off when I realised that I didn’t actually know what her name was. Even though I had spoken to her multiple times, I still had no knowledge of what her name was.
“Audrey.” She supplied.
I smiled. “Hi Audrey.” At least now I wouldn’t have to refer to her as Jord’s mum anymore.
“Hi Jess.” Jord greeted me afterwards. He seemed to realise Mel was there then and smiled less enthusiastically at her. “Hello Mel.”
“Hi Mr. Armstrong.” She replied.
He turned from her then and addressed me again instead. “I forgot you didn’t work Thursdays.”
I grinned. “I know. I get to avoid that dreadful place for only two days of the week.” I complained. I would gladly never go there again.
“Not enjoying work then?” He teased.
I shook my head vehemently. “Definitely not. It’s so boring. How you can be a teacher and work that long is beyond me. Especially when you have to spend half your time marking books and stuff as well.” I pointed out.
He smiled, almost nostalgically. “It was easier when I had someone to help me.”
I chuckled. “If you paid me, then I could give up being a receptionist and go back to marking all your books for you.” I offered.
“I don’t think I could pay you enough to buy petrol and insurance with.” He informed me.
I sighed. “Damn.”
We both chuckled and any tension that there was between us normally was absent. I wished it could be like this all the time, laughing, joking and tormenting each other without any consequences.
I’d completely forgotten that Mel or Audrey were even there and so when I took in Mel’s puzzled glance it made me realise that we’d acted really casual in front of her; something she obviously wasn’t expecting. It might even be considered as flirting, but I knew it wasn’t. We were just messing about with each other like we always did.
A frown flitted on to Jord’s face then and I followed his gaze to see an unwanted figure coming towards us. A glare surfaced onto my face as well when I took in their facial features and sleazy smirk.
Mel also recognised the man, but Audrey was still clueless as we all grimaced. “Jessica!” Arthur greeted me, smiling nastily at me.
I took a step backwards from where he had approached me and unconsciously shuffled closer to Jord. “What do you want?” I hissed at him, wanting him to just leave already.
“I wasn’t planning on coming round ‘till the weekend, but since I’ve bumped into you, I might as well get your decision now.” He explained. “What will it be? Shared custody? Or are you going to let me have all of you?”
“You aren’t getting me at all.” I stated bitterly.
“I think you’ll find that I will.” He retorted. “Martha can’t pass a drug test when she’s taking them everyday.”
“Yes, but she can pass a drug test when she hasn’t taken any.” I responded smugly. Even if I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my mum, I wasn’t going to let him know that.
“She’ll never manage that. You and I both know it.”
“How do you know? You haven’t spoken to her in fifteen years.” I pointed out.
“Some people never change.” He informed me, sparking a sight curiosity within me. What was that supposed to mean? “Besides, I don’t need a court ruling to let me have you. I can take you by force.”
He reached out to grab my arm then, but Jord’s hand was instantly there to block it. Knocking him out of the way and standing partly in front of me in a protective position. “No.” He growled. “You won’t.”
Arthur smirked at me. “I see you’ve brought your aggressive friend again this time.” I didn’t miss the hint of apprehension in his eyes though. He knew the damage Jord could do him if he felt the need.
“I meant what I said last time. I won’t let you hurt her.” There was a dangerous glint in Jord’s eyes as he looked at Arthur. Arthur had riled Jord up a lot and openly threatening me hadn’t been a good move for him.
“And like I said last time, you won’t always be there to stop me.” With that, he turned around and walked off again. “I’m sure my lawyer will be in touch.”
I tried not to let my obvious grimace show as I faced away from him again. I heard Jord swear as he also looked away from Arthur’s retreating figure. “That bastard.” He cursed. I glanced at him apprehensively. He was angry, angry at my father, and so was I. “I can’t believe he just threatened you.”
“He won’t do anything.” I tried to reassure the both of us.
“He was right though. I won’t always be there and so if he wants to, he can harm you.”
I looked away from his piercing gaze and thought about it. I knew Jord wasn’t always going to be there, but he was the one person I relied on for support. He was the one I’d run to if I was in trouble. “I’ll be fine. It was an empty threat. I’m sure of it. He was just trying to aggravate you.”
“And it worked.” His mother muttered.
I ignored her and Jord tried to regain some composure. “You’re right.” He tried to convince himself. “So your mum’s giving up the drugs then?”
I nodded. “Yup, she said she’ll drop them altogether. Her and Harry are both doing it.”
“Do you think she can do it?” He inquired.
“If she believes in herself then so do I.” I fed him the same line I’d told Mel.
Jord looked at me sceptically. “Honestly?” He queried.
I sighed, I knew he’d get me. Even though Mel had known me for several years more, Jord already knew me better and could generally pick out when I was lying. “Honestly? I don’t think she has a chance. She came in off her head vowing that she would give them up. It’s hardly a good start, is it?”
Mel narrowed her eyes at me, knowing that I had lied with what I told her. I just avoided her gaze though and concentrated on Jord’s response. “She’ll never do it if she knows you’re so pessimistic.”
“I know, I’m not going to let her know. I’ll be the supportive daughter who believes in her no matter what.” I assured him.
“She’ll need your support Jess.”
I sighed again. “I know.”
“And if there’s ever anything you need, you know where to find me.” He told me genuinely, looking me in the eyes and trying to prove his sincerity.
I smiled this time. “I know.”
His mother seemed to be getting impatient, as she tapped her foot. “Now we’re over this soppy moment, can I go and buy this colander?” She held up the white plastic kitchen utensil in her hand and wafted it around for effect.
I snorted. “Couldn’t you have done that without Jord’s assistance?”
She glared at me. “I was trying to get away from you indiscreetly, but since you’ve pointed it out, I might as well just say that I’m ready to leave.”
I laughed, surprised at how I was so used to her hating me by now. Despite the worry she’d expressed over Jord when she’d talked to me, I knew she still wasn’t my biggest fan. “Mel and I are going now anyway. We still have some more shops to get to before they close.” I informed her.
Mel nodded in agreement and said goodbye to Mr. Armstrong before turning in the opposite direction, Audrey doing the same.
Jord and I didn’t part so quickly though. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow then.”
As I was turning away from him, he gently placed a hand on the top of my arm and rubbed his thumb across it soothingly. “I mean it Jess, if you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask me.” His eyes pierced into mine and I felt my chest constrict with emotion. Even when we weren’t supposed to be friends, I knew I could always count on him.
I grinned and tried to show the gratitude that offer filled me with. “Thank you.” I replied my voice almost choked as I responded. “I won’t be afraid to take advantage of that.”
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Next Chapter! Sorry it was a day late, I've been trying to think of how to move the story along. I know all the main plot points, just not what I think should go in between. Hope you like it!
The song is by Kesha, who I despise. I actually hate her and most of her music. I can't help but like this song though, I hate it when I like a song by someone I don't like!
Thanks for any votes and comments! I actually can't believe how popular this story is now! I have nearly 20,000 reads and nearly 60,000 on A Year Full Of Surprises, it's amazing!