Page 24 of Don't Leave
I blink. It’s tempting to rub my eyes until the apparition in front of me disappears.
Jackie fucking Carlton.
Here in the flesh.
As much as I try to convince myself that it’s a simple case of mistaken identity, I know the truth. This girl was my best friendfor over a decade. She owned my heart for two years before smashing it to pieces.
I drop her fingers as if they’ve burned my flesh before retreating a step.
“Hi, Cole,” she murmurs.
Even though she says the words softly, I still hear them. It’s like the party around us has become muted and she’s all I’m aware of.
My jaw clenches until I feel the ticking of the muscle. “What are you doing here?”
She takes a tentative step toward me as her gaze searches mine. “I transferred to Western for the fall semester.”
My mind spins.
“I haven’t seen you around at all,” I grunt.
She shrugs before glancing away. “I’m only part time. I’m taking two classes one day a week and living at home, so I’m not on campus very much. I’ll be moving into a house with Amy and Danica before spring semester starts and then I’ll take a full load.”
Which means I’ll probably run into her more often. The idea leaves a sour feeling in the pit of my belly. This night just took a massive nosedive.
I clear my throat, only wanting to get away from her. “I hope it all works out for you.”
The need to find Cassidy and get the hell out of here feels imperative. I don’t want my ex anywhere near her.
The fact that Jackie now attends Western means I’ll have to open up and tell Cassidy what happened with my ex. With her living out of state, I never worried about running into her. It was so much easier to push her out of my mind and pretend the past didn’t exist. That’s no longer possible.
“Cole.”
My gaze jerks unwillingly to hers.
Her tongue darts out to moisten her lips. “Can we go somewhere and talk?” When I remain silent, her voice turn pleading. “Please? Just for a few minutes?”
No way.
Maybe she feels we have a lot to talk about, but I don’t.
I have nothing to say to this girl.
Which is sad. For a long time, she was my best friend, and we spent every waking moment together. Now I can’t even stand to be in the same room with her.
“No, sorry, I’ve got to go. I was looking for someone when I came up here. I need to get back downstairs.”
Before I’m able to turn my back on her, she raises her voice. “I met Cassidy.”
My heart stutters as I whirl around to face her. Even though I would never hit a girl, I realize my hands are bunched like I might throw a punch. It takes effort to unlock my tense muscles.
When I’m able to keep my voice level, I growl, “Stay the fuck away from Cassidy. What you and I had is over.You,” I emphasis by jabbing a finger at her, “destroyed everything I felt for you.”
Even though there must be people milling around us, I’m not aware of anyone but her. My eyes stay locked on her wide brown ones.
She’s the one who threw away our relationship, not me. The longer I hold her gaze, the more I realize that I feel nothing but anger for her. The love that had always been there is gone.
This is the first time we’ve seen one another since she called me right before Thanksgiving last year to tell me that she was knocked up. At the time, I wasn’t sure which hurt more. The fact she’d thought she loved another dude or that she’d been screwing him behind my back and ended up pregnant.
