Page 12 of Jacked and Jaded

Fine. He wanted a message? How about this?Fuck you. Stay away.

She turned her phone off and went to take a shower. She needed to get his scent off of her so she could think straight. Standing under the hot water, she let herself do something she’d wanted to do ever since Jackson woke up and regretted what happened between them. She sat in the shower, her arms wrapped around her legs, and cried.

She was tired of wearing her heart on her sleeve where he was concerned only to have him stomp on it with his huge ass biker boots. She just couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe she should move to Boulder or Denver? Maybe Aspen? It didn’t really matter where she went as long as it wasn’t here.

Zoey was always telling her she should sell the jewelry she made. Maybe she could find a boutique in whatever city she ended up moving to where she could sell it? She’d never thought about selling her jewelry. It was just something she liked to do and gave away as gifts to her friends. She’d sold a few pieces here and there, but never really tried to make a living at it. She had to admit, it sounded exciting. She’d been lost after high school, not knowing what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Other than be with Jackson. Which that was so not going to happen now. She decided she had nothing to lose so why not give it a shot? There really wasn’t anything keeping her here other than her mother.

Maybe if she moved out, her mom would be forced to meet new people. Maybe one of those new people would be a man that could see her for the gem she was. Calliope had saved all of her money from the dead end job she’d had since graduation. It was plenty enough for an apartment. She could find a part-time job until her jewelry sales took off. Having made up her mind, she decided to start looking online for someplace to live.

It was five whole days before she heard anything out of Jackson. A knock at the door had her getting up to check it out. She looked through the peep hole and saw it was Jackson, a grim expression on his face. Actually, he kind of looked angry. Dread filled her heart. Now what did she do?

She unlocked the door and opened it far enough to stand in. “What do you want, Jackson?” He stared at her for a moment as if looking for words.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Were you going to just take off without a goodbye?”

Looked like the Maureen-Jane party line had been busy. Why would her mom rat her out?

“I was going to say goodbye before I left.” She stood with her arms crossed across her middle.

“Really?” His expression said he didn’t believe her for a second.

Dropping her hands to her sides, she asked, “Why do you care? Why does it matter if I say goodbye or not?” She watched the muscle in his jaw tick while she waited for him to reply.

Instead of answering, he asked another question. “Why are you leaving?”

“Does it matter?”

“Answer me. Why are you leaving?”

“I’m twenty years old. It’s time a get my life together. I can’t live with my mom forever.”

“Why now?”

“Why now, what?”

“Why did you come to that decision now and not at eighteen after you graduated?”

Jackson was like a dog with a bone. He wasn’t going to let it go until he’d forced her to spill her guts. Fine. If that’s what he wanted. He might as well be as uncomfortable with this conversation as she was.

“I’m leaving because I need to be somewhere you aren’t.”

His head jerked back in surprise, not expecting that answer. “What does that mean?”

“It means that if I had known sleeping with you would end with you regretting it, I’d have never done it.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “Look, the honest truth is you took something that I thought was special and I’d wanted for a long time and threw it my face like it was nothing.”

Jackson looked uncomfortable with her confession. He looked off to the side, that damn muscle in his jaw ticking again. “I’m not a forever kind of guy, Calliope. I never promised you anything.” He ran his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.

“I knew what kind of guy you were and went for it anyway and that’s on me.” Her voice was soft and full of sorrow. She tried to close the door but he stopped her.

“When are you leaving?”

“Saturday when Mom’s off.”

He nodded his head, but didn’t say another word as he turned and headed to his bike parked in the street in front of her house.

Closing the door on that chapter of her life, she wiped away the tear that slipped free. She needed a fresh start. The sooner she left, the better.

5

---