 |
| Chapter 9 I rustled around and fixed something to eat. I took a shower and got dressed. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I hoped that I didn’t have to wait until next Thursday to talk to him again. Just then the phone rang, startling me. It was Michelle, once again inviting me over to swim. "Should I bring anything this time?", I asked. She said, "No. It’s not a cook out t this time. Just me, Matt, Jeff and Kristin." Kristin. Just the sound of her name made me uneasy. I couldn’t believe it - I was jealous of her. I tried to shake the feeling. "Jade?", she said. "Oh sorry.", I returned. "So? You coming over or what?", she asked. "I don’t know. Maybe I should hang around here and get some things done." I just didn’t feel like being around them - Jeff and Kristin. I felt like maybe I couldn’t talk to him or whatever. I didn’t want it to be awkward. Michelle sighed, "Jade, that’s all you ever do is hang around and get things done. You’ve got all week to do that stuff. The boys are only here for a couple of days, they want to hang out." "They do?", I asked bewildered. "Yeah, especially a certain one.", she teased. "But his girlfriend is there. I don’t think I should.", I declined. "So. What is there something going on between you two that I should know about?", she pried. I hadn’t told her about our weekly meetings and obviously neither had he. "I don’t know what you’re talking about.", I said trying to play it off. "Well, we’ll have to talk later, but for now, you need to get your bikini on and get over here.", she demanded. "Okay. I’ll be there in a few.", I answer and hung up. I couldn’t fool her about my feelings for Jeff, and she was trying to hook us up anyway, it was obvious. I figured, "What the hell." I put on my bikini and slipped on a pair of cut off shorts and flip flops. I was off to swim at the Hardy house. When I got there, they were all in the back. Matt, Michelle and Jeff were in the pool and Kristin was laying in a lounge chair beside the pool. "Hey Jade!", Matt called. I waved. Kristin sat up and looked at me - if looks could kill. I ignored her and slipped my shorts off. I hopped into the pool and as I did, Jeff climbed out. I couldn’t look at him. I felt like if I did, Kristin would see it too. But that seemed to make it even more apparent. I was floating on a raft when I heard them start yelling. I looked over at Jeff and Kristin who were standing to the side yelling back and forth. "No. I’m not staying!", she yelled. "Why?!", he yelled back. "I’m not going to sit here and watch you two pretend that there’s nothing going on!", she screamed. I could feel my face blush. I looked at Michelle who was trying to ignore what was going on. We tried to block them out by talking to Matt. He couldn’t stand to hear them fight, but had learned to stay out of it. "There’s nothing going on, Kristin. She’s my friend, that’s all!", he screamed at her. "Yeah, right! That’s why you were at her house half the fucking night, cause she’s your friend!", she yelled back at him. Michelle shot me a ‘oh really?’ look. "I think I should go.", I said climbing off of the raft and towards the steps of the pool. "No, stay.", Michelle called after me. I just shook my head ‘no’ and dried myself off. "Yeah. I needed a friend last night. If you hadn’t been out fucking that guy from the bike shop, maybe I would have stayed home!" I was really trying to hurry and get out of there. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jeffrey.", she said trying to sound a little calmer. "Don’t play that shit with me, Kristin. I saw you. I followed you to his house and I saw you through the window.", he yelled. So, that’s what was wrong with him. How could she treat him like that, he was such a nice guy. "You followed me?!", she screamed. "Don’t turn this around to make it like I did something bad. I followed you, I didn’t fuck around on you.", he insisted. I could vouch for that. I walked hurriedly for the gate. "Where are you going?!", Kristin yelled to me, "You afraid I’ll find out the truth?" I wanted so badly to turn around and regulate on her - to tell her that she was stupid to cheat on him; that if she would just love him, he would give her the world. I knew that for a fact, cause I knew how he was - look how nice he’d been to me and he’d only known me for a couple of weeks. But I decided to stay out of it. I simply said, "Whatever you want to think, Kristin. This has nothing to do with me. This is between the two of you." As I walked out the gate and shut it behind me, I heard Matt say, "I really don’t want to hear all of this. If you two are going to fight, just go home." I made my way back down the road cursing her all the way. Why did she have to be like that? I would kill to have a guy like him. I felt so bad for him. I took a long shower and washed the chlorine out of my hair. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Then it hit me. I had fallen in love with him. But how could I fall so fast? I couldn’t figure it out. I had just gotten dressed when the phone rang. It was Michelle. She apologized for what had happened. I told her that it wasn’t her fault, but I knew I shouldn’t have come over. She pumped me for information on what was going on with me and Jeff. I insisted that we were just friends, but she wasn’t buying it. "Is he okay?", I asked. "I guess. I don’t know. Kristin stormed home and Jeff took off on his motorcycle. I don’t know where he went." I looked out the back window and could see him sitting in the gazebo looking out at the pond. "I think I know where he is.", I said. "You do?", she asked. "Yeah. I’ll call you back.", I said and hung up the phone. Last Chapter ..*.. Next Chapter ..*.. Chapter Index ..*.. Home |