Page 8 of Transition

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Leila crashed into us, and from the look of pure contempt she had thrown at me, it was clear that her action was intentional.

As expected, the girls holding me up staggered, and I could feel myself falling. There was no time for me to even yell, and I landed with blinding pain and the sound of a crack.

Screams filled the air around me, but I couldn’t tell who was yelling. Briefly, my eyes opened, and even though the images swirled dizzily before me, I could still make out the people that stood right in front of me.

Liam, Aaron, Mason, and Jake were all in front of me and they look furious.

*****

The following evening, I lay in a hospital bed with my leg raised in a cast and my head bandaged. My mom sat by my bedside as the boys came in and solemnly told me that Leila had been found dead that morning. Her body had been crammed into a locker. Her friend, Gina, had seen it and let out a bloodcurdling scream that had alerted everyone to the utterly gruesome sight.

The cops had ruled it as murder, and they had started an investigation. What was even worse was that Jake, although cleared as a prime suspect, was taking the brunt of something he didn’t do.

The whole town had their suspicious eyes on him once again, and everyone was accusing him of killing Leila because she had messed with me, just as he had done to his father.

Tears fell from my eyes as the boys told me Jake hadn’t been at school for a while and I couldn’t wait for my ankle and my concussed head to heal so I could go in search of him.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Ididn’t have to go looking for Jake because as soon as I got home, he came climbing into my room.

“Jake,” I limped into his open arms, relief coursing through my veins. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered into his ear and pulled him to sit on the bed with me.

“I was hoping to get in on that,” he said with a smile, raising a pen as his eyes came to rest on the cast around my leg.

I returned his smile. “I saved you a spot.”

I felt a tingle as he simply signed his name.

“What, no heart?” I asked.

“I think you’ve got more than enough hearts already,” he replied, referring to the many hearts the other guys had drawn, including Aaron.

“What if yours is the one I want?” I asked boldly, looking into his eyes as I felt the butterflies rise in my stomach. It didn’t take long for me to notice the shift of emotion in his eyes, from playful to naked lust in an instant.

Suddenly his mouth was descending toward mine, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I met him halfway with a hand on his shoulder.

The kiss was everything I had fantasized about and more. It was mind-blowing and it overpowered my senses. One palm slid into my hair and the other caressed my face as we reveled in the taste of each other.

Wanting more, I leaned into him and released a breathy moan when his hand dropped to cup my breast. My hands tightened on his shoulder just when I felt a vibration against my thigh.

Quickly, we jumped apart, too flustered to say a word.

He pulled out his phone and read the message he had received.

“Be my date,” he suddenly said and continued when I simply stared at him in confusion.

“Mason’s parents are out of town, and he wants to throw a party for you. A welcome home party. Be my date?” he asked, and this time, I nodded with a huge smile, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks.

I didn’t know what Jake and I were yet, but at least he didn’t dismiss it as a one-time thing. We talked into the night like we had been doing every other evening.

*****

The following night, I was dressed in a beautiful shimmery, red dress and silver heels Tiffany had picked out for me. She was the closest thing I had to female friendship, and when she had offered to help me get ready for the party, I jumped at the opportunity. I didn’t want to look like a tomboy on my first date with Jake.

“So, you and Jake, huh? I love it,” Tiffany said in excitement as she styled my hair into voluminous curls.

I grinned. The idea of Jake and me as an item was doing wonderful things to me, even if it made me nervous. “What about you and Liam? Are you two still fighting?” I had missed a lot while at the hospital but judging from the huge smile that appeared on her face, it seemed like things between them had gotten better.

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