April 20th, 2008
I looked like a princess the night before. My hair and makeup was perfect, my dress made me look amazing, I had a prince on my arm, and everything else was just absolutely perfect. But today, my hair was messy and my unwashed makeup was all over my face from my tears. My prince turned out to be a frog, and everything was absolutely horrible.
“I don’t ever want to see him again,” I sobbed into my pillow as my mother soothingly rubbed my shoulder. This used to help when I was younger, but it didn’t seem to help anymore. A shoulder rub just didn’t fix a broken heart. “I can’t believe he would do something like this to me! I can’t believe him!”
I thought I was going to throw up. I had felt sick to my stomach all night. I just felt so sick, and it was all Dallas’s fault. If it wasn’t for him, I would have been perfectly fine and nothing would have been wrong with me. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be bawling my eyes out…
“Shh, Jordan,” my mother tried to sooth, but it did no good. That definitely wasn’t going to stop me from crying. At that moment, I didn’t think that I’d ever be able to stop crying. This was my first real broken heart…
“I still think I should be able to kick his ass,” Austin told us from the doorway, but I didn’t even acknowledge his existence, though my mother did. “I’ll kick his ass and make him apologize to you.”
“Austin,” my mother warned, letting out a sigh and standing up from sitting on my bed. “You know that isn’t the smart thing to do. You’ll just be the one that gets in trouble. Even though I wouldn’t be bothered by it…” She mumbled the last part, as if she didn’t want us to hear, but we did. “And you know that your sister doesn’t want to see him anytime soon,” my mother finished now.
“I never want to see him ever again!” I corrected, my face still in my pillow.
“And you know that your sister never wants to see him ever again,” my mother sighed now, correcting herself.
Austin shook his head and left my room, grumbling as he did so. He obviously was not happy with the fact that our mother wasn’t going to let him beat up his best friend. I wouldn’t have minded if he beat him up… I was actually encouraging him to do so. He couldn’t have gotten in that much trouble for beating him up, right?
For the first time ever, I felt absolute hatred for Trinity Robertson. It almost seemed hard to believe that I felt this way. I had always been annoyed by her, but I never hated her because she always tried to be nice to me. But after what had happened the night before, I hated her just as much as I hated Jesse. I might have even hated Dallas as much as I hated Jesse…
“Well, I have to head off to work now,” my mother sighed, patting me on my head lightly before soothing my messy hair back as well as she could. “I’ll be back before your father is. Are you going to be alright, Jordan? I can take today off, if you want me to…”
“No, I’m fine,” was all I said, not even knowing if it was the truth or not. “I just feel like being alone right now. If I need something, I’ll just ask Austin or something. I think that all I really need is some sleep.”
I had barely slept at all the night before, because I was either crying or waking up from nightmares only after a few minutes of sleep. I didn’t know how long this was going to haunt me; I could only hope that it wouldn’t haunt me for too long.
My mother left, and I was all alone. My eyes were filled with dried up tears, and my face was wet from all the tears that had fallen. I didn’t think I would be able to get up to go to school the next day. I actually kind of wondered when I would be able to go back to school because I had no idea how long I would feel this way… It felt like it would last forever.
I only managed to sleep for about two hours until the doorbell rung and woke me up. Austin was home, so I knew that he was going to get it. I pushed my face back into my pillow and told myself to fall back into a dreamless sleep.
But that just wasn’t going to happen.
“Well, look who decided to show up,” Austin informed me bitterly as he opened up my bedroom door. My eyes widened when I saw the person who stood behind my brother. “Do you want to talk to him or not?”
“I don’t!” I shouted, burrowing myself under my covers now so I didn’t have to see him. “Tell him he can go to hell and I never want to talk to him ever again!”
“He can hear you.”
I could have sworn that I growled. “Go to hell, Dallas!”
I heard Dallas take a step forward. “Jordan, come on--”
“Get out of here! I never want to see you ever again! Get out!” I screamed, hiding myself under my covers even more. “Austin, get him out of here!”
“You heard her,” Austin said, and I heard my door begin to close. “Get out of here, Dallas.”
My door slammed then, and I started sobbing all over again. He had been my best friend; I had known him ever since I was a baby. I just couldn’t fathom how he could do something like this to me after everything we’ve been through. After finding out how I really felt about him… All he did was use me to get what he wanted. I never saw how utterly selfish Dallas was until right then. I was too blinded by love to see the monster he really was.
I wasn’t able to fall back asleep, because only ten minutes later the doorbell rang once again. I thought that it was only Dallas once again, so when my door opened, I hid under my covers and almost hissed.
“Jordan, it’s us,” the familiar voice of AJ told me, and I heard four sets of footsteps come into my room and shut the door behind them. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I really just wanted to be left alone. “You can come out now.”
I did as I was told, a little embarrassed because I knew my appearance wasn’t the best. But it wasn’t like my friends were expecting me to come out from under the covers looking like Miss America or anything.
“So you got my texts, I see,” I croaked, pulling my covers up to my chin now. “So you know everything that happened… But you shouldn’t have come over.”
“You’re not sick with some contagious disease, you’re heartbroken,” Chelsea sighed, shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest. “You should have expected that we’d all come over as soon as we possibly could have.”
“Austin offered to beat him up,” I informed them now, not knowing what else I was supposed to say. “I told him not to, but I probably should have let him.”
“This shouldn’t have happened to you,” Lexi frowned, sitting beside me and placing her hand on my shoulder. “It’s so… unfair. After everything that happened between the two of you, ever since you were kids… He’s completely disgusting.”
“I’ve never seen her so upset before,” Aimee sighed, sitting on my dresser with her arms crossed over her chest as she looked from me to our three other friends. “It really sucks seeing you this way. I think you should have just let Austin beat him up.”
Maybe I should have. But I didn’t want Austin to get in trouble with his school or Dallas’s parents all because of me… Even though it would have been Dallas’s own fault…
“You know what?” Aimee started now, hopping off my bed and ripping my blankets from over me. I let out a groan, but she didn’t even acknowledge it. “You can’t just mope in here! It’s unhealthy and stupid. This isn’t going to make you feel any better! The only way for you to feel better is if we do things. So hurry up and get ready. We’re going out.”
I squinted up at her, rubbing at my eyes. “What are you talking about?”
The stern look on her face didn’t change. “We’re going to go out. Nowhere special, just the park. It’s where we usually go, right? You just seriously need some fresh air. You can’t keep yourself cooped up in here for the rest of your life, can you?”
I could, and I definitely wanted to, but I knew that they weren’t going to let me. There was no way I was going to get out of going to the park with them. Though what Aimee was saying made sense, I didn’t agree with it. I just didn’t want to leave my room anytime soon, and I didn’t feel like getting up to get ready.
When I didn’t move, Aimee rolled her eyes and clutched onto my wrist, yanking me out of bed and into the middle of my room. I felt like swearing at her, but I knew that that wasn’t a good idea. So I just stood there next to her, feeling completely intimidated. She was dressed perfectly and beautiful, and I was in ratty old pajamas while I looked like a complete monster.
“Go take a shower,” she ordered, pushing me toward the bathroom as AJ shuffled through my drawers for clothes for me to wear. “You still have makeup from last night all over your face, and your hair is all matted because you went to bed with it still styled. We’re not going anywhere until you look normal.
AJ handed me my clothes, and I scowled but did as I was told as I headed toward the bathtub after I had closed to door behind me. But instead of taking a shower, I took a bath instead. I didn’t care if it took longer. I knew it would make me feel better, even if it was only a little.
After taking a half an hour to take a bath, I thought my friends were either going to be gone or angry at me for taking so long. But they were all waiting patiently, and didn’t say a word about how long I had taken in the bathroom. We spent the next hour getting me ready, and when they were finished, I almost looked like my normal self. But no makeup could completely get rid of the dark bags under my eyes from the crying and lack of sleep.
I headed toward the stairs after we were all finished, but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw who was at the bottom of the stairs. I wanted to run back into my room and hide, but my friends continued to stand right behind and not let me move anywhere.
“Jordan…” Dallas said, looking up at me as he continued to stand at the bottom of the stairs and I continued to stand at the top. “Jordan, I want to talk to you.”
“Well, she doesn’t want to talk to you,” Lexi snapped, looping her arm around mine and leading me down the stairs, the last place I wanted to go right then. If we were going to leave, it meant I was going to have to walk right past Dallas.
“Where are you going, Jordan?” Austin asked me now.
“She’s going on a date,” Aimee informed him, looping her arm around my free one. She then glared at Dallas. “She’s going on a date with a guy who will actually treat her well. A very, very nice guy who won’t ditch her for his ex-girlfriend. Or should I say his now slutty, skanky, bitchy, whorish, whiny, current girlfriend.”
I didn’t deny this lie, because I wanted Dallas to get upset or angry. And I loved Aimee for saying this and for also calling Trinity all those things. After what Dallas had done to me, that was all that he deserved. I could only wish that Trinity was here to hear what Aimee was saying about her.
“Jordan, listen to me,” Dallas pleaded, reaching out and grabbing onto my shoulder as he ignored me friend. Aimee immediately swatted him away and glared, not even giving him a chance to finish.
“Stay away from our best friend.”
But Dallas wasn’t backing down. “Jordan, I want to talk to you,” he repeated now before glaring at my four best friends. “In private.”
I swallowed, trying to find my voice that decided to disappear at the worst time. I didn’t want to talk to Dallas, and I was glad that my friends were there to help me. But I wanted to tell him myself to leave me alone.
“No,” I gulped, my voice finally returning to me. “I told you e--earlier. I never want to t--talk to you ever a--again!”
I might have been stuttering, but I knew that Dallas knew exactly what I was saying. Austin was sitting on the couch, his head in his hands as he listened to this all unfold. His sister against his best friend… I probably would have felt the same way if I was in his situation.
Dallas frowned, and I quickly steered past him, unlinking myself from Aimee and Lexi before storming right out of the house. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop myself from crying so I wouldn’t mess up my makeup. And because I was tired of crying now…
My friends quickly emerged behind me, none of us saying anything at all. The park was close to my house, so we could walk there without a problem. As long as I didn’t cry, I would be perfectly fine…
When we finally got to the park, I immediately collapsed onto a park bench and breathed in and out slowly. I was going to throw up. I could feel it. My stomach was twisting and turning and I had no idea what I was supposed to do about it.
“I’m going to get you something to drink,” Chelsea breathed, looking around for one of the stands that sold water bottles in the gigantic park that we were in. “AJ, come get it with me, will you?”
AJ nodded, following our glasses-wearing friend quickly. So I was now left with Aimee and Lexi, and I felt like I was hyperventilating. I continued to breathe in and out slowly, just to get it to become regular once again.
“And we’ll go get you something to eat, huh?” Lexi suggested now, smiling slightly before grabbing onto Aimee’s wrist. “We’ll be right back! The stand’s right over there! Just stay put, okay?”
It wasn’t like I was planning on going anywhere. I didn’t have anywhere to go, anyway. And even if I did, knowing my friends, they would have found me eventually.
And now I was alone, but that was kind of what I wanted. I knew that my friends were trying to make me feel better, but it wasn’t working. I honestly thought that being alone was the only thing that could make me feel better.
My breathing was back to normal again when a new voice asked, “Emery?”
I snapped my head up, glaring at the person who was standing before me. I then hunched back over, not in the mood to deal with him. “Curse this small town,” I spat under my breath, and I didn’t know if Jesse had heard me or not.
“Do you feel better now?” Jesse asked me, catching me right off guard. I did not expect him to say anything like this… “You look really…”
“Horrible?” I guessed, snapping my head back up to look at him as I cut him off before he could even continue what he was going to say. “Ugly? Disgusting? Depressing? Or all of them? Come on, tell me.”
Jesse’s eyes widened, and he raised his hands in defense. “Whoa, Emery. That’s not what I was going to say. I was just going to say that you still look upset, that’s all. But I’m pretty sure you didn’t need me to tell you that…”
I scoffed, turning away from him but not getting up off the bench and walking away. I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with him of all people. He might have helped me out a little bit the night before, but I didn’t need his help. I had even told him that, but he still wouldn’t leave me alone until I finally got home.
“Well, of course I’m upset,” I spat, wiping under my eyes so I wouldn’t mess up my makeup that Aimee had done for me. “I think I have every right to be upset.”
Jesse didn’t grin. “I never said you didn’t.”
I wanted to be left alone. I wanted to be left alone by everyone. By my family, my friends, and Jesse Jacobsen. I just wanted to crawl in a hole all by myself for weeks until I was finally ready to come out of it…
It was weird. Jesse Jacobsen was actually not making fun of me. It wasn’t something that I was used to. Why was he not teasing me? It just wasn’t like him to actually be nice or sympathetic to me…
“Well, well, well,” a new voice now said, causing Jesse to turn around to see who it was. It was Aimee, but I already knew that since I could see her before him.
“Aimee,” Jesse greeted flatly with a nod.
“Jesse Jacobsen,” Aimee scowled, her arms crossed over her chest as her hip cocked out to the side. Our three friends were behind her, doing the exact same pose. It was actually a little scary. “What a surprise it is to see you here. Are you trying to make Jordan feel even worse?”
Jesse rolled his eyes. “No, Aimee. I was here with my friends and I just so happened to see Jordan here, all alone on a park bench. It’s really not recommended to leave a depressed girl all alone by herself.”
“Jordan isn’t depressed,” Lexi snapped.
Jesse gave her a look. “Is that correct?”
“I think you should get out of here,” Aimee spat at him now, taking a step closer while the other girls continued to stay where they were. “Jordan doesn’t want to see you, and none of us want to see you either.”
“Is that true?” Jesse smirked, taking a step toward her now. Their chests were almost touching, and I was kind of afraid that they were going to get in a fist fight or something. Jesse looked like he was good at fighting, but I was kind of afraid that Aimee would have been able to take him easily. That definitely would have been emasculating…
“Yes,” Aimee answered, and I was pretty sure that I was the only one that noticed that she sounded a little breathless. Jesse looked like he was about to retort something like a smartass right back to her, but was cut off when Aimee grabbed onto his shirt and smashed his lips to hers.
The three girls behind her looked utterly shocked, and I was sure that I was no different. Their lips stayed together for only five seconds before Aimee finally pulled away.
“Now get out of here,” she snapped, taking a step away.
I stared at her in complete and total shock, my mouth wide open in surprise. Jesse looked back at me, looking just as surprised, but didn’t say a single word as he now walked away from all five of us.
“Aimee!” Lexi shrieked, looking at our redheaded friend as if she was insane. “What the hell did you do that for?”
Aimee shrugged. “He was here, I was here. He’s hot, I’m hot. Why not try it out? It’s not that big of a deal.”
I felt my head spin. It was a big deal! She was my best friend, and he was my enemy! This was not how things were supposed to work at all! If she somehow actually liked him, and then he ended up liking her… Oh, my gosh. If they became a couple, I’d have to see him all the time!
I really felt like I was going to faint, right then and there. After the night before, seeing Dallas that day, and then watching my best friend kiss my enemy, I never thought that I would ever feel right again.
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Only one more chapter with them as freshman. :) I'm excited to have a little change in the story now... It's going to be weird not writing about Dallas though. :/
It's kind of weird to think that they're freshman though. To me, they're still seniors. I just think it's weird when I envision a fourteen-year-old Aimee grabbing a fourteen-year-old Jesse and kissing him. They're still seventeen/eighteen to me...
I've been editing Thin Line for the past week (not on Wattpad, but just on my computer...) and I'm only on chapter eighteen. -_- It's going to take me forever to get through the entire story...
Please COMMENT, VOTE, and FAN! :D