by GG Shalton
“What are you doing here?” Jaxon’s voice was stern, none of his usual playfulness.
I stared at him, not sure how to answer. This wasn’t how I’d planned this conversation. Why would he ask me what I’m doing here? He was supposed to embrace me and tell me how much he’d missed me. Tell me he had lost his phone or some other reasonable explanation for ghosting me. I’d thought he would be relieved and happy to see me.
I cleared my throat. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay. You haven’t been accepting my calls. I was worried.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “I guess I should have called you.”
“You guess?” Now I was annoyed. I had been worried sick about the guy, and he guessed he should have called me? “Jaxon, the last time I saw you, you were fighting, and I heard you went to jail. I’ve been frantic. How could you not call me?”
“I was busy.” He looked around, almost like he was afraid someone may be listening. When he finally made eye contact, there was no feeling or flirtation on his face. He let out an annoyed sigh. “What do you want me to say?”
I wrinkled my forehead. “Busy? Are you kidding me?”
He looked away before meeting my eyes again. “I never made you any promises. I can’t go back to Matter Point High School. I’m going to work in the garage and finish my senior year at Northside. I doubt we’ll run into each other again. We don’t exactly run in the same circles.”
The hurt was heavy on my heart. “I don’t understand. Why are you acting like this?”
“Like what?”
“Like you don’t care.” My eyes filled with tears. I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t help it. I was so mad at myself for crying in front of him.
He shifted uncomfortably and let out a frustrated breath. “Ariel, I am not worth crying over. We had fun hanging out, but it’s just too complicated.”
I reached up and cupped his face. “It doesn’t have to be complicated. I want to be with you, Jaxon.”
He took my hand and removed it from his face. “I can’t.”
My breath caught in my throat as I shook my head. “We can make it work. Please don’t do this.”
“Ariel.” His voice broke for a second. I thought I was reaching him, and he would embrace me, but his demeanor stiffened again. “I can’t be with you.”
“Yes, you can.” I argued.
He swallowed hard. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I don’t understand?”
He stepped away from me trying to put some distance between us. “It’s my fault that this happened. I let you believe things about me that are not true. I am not a good person, Ariel.”
“I don’t believe you.” My voice cracked as I tried to reach for him, but he put up his hand stopping me.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s over and we can’t see each other anymore.” His words were sharp and cut deep. He paused for a second running his fingers through his hair. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at me. “Do you remember when you asked me about my friend Rachel? The one Bryce told me was in the hospital?”
I nodded, not understanding why he was telling me about her.
“She’s out now and came to see me.”
My breath caught in my throat. “What do you mean?”
“I’m sorry, Ariel. But Rachel and I are going to give our relationship another try. She needs me.” He looked away, taking a second before he spoke again. “You and I would never have worked, and you know it.”
I sucked in a breath as I tried not to pass out. The heaviness in my chest was too much and I struggled to talk. Taking a deep breath, I glanced at him. “You used me to cheat on her?”
“No.” His voice broke. “We were on a break, and now she’s back. She heard about what happened and came to see me. We got back together. That’s why I haven’t accepted your calls.”
I searched his face and took a minute to soak in what he’d said. I wanted to throw up. Bile rose in my throat, but I pushed it back down. I needed to get away from him, but I didn’t know if my legs could move. I tried to compose myself but felt the blood draining from my face.
Turning away from him, I stepped forward. I heard him call my name, but I didn’t look back. I took another step and felt him touch my elbow. I jerked it out of his hold. “I’m fine. Just leave me alone.”
“Ariel, I’m sorry.” He walked beside me as I tried to make it to the car as fast as I could.
“Please.” My voice squeaked. “Give me some dignity and leave me alone.”
He didn’t. Walking beside me, he kept talking. “Please look at me.”
I reached the car and Robbie got out when he saw my face. He reached for my arm and tried to help me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I just need to go.”
“Ariel,” Jaxon said as I opened the back door.
Robbie stood between us. “Leave her alone. It’s obvious she’s upset.”
“I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
I saw Jaxon trying to look around Robbie, who stood his ground. Robbie’s lanky form looked so small compared to Jaxon. I sat down in the back seat, and Robbie shut the door. “She’ll be okay. Just let her go, man.”
Jaxon stood there, but I couldn’t look at him. I was thankful my hair was long, and I hadn’t worn it up. I hung my head, my hair shielding me from prying eyes.
Robbie got in the car. “Let’s go.”
Eric put the car into gear. I couldn’t help but look one last time. My eyes met Jaxon’s briefly, and I saw him standing in the same place. Eric peeled out of the parking lot, and no one spoke for a few minutes.
Finally, Robbie looked back. “You good?”
I nodded slightly. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Robbie lifted his chin and turned on the radio. They blasted it as they drove to the mall. I concentrated on breathing as I felt my heart shattered. He had a girlfriend? This whole time, his heart had belonged to someone else. I had almost given myself to him, and he’d had no intention of a future with me. I was so stupid. How could I have been so wrong about his feelings? I just wanted to wrap myself in a blanket and sleep. I didn’t want to feel anything.
After a few minutes, we pulled into the mall parking lot. After everyone else got out of the car, Robbie looked back. “Are you coming?”
I shook my head. “I just want to go home.”
“Okay, I’ll tell Eric we’re going to take a cab home. I’m going with you.”
“No, stay here. I don’t want to ruin your night.”
“Ariel, I’m not letting you go home alone. Give me a moment to talk to Eric.”
Robbie got out, and I saw him talking to Eric. He came around and used an app on his phone to order us a car. It took only a few minutes before we were on our way back to Matter Point.
“I’ll pay you back,” I said.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll make up something and Mom will pay me back.”
“Robbie, thank you.”
He winked. “I like having a sister.”
He made me smile, as much as I didn’t want to. “I like having a brother too.”
Chapter 31
Jaxon
I stood there and watched her as I contemplated every decision I had ever made. After a moment, I walked back into the garage and saw my brother standing on the other side of the tire pile.
“You good?” Jake asked.
“Were you listening?”
“I heard a little.”
“Thanks for the privacy, bro.” I picked up some tools and put them away.
“I don’t apologize.” He leaned back against a car. “Look, Jax, you have a chance I never had. I quit school and will end up being a mechanic my whole life.”
“That’s not a bad life. It was good enough for dad.”
“But it
’s not good enough for you. You have talent, man. Going to art school will open opportunities for you. I know you like the chick, but her old man would never let you have anything serious with her. This scholarship can change your life. You’re making the right decision.”
I closed the tool drawer and looked at him as I took off my overalls. “I should have never told you about the deal.”
“Why not? Look, I’m on your side. I don’t blame you for what you did.”
I stepped out of the overalls and folded them. “I didn’t do that for the scholarship.”
“I don’t understand.”
I put the overalls on the shelf, then I used a rag to wipe the dirt off my hands. “I ripped up the scholarship and mailed it back to Mr. Burns.”
He stood up quickly. “Are you crazy?” Jake clenched his fists. “Do you have any idea the opportunity you’re giving up? He told you to stay away from his daughter and you just did that. The scholarship should be yours.”
I closed my eyes, trying to rein in my anger. I wasn’t mad at Jake for asking, just myself. “I gave up Ariel because I’m not good enough for her. Anyone can see that.”
Jake’s confused expression proved to me he had no idea what it was like to care about someone more than yourself. “Jake, let it go.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “You need to think about this.”
“I have, and I’m doing the right thing. Ariel is going places in life.”
“So, could you if you take the scholarship.”
“Stop it! I can’t be bought by anyone. Some things are more important.”
“Bro.” He stepped out of his overalls and threw them on the work bench. “You need to think about yourself for a change. She’s well taken care of and has every luxury in the world. We don’t get opportunities like this. Don’t be stupid.”
“It doesn’t matter. I wanted to kill that guy for touching her. I would protect her with my life but holding her back is selfish. I care about her too much. I have to let her go.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “You are the most stubborn person I’ve ever met. You’re too proud for your own good.”
I grinned. “I’m a Martin.”
He laughed. “Why did you tell her you were with Rachel?”
“I was weak. It was killing me to see her cry and she would have held out hope for us. I just hope she doesn’t hate me.” We headed to the door and shut off the lights.
“Do you think she knows her old man offered you money?”
I shrugged. “Who knows? But I would never let Ariel think I stopped seeing her because of money. I won’t give him that satisfaction. I might be poor trash in his eyes, but he can’t buy me. Anything I do is for her not him.”
He shook his head. “You’re crazy, bro.” He pulled down the garage doors. “Enough for tonight. Let’s get some food.”
Chapter 32
Ariel
On Sunday night, I finally blocked Jaxon. Not that he would call me, but symbolically, it made me feel as if I had closure. Like I was ending the connection and moving on. But it was a façade and I knew it. Jaxon had destroyed me, and I didn’t think I would ever be the same.
After putting my phone on my nightstand, I fluffed my pillows and shut my eyes. I knew I would have a long day tomorrow. I was dreading having to face the school, and no matter how much I wished I didn’t have to go, I knew I would. After all, I had to go to college, and to go to college, I had to get through high school.
Just to torture myself slightly more, I looked through my phone at pictures of Jaxon and me standing beside the jet ski. I had been so happy that day. There was another one of me sitting on his lap by the bonfire. I looked so carefree, loving the feel of his arms around me. How could I have misjudged his feelings?
The next morning came too soon. I threw on some skinny jeans and a white sweater. I folded my cheerleading uniforms neatly and put them in a bag. I didn’t want them anymore and knew I had to give them back. The shoes we’d had to buy, I would keep them, but the rest of the clothes belonged to the school.
Telling Amanda my decision to quit cheerleading had gone better than I’d thought. She said she only wanted me to be happy and if cheerleading wasn’t my thing, she was good with it. I hadn’t had a chance to tell my father. He seemed to either be avoiding me or so busy that I hadn’t seen him since our blow-up argument.
Amanda took Robbie and me to school. He kept looking at me like he wanted to say something but didn’t know if he should. I felt bad that Amanda had to drive us, but my father wouldn’t budge on car privileges. Although he really had nothing to worry about anymore. Jaxon had made it abundantly clear that he didn’t want to be with me.
Amanda slowed near the side of the school. “Kids, I hope you have a great day. Call me if you need me, Ariel.”
“Thanks, Amanda.” I got out the car and sucked in a deep breath.
Robbie walked beside me toward the side doors.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I said, touching my stomach.
“You want to go back home?”
I thought for second as my nerves overwhelmed me. “I think so.” He gave me a worried look, and I felt guilty. But I had a plan and needed to see it through. “Just for today. I’ll be better tomorrow.”
“I think you should just get it over with.”
“I know, but not today. I promise tomorrow.”
He looked at me suspiciously but didn’t push any further. “Fine, I can use my app and get you a cab.”
“Thank you. I’m going to walk across the street to the grocery store. Put that as the pickup location. Can you give this bag to Paisley?”
He took out his phone, punched in my information, and took the bag. “You owe me.”
“That I do.” I kissed his cheek. “I owe you a lot. Thank you for everything.”
“You’re being kind of dramatic.” He slanted his head as he put his phone back in his pocket. “I’ll see you at home.”
“Sure.”
“Are you sure you’re good? I will see you at home, right?”
“Yeah.” I turned, looking toward the parking lot across the street. “I’ll see you at home. I got to go.”
I ran off and waved back at Robbie as a confused look crossed his face. I ignored it and walked over to the front entrance of the grocery store. I knew what I had to do.
The car came a few minutes later. I opened the door, noticing a man with gray hair and matching beard. Almost like Santa.
“There’s been a change of plans in destinations. Can you take me to the bus station?”
“Matter Point doesn’t have a bus station,” he said as he studied me.
“What about Creston?”
“Yeah, but that’s a fifty-dollar ride.”
I pulled out a fifty-dollar bill. “I got it.”
The guy smiled and turned off his app. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 33
Amanda
I rushed to the school, hoping I wasn’t late to pick up the kids. I saw Robbie waiting by the curb and wondered where Ariel was.
He came up to the car. “What’s up, Mom?”
“Where’s Ariel?”
“She didn’t feel well and went home.” Robbie put his headphones on, ignoring me.
I took them off his ear. “What do you mean she went home?”
He shrugged as though it was no big deal. “She told me she didn’t feel well and went home.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “I’ve been home all day. She never came home.”
“You probably didn’t notice her,” he said and put his headphones back on.
My heart beat faster as I hurried home. Something wasn’t right.
I ran upstairs as soon as I got through the front door. I knocked on her bedroom door, hoping she would answer. I heard
Robbie come up behind me, and he pounded on the door too.
After a long minute, he turned the doorknob and peeked inside. “Ariel?”
We waited a few seconds and pushed the door all the way open. Looking around the room, I noticed the bed was made and saw no sign of Ariel. “Robbie, check all the bedrooms.”
He stared at the bed. “I don’t think she’s in the other bedrooms.”
I knew he was probably right, but I didn’t want to admit it. I called for her as I went down the stairs. I heard nothing but Gayle making dinner in the kitchen.
I opened the kitchen door. “Have you seen Ariel?”
Gayle stirred some sauce in a pot. “Not since this morning. Did she have cheerleading practice?”
“No, she told me she was quitting and giving her uniform back to the school.” My phone buzzed in my pocket. Seeing Joseph’s name cross the screen gave me pause. I looked at Robbie. “Check the garage and see if she took her car.” Then I answered the phone, uneasiness in my chest. “Hello.”
“Hey, babe,” he said with a distracted voice.
“How are you? “ I asked as I watched the door for Robbie to come back inside.
“Actually annoyed. I received a voicemail from Ariel’s school saying she wasn’t there today, and her truancy was becoming a problem. Why didn’t she go today?”
“I don’t know.” I sat in the chair by the door, trying to figure out what to do. “I took her and Robbie and dropped them off.”
“What do you mean?” I hated when he used that tone with me. “The school said she didn’t show up today.”
“I think you should come home.” I looked out the window to see where Robbie was. It shouldn’t have taken that much time to check the garage.
Joseph sighed loudly as he ruffled some papers. “I have a million things I need to do right now. What aren’t you telling me?”
I tried to rein in my irritation. “I have a feeling Ariel ran away.”
“What?”
I heard him typing on his computer and I was about to hang up on him. This was serious and he didn’t seem to understand the magnitude of the situation. “Joseph, please come home. We need to look for her.”
