The next time I saw Jackson and Simon was on New Year's Eve. I talked on the phone with Jackson every night, but we both felt like we needed some time apart to get our heads on straight. I didn't think to take off my ring when Simon came to pick me up. It was the first thing he mentioned. Damn him for being selectively observant. He never noticed when I got a haircut, but if I had a new piece of jewelry on then it was a big deal.
"Where did that ring come from? Looks pricey."
"Mom and Dad got it for me. They said they felt like they needed to get me something nice since they left me alone all Christmas day." The lie came easily, and it was pretty believable. My folks were always trying to make up for their lack of parenting skills with extraordinary gifts and he knew it.
"I hate how they think that pretty things can fix all their mistakes," he growled. "Although that really i
We went inside after he finished his smoke. He shut off the TV and we laid there in silence, our fingers laced together and our bodies pressed up against one another. I could feel his warm breath in my hair and I decided it was the most content I'd been in a long time."This is a hell of a way to spend New Years," I whispered."Thank you for being here. You should be out having fun."I chuckled. "Having fun never ends well for me. I'm always alone and miserable when all's said and done."He kissed my temple and held me against him. "Wake me up if I drift off," he murmured.I jerked awake at 11:10. Shit! Simon was probably home!"Simon?" I called.No answer. Jackson stirred and nuzzled my neck."Hmm?" He asked.
School started up again on January 3rd. I wasn't really looking forward to going back, but I was looking forward to see Jackson. It'd only been two days, but I missed him already. We'd decided it would be best to spend a couple days apart to think about the new position that we were in. For the first time since we'd met, I was single.I sat on the sofa waiting for Jackson to arrive. On the phone last night, he'd told me that he had something he wanted to discuss. I was hoping it was something good, and not something that would leave me feeling crappy all day. He pulled into the driveway at 7:35 and honked his horn.I hurried outside, and in my haste completely forgot about the ice that coated the sidewalk. This, of course, resulted in me falling flat on my ass. This wasn't the first time it'd happened, but it was the first time it'd happened in front of Jackson… and for the record, it was complete
The bell rang and Jackson dragged me and Ellie away from Simon and his new girl.Ellie went to class and Jackson and I went to Mrs. Harmony's room. I knew I was on the verge of a breakdown. Jackson had an open hour and Harmony would write me a pass after I recovered.She was sitting at her computer; she didn't have a class first hour."What's up Charm? You're with the wrong Sutterfield boy.""Jackson is my boyfriend," I said, and then I began to cry."Wow. You two must be so happy," she murmured wryly."I ammmm!" I wailed, leaning against Jackson for support. He led me a desk and sat me down."What's wrong with her?" Harmony asked Jackson. "Did you make her cry?""N-no ma'am," Jackson said, obviously intimidated. He settled himself o
I went up to Jackson's room, drying my eyes. He was sitting at the computer, focused on his game of Solitaire."Hi Jackson," I said softly.He jumped, startled. "Hey! You okay? You look at little upset. Want me to beat his ass?"I shook my head. "Not necessary."He laid down in bed and I settled myself beside him."What did you guys talk about?""I asked how long he'd been cheating. He wouldn't tell me. He just said that he 'hadn't been keeping track'." I said, rolling my eyes."Fuck him," Jackson growled, and then he brightened. "Want to go out for dinner when I get my apartment? We'll go the city and everything! It'll be fun. What do you say?"I grinned. A real date. It felt like years since I'd been on one of those. "Dude, seriously! Of course I want to
All of Jackson's boxes were upstairs by 5:30. We'd set to the task of unpacking all of them after we got home from dinner. Jackson dropped me off at home and told me that he'd be back to pick me up in an hour. I'd been instructed to dress up, so I slipped on a slinky red dress and spent an excruciating amount of time on my make-up. I curled the ends of my hair and stared at my reflection… not bad. I was just pulling on strappy black heels when Jackson honked his horn."Where are you going all dressed up?" My mom asked me."Out to dinner. I'm kind of in a hurry.""Were you even going to bother telling me you were going?""Okay, I'm going to dinner with Jackson in the city, then he's going to drop me off at Ellie's and I'm staying the night over there.""You think I'm stupid? You're going to stay with him. You're
We got back to Jackson's apartment around 9:30. He flipped on the lights and we both stood in the doorway, just sort of staring. The walls were an ugly off-white and the carpet was dingy… but it had its positive qualities. Such as the lovely… Okay, I've got nothing, but at least it had running water. There was a cheap futon from Wal-Mart and a TV on a flimsy stand. His bed was probably the most expensive thing in the entire apartment."It's not home," he complained. "It's weird that my parents aren't right down the hall.""They're only four miles away."He nodded. "You're right. I'm such a baby.""No you're not." I kissed his cheek, pulling him inside. "Tomorrow we'll clean it up… but we have other things on the agenda tonight."He smiled down at me. "I may not have much, but I have a bed… a
I wasn't going to wait for Jackson to finish boozing it up with Scott to go to bed. I went into the bedroom, took one look at the sheets, and left. Gross. Those were getting washed first thing in the morning. I wandered over to the couch, but that was wear Simon and Terry had been. With a groan, I got the blanket off the back of the couch and laid down on the floor. So much for a celebration.I was just drifting off to sleep when I felt Jackson drape his arm over my shoulders. I shrugged him off."Not tonight," I growled.He kissed my neck and I rolled over to push him away. I found myself staring right at Scott. I shrieked and got to my feet."Hello to you, too," he murmured."What the hell!?""Haven't seen you in a long time.""There's a reason for that. What the hell are
Jackson ate quickly, barely taking time to chew. I ate as slowly as I could, and I knew it was driving him crazy. He finished a good five minutes before me."I'll be in the bedroom," he told me. "You can join me when you finish… if you ever finish."He was lying in bed in his boxers when I came in. God, even as upset as I was, I ached with wanting him."Hey," he said softly."Hi," I replied. I sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm not mad that you drank… I just wish that you hadn't drank so much… because I really needed you, but you were out cold."He drew in a deep breath. "What happened, Sophie?""After everyone left, Scott was still here… and he… he…" Tears filled my eyes."Oh my God… he didn't… Sophie, he di