Cupid's Chocolate Villa (Rewrite)

Don't fret please! There will be more updates, I'm just in a slump. However, I will be posting my Halloween side chapter soon, the one featuring Carrie and Jason. Look forward to it! And I'm sorry about the lack of updates to everyone. Again, I'm in a slump.

 

Just want you all to know that I'm actually working on updating. I'm having a severe case of writer's block. So please bear with me. 

 

Look at who is back! Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the super major delay. I have been writing for the last few months and today I realized I finished two decently long chapters. So, here is the of said two. And yes, I am putting about a week between my updates.
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Chapter 10

The months after the anniversary of James's death are better than they used to be. I'm already happier, back to talking to Carrie and Jason like nothing ever happened. Things are good. And they're gonna stay that way. I know it. Especially if my amazing boyfriend is still around.

I haven't really spoken to Courtney that much in the recent months, and it's not like I care that much. Marcy calls me at least once a week on Courtney's phone, so now I answer it knowing that my baby sister wants to talk to me. Marcus's grounding period is almost over, so he'll be eligible for his video games and hanging out with his friends by the time school starts.

I'm starting college next week, and today is the wondrous day that is known as my birthday. It's Jason's birthday too, so Carrie and Justin and all our friends - meaning Justin's and Carrie's friends - decided to throw us a party for our twentieth birthday. I'm not that excited, and neither is Jason, but I am happy to see Carrie. I feel like I haven't hung out with her in weeks, let alone spoken to her. She's always shopping or working, and I'm always with Justin or working. Being adults is very tiring.

Today, Justin has me blindfolded, and Jason is being controlled by Carrie. He hates it, and she annoys him on purpose, so those two are currently bantering like children and I can't smack either of them to shut them up. They are very annoying, and something tells me that they are gonna end up dating. When, I have no idea, but I have every idea that they are gonna date. I can see it in their eyes.

"Justin, how much longer do I have to stand here with blindfolded like this?" I whine, pouting. He rewards me with a kiss instead of an answer and we shuffle forward. I let him lead me along whatever path he has planned, and I hear Jason yell something at Carrie, though it's more of a garbled shout than a word. Oh, Carrie. What are we going to do with her? The four of us keep shuffling forward, and the anticipation is killing me. I'm ready to take the blindfold off and smile at my boyfriend for hours until we go home and cuddle. I need my cuddling time. 

"Okay, ready, Jelly?" Justin whispers in my ear, and I giggle at the feeling of his breath against my ear. And hearing his nickname for me makes me melt. He likes me as much as he likes jelly. He's been calling me Jelly more often now, especially after all the awkwardness. He seems so much more comfortable around me now, knowing about everything. He's adorable. He's an adorable goofball.

"Quit flirting with each other and take off her blindfold. I swear, I'm gonna puke because of you two," I hear Jason grumble, and I can imagine his face. Stern but playful, eyes rolled, smirking slightly but otherwise serious. It's amazing how well I've gotten to know this ridiculous dork that is my future step brother in only a couple months.

We send a lot of time together at work and we even dye each other's hair every month. Now I don't have to listen to Carrie whine about getting hair dye on her fancy clothes and heels and her manicure. She always cares about her clothes and herself first. But I don’t mind. She’s still my best friend.

“You’re obnoxious,” Carrie scowls before I have a chance to say a word.

“Carrie Ann Mitchells, stop antagonizing the boy,” I scold, and Justin takes the blindfold off just in time for me to see them both turn to me, Jason’s eyes furious that I called him a boy, and Carrie’s mouth wide open in outrage that I called her by her full name. Yep, great way to start out my twentieth birthday. Note my venomous sarcasm.

“I’m no boy,” Justin growls at the same time Carrie squeaks out, “How dare you!”

“Let’s go, you two. Let’s get the party over with,” I sigh, running a hand through my now auburn hair. Carrie sticks her nose in the air and walks away while Jason scowls as her retreating form. I turn to Justin and we shake our heads like two disappointed parents. Those two are true children.

“Let’s party, Jelly.” Justin takes my hand and pulls me after Carrie, and Jason follows grudgingly. We walk into a big room full of balloons and people. There’s a dark colored banner with neon writing “Happy Birthday Jenny and Jason!” That person that made that is very artistic. The balloons are so many different colors, from black to pastel green and even more. Jason automatically goes to a corner and sits by himself while Justin and Carrie try to make me make friends.

The cake is two tiers, both the same size with 20 candles. Mine is on top, and I can tell because it’s very colorful, even though I didn’t want it to be. Jason’s is dark, and the colors of his name are neon. Justin and Carrie must have paid a fortune for it. I told them no, but I guess I had no choice.

About thirty minutes after we get there, Jason and I have to blow out the candles and after a while, Justin and Carrie force Jason and I to open our presents in front of everyone. A little embarrassing, especially considering that at least half of the presents I got were makeup. And Jason got a bunch of guy stuff, though I wasn’t really paying attention.

Towards the end of the party, Justin pulls me away so we can be alone. He and I stand a hallway a couple hallways away from the party, holding each other’s hands as we look up at each other. He smiles at me, this big, obviously mischievous smile. I don’t know why he’s smiling like that, but he is.

“Close your eyes. I want to give you your present,” Justin smiles, winking at me. I hit him with one hand, smiling anyway, and close my eyes. He removes his hands from mine, and I’m giddy for the surprise. I hear the padding on footsteps, way too small to be his. I hear a tiny mew, and a tiny giggle, and I open my eyes with a wide smile.

There’s my baby sister with a kitten. It’s an orange tabby, no older than a couple months. My sister is wearing a beautiful dress, despite the fact that it’s pink, and her hair is in pigtails. Her smile is wide, and she’s holding the kitten very carefully.

“Oh my gosh, you got me a kitten. I have a cat. Oh my gosh, look at that precious thing…” I gently take the kitten from my sister’s arms, and Marcy smiles widely at me. “But why? Oh, look at him… or her… No, it’s a ‘he’.” All my gushing over one little kitten has Justin smiling just as widely as Marcy, if not more.

“I know how much you wanted a cat, and I thought we could have this little fella together,” Justin smiles and shrugs. I look up at him and smile softly, cradling the kitten in my hands. He yawns and stretches, causing a very loud and excited “aw” from me.

“Oh, Justin. But, we’re going to college, and we have work. We’ll hardly be at home to spend time with this adorable baby.” I frown as I hold the kitten close to me, but I quickly start smiling down at the creature. I hand the kitten back to Marcy so I can properly look at my boyfriend while we talk. “You can go play with the kitty, babe. Just don’t go too far.” She squeals in excitement and walks away, just enough that she doesn’t hear us but enough that I can keep an eye on her.

“Sorry, I keep forgetting that you’re coming with me to college. I just thought you’d like a kitten,” Justin apologizes, and it’s as adorable as my sister and the kitten. Why is this boy so amazing? Why is he so kind?

“Hey, don’t be. After college, we’ll get a fox,” I tell him with a smile. He laughs and kisses my temple, holding me close to him.

“I would prefer a German Shepard or a cat, actually, but we’ll wait,” Justin smiles, and I hug him tightly. After some brief conversation, like about what he has planned after the party even though he refuses to tell me, we gather Marcy and the kitten back to us and head back inside to deal with the masses. And after that, we leave for home.

 

Between college, homework, taking care of myself and Justin, and also trying to go on dates with the young man I’m with, I also have a job. A job I forget about most of my day until I realize I have to make money to eat chocolate. And I’m extremely addicted to chocolate, so I have to go back to the chocolate shop every day and deal with more people I don’t care about. I have to deal with that in college. And while the girls aren’t prissy and annoying and the guys aren’t ridiculous and annoying, there are just so many people. I am such an introvert, and I cannot deal with too many people.

I stand at the register, counting back change as Jason delivers the small box of six chocolates, which is excessively expensive. Why my mother made prices so high, I will never know. All I know is I get to try the samples, even if we aren’t as friendly as we used to be.

My mother moved her chocolate making operation to the back of the store, renovating it to feature a little kitchen. There was already an area to make the chocolate, which she did use, but it was quite cramped. So, she used her profits to renovate. I’m not sure if that’s a good business decision, but I have absolutely no idea. I don’t know business. I am studying psychology. Courtney studied business and later law.

I hand the money back to the man buying the chocolate, all the change there and counted. I thank him for coming in, and so do Jason and Ryan, and they all hang around with me since it’s pretty dead. I lean on the counter, pulling at my bun. I tug it out of its carefully styled look, and I ruffle my hair to make it more radical. I pull my hair into a new bun, a messy one.

I hear the little bell ring and there’s Justin, smiling and handsome as always. I smile at him maneuver around the counter to meet him half way through the rather tiny shop. We hug, and he kisses the top of my head, before I make my way back at my post behind the register. Ryan heads to the back, mumbling something about going to count how much chocolate we have left. Jason and I don’t particularly mind that he goes back there. He’s fine on his own.

“So, Jellybean, I was thinking. We should go out tonight, just us,” Justin muses with this smile that’s full of cleverness and secrets. He’s planning something. Spending these last few months with Justin, especially at his house, has lead me to most of his cunning and sneaky hints. His tell is his smile. Every smile has it’s own little message behind it, and this one is the “I have a secret” smile.

“Oh, really?” I laugh, leaning forward. I prop my arms on the counter as I look up at the young man. His eyes, his beautiful eyes, sparkle with mischief. Yep, something is definitely up. He’s hardly like this. The only time he does look like this is when he’s about to torture me with tickling.

“Yes, really. You get off at six right?” He raises his eyebrows, smiling widely. His hands are stuffed in his jeans pockets, and it’s obvious because his arms are slightly hitched up, and his arms are a bit bent.

“Seven. Jason gets off at six. Unless someone wants to take over for the remainder of my shift.” I turn to my future step brother, pouting slightly. He rolls his eyes and shrugs. And him shrugging is good enough for me. “Then yes, I am off at six. Where are you taking me, Justin?”

“Somewhere. Don’t worry. I’ll be here at six. Do not worry about getting all dressed up, because you won’t need it. I have to go back to work, but be ready by six, okay? I don’t want you to be late.” Justin kisses my cheek and walks out. I wave after he leaves and give Jason a look.

“Hey, don’t look at me. I have no idea what Poppy is planning,” Jason barks, rolling his eyes. I roll my eyes back at him, mostly because of the nicknames he gives Justin. Poppy is one of the few nicknames, and all are related to flowers. Justin doesn’t mind though. He likes being associated with flowers, and sometimes Jason calls him Ace.

“He has a name you know. Now go check on Ryan,” I order, and Jason just shrugs as he walks to the back. The rest of the day is pretty uneventful, and only a few more customers come in, including my blonde friend. She merely comes in to chat and to flirt with Ryan until both Jason and I are sick of it and throw her out. By the time it’s five-forty-five, there’s nothing to do. So I go back to the office, which Courtney has actually completed, and find my purse in one of the drawers. Luckily, I’m the only lady here, so I’m the only one who needs the space.

When I turn to the door, prepared to walk back out and wait for my date, I find Ryan watching me. His eyes are focused on me, full of something I’ve seen hundreds of times from my jerk of an ex-boyfriend. It’s lust, and it really sickens me.

“Hey, Ryan. I’m about to head out. You and Jason get the place to yourselves until seven. Don’t trash the place or do anything stupid. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I start for the door, despite the fact that’s he’s blocking it, and I duck my head a bit. Next thing I know, I’m forced against a wall, and Ryan is way too close for comfort.

“Hey, Ryan? There’s this thing called a bubble. I think you’re definitely in the bubble. Could you maybe take about a hundred steps back and get the heck away from me? That would be great, thanks.” I smile sweetly, though it’s as fake as can be. Ryan sneers back, pressing himself as close to me as he possibly can. I scrunch my nose in disgust; Ryan has horribly bad breath.

“Look here, princess,” he whispers in my ear, and I can feel the sick smile twisting up on his face as he presses his cheek against mine. “You and I are gonna have a little chat. And then we’re gonna get out of here. Do you understand?”

“Um, yes, but no. We have nothing to discuss. Now, if you could just back away and let me go see Justin –”

“Yeah, I just can’t let you do that after what you did to Seth and all, I think he deserves the same thing.” As soon as I hear the name I dread, my breath hitches. Ryan was one of Seth’s friends, one of his cronies. When did this happen, and why have I never seen this guy before he came in for a job?

“Seth? What did he tell you?” I raise my eyebrows, nervous and scared like no other. Why did my past have to come running in now? Has fate decided I’ve had too much happiness and decided to tear me down?

“Oh, nothing. Just that you’re a little tramp. That you ratted him out for the robbery when he came to you for help. That you deserve nothing more than to lose what makes you happy. And I’m going to do just that.” At the mention of the robbery, I feel myself go pale.

Seth came to me about two years ago, not long after graduation, pleading for me to help him. He robbed a jewelry store a few blocks from where I lived and shot the cashier and the manager. I told him I would help, and that he should leave everything with me. No one would suspect that I would hide something like that. He believed me, and after he left, I called the police. I told them about what Seth did, what he left with me, and where he lived or would be hiding. After they arrested him, I made one appearance in court, and he threatened that he would kill me for doing that to him. I guess it finally came back to me.

“Ryan, look. I know I did some things, but Seth was an awful person, and I thought about my safety, my family, and those poor people who lost their lives because of what Seth did. And I am happy I did so. Now, I need to leave. Justin will be here any second and…”

“No. You’re not going anywhere. Look, Jennifer, you are going to lose everything and one you love. Just like Seth lost everything. Starting with your precious boyfriend.” Ryan looks down at me with a repulsive smirk and kisses me. He has my arms pinned above me, and he is strong.

I close my eyes and try to push him away as he shoves his tongue into my mouth, but nothing works. As he is too focused on kissing me and doing other things I most certainly do not approve of, I decide to take advantage of it. I finally get my leg free and kick him where it hurts. He grunts and pulls away, doubling over. I raise my knee to hit him in the face, aiming for his nose. When I hear a sickening crack, I know I hit him perfectly.

I push him onto the ground and walk out of the room. When I check the time, I’m late. Justin has been waiting for five minutes. He knows I’m not someone who is always on time, but when he says to be on time, I try to be. I see Jason and smile at him.

“Jason, is Justin here or..?”

“He left about three minutes ago. He didn’t look happy,” Jason grumbles, looking down at a magazine that he has a subscription for. It’s one of those weapon magazines guys like.

“Crap. I’m gonna go find him. But first…” I mumble, watching Ryan walk out holding his nose. “You are fired. Now get the heck out of here. I never want to see you again.” I turn to the door and run out, looking around with wide eyes. I don’t see him but then again, maybe he’s in his car?

I rush to the parking lot to find his car, which I usually park beside, is gone. It’s not here, so he’s not here, and the flower shop was closed. He must be at home.

I get in my car and head home, though his car isn’t in the driveway, and there aren’t any lights on in the house. I don’t think I can wait to see him, so I go to Carrie’s to see if she knows where he might be.

Carrie lives in this cute and quaint apartment by herself, and she usually invites me over all the time because she knows how much I love it. I park in the parking lot and rush to her door. I knock and wait for a moment before pulling out my keys. She’s here; she’s probably too lazy to answer the door. But this is a crisis situation.

I push open the door and slam it closed behind me, seeing Carrie on the couch doing homework. She bolts into a standing position and quickly walks over to me.

“Okay, details, chica, details. There’s something going down, and I need to know now. Sit at the table, I’ll make you some of that tea you like,” Carrie instructs, guiding me to the table. She starts rummaging through her cabinets and I stare down at the table for a long moment, unsure what to say. So, the next best thing is to do one simple thing.

“Ryan is Seth’s friend,” I blurt out as tears pour from my eyes and down my cheeks. Carrie drops the mug on the counter, which makes a loud thunk but it doesn’t break, and she turns to me. Her eyes are wide and full of shame and fury.

“Okay, do I need to go kick some butt? Because I sure will. What did he do to you? Did he hurt you? Did he touch you? Force you to do something? You can’t just stare at me in silence, woman!” Carrie practically yells at me when I don’t answer a single question she throws at me. “Look, talk. Now.”

I start to describe what happened, every little bit. I even talk about how awful his breath smelled, and what inappropriate things he was saying and doing to me. When she hears what he did, she slams her hands on the counter in anger and frustration. I continue anyway, ignoring the tears and my little hic hic as I hiccup in between breaths.

“How dare he do that to you? How dare he even come work at the shop? How dare I flirt with a monster like him?” She hits the counter a few times and sighs. “Alright, here’s the master plan: you stay here and make yourself some tea. Watch TV, call Justin, figure out what to do. I am going to find that bastard and kick his ass into next year. He will not get away with this. He may have his nose broken and he might never have kids, but he still deserves worse.”

“Carrie, I can’t stay here. I – hic – I have to go find Justin. I have to – hic – to find him and tell him so he doesn’t get – hic – get angry,” I whimper, wiping the tears from my face. I can’t just wait around for Justin. I need to find him. Maybe he’s back at the shop, waiting. Maybe he’s gonna show up at the door and ask where I’ve been. I can’t just sit around.

“Okay, well, then, go. But I’m still kicking some rotten butt. Don’t worry about the tea. Just go find Justin,” Carrie demands, helping me wipe away my tears. She purses her perfectly pink painted lips and grabs a rag. She wipes my face down and grabs her mascara.

“I don’t need makeup to find Justin. But thank you, anyway.” I hug my tall blonde friend before leaving the apartment, going to find my boyfriend. I get in the car and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I am fine. There are no worries here. I just need to find him, apologize for being late, and explain why.

I pull out of the parking lot and start towards Karen’s house. She told me she would give me lessons on cooking, and she definitely did. I’ve been over to her house a couple times, and I have made a mess of her kitchen each time. Oh, the woes of me! Not.

As I think about what I’m going to tell Justin, I feel tears prick my eyes once again. I quickly blink them away so the stupid little drops of water won’t obstruct my view. At one point, I brush my hand over my eyes to get rid of the tears, and only a second too late do I realize how bad of a decision it is.

I quickly get my eyes on the road to see myself still on my side of the road, and no stop signs or stoplights, but there’s a car barreling towards me. And as I swerve to try and get out of the way, I hear a high pitched scream. As the car hits mine, all I can think about is that’s my scream. And then everything fades to black.

*~*~*~

I open my eyes to see blinding white, and I shut them again to adjust them. I better not be dead. I will not leave this earth without a proper goodbye. Especially to Marcy and Justin and Carrie. I cannot go yet.

I open my eyes again, and now I can see shapes. People, even. I see my mother, and Jason, and Carrie. My mother leans against the wall, looking out the window, but I can see the side of her face. She looks like she aged considerably since I saw her only a couple days ago to eat her chocolate.  Carrie paces the room, and sometimes she leaves my line of sight, but she ends up coming back. Her face is red, like she’s been crying or screaming. Jason is in my peripheral vision, and his hair is… brown? Why is his hair brown? I just saw him, and his hair was a very violent hue of violet.

“Who the heck did your hair?” I ask hesitantly, my voice raw like I haven’t had a drink in weeks, and I try to move my head to look at him, but it’s stuck. I move to sit up, but the pain is unbearable. What the heck happened to me? And now that I think about it, where’s Justin? Shouldn’t he be here? Unless it’s family only, but Carrie isn’t related to me by blood. Same with Jason.

“Oh my God. Courtney!” Jason exclaims, and my mother turns to me. She gasps and rushes to me, grabbing my hand. “Carrie, doctor, now! Jenny June, can you hear me?” Jason brushes hair from my face, and he stares down at me, eyes full of concern and relief.

“Jason, where am I?” I croak, swallowing hard. “And what did you do to your hair, child?” I hear Courtney choke back a sob, and Jason laughs softly, too sensitive for recognition. If I wasn’t looking at him, I wouldn’t believe it.

“You need to go back to sleep, Jenny. Just close your eyes and wait for a doctor,” he tells me, gripping onto my other hand. I close my eyes, and I hear footsteps enter the room. I could swear I hear, “Jelly, no!” along with “She’s still bleeding. Put her back under,” in a rushed whisper before I fall back into sleep.

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I groggily open my eyes, raising my free hand to rub my face. I feel like I’ve slept for days. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love sleep, but this sleep was full of black. No dreams, or at least none that I can remember. One of my hands is in someone else’s, and it’s a very limp hand. Like someone is sleeping beside me. I open my eyes and turn my head to see Carrie. She’s passed out, mouth open, soft snoring asleep, and it’s hilarious. I reach for my phone, but I have no idea where it is. When I look over to find it, I notice the blue cast on my arm.

“Carrie, what the heck is going on?” I yelp, shaking her arm to wake her. She slowly wakes up and yelps when she sees me awake.

“Crap, you aren’t supposed to wake up yet! Hold on, I’ll go grab Courtney and a doctor,” Carrie exclaims, standing. I grip onto her hand as tightly as I can, though I feel very weak, so it’s probably not very tight.

“Wait, Carrie! Where’s Justin? Why am I in a hospital?” I ask quickly, though she pulls away and walks out. I swear under my breath, the only time I’ve allowed myself to do so in a very long time. Only seconds later, my mother, Carrie, and a man I’ve never seen before, probably the doctor, walk in. I watch them with wide eyes, and the doctor smiles warmly at me.

“Hello, Jenny, I’m Dr. Jones. You’re just gonna feel a little pinch, and you’ll fall asleep,” he tells me in a calm voice.

“Wait, Justin!” I call out, looking at my mother and best friend with wide eyes. “Where is he? I have to see him! Justin!” They just stare back at me, and their eyes are sad and full of tears. I feel myself being pulled under, and the last words I remember hearing are, “I’m sorry.”
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I think this is not Jenny's year.

Again, I am very sorry about the few updated with this story. With work, school, getting ready for college next year, and a boyfriend, I have a ton on my plate. With that being said, I have been writing. Mostly during my study hall when I have the chance.

Even though I am very busy, I will continue this story. No matter how busy I get or how bad I get stuck, I will come back to this story. The original story always had a special place in my heart, and I cannot stop now.

I will now end this note with a question or two. Who is still with me? And does anyone have any idea what's going to happen next? If you do, say nothing.

Stay fantastic. I love each and every one of you.

 

So sorry for the super long wait. This is not an update, but I just want to say I only have one chapter left to write. I'll update tomorrow and hopefully more times throughout the weeks. I know this has taken forever for me to finish, but I'm really excited for how it's went, especially the difference a between this and the original, even though this one is a bit... awful in a couple aspects. I'm really gonna have to edit this one.

Anywho, look out for an update this week. There's a few chapters left, but the story is now over 50,000 words and 100 pages. This little novel is a wonderful accomplishment for me.

This will probably be the last story I write on here. I will be over on Wattpad, but otherwise, I will scarcely be on. I do have a story coming up called I'm Coming Home. It's about a girl makes Eva who lost her brother due to suicide and how she feels with it. Check it out when it shows up?

Anyway, new update is coming your way. I love you all that have stuck with me for so long.

 

I'm actually keeping a promise. Here's the next chapter.
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I open my eyes, memories flooding my brain. I’m in the hospital, and I was forced to sleep twice... But why am I in the hospital? The last thing I remember is talking to Justin about… going on a date. That he had something for me. But what? Did I ever make it there? Did we get hurt? What on earth happened to me?

“Jennifer June Wyatt don’t you dare scare me like that again,” I hear, and I as I turn, I see Courtney. She looks like she’s aged thirty years. Hair falls out of her usually perfect bun. Wrinkles run across her forehead and fan out from the sides of her eyes.

“What? What are you talking about?” I grumble, pushing myself into a sitting position. I hiss in pain and pull the hospital gown away to look at the bandages wrapped around my torso. I glace at the cast, the bandages, and then back to my mother. “What happened to me?”

“Oh, you must have hit your head too hard…” she sighs, shaking her head. “I’ll go grab the doctor. Jason, keep an eye on her.” Jason walks into the room slowly, smiling widely when he seems me. Huh. Jason hardly ever smiles. And I mean it.

“Jenny June, you gave us a scare. Now, you tried to go out with a bang, but…” He shakes his head with a sigh. “We just couldn’t let our favorite chocolate lover to go just yet. Now, honey, what happened to you is simple. You got into a car accident and almost died.”

“What? Jason Reynolds, don’t tell me that crap! You cannot joke around on me!” Jason just shakes his head at my outburst, and that’s when the doctor, Courtney, and my blonde best friend walks in.

“Miss Wyatt! Glad to know you’re finally awake and competent. Your mother tells me that you have no memory of what happened, correct?” I nod slowly at the man, eyes wide. “Well, I’ll tell you what I know. You were in a car accident with a Mr.,” he glances at his notes, “Burnell.” I flinch at the name, instinctively knowing that’s Ryan. Why I flinch, I have no idea. But I would love to know. “He died in the crash, and you almost did as well.

“You had internal bleeding, broken and bruised ribs, a broken arm, and a concussion. You were unconscious at the scene, and we decided to put you into a medically induced coma after doing surgery to stop the bleeding. We though if you were awake, you would cause the bleeding to continue. You’ve been out for two months, but you’ve woken up twice. The first time was about a week and a half after the surgery and since you moved around some, the bleeding started again. The second was a couple weeks ago, but you didn’t cause the bleeding to start again. We decided just last night that it was time for you to be awake and moving again.”

I stare at the doctor with wide eyes. As he speaks, it starts coming back to me. I was crying. I tried to get the tears to stop, and one second I was on the road. The next, a car was rushing right for me and must have hit me. I remember my scream, so unfamiliar that I thought it was someone else.

“Ryan hit me..? He did it intentionally. He was headed right for me, but I don’t remember how he got to me, or why he hit me...” I mumble, thinking. I can’t remember anything before the crash. Why can’t I remember? “Before the crash I…”

“You hit your head against the steering wheel and you had whiplash. We put your head in a neck brace for the first couple weeks. We didn’t know if you would retain your memory or not. Luckily, you do have some memory. What you can’t remember can be provided by your family and friends. I’m going to run some tests to see how healed your ribs are, though you should be just fine. Probably sore. The bruising is definitely gone by now, and the breaks should be healed, but we just want to make sure.”

Man, this doctor is a talker. “How much longer will my arm be in the cast?” I ask hesitantly.

“Only a couple more weeks. It was a severe fracture, and some of the bone is still attached, though it should be mostly healed. So at most, it should take ten weeks to heal. It’s been eight at most, so you only have a short amount of time left.” After that, he does medical tests, and I didn’t really do much other than wince and grumble about my arm being in a cast. So, he let me go home.

Once back to my room to change, I start listing off everything I can’t wait to do.

“I really can’t wait to see Justin. And dye my hair for that matter,” I tell Carrie, grabbing my long, fried, frizzy locks of orange hair. “I mean, this looks absolutely awful.”

“You should get it cut then. Like a cute bob. Like, um who is that actress from that horror movie? About the mirror and stuff?” Carrie asks, grabbing my hair and pulling it back. “You could definitely pull off a bob, and your hair will grow back out to be super healthy compared to this dead mess. I’m surprised you’ve dyed your hair this much without it falling out.”

“Oh, I wonder what Justin will think of a bob. Do you think he’ll like it?” Carrie lets go of my hair with a sigh, sitting on the bed. Since my car has been totaled, according to my mother, Carrie’s gonna take me home.

“Honey, what do you remember that night?” I raise my eyebrows at her question as I sit down next to her.

“I remember crying when I was in the car. I remember screaming. I remember talking to Justin because he said he wanted to give me something. And I went to go grab my purse. And Ryan was blocking the door.” The memories hit me all at once. Finding out Ryan’s friends with Seth, firing him, kicking his butt, hurrying to find Justin. But I never found him. Because I never got the chance to get to him and explain before I got hit.

Ryan’s promise was held true until his end. My life is in shambles. I lost my car, I’m physically broken. I probably lost Justin. I just don’t understand how when he never ever came to talk to me.

“Give me your phone,” I demand, and I take it as she holds it out to me. I quickly call Justin, shaking in fear. I can’t lose Justin. I just can’t. He was the goodness in my life and he’s about to disappear forever.

“Hello?” I hear, and relief floods through me. He answered. He answered his phone. I breathe out the longest sigh, closing my eyes for a moment. “Carrie?”

“Justin,” I whisper hopefully and I smile softly to myself. Maybe he’ll hear me out. Maybe he’ll listen for just a few moments to get the chance to understand what happened.

“Jenny. Hi.” Justin’s voice is very neutral. No anger, no happiness, or depressed sighs. Nothing. So, what now?

“Hey. Um, I’m finally awake. But that’s obvious. Look, I need to talk to you.”

“Talk to your boyfriend. Oh, wait, he’s dead. Goodbye Jenny.” He hangs up on me, and I keep listening to silence for a long time, hoping and praying that he didn’t really just end it all. He just… He thought I was cheating on him.

“I’m sorry Jenny. He took all your stuff back to your mother’s, but you can stay at my place for now,” Carrie sighs, rubbing my back slowly. I don’t say anything. I just finished getting changed and let Carrie take me to her car. Before she drives off, she grabs a Sharpie and takes my right arm, the one with the cast on it. She writes, “LOVE YOU MY CLUMSY SISTER FROM ANOTHER MISTER.” She tosses the Sharpie back into her purse before driving off, patting the top of my head. But no matter what she does, the weight of what happened is too much. I just lost Justin Plymouth and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.

*~*~*~

In the weeks of being alone and depressed, I have switched to online classes, quit my job, gotten my cast off, and I don’t try to go outside. It’s cramped in Carrie’s one bedroom apartment, but I sleep on the couch, and I just put all my stuff in a random closet. I sigh as I listen to a lecture my English teacher put online. I try to pay attention to the lesson on British Literature, but it’s all white noise, like usual. I can’t seem to focus. All I ever think about is the crash and Justin’s last words to me.

I don’t even flinch when I hear the door slam shut and the loud sigh that I’ve accustomed to. It’s Carrie, of course. I hear someone yell from the other side of the door, a couple obscenities that annoys me to death. I pause the lecture and shift on the couch to watch Jason walk in with Marcy in his arms.

“Why must you swear in front of the child?” I sigh when I see him, holding my arms out for my little sister. She practically hops out of Jason’s arms and runs over to me. She cuddles into my side and I give a small grin. Grins are all I can ever manage anymore. I never smile anymore.

“Hey, I’m merely trying to defend myself against your stupid friend. You know it’s rude to shut the door on people, right?” I hear and roll my eyes. Those two bicker so much they should be married. It’s a wonder they haven’t started dating.

“How are you, doll?” I ask Marcy with a small sigh, blocking out Carrie and Jason. They start fighting, and it’s easier to block them out now than it used to. Marcy smiles widely up at me and starts talking about school and her friend Roxy and Roxy’s two cousins Liam and Nick. Apparently, Nick and Liam “killed” Mr. Fluffykins, Marcy’s favorite stuffed rabbit, and Marcus destroyed Roxy’s hair bow by cutting it up. Sounds like something normal for a change.

Marcy and I sit together for a long time, and just holding her gradually cheers me up, if only a bit. Jason and Marcy leave after a while, and I reluctantly let them leave me. And now I’m left with Carrie.

“We should finally go to the mall and get your hair cut. It’s so damaged from your dying adventures that you should remove most of the dead hair.” Carrie walks to me, and grabs a fist full of my hair, though it’s not to pull it. It’s to examine it. “Yep, it is fried in the worst way possible. We’re going. Get dressed. Look pretty. I’ll even do your makeup.”

“You should just make that your profession than go to college,” I tell her in a monotone voice. She brightens at my words and starts babbling as I go grab some clothes. I decide to wear jeans and a t-shirt, something simple and easy. I pull on my sneakers and grab my jacket. I shrug it on and grab my purse, sighing to myself. Carrie tells me no, so I grab my new phone and wallet and leave with her. I even grabbed my keys. The keys I never use anymore.

*~*~*~

I stare at myself in the mirror, shocked at the sight. It’s gone. All my beautiful, wavy, orange hair is gone. Just on the floor, no longer a part of me. I reach up and touch my hair. Carrie talked me into shaving half of my head so I could seem more hardcore. Normally, I’d say no way. But this look… I like it. It’s styled where the small amount of hair rest over the top of my head. The rest is cut into a bob, and I have short bangs that I can push away from my face. I don’t look half bad, to say the least.

“Oh my gosh, look at my new best friend. She’s a brooding badass, just like Jason,” Carrie squeals, clapping her hands. “I love it. I mean, no, you can’t reverse it, but your hair will grow back healthy now. What do you think, Jenny?”

“I think I look… different. I’ll definitely earn some passing glances to say the least. Maybe next time a simple bob, but I like it nonetheless.” I smile slightly at my friend, looking at her through the mirror.

“Yes! Score! I’m paying! And after this, we can buy you some kick ass new clothes to match your new look. And then we’ll eat. Again, I’m paying. I’m buying everything for you today. I can’t wait to see how amazing you look in some bad ass clothes. Hot Topic is a must. They have some sweet clothes there, and we can go to…” Carrie rambles, and I tune her out. I can’t get over how short my hair is. And how good I look with it.

Carrie and I leave and we move from store to store in the mall. For the first time in a long time, months at least, I’m having fun. But Justin still lingers in my mind. I miss him.

I changed in the bathroom after we hit a few stores. I look myself over in the mirror and I look like a totally different person. I look… like I have control. I’m wearing a new muscle tee that says, “Don’t know, don’t care,” in white lettering against the black. I adjust my leather jacket and stare down at my combat boots and ripped jeans. I’ll admit it: I look like someone I would never mess with. And I love it.

Carrie loves the look, and as we walk to the food court, I feel so many eyes on me. I don’t really care though, for once in my life. I feel like someone entirely new. I feel Carrie stop beside me at one point because the bags in her hands suddenly jolt in her hands. I look up and freeze when I see him.

Justin Plymouth looks so… oh man, I wish I could kiss that frown off his face. He stares at me with wide eyes, unsure about what he’s seeing. I glance at Carrie and she smirks, nudging my elbow with hers.

“I’ll go grab us some food and a table. I’ll take the rest of your stuff. I’ll see you later, Jenny.” She takes my bags from me and smiles, sauntering off in a way only she can make look good with at least a dozen bags in her hands. I shake my head as she walks off, smiling widely. Oh, she is so getting chewed out when we get back to her apartment.

“Jenny?” I hear Justin whisper in a breathless voice. I turn back to him and brush a couple strands of hair off my face. He looks like he always has. His hair is a little longer, he has dark half-circles under her eyes, and he looks shocked and sad.

“Hey, Justin,” I greet with a small, awkward wave. Yep, I’m still here. The exterior is such a fake.

“What happened to you?” he asks as he looks over at me. I shrug as I glance down at my appearance.

“Just, you know, trying something new. Carrie’s idea of course.”

“Of course.”

We stand in silence for a long, awkward moment. It hurts that he won’t ask how I am, or even try to talk to me. But it’s his loss, right? That’s what Carrie always says.

“I don’t see you at Cupid’s Chocolate Villa anymore. Or school. Or anywhere, really. This town really isn’t that big. Where have you been?” Justin asks carefully, and I decide to play the nonchalant approach.

“Oh, around. I’m living with Carrie, so she keeps me busy,” I explain, rather calmly might I add. I like it. I’m more confident all of a sudden. And I don’t think it’s the clothes.

“Right. Um…” He shuffles in his place, and I glance around to see Carrie waving at me. She gives me a thumbs up and I roll my eyes. What a dork. I look back at Justin and I notice he’s eyeing my hair.

“Um, haircut,” he points out, and I run my hand over my hair. I’m still surprised at how short it is. I nod, trying to look up at it, though I know it’s a futile effort.

“Yeah. Some was cut when the pulled me from the car, so Carrie suggested I should just cut the rest of it off.” I’m exaggerating. Why am I lying to him? They didn’t cut my hair. I mean, some was caught between the wreckage, but nothing major was done.

“Right.” I slip my hand into my pocket and feel my keys in between my fingers. My key to my car is still on the ring. I just can’t bring myself to let it go, to toss it in a drawer and forget it. I haven’t even gotten a new car yet. I don’t have the cash, and I don’t really go anywhere, so what’s the point?

“I heard Ryan was in the crash. I heard he’s dead.” I don’t know what’s up with his tone, but he sounds rather bitter. I don’t know why he sounds like that.

“What’s your problem?” I snap, glaring at him. “I don’t know why you’re being such a jerk about this. I’m the victim. I had to deal with a cast for weeks. I was in a coma. And you’re here accusing me of what? Being unfaithful?”

“I saw you kissing him. I watched him kiss you and I saw him do things to you that I never would have thought you would allow.” He glares back and takes a step towards me. I step towards him as well, clenching my hands into fists.

“Have you even considered the fact that he was Seth’s friend? You know, the guy that likes to ruin my life, even while he’s in jail.” Justin takes a step back, shock overcoming his anger. “He likes to ruin my life. He somehow got it through Ryan’s head that I was the bad guy. And he kissed me. He kissed me, and I broke his nose and kicked him where it hurt. He kissed me after saying he would take away everything I–” I freeze before saying the word love.

Do I love him? I never really thought about it, but man, just seeing his face threw me through a loop. He saw the bad sides of me. He saw the best sides of me. He cared so much for me, and I tried to repay him for everything he did. He made me laugh and we never fought, except over silly things like movies or what’s for dinner. Every time I see him, I get butterflies and my heart stops, but it also speeds up to a point where I’m not sure if I’m alive or dead.

“Everything I care about,” I finish in a whisper. “And now… You let me grab my things with Carrie, and you weren’t there to see me go. You didn’t let me explain, and you never thought of anything but your first impression of what happened.” I stand straight as I fight away tears, looking straight into his eyes. His eyes… I can’t handle how sad he looks, how beautiful his eyes are. “And now it’s goodbye.”

Before I start crying and acting pathetic, I duck my head and walk off to Carrie. I don’t know if Justin is looking after me, or if he’s trying to come after me, but I don’t care. I just want to go home.

Except I don’t have a place to call home anymore. The only time I ever felt at home was with Justin. And that’s when it hits me, harder than a ton of bricks: I am in love with Justin Plymouth. I love him, but now I can’t have him. Because he doesn’t want me, and I have to let it be that way.

I spot Carrie eating at a table, watching me with wide eyes. She glances behind me and I follow her eyes. Justin left. So he made his choice. He doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore.

“I’m fine.” I turn to Carrie and when she opens her mouth to speak, I repeat, “I’m fine. Let’s just go.” And we leave.

~*~*~

I decide to go back to Cupid’s Chocolate Villa to work to make a point: just because Justin and I broke up because he’s an idiot, I am fine. And Jason’s by himself now, so he needs the help. Courtney, as accepting as she used to be, let me back. Now, after the crash, I have to talk to her so she doesn’t have a heart attack. And, apparently, I am her maid of honor. When I agreed to this, I have no idea, along with why on earth would I, but I have no choice now. All things considered, Jason was forced to be Luke’s best man, so we both have to go through the torture.

I walk into the store for the first time in months. It’s odd, coming back after all this time. Nothing’s changed, except Ryan’s gone. That, and I won’t be expecting visits from Justin.

“Hello, welcome to–” I hear from Jason, but when I look up, I watch him stare. “Oh my God, Jenny June? Look at you!” He starts laughing, and I raise my eyebrows in confusion. Is there something on my face? “The kitten is pretending to be a lion! That’s great.” Oh. That.

“Thanks, freak show. Nice hair,” I muse as I walk behind the counter. He’s dyed it orange, at first I think to match my hair, but it’s late October. I forgot. Halloween. Justin and I were going to dress up. Nope, don’t think about him. Don’t think about it or anything close to it. Just… breathe.

“Yeah, now we can be real twins.” I laugh, looking up at his 6’ stature compared to my short 5’1. He winks and I roll my eyes and I place my purse on a hook.

“Right. Anyway, let’s get to work. I’m going to intimidate people this time. You can just brood on the sidelines.” He pushes me, but hardly enough to push me over. I stand at the register and throughout the day, we bicker and laugh, intimidate and sell, and on occasion, when I get those thoughts back in my head, he picks me back up by making me laugh, or complaining about Carrie. It’s nice, honestly. And I’d never want it any other way.

*~*~*~

“Why did I let you talk me into going to one of your friend’s Halloween parties?” I ask with a groan. I look down at my outfit, Anna from Frozen for whatever reason. But she’s Elsa, and I couldn’t think of a better companion to act as my sister for Halloween.

“How did she talk me into being the bad guy?” Jason asks as he walks from the bedroom. I laugh at his outfit and smile at Carrie. Oh, she nailed it. She nailed us. She always plans weeks to months in advanced, looking for the perfect outfits. And she picked a nice look for the three of us. But there’s one costume that’s still hanging in the closet, meant for my Disney Prince. But I have no prince, and I’m alone. But the movie was all about sisterly love, so that’s fine with me.

“You could be Olaf,” Carrie teases, and I roll my eyes and Jason groans. Yep, great friends, really. Complete love between the three of us. No hate here. Nope.

“Let’s go to the party, Elsa. You too, Han,” I tease as well. I can’t help it. Seeing Jason’s glare makes it worth it.

It’s a quick ride to the party, and it’s already in full swing. I see so many costumes, a couple similar to my own and my friends’ costumes. But ours are unique. Carrie had them designed to look as realistic as possible. It’s no telling how much money she spends. Carrie even installed some tool to help her hands feel ice cold. I think it’s just a high powered fan, but her hands are freezing like they should be.

Jason leaves when he sees a game going on, Carrie goes to scope out a potential make out partner, and I am alone. I mean, it’s not a bad thing. But I’m left with my thoughts, and it kills me. I’m such a “Debby Downer” because I don’t drink or do any sort or narcotic. Carrie and Jason drink even though we aren’t old enough yet, but I stay as sober as can be as I walk around.

At some point, I bump into someone wearing a very crudely made Kristoff costume and I mumble my apologies as I start to walk off. I freeze when the man grabs me by the arm, and I hear his voice.

“And you’re Anna. Figures,” I hear, and I turn to see no other than Justin. Crap.

“Of course you’re Kristoff,” I grumble to myself, shaking my head. “Look, all I ask is that you don’t stick around. I don’t want someone, and I mean Carrie, to get the wrong idea and call us a couple again. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” I turn away and walk off, more confident than I’ve ever been before. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love him. But seeing his face hurts my heart.

I weave through the crowd to find Carrie engaged in a drinking competition. I frown as I watch her, shocked by her irresponsible behavior. I’m used to this, don’t get me wrong, but come on. She is being ridiculous. Jason stands by himself with a red cup in hand, brooding like he always is. He doesn’t even try to stop her, but why would he? They aren’t any sort of friends.

After a couple hours, and being hit on three times by drunk idiots, we leave. I drive back to Courtney’s house to drop off Jason, since he can't find an apartment yet, and then I drive back home. Carrie giggles drunkenly beside me in the passenger seat, mumbling about something. I don’t know what she’s talking about.

She finally starts speaking up, so I probe her with questions. Alcohol is like a truth serum with Carrie, and I hope that her kids have a better tolerance than her; rather, I hope her kids never drink. So what I find out is that she stole my shoes because she thought they were ugly, Jason is the most attractive man she’s ever met, and she really wants to get Justin and I back together.

But none of that’s new.

I push on, asking questions about how she feels with living with me, but she keeps on the topic of Justin and I. And then the big shocker comes from her mouth:

“I have a plan to get Justin back with you.”
~*~*~*~*
So, it's kinda jumpy. I know. But this was difficult to write because I really wanted to put all this in the same chapter. Um, I don't have much else to say. I'm almost finished. That's about it.

I love you guys!

 

Well, here is another chapter.
*~*~*~*~
Chapter 12

“This is the worst plan I have ever heard.”

“Jenny, do you want to be with Justin or not?” Carrie snaps and I flinch at her tone. It’s like her to be rash with me, but with how destroyed I’ve been, she’s been less so. I’m already getting used to her being nice. What a mistake.

“Okay, but me listening in on your conversation? What am I? Twelve?” I switch hands and sigh as I hold the phone to my ear. “Look, Care-bear, I love you. You’re my sister, but this is stupid. I thought you were kidding when you were drunk, but I know I should know better. Look, I already made my case to him, and he didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Jennifer, whether you like it or not, you two are meant to be together. I mean, come on. Did you notice how you were after the anniversary? Or perhaps you forgot that he was there, prepared to take anything, and you came out happy the next day. Not emotionally broken or scarred, but happy. So, you need him. Your face when you saw his costume, in the closet, was full of sorrow and regret. I know you better than anyone else. Now, you will listen while I reason with him, and maybe you can realize how upset he is by all this.”

How upset he is? Haven’t I already thought of that? His voice when he explained how he saw Ryan kissing me. That voice was full of bitterness and sorrow. His eyes were full of unhappiness, and it’s obvious he’s heartbroken too. But he’s a guy, and he won’t admit that, and that’s okay. He can come to me if he really misses me, not the other way around. I am not that desperate.

“Carrie, please listen to me. He’s not gonna–”

“He’s here. Listen, please. What if he says something you need to hear?” I sigh at her words, and she says “goodbye” but doesn’t hang up. I pull the phone from my ear and hit speaker, propping my head on my knees.

“Justin! How’s my favorite flower boy?” I hear Carrie greet, and I roll my eyes. So casual, that one.

“I’m the only guy you know that works with flowers, Carrie,” I hear Justin’s reply.

“So, we haven’t talked in a while, yeah? How are things?” I can image her: Carrie’s probably trying to act natural, placing her head in her hand, eyes wide with a smile. But I know she doesn’t look natural. She may be a fantastic actress towards strangers, but people who know her ticks are harder for her to deceive.

“Not all that great. Grades are slipping, and I’m not exactly in the best of moods,” he grumbles and it hurts to hear. “I’m taking a long vacation from the shop so I don’t see her, and–”

“Speaking of Jenny, and I am stopping you right there, I have some things to tell you,” Carrie interrupts and I inwardly groan. Don’t talk about me. Please.

“Carrie, I don’t want to talk about her. She already made me feel like complete crap when I last saw her. I don’t want to hear anything about her.” He sounds so sad about me.

“Well, guess what? Suck it up. Jenny is fairing a lot worse than you think. And you need to understand why. So take a moment and prepare, because Jenny is not the strong woman she appeared to be at the mall, or perhaps before that.” Carrie sounds really angry, and I bet that “normal” pose is gone.

“Justin, you really hurt her. The moment Ryan kissed her, I can guarantee you she was thinking of you. You were everything to her. She came to me because she couldn’t find you, and she told me how upset she was. She wanted to tell you what was wrong in person rather than over a text message or by a phone call because you meant that much to her.”

“But–”

“She was crying when she was hit. Because she wanted to be by your side instead of looking around for you. When she woke up, she asked for you. Every damn time. You were there the first time she woke up, and I know she heard you. She hates the words “jelly” and “jellybean” because she associates them with you.” I hear Carrie hit the table, and I know she’s losing it. Just like she was when everything happened.

“She is nothing like she was when she was with you, and even before she met you. The last time I saw her this bad… I had just moved and met her.” Carrie… she sounds so defeated. “And she thinks she’s good at hiding how she feels. She cries herself to sleep some nights, and she did multiple times before that. Especially after she got out of the hospital. Jenny never stopped, and she tried to muffle it, but it always became louder. And she’s in my living room. How can I pretend to be asleep and I can’t hear her breaking each night?”

I never knew she could hear that. It’s very true, my sleepless nights. I would just cry and cry until the tears were gone, and even then the tears weren’t gone. I was broken. And still am. My best friend hears me crying every night, and I know she wants to help me, but she knows I won’t let her.

“And it’s not just that. She never smiles anymore. She never laughs, and she’s hardly ever happy anymore. She only smiles when Marcy and Jason come to visit, and it sucks even then because I don’t make her smile anymore. She’s almost my sister, and I can’t make her happy. I can’t help her. And you know who caused this? You. If you hadn’t left, if you had stayed and let her talk about what happened, then guess what? She wouldn’t have crashed, she wouldn’t be broken, she wouldn’t have come to me first if you had stayed.”

“It’s not that simple Carrie,” he tries to argue, but it’s obvious she cuts him off in some nonverbal way. Probably raising her hand up to silence him.

“But it is, Justin. It is. Yes, Ryan kissed her, but only because he knew you would react like that. He told her that she would lose everything she loved, starting with you. And he was right. When she lost you, she lost everything. Jenny is fragile, always has been. But you didn’t get it. You’re too focused on first impressions rather than getting the details. And that’s your biggest mistake. Jennifer June Wyatt may seem like a shy, sarcastic young woman. But she’s more than what meets the eye, by far. She’s smart and caring, loyal and braver than she thinks. She is a force to be reckoned with, and guess what? You destroyed her.”

“Carrie…”

“She isn’t the same anymore. Sure it was Ryan’s fault for kissing her, but you’re so predictable that you just left her. You let her live these last few months alone. You obviously care about her, because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have been at the hospital–”

“Jason gave me a black eye that night, if you remember correctly. I was there because you called, and as soon as I uttered a word, he was ready to pick a fight.” Jason what? He would never. “Hearing him swear up and down to stay away from his precious Jenny June was enough to keep me away, let alone thinking she had cheated on me. So I would go yell at him first, because after hearing Jenny tell me what happened, I regret every damn choice I made that day.”

Oh, Justin… He sounds so defeated. And the shaky breath I hear makes me think he’s close to tears, and it’s almost too much to bear. But I keep listening anyway, refusing to make a sound.

“I wish I had stayed and confronted her instead of acting like a coward. She looked so… confident the day at the mall, and at the Halloween party… I thought she really wanted me gone. I thought you lied to me when you told me to go to the party, that she would be thrilled beyond belief to see me. She blew me off, Carrie. I thought it was time to pack everything up and go. But I… I can’t.

“You think she’s hurt? Well so am I. She’s everywhere. Every time I hear the word “jelly” or if I say it, she’s on my mind. If I see a black rose, I think about how she would have loved it. Any time I see a girl in a silver or gray dress, I remember our first date, our first kiss. I can’t even glance at chocolate because it sends a pang through my chest. I thought I was fine, but that was false confidence fueled by anger and adrenaline. She’s in my dreams, Carrie. I always see her, hanging on someone’s arm that isn’t mine. I see her happy. And it sucks. Or sometimes, she’s dying in the middle of the road, and I’m there. I’m trying to save her, but the last word on her lips is always Ryan’s name, or she’s telling me to leave.

“And it hurts beyond what I thought was possible. I… I fell hard and fast for her, Carrie. I was going to tell her that night; that’s why I asked her out that night on such short notice. Because I wanted it to be spontaneous and exciting. With roses and candles and the works. I even cooked dinner, and asked my parents to go out so I could borrow their house.”

Oh my gosh. I want to grab the phone and tell Justin I’m listening. I want to tell him I love him, and that I forgive him after hearing his words. But I can’t. I’m crying too hard, and I’m too shocked to actually say or do anything.

“Justin, you need to go talk to her then. She’s a mess without you. Hell, I’d be surprised if she didn’t love you back. There’s this thing called taking a chance. And guess what? Now is the perfect time to take a chance to talk to Jenny, to make things right.”

Hearing those words, I finally hang up.

~*~*~*

Carrie found me sobbing and hugging a pillow to my chest all those days ago after her conversation with Justin. It’s been just over a week, and Justin hasn’t even tried to contact me. Then again, Justin’s a man, and men have problems with talking about their feelings. They’re just weird like that. But I guess I can wait since he knows how I feel, and I know how he feels.

I decide to hang out with Jason at Courtney’s house while it’s empty. Jason already closed the shop earlier, so it’s just the two of us. We play beer pong, but with fruit punch. We talk about college, and he talks about seeing Justin on campus. He seems pretty angry about Justin, so I think I should ask what happened when I first woke up.

“Hey, Jason, I got a question,” I start, bouncing a pingpong ball off the table. He catches it before it hits the ground and raises his dark eyebrows. His hair is his natural hair color for November, brown, though it’s pretty dark.

“Shoot, kitten. What’s on your intelligent little mind?”

“Did you hit Justin? On the day or night or whenever I first woke up at the hospital?” I ask hesitantly, afraid of his answer. Jason doesn’t look scared to answer, and he just shrugs in reply.

“Yeah, I hit him in the face for being a prick. He’s a shallow asshole, Jenny June, you can do so much better than him.”

“Who, you?” I ask with a scoff. “Look, that’s a really rude thing you did. You are my brother, blood or not, but you didn’t have to hit him. He’s just… he didn’t know what happened, not really. He just thought I had cheated, and –”

“Which is an asshole thing to do. You might love the guy, but if he really knew you, he should know you would never do that to him. You’re my little sister. You think you know, but you don’t. What he said over the phone could have been an act. You have to hear him say those words to you right to your face. And I also have to hear his smug ass say he’s sorry or else I will kick his ass again.”

“Jason! You don’t need to use language like that to get your point across. And you will not hurt him again unless I give you any sign to. Now, as I was saying, it’s Ryan’s fault. Ryan’s dead, he’s a jerk, and he deserved it. Now, let’s get back to the game so I can kick your butt.”

Jason bounces the ball into one of my last few cups, and I frown.

“I’ve been playing this game since junior year. Drink up, kitten.”

~*~*~*

“I cannot believe you talked me into getting this thing,” I mumble as I look at my ear in the mirror. A shiny, silver rod is in the top of my ear, and I have no idea as to why I agreed to Jason’s bet. Jason and I were down to our last cups and he proposed that he could beat me with one shot. I called him out on it and we decided that, if he made it, I would get an industrial barbell in my right ear. If he didn’t, he would have to take Carrie on a date. I lost.

“You want to look more badass? Add some piercings and a couple more tattoos than that.” Jason grabs my arm and presses his finger against my tattoo. I shrug in reply and pull my arm away from him. “Look, you’re dressing the part, but, as always, you look like the same little innocent girl you are.”

“Shut up, Jason.” I roll my eyes and turn to him. “Courtney will have a heart attack when she sees this, let alone Carrie. And the wedding is in, what? A week? I will have this thing in my ear for the wedding. Wow. Jerk.”

“Hey, you can take it out if you want, but I think it suits you. After the holes settle, I’m sure you can find some really cute ones online or something. Something with chocolate or flowers or something stupid like that.” Jason shrugs with a smirk and leans back against the wall.

“So, what did you think of the dress, kitten? I know you had to love it when you saw the thing.” Jason is talking about my dress. I thought that, you know, I would get to pick out my own dress, being maid of honor and all. But no. Courtney went and picked out some ugly mess of ribbon and bows in the ugliest green possible. It’s hideous.

“I actually convinced her it would take away the attention she should receive, so she allowed me to wear the silver one Carrie bought me.” I don’t mention that I went on my first date with Justin with that dress, or that we had our first kiss while wearing that dress. No. It’s only a dress. I can’t associate it with any memories.

“Really? Is Carrie gonna make you really pretty?” he teases and I scoff.

“Shut up. And yes. She’s one of Courtney’s bridesmaids anyway. It’s not really a big deal or anything.” I sit down on the couch and lean back. Courtney is making wedding plans, and the twins should be back at any moment. I haven’t seen the both of them since the hospital, not together. The munchkins are deeply missed.

“Well, are you excited to give your speech? All about how grateful you are that I came into your life so you can deal with the travesty that is our parents’ marriage?” I laugh at his words and shake my head.

“Wow, rude. But yes. I’m excited for my speech. I’m mostly gonna fake it, how happy I am they’re together. How great it is to see love in my own personal darkness. Blah blah. It’s really cheesy.”

“You’re a little ball of cheesiness, I’m used to it. Anyway, I’ll take you home. Well, to Carrie’s apartment. It’s not really home.” He stands and fishes for his keys that are in his pocket, tapping his foot. I stand and grab my phone, stuffing it in my back pocket. Before I do, though, I see a text from a person I never thought I would see. Justin.

I ignore it and shake my head. If he wants to talk to me, he has to come to my face and say it.

~*~*~*

“Okay, tomorrow is the rehearsal,” Carrie smiles. She’s so excited for this wedding. It’s rather surprising. Then again, she’s a love magnet. She loves the feeling of love.

“Right. And?” I grab the pint of ice cream from her and spoon out another helping. “It’s just rehearsal. It’s not like they’re getting married or anything. That’s in a few days.”

“Come on. Aren’t you excited to dance? To watch your own mother be happy? You may not like Luke, but I’m sure he’s a nice guy at heart. He probably wasn’t thinking about you being upset, you know? He probably thought you’d be happy to have a father figure in your life.”

“Troy is my father figure. I don’t care about Luke. It’s the fact that Courtney did this without even consulting me that really just... I mean, I’m not her keeper, but if she had told me to begin with, maybe, just maybe, I’d be okay. Maybe we would be okay. But no. She didn’t tell me, which is ridiculous. And then boom, they’re getting married. Dating is acceptable, but getting married? No. That makes absolutely no sense.”

“Okay, makes sense. So why are you taking it out on Luke too? You adore Jason. Who says you couldn’t like Luke too?”

“Look, right now, I’m in a very… weird state. I can’t think of the word right now, but you know what I mean. Everything just… weird. Justin says he still has feelings for me, though he hasn’t tried contacting me. Well, he texted me, but I ignored it because I’m supposed to pretend to be getting over him. And Jason has no remorse for hitting Justin. And now I have this thing in my ear and I can’t sleep on my right side anymore. And the wedding is soon, and I’m not all that excited to go.”

“Crap happens, Jenny. You just have to suck it up for one night, one measly night. And I know you can do it. Plus, I’ll repay you with some imported Kinder eggs or something just as great.”

“Kinder eggs are illegal, Care-bear.”

“Smuggle them.” Carrie shrugs and I laugh softly.

“Right. Here.” I hand her the pint of ice cream. She smiles and scoops out another bite, or lick, or whatever normal people call it.

“Give him a chance, Jenny. He’s a father figure for Marcus and Marcy. They need a father figure more than you do. Besides, you only talked to him the day you met him. You have no idea if he’s a good guy or if he’s just out to get her money and break her heart.”

“Carrie!”

“Sorry.”
*~*~*~*~
Again, a little jumpy. But, the wedding is afoot, and there is a single chapter left. How exciting.

I love you guys.

 

Okay, everyone. This is it. Enjoy...
*~*~*~*~
Chapter 13

I smooth down my dress and make sure it isn’t stuck on anything before walking out to Carrie. It’s almost a flashback to when Carrie and I were anticipating an entirely different day. But today, it’s Courtney’s wedding, the day she becomes Courtney Marie Wyatt-Reynolds. Luke must have understood that she can’t let go of James’s name, so she added a hyphen instead.

“Looking good as always, babe. I can’t believe you’re Jason’s date.” I roll my eyes at her statement and look at myself in the mirror. I don’t look much different from that day. Similar makeup, same dress and shoes. Hair is swept to the side as usual, and Carrie subtly braided faux diamonds into my hair, creating the appearance of water droplets unbroken. I look beautiful.

“Thank you, Carrie. For all the support and everything else. You’re the best.”

“I try. Now go. You don’t have long.” Carrie smiles and she’s wearing a beautiful sapphire blue dress that brushes her ankles. It’s tightfitting down to her hips, and then it cascades in beautiful ripples and a slit to her left. Her hair is pinned and swept to her left shoulder, and she has only subtle makeup on.

“You look great too. I’ll see you out there.” I smile and walk out. I have two things on my agenda before the wedding officially starts. Both involve talking to the people I’ve been avoiding for a very long time.

I knock on the door and hear his voice call, “Come in.” I push my way into the room where Jason and Luke stand, eyes at the door. Marcus sits on a chair and swings his feet, and when he sees me, he smiles widely.

“Jenny!” he calls and I hug him when he meets me.

“Hey, trouble. I’m gonna have a minute with Luke, so go outside with Jason, okay?” I kiss the top of his head and he smiles. He tugs my hand down and I lean down to hear him whisper in my ear:

“You are really pretty, Jen-Jen.” Then he smiles and walks off. I smile after him and it’s a shock to see how he’s changed. He’s acting better than he was. A lot. I haven’t seen him act this great since… well, never. He’s always been trouble, so it’s weird to see him act normal.

“Looking good Jenny June. I’ll see you later, pops,” he tells Luke and smiles at me. He walks out and then it’s just Luke and I.

“Well, I’m not sure why you’re here,” Luke mumbles, rubbing the back of his head. He’s tall, blonde, and blue-eyed. He looks nothing like James. James was tall too, with dark chocolate hair and eyes like mine, blue with subtle hints of green. I miss him so much.

“I’m here to apologize for how I acted. When we first met. I acted awful, but it was never towards you. I was so mad that Courtney never told me about you, and I just left without giving you a chance. It was so rude and I’m sorry.” I watch Luke’s face contort from worry to surprise. He smiles softly and steps towards me. I don’t take a step back so he continues until he’s right in front of me, looking down at me.

“Jenny, I know this is difficult and I’m sorry. I wish you had been around so we could talk more. And your mother, I love her dearly. Had I known she was hiding this from you, I would have insisted to meet you. I can’t replace your father, but I will be here as a father figure, okay? This was just as hard on Jason at first, but he’s adjusted because we had time to talk, along with your mother.”

“Just know that if you touch one hair on her head the wrong way, I will not hesitate to kick your sorry ass. My mother has been through far too much, and she only deserves the best. Therefore, you will be the best man in her life. Do you understand?” I’m very shocked by my language, but it seems to make a point because his happy face is now worried once again.

“Yes, I do.” Luke smiles, though it’s weak, and I know I’ve made my point clear. I nod and take a deep breath.

“Good. Now, congratulations, and good luck.” I reach a hand out to him and he shakes it with a smile. We exchange a quick “goodbye” and I leave, heading for the next destination in my mind. I stop before the door, nervous about our confrontation at hand. I could wait, but then there would be no time, and it would probably be too late. Plus, I already talked to Luke. No time like the present.

I knock on the door and shuffle inside, eyes closed just in case.

“Jenny?” I hear and open my eyes. My mother is standing in a beautiful white dress. It’s big and definitely came with a petticoat. Her neck is lined with one simple set of pearls, and her orange hair is pulled on to the top of her head. She looks beautiful.

“Hey, Courtney. Do you mind if I talk to you for a minute? I promise, I won’t stall the wedding.” I smile softly and I see Marcy, playing with her veil. It’s just like a normal veil, but it’s beautiful all the same.

“Yeah, sure. Marcy, honey, will you wait outside? I promise to call you back soon.” She kisses my sister’s head and gently takes the veil from her. Marcy walks towards me and gives me a hug, just like Marcus. She doesn’t say anything, just smiles, and walks out. I watch her leave and notice the beautiful little blue dress she’s wearing, with a bow on the hip.

“So…” I mumble and gently take the veil from my mother. “I wanted to apologize.” I have her turn around and I begin situating it on top of her head. “For all of this. I’ve been a really bad daughter, especially when it came to you and Luke.”

“Jenny…”

“No, listen, okay? I know it would have been hard for me to adjust, and you were thinking in your best interests at the time. You are my mother, and I shouldn’t have gotten so angry. You’re the only person who knows firsthand about how I feel and whatnot. I shut you out instead of listening to you. I am sorry.”

“Jenny, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have hid the relationship from you, or your siblings. It was selfish, and I’m sorry. When you got in the crash, I thought the worse. And had you gone too, hating what I had done, nonetheless…” Tears are pooling in her eyes, and I grab a tissue for her. She smiles and dabs her eyes, careful of her delicate makeup.

“Now, if I am correct, the wedding is about to begin. I’ll grab Marcy and let Gramps in here, and we can start the show. Good luck.” I smile and squeeze her hand before leaving. I walk out and hug Marcy before we get into formation.

~*~*~*

The ceremony was absolutely gorgeous. Luke and Courtney had written their own vows. While Courtney had a very long speech written, Luke kept it short. It mostly contained that he would always stand by her side and he could never replace James, not even for the two little ones fidgeting in their formal wear.

We’ve already left and are at the reception, and Jason is silently panicking in his seat beside Luke. He’s not used to being the center of attention when he’s supposed to have it. He likes getting stares from his appearance, but in a tux, when giving a speech? Not a chance he’s gonna stay calm.

“Jason, take a deep breath. In and out. Now, listen, okay?” I smile up at my now-official-step-brother. “Look, I have performance anxiety like you wouldn’t believe. I know you prefer the negative attention. But, if you think you can’t do it, look at someone who loves you. Me, Carrie, Luke, Courtney, Marcy or Marcus. We love you. We are your family now. We will never judge. Well, Carrie will, but I won’t.”

“Jenny June, you’re a lifesaver, and a miracle, but I doubt this will work out for me. I’m not an attention whore like Carrie.”

“Then focus on her. She loves attention, and so she will love it when she catches you staring at her for confidence.”

“You ask too much of me.” He kisses my forehead instead of arguing and I fix his disheveled hair. His hair is brown, for the wedding and Thanksgiving. Mine is still orange, because I’m done dying my hair. Carrie told me it was destroyed, and I decided my hair color frenzy should end. Besides, why not show the natural me?

“Good luck, okay? This won’t be the only time you have to make a speech, but make it count.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re making a speech when I get married. Now, let’s go.” I grab his arm gently as he groans and we make out way to our seats. The ballroom Courtney reserved for the occasion is breathtaking. It’s beautiful and large, and I love it. I smooth down my dress as I sit down next to Carrie and Courtney, giving Jason a big thumbs up for good luck. He rolls his eyes at me, but I can see the smile Jason’s trying to hide. He loves me.

Once everyone settles down and it’s time to make speeches, Jason stands first.

“Alright, I’m gonna keep this pretty short and simple so I don’t bore anyone. And so I don’t hit Dad for putting me into this situation in the first place.” Everyone laughs, even though I know it’s far from a joke, and he rolls his eyes. “I didn’t know Courtney very well, not really. I had seen her a couple of times, but not enough to get buddy-buddy with her. She’s a good person though.

“She can’t replace my mother, not by a long shot. So, she’s cool. She loves her kids, and she raised a kick-ass daughter Jenny.”

“Language!” I call out to him, gesturing to the young kids. I’m smiling despite myself though. He thinks I’m cool.

“Jenny June is the little sister I never had and I always wanted to torment. Marcy is cute and Marcus is rambunctious. I don’t doubt it was hard being a single mother and a lawyer. You fight pretty hard. So I am glad to accept you into this dysfunctional family. However, the only person I enjoy truly is that wild child next to her annoying and attractive blond friend.”

Jason sits down, and there are whistles and cheers. I’m cheering because it is official that he likes Carrie. Carrie is downright speechless instead of being excited, gripping my hand.

“Before my new step-daughter says a word, there is a special friend of the family that would like to speak,” Luke smiles and gestures towards the door. It stays closed but I hear a voice over the speakers.

“Hello Wyatts, Reynolds, and any other family whose name I do not know. I would like to tell a story of Miss Jennifer June Wyatt.” I freeze and turn to Carrie with a frown. Something is happening and I have a really bad feeling about it.

“Jennifer June Wyatt is 20. She’s smart, shy, sarcastic, and very passionate of chocolate. Her favorite holiday is Halloween, and she loves the banned Kinder Eggs. She lost her father when she was young, and she had to take care of her siblings the day they were born. She’s a fantastic person who does not deserve any problems, anger, or depression.

“Now, in March, she met a guy who was 19, tall, confident, and hopefully handsome. He thought she was funny and had really cool green hair. She wasn’t afraid to be herself. She was hidden, mostly inside herself, but she had one amazing friend. Carrie Ann Mitchells, the blonde, preppy, and apparently attractive friend. And that woman was something else to meet.

“Carrie brought the young man and Jenny together. First, they were friends, and then in May, the two started dating. It was perfect, as perfect as it could get. The Courtney came home with Luke and problems were created.

“Jenny started have a bad relationship with her mother, and with this young man. They moved in together because she didn’t want to be near her mother. It caused some problems. They were a bit awkward with each other, unsure what to do now that they made this big leap so quickly. And then there was the anniversary.

“James died almost a decade ago now. Jenny was really crushed on the day of the anniversary of his death. She didn’t smile. She cried. She had the… the worst nightmare. She wasn’t herself, and he had to try and help in any way he could. Her cries were one thing, but those screams…”

Oh my gosh. He is not doing this in front of my entire family, is he? I mean, oh my gosh, now? Why now? This is supposed to be a happy occasion, and he shouldn’t be here. I glare at Carrie and she smiles weakly, hoping that I understand. She mouths “surprise” and I shake my head. Fan-freaking-tastic.

“That day changed a lot for the two of them. They were finally happy, being alone like the way they were. It all changed for the better. She was happy, starting college, and she… she was seeing the optimistic side of things for one. This one time, she knew how amazing she was.”

He needs to stop. I have to find him. I stand and whisper to Carrie that I’m gonna go find him, and despite her best efforts, I leave. I weave through the crowd with a sigh, desperate to find him.

“One day, they had a date. It was spontaneous. He made dinner, got his parents out of their house, had candles and flowers. He was excited because he was going to say those three words he’d been wanting to say since that night of nightmares.”

“Shut up if you know what’s good for you,” I mumble and sigh, apologizing occasionally when I bump into a table.

“So, when she went to leave, a guy named Ryan was there and he… he kissed her.” A collective gasp rings through the crowd. “She fought him away, but it was too late. He saw them kissing. He thought that the woman he loved cheated on him. Which was stupid, because she loved him, and she had been hurt by people before, and she didn’t want to hurt him. But he thought so anyway.

“He went on a drive and tried to clear his head. It didn’t work out very well, and then Carrie called him.”

“Shut up,” I mumble a bit louder, blinking back tears. I don’t want to think about what happened to me. And he’s talking about it.

“Jenny had gotten in a car accident with Ryan. She wasn’t in good shape. And, despite his better instincts, he went to the hospital. He loved her despite what he thought she had done, so he went. She wasn’t in good condition and he stayed for a couple weeks. When she first woke up, he was relieved. She was put back under, and Jason was there, so Jason decided to knock a little sense into him.

“One black eye later, Justin stayed away. He was angry and didn’t was to see her, period. She was nothing but trouble and anger in his mind. He took a break from his job so he didn’t see her, and he made sure to steer clear of her classes or the building she went in most. He was determined to stay away.

“He saw her at the mall one day. She looked different. Haircut, clothes, makeup, everything was different. It almost scared him. But they talked. It was the first time they had spoken in a civil manner in a long time. And at the end of their conversation, she said goodbye, and that’s when he realized he was going to lose the love of his life.”

I freeze in front of the doors that the spotlight is on. He’s right behind that door.

“I’m here to tell her the truth, to express that side of the story. And I would like to introduce myself to those who don’t know me.”

At his words, I throw open the doors, and there he is. He’s wearing a suit and light gray tie, with a big smile on his face. In one hand are chocolate flowers – how perfect is that? – and a microphone in another. He smiles widely at me, a blush appearing on his cheeks.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Justin Lyon Plymouth, and I am in love with Jennifer June Wyatt.” Everyone cheers at his confession and I blush profusely at what he said. I smile shyly and smooth down the skirt of my dress, glaring at Justin slightly. What a dork. He’s here, and he just told everyone – me included – that he loves me. He is in love with me. Holy crap, I did not think those words would ever come out of this guy’s mouth.

“Justin, now really isn’t the time…” I mumble as I look up at him, brushing a strand of hair off my forehead. That was such an understatement. This is the complete wrong time. I was thinking at work, or during Christmas. Not here.

“Jenny, I know that you… you didn’t expect this. That’s why I asked your mother and now-step-father if I could do this. Carrie loved this idea, and Jason… He told me he would throttle me if you really hated me.” I turn to Jason and widen my arms in a “What the heck, dude?” way, and he smirks with a shrug.

“Justin, I’m flattered that you… You would do something like this for me. But–”

“But, here’s the… the honest to all that is holy truth. I am in love with you. You were on my mind often after the accident. I know you were mad about me just… ending our relationship without you being included in the decision, let along conscience. I was stupid for letting you go.

“I mean, look at you! You’re a beautiful woman, and you always have been. You’re a child at heart, but you have your moments of seriousness, especially with Marcy and Marcus. I’ve seen you at your best and at your worst, the anniversary and at home, watching our favorite hero promise something he could never keep. Things have been hard, and we should talk. We didn’t get the chance to talk at the mall. I understand if you would rather talk somewhere else.”

“Let’s go to… to the diner then. Justin, please. Leave and I’ll be there as soon as everything is over. Please?” I ask hopefully and fold my hands together nervously. My heart is pounding at an awful rate. I would prefer to grab his face and kiss him like he’s the last man on earth. But I do not do well in public situations like this.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll go. But I just need to do one thing before I go.” He doesn’t even tell me what he’s about to do. He sets the microphone and chocolate flowers down before stepping closer to me. My heart stops at his close proximity and I can’t breathe. He cups my cheek in one hand, caresses my hip in another, and kisses me.

This kiss is only like one I can remember. One that makes me feel more alive and real than anything else in the world. The night I woke from the nightmare, Justin kissed me like this. To remind me that I’m here, that I’m his no matter what happens. His lips are soft and they hardly move against mine, almost like he’s trying to savor this kiss, like this could be our last.

When he pulls away, the crowd screams. Not cheers, actually screams. I blush and smile as I look around, and Jason is close to walking over and hitting Justin so hard, his skull will shatter on impact. I shake my head at him and he rolls his eyes, though he’s smiling all the same. Carrie is more excited than anyone; she is absolutely speechless. Her eyes are wide, smile as big as someone who’s crazy, and she gives me a big thumbs up. When Jason walks over to my best friend, she kisses him and runs off to me to avoid the impending punishment.

I so called that.

“Okay, you should go, like now. You two need time alone, and I think now is a fantastic time to go.”

“Carrie, listen. I love you, I do. But I need a moment alone so I can… think about this.” I flush as I look over at Justin, smiling at him nervously. This guy… Man, how could he just do that?

“Sounds good to me. Besides, you have a speech. I’ll give you two hours from now. Time to leave, get changed, and to get there. If you don’t show up, I’m calling every hospital around and Carrie because we need to talk.” He hugs me and hands me the chocolate flowers before leaving. Carrie and I walk back to the table, all the while she’s blabbing in my ear.

“Okay, um…” I mumble as I set the flowers – chocolates? – on the table in front of me. “Wow that was… okay.” People laugh at my nervousness and I smile weakly. “Well, I guess it’s time for my speech, even though I doubt it will be anything like Justin’s.” I blush and Carrie giggles wildly beside me, so I glare at her. I compose myself and take a deep breath before I continue.

“My mother and I experienced a tragedy. My father, James Wyatt was killed when the gang he infiltrated found out he was a law enforcement officer. I was ten at the time, and these beautiful yet rambunctious twins weren’t even born yet. It’s been tough, these last few years, things were hard. I have… problems on that anniversary, but I’m better. Thanks to… well, Justin.

“Luke helped my mother in ways I couldn’t. My mother used to be in a really bad place. I witnessed it more than others because I’m the only other person effected by what happened like she was. But, when she met Luke, despite the fact I never knew him before she announced that she was getting married, she acted different. Or so I think. I never really knew.

“But, things were rough, and now they’re okay. I have Luke to thank for that. And Jason, of course, is a fantastic addition to the family. He’s everything I wanted to be when I was younger. Except he’s male and tall. Well, male. I wanted to be tall. Anyway, these two men came into this family and I’m proud to say that, despite the differences over the past few months, I welcome them into it with open arms.”

The crowd claps and I smile, sitting down in my seat. Carrie hugs me, and so does Courtney. Jason reaches behind everyone to give me a high-five, which I gladly accept. Luke takes my hand in his and gives it a squeeze before the rest of the reception begins.

An hour later, the cake is cut, I’ve danced with Luke, Troy, and Jason. I wonder how I’ve achieved that. Carrie and Jason have avoided each other the entire time. The bouquet was tossed, and I caught it. A lot of whistles were given, and cheers occurred. I think people think that I’m gonna marry Justin as soon as I see him again. Not happening.

Thirty minutes of mingling, and Carrie finds me. She hands me her keys and smiles widely at me.

“I have a change of clothes for you in my car. Take it, make sure you return here. I don’t want to carpool with Jason right now, thanks. Don’t have children without telling me, and please don’t elope. I need to be at your wedding. I love you.” She hugs me and then pushes me away towards the door. I smile at her blonde hair as she walks away, and I head for her car. Time to deal with this once and for all.
*~*~*~*~
And that's the end. But, if course, there will be more. So buckle up. How do things turn out for Jenny Wyatt and Justin Plymouth?