Forty-Seven
My anxiety kicked up a notch and I wobbled as a faint sense of lightheadedness passed over me. This was bad. More than that. Panic welled up inside. Surely, I could just go back into the school and explain how this was all a mistake. I began to shake, knowing fully well the damage had already been done now. I had nowhere to run. Nowhere to go.
My parents had to have been called by now. Just the thought of disappointing my father made me sick with disgust. It’d only been two years since his heart attack and if this didn’t send him to an early grave, my actions-however incorrectly perceived as they were-would send him there for sure. I began to pace once more and at the sound of a familiar voice, I turned and glared at the intruder.
“Step away from the ledge, baby,” Jonas instructed as he took a step forward.
“Don’t you ever call me that again. You stay right there where I can fucking see you.” My fear over everything was replaced by my anger at the boy in front of me.
Just over six foot with an athletic build, he was physically imposing. He was also so damn striking that the mere sight of him still made my chest ache. He was a redhead, but no one would ever call him names like “Ginger” or “Carrot Top.” He was so fucking gorgeous, and a legend at school. God, I needed to quit ogling him, because it would only build up his ego even more, but it was easier said than done.
After all, it’d only been days earlier when he had stood behind me and lowered the straps of my prom dress. I could still feel the caress of his breath as he trailed kisses along my bare collarbone. His hands had lightly groped me in all the right places that night. Even now, my traitorous body still yearned for more. Thankfully, it was my head in control now. Well, maybe partially my emotions as well, but definitely not my recently awakened libido.
When Jonas ignored my request and took another few steps in my direction, I backed up instinctively. Just weeks earlier, he’d cornered me much like he was trying to do now; the only difference was that I wouldn’t be falling backward onto a soft bed, but would instead fall to my death. He must’ve realized how perilously close I was to the edge of the roof because he suddenly backed away and threw his hands up in the air.
“Whoa! I’ll back up, but please, just come back inside the school.” Even his voice did things to me as a shiver wracked my entire frame.
My chest was aching by now, the rapid pace of my heart rate causing the organ to clench painfully as it nearly beat out of my chest. It was also breaking as I looked at the boy I’d given every part of myself to. He’d never cherished it, just like my father had warned since I was twelve and developed breasts.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.
“Boys can never appreciate your gifts or return them. As you grow older, you’ll be faced with temptation, but you must trust in your faith and resist.” He’d gone on to tell me the importance of saving myself until marriage, but that warning and message had gone unheeded because I had bought all of Jonas’s lies and fallen into his bed, anyway.
The magnitude of that mistake weighed heavily upon me. “They think I’m crazy.” I was merely stating the obvious, and at the look of concern on his face, I laughed sarcastically, fitting the very image I was hoping to shed. “H-how could you fucking do this to me?”
As Jonas opened his mouth to speak, I raised my hand to silence him. His expression softened even more, and I could have sworn I saw a twinge of regret in his hazel eyes until he blinked. He stepped forward again, causing me to step back. The sudden motion sent a wave of nausea rolling over me.
Even in the midst of all that, I stupidly stared at him with such longing. It hadn’t been just one night I needed to force myself to forget, but rather all the weeks that lead up to it. He’d said and done all the right things, making me fall so completely in love. I actually considered changing colleges to follow him. It hadn’t been the only stupid thing I’d done. In my head, I’d planned our entire future together from marrying sometime between our junior and senior year of college to having three kids: a boy and two girls.
Maybe I am crazy. I’d seen and planned for a future he never intended to give me. All of his actions and words had been nothing but lies. They were levels to the game he’d won, and it didn’t matter what he’d taken from me as long as he emerged the victor. Looking back at it now, our entire relationship had been one sick and twisted game, and I’d been nothing more than a pawn. The legend of his brother’s reputation would be succeeded by Jonas, and when I ended up plummeting to my death, no one else would ever be able to top him. He’d be that high score others in the arcades strived to beat, but never came close to.
A sob escaped me even as I wobbled angrily on me feet. “I t-trusted you,” I managed to get out between shallow breaths. It was an understatement at this point, but all I could audibly voice. “I hate you,” I added seconds later.
“I’m sorry,” Jonas said, finally speaking despite my desire for him not to.
“Sorry?” My voice elevated just before I released another sob. “You are sorry, but as a person, not for what you’ve done to me.”
Hyperventilation got the best of me as my anxiety reached its peak. Another wave of dizziness passed over me, and I stumbled. Frantically, I tried to grab on to anything. Jonas, probably having seen my current state, rushed to my aid. I held on to his arm, but I refused to look into his face. God, how I wanted to, just so I could memorize it one more time. He was so fucking beautiful, but I knew it’d only hurt more. Instead of sneaking a peek, I closed my eyes and savored the feel of his arms around me, knowing they’d never be there again.
Even that moment, like every other one between us, was short-lived because what felt like mere seconds later, I was being pulled away from him. Everything else happened in a blur and I slipped into unconsciousness, only coming to when in the back of the ambulance with my worried mother by my side. It’d be the last time I’d see the Houston skyline as the ambulance rushed me to the hospital, but then again, I’d already known that. It was also the last time I’d see the boy who made me dream, only to viciously rip it away.