Always Us (We Were Us Series Book 2) (8 page)

CHAPTER EIGHT

Stefanie had gone home with Blond Guy, Lauren had driven Brandon back to his dorm and assumed she stayed there, and I all but carried Michelle up the stairs to our apartment and into her bed. The night ended with Michelle dancing on the breakfast bar and guys handing her dollars.

“Jenna?” Michelle croaked from across the room.

I was sitting on my bed actually reading the chapter I’d attempted last night and reading ahead so I didn’t get behind again.

“I’m here.”

“What happened?” She rolled over and pressed her hands to her eyes. “Why is it so bright in here?”

“The lights are off. I have a reading lamp attached to my book. The curtains are pulled as tight as possible. You’re hung over.”

She groaned and pulled the comforter over her head. “Never let me do that again.”

“Deal.” I shut my books and stood over her bed. “Need coffee?” I asked.

“Yes please. And food. I don’t think I ate anything last night.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

As far as I could tell, Stefanie and Lauren weren’t home yet. I was afraid to check, just in case one of them had a boy here. But all was quiet in that part of the apartment.

I brewed the coffee and made toast with Nutella and took it back to Michelle.

“What time is it?” she moaned.

“Three in the afternoon.” I grimaced.

“Oh, my God. I slept all day?”

I laughed. “Well, yeah. We were at Andrew’s all night long. Probably until three in the morning, but you were passed out before then.”

“What happened?” She sat up in bed and took a gulp of coffee.

“It was a pretty low key event until you turned up the stereo and danced on the breakfast bar.”

“I did what?” The look on her face was priceless. A mix between horror, amusement, pride, and disbelief.

“Yeah. You chugged whatever that blue juice was, like five cups of it, then kissed one of Andrew’s friends on the mouth. You climbed on the bar and shook what your mama gave you.” I burst out laughing. The whole thing was rather spectacular. The guy she kissed was shocked, as were Andrew and I.

“I kissed a guy and I don’t even remember it?”

“I’m sure we can find out who you kissed. Want me to call Andrew?” I was half joking, but the look on her face told me she was serious. “Okay, I’ll call him.” I smiled.

“Right now?”

“Sure, if you want me to.”

“I do, I need a boyfriend.”

Our conversation was interrupted by her phone ringing. I laughed a little to myself. It wasn’t my phone this time.

“Hey mom.” Michelle was trying really hard not to sound hung over or half asleep. “What?” she threw the covers off of herself and stood up. “Well, that’s just really crappy.” She paced our small room. “Okay, I’ll let Jenna know.” She stopped walking. “I think she has a right to know, mom.” She looked over at me. I wish I knew what she was talking about. “Mom. I got it. Bye.” She hung up and looked over at me again.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“It’s my dad. He’s not going to trial.”

“What?”

“Yeah, the lawyers are just doing a mediation. He probably won’t even do jail time.”

I sat on the bed. I didn’t even know what to think. After all this time, after everything he’s done to me, my mom, to Michelle and nothing even happens.

“Are you sure?”

“Kind of. I mean, it’s not for sure, but that’s what my mom just said.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah. I wish he’d just go away and leave us alone. No one even likes him,” she scoffed.

“Yeah,” I was on the verge of tears.

Michelle’s dad, the mayor of Riverview, had made my life hell. He cheated on his wife with my mom, he facilitated drug trades with my mom and many other people in the town. He denied any involvement with my mother and the drugs even though they were caught in bed together with drugs. Because of his position as mayor, he got nothing. He walked away while my mother was sent to jail and I was sent to my dad’s for my senior year of high school. I was taken away from my friends. In retrospect, it wasn’t a big deal, worse things happen to people.

“I’m sorry,” Michelle consoled. But it wasn’t her fault. She was an innocent player in all of this. A victim actually. When our parents got caught together, she ran away and that’s when she drove off the Crystal Springs Bridge. The accident that left her in a coma for over a year.

“You don’t have any reason to be sorry. I don’t know what I expected when I turned him in. I guess I was hoping for jail time, but realistically, I knew that wouldn’t happen.” I fiddled with my book light.

“We’re still friends, right?” She was looking down at her feet. I couldn’t believe that she felt she needed to ask that.

“Of course we are. Nothing will ever change that.” I stood up and hugged her. “No one will ever come between us, okay?”

“Yeah,” she said into my hair.

“Good. Now let’s go binge watch One Tree Hill. Chad Michael Murray is calling my name.”

“He is so hot,” she said.

                                                                      ***

The rest of November passed by quietly. Andrew and I spent time together at school and at his apartment. He still hadn’t told me what his computer game was, but he’d been really good at not playing it while I was there. He seemed to be taking it slow with me too. No more nakedness happened, but we did spend a lot of time wrapped up together on his red couch.

The girls seemed to be getting along too. Lauren was busy with her school and Brandon. She was always over at his dorm. I assumed it was because it was just Brandon in his room as opposed to here where there was always someone home.

Stefanie and Michelle had called a truce. But Stef was almost never home anymore. The Blond Guy, who I found out was named Brad, took up a lot of her time. One night, I went out to dinner at a local restaurant and discovered that Stef worked there as a waitress. I was a little hurt that she hadn’t told me. She’d told me she had a job, but only in passing. When she saw me she seemed embarrassed, but I told her it was fine. She didn’t have time to talk that night, but I noticed that Brad was there and sat in a corner booth in her section the whole time. He had his homework out and seemed content to stay there the entire night, or until Stef’s shift was over.

Thanksgiving break was fast approaching. Michelle and Lauren were going back to Riverview, Stefanie was going home to her parent’s and taking Brad with her, and I was staying in Brookhaven. I had a ton of school work to catch up on, Professor Field was relentless. I was barely staying caught up and then she decided to add extra reading over the holiday break. I didn’t have time for driving or socializing. I’d love to see Michelle’s family again, but I didn’t want to risk seeing Josh.

CHAPTER NINE

“Come on Jenna, just come home with me. My mom wants to see you,” Michelle pleaded with me.

“I can’t. I don’t want to.” I winced at my own words. “I mean, I want to see your mom and Renee, but I don’t want to go to Riverview. I can’t, Michelle.”

“Why?” she asked. She squished her clothes into her suitcase and struggled to close it.

I walked over and pulled the zipper while she pressed the top harder.

“Thanks,” she said and sat on her bed.

“Because there are people there who I don’t want to see. Your dad for one, and Josh. And I’d feel like I should see my mom and I definitely don’t want to do that.”

“My mom has a restraining order against my dad. Plus he’s on house arrest until his trial. You don’t have to see your mom, and I can’t do anything about Josh. I think he and his mom are coming over for turkey.” She looked off into the corner as if she were trying to remember the details.

“Even more reason for me not to go. I can’t sit in the same room as him.”

“I think you are being dramatic,” she said. I still hadn’t gotten over the fact that she’d been in contact with him. I wanted to ask if she knew how he was, but I didn’t.

“Would you want to spend an intimate holiday with a person who played you all summer the stomped all over your heart?”

Michelle opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and shrugged, “I guess not.”

“Exactly.”

A soft knock at the door turned our attention from Josh so I didn’t have to think about him anymore.

“Come in,” Michelle and I said in unison.

Lauren and Stef entered one after the other.

“I’m leaving now. My classes are done for the day and I want to get home before dark,” Stef said.

“Okay. Have a good holiday.” I hugged her and she hugged me back. Even though there was tension between us, we still loved each other. She turned and left without saying goodbye to Michelle or Lauren.

“My car won’t start,” Lauren said.

“What?” Michelle said.

“Yeah, I just tried because I was going to get gas before we left and it won’t start.”

Michelle flopped down on her bed and stuck her lip out.

“Well, I guess no one is going to Riverview this weekend.” She laid herself out on my bed. Lauren joined her, but just sat quietly at the edge.

I looked over at them both as they sulked. I sighed heavily. I had a perfectly good working car and my classes were also done for the day. I really could drive them both.

“I’ll drive you,” I said quietly, hoping that they didn’t hear me.

Michelle sat up quickly and rushed over to me. Nope, they heard me.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she screamed in my ear as she hugged me.

“Thanks, Jenna!” Lauren beamed as she skipped out of my room into hers.

“Let’s leave now!” Michelle said. “Lauren! Hurry!” She skipped away just like Lauren had.

“Let me change and grab some things. It’s already three o’clock and it’s a five hour drive,” I called out.

“You should just stay the night in Riverview tonight.” I heard Michelle call out.

I could stay I guess. We’d get there late enough that we probably wouldn’t see anyone. I stopped at my desk before I grabbed my keys. Was I being irrational about this whole Josh thing? Would it be a huge deal to see him? I mean, it had been like three months. In my mind, I can accept his apology but my pride is preventing me from actually accepting it.

My phone rang interrupting my thoughts. It was Josh. My thumb hovered over the answer button. I forgive you, I thought. “I forgive you.” I said out loud to the ringing phone. I slide my thumb across the screen, but the ringing stopped before I could answer it. Next time, I thought. But it rang again. I answered it quickly.

“Hey,” I said.

“Jenna!” Andrew’s voice rang out as if he was yelling at me from across a crowded room.

“Andrew, hey.” I tried to cover the disappointment in my voice. I hadn’t looked at the caller ID before answering and was expecting Josh again.

“What are you doing right now?” he emphasized the last two words.

“Well, I’m about to drive Michelle and Lauren back to Riverview.

“Oh,” he sounded disgruntled. “I see. Well, never mind then.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing, never mind. I’ll see you next week.”

“Wait. I’ll be back in the morning.”

“You’re not staying for Thanksgiving?”

“No.” I looked down at the floor and kicked a stray sock back under my bed.

“Why not.”

“The same reasons I haven’t wanted to go back to Riverview before.”

“So why are you going now then?”

“Lauren’s car broke down. I’m really just giving them a ride.”

“But you aren’t staying all weekend?”

“No,” I said again.

“Is Stefanie already gone?”

“Yeah, she left half an hour ago.”

“So the house is empty.” His questions were leading, but I didn’t know where.

“Yeah, why?”

“No reason.” I could hear the smile on his face.

“What Andrew. Tell me.”

“What time will you be back tomorrow?

“Probably around noon.”

“Okay. Cool.”

“You aren’t going to throw a party here are you? Because I don’t think Stef would like that.”

“No,” he laughed. “I’ve already got one going here.” He was joking.

“I see.”

“Yeah. Well, have a safe trip and I’ll see you tomorrow.” I’m pretty sure he winked before he hung up. At least I imagined that he might have if we had had this conversation face to face.

I slid my phone into my back pocket and grabbed my purse and waited for Lauren and Michelle to finish gathering their stuff. Fifteen minutes later we were out on the road with an estimated arrival time of eight-thirty.

                                                                                    ***

Five hours and five bathroom breaks later, I dropped Lauren off at her house and stopped in front of Michelle’s house. Renee, Michelle’s older sister, was already here. Her car was parked in the driveway behind her mom’s.

“Okay, see ya,” I said to Michelle.

“Wait, I thought you were staying the night?”

“I can stay at my own house.”

The whole trip I was going back and forth on where to stay. I knew Michelle expected me to stay at her house, but I felt weird about it, especially with all the stuff with her dad. I didn’t really know how her mom felt about all of it or about me. We hadn’t really talked about that. When Michelle and I left, we’d only spoken about Michelle and her needs.

“No way. You can stay with us.”

“Michelle, I feel weird going in there.” I squeezed the steering wheel, making my discomfort known.

“Why? My dad isn’t even there.”

I grimaced. It was good to know that he absolutely wouldn’t be there, but I still felt weird about being around her mom. It was my mom who broke up her marriage.

“At least come in for dinner.” She was giving me her famous puppy dog eyes.

“It’s too late for dinner and we ate on the road. I’m not hungry.”

“Fine,” she resigned. She crossed her arms and pouted. She knew she was going to get her way.

“And I’ll probably be leaving really early in the morning so, yeah,” I didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

“Well, okay then.”

“I’ll be back Sunday night to pick you up.”

“Okay. I really wish you’d stay.” She stuck out her lip and gave me the eyes again.

“You know that doesn’t work on me. I’m not your boyfriend.”

“Well, I don’t have a boyfriend, you’re the closest thing I’ve got.” She continued to pout.

“That’s sad, Michelle.” I stifled a giggle.

“You take all the good ones.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I turned to her.

“Josh. He’s obviously still hung up on you.”

“But he chose to be with you though.” I pointed at her, nudging her in the shoulder.

“But then he changed his mind.”

“Again.”

We both laughed.

“So one guy.”

“Andrew.” She looked down and fiddled with the hem of her cardigan.

“You like Andrew?” I asked. I was genuinely surprised. She had never told me or shown any interest in him.

“His smoking hot, Jenna. Those dark eyes are killer. They remind me of the Sugarland song. ‘Those dark eyes dared me with danger’. I’d love for him to look at me the way he looks at you.”

“How does he look at me?” I didn’t think Andrew looked at me in any special way except before we made out.

“Like he wants you all the time. He’s in love with you.” She giggled and sat back forward in her seat.

“What? That is not even true. We were just friends and now we’re just starting to be a couple.”

“Yeah, but he wants you.”

I hadn’t told her about how we almost christened his leather love seat. I wanted to, but it’s been a busy school year and all the drama at the apartment hasn’t made it easy for Michelle and me to talk like we used to.

“I miss you,” I whined a little.

“You should stay the night!”

I didn’t really have a bed at my mom’s anymore. It was at the apartment along with the ugly couch. I didn’t know where I thought I was going to sleep, it was irrational for me to stay there at all. I had just been so adamant about not going to Michelle’s that I hadn’t really thought of an actual plan for myself.

“Okay, but I’m still leaving early.”

“Yay!” Michelle did a little dance in her seat.

“And I will tell you all about just how hot Andrew really is.”

“Jenna, have you been holding out on me?” She looked appalled.

I just smiled in response as I pulled the car around the half-circle drive in front of her house. We unloaded and announced our arrival when we walked through the front door.

Everyone was glad to see us. When I said I’d be staying the night, I couldn’t help but notice that Mrs. Banks wasn’t nearly as receptive of me as she used to be. She wore a weary smile and stood off to the side as I hugged Renee and Michelle again.

“We have leftovers,” Mrs. Banks said once we’d settled some.

“That’s okay, Mom. We ate on the way in. We’re tired and Jenna isn’t staying the weekend.” Michelle grabbed her bags and headed for the stairs.

Mrs. Banks visibly relaxed.

“Is everything okay?” I asked her as I picked up my purse I’d dropped by the front door.

“Yes dear. Everything is fine.” She hugged me a little closer this time then released me so I could follow Michelle up the stairs.

Once I reached Michelle’s room, I realized that I hadn’t packed anything for an overnight trip. I’d just packed my purse and completely forgotten about packing pajamas and clothes for the next day.

“I didn’t pack any clothes,” I said, verbalizing my thoughts.

“You can borrow mine. It’s not like we never see each other and you couldn’t just return them later.”

“True.” We both laughed.

We spent the rest of the night chatting in her room. We tried on every article of clothing in her closet as we talked, including her prom dresses. I wore the one she wore junior year, it was a green mermaid style with layers of tulle around the bottom and a jewel encrusted bodice. Michelle was in a cream dress covered in iridescent sequins that reflected rainbows as she moved. She was supposed to wear it to her senior prom. I helped her pick it out the summer before, but she never wore it.

We were on her bed in our formal dresses lying on our sides facing each other.

“I miss hanging out with you,” she said.

“I miss hanging out with you too,” I replied.

“It’s been a crazy school year already.”

“Yeah. And next semester is super busy too. I have, like, all psych classes.”

“Yikes. I think I have to take math.”

I made a vomiting sound and we both laughed.

“So tell me about you and Andrew,” Michelle said, getting comfortable on the bed.

“What do you want to know?” I was afraid of what she might ask, but Michelle was my best friend. She wouldn’t judge me.

“Have you had sex with him yet?”

Yep, there was the question I was dreading. I don’t know why. I hadn’t slept with Andrew yet.

“No.”

“Why not?” She was surprised.

“I don’t know. It just hasn’t happened yet.”

“How can it not have happened? You guys have been friends for a while now and I know you’ve made out before.”

“Yeah, we have. We almost had sex on Halloween.” I smiled.

“What? I was there!”

“Yeah. On his couch, before you got there.”