I checked my phone after getting home and sitting on my bed. I had 3 missed calls.
"Hi, Sophie. It's Jason. I'm really sorry about what happened before. Call me."
"Sophie, I know you're hurt. I never meant to hurt you. Please, can we talk this out? Call me, please."
"Sorry for calling again. Can I pick you up in 10 minutes? I want to talk to you."
Just as I hit delete, the doorbell rang. I went to get it.
"Oh, hi." I said to Jason.
"Hi. Can we go somewhere to talk this out?"
"Uh, sure. Yeah."
I followed him out to his car.
"Listen, Sophie." He said as we pulled out of the driveway. "I never ever meant to hurt you. I didn't know what else to do. I wanted to make you feel special. But I didn't know how. I felt like Ryan's already done the job. 4 years is hard to compete with. And I know you probably don't want to hear his name, but I said it. I'm sorry. Please, forgive me."
"I forgive you, Jason. I overreacted."
"No. You didn't. I hurt you, and I know that. I shouldn't have lied to you. But from now on, we receive the truth from each other. Deal?"
"Deal." Just then, his phone rang. He picked it up and put it on speaker.
"Hi, mom." He said into the phone.
"Hi, honey. Your grandmother wants to see you."
He looked at me and I nodded with a smile on my face.
"Alright, we'll be there in a little bit."
"Okay." He hung up and I looked at him.
"My grandma's in the hospital." He explained.
"What's wrong with her?"
"Oh, nothing very major. She just fell and broke her leg."
"Seems major to me. Is she doing okay?"
"Yeah, she's getting better. She's a little weak though. So don't be surprised if she falls asleep in the middle of conversation."
"I'll do my best." I said and smiled.
"Sophie, what was your mom like?"
"She was beautiful. Everyone always wanted to be around her. Anyone would die to come to a house party. I was little then. I was her pride. She loved me."
He waited for me to go on, and I did.
"She would take me to the ice rink to watch her figure skate. She was an ice princess. I remember going to her shows and hearing everyone cheer for her. She was the best. Always won first place."
"Did you take after her?"
"Yeah, I started after she went away. My dad was nice the first year after she went away. He knew what it was like to be missing his mom. His mom died when he was 17. She stopped skating when they fought. They started fighting. I'd always come home from being with my other grandma and visit her to see her crying. And then, she left."
"I'm sorry." He said. "I can't relate. I wish I could."
"You can't. You don't wish that, believe me."
"I just know that it's hard."
"You have no idea."