Chapter 11
The question hit Jason like a physical flow. Something hot and uncomfortable twined in his chest at her stared at
speechless. The very suggestien that he might have graser feelings for Kelsey created a storm al
“Of course not!” he replied tinctively, his voice sharper than intended. The defensive edge in his toe surprised even himself.
Seeing the skepticism on Tyler and fryce’s fares, he doubled down coldly, forcing weel into hit voire.
“Told you already. I’m only doing this for Hannah’s juilliard Bummination
The words tasted strange on his tongue, hollow someone. A flash of Reley’s smile cromed his mind–the genuine out the uned for moments when the thought no one was watching.
“Teah, Harbour said she’s skipping college to work, but the fuilliard nomination hasn’t been finalized yet. Who knows if the change her mind?”
His hands had begun to sweat. Why was he feeling defensive? Why did his heart race at the mere suggestion?
“That’s why I need to maintain our relatiship and get her to forgive mer
Jen’s words weren’t just meant for his teammates.
They were also meant to comince himself.
Right.
Iverything he’d done was for Hannah just to be absolutely certain Kelsey wouldn’t interfere
That had to best. It couldn’t be that he missed the scent of her hair, or the way her eyes lit up when she talked about dance. It couldn’t be that he found himself thinking about her when he should have been thinking about Hannah That couldn’t be it at all.
But his former teamates didn’t seem convinced. Their kumwing looks made something tighten in Jason’s chest.
“If you just wanted her forgiveness, you didn’t have to put Peterson in the hospital. Tyler ventured carefully. “I heard his family has already contacted your parents..”
The memory of that night crashed through Jason’s mind in vivid flashes. The moment he’d walked back into the room and seen these guys holding Kaley down–something had snapped inside him. It wasn’t calculation. It wasift strategy. It was ras, primal fury unlike anything he dever experienced.
“Enough!”
Jason cut them off, unable to take any more. His heart hammered against his ribs and his thoughts were a chaotic mess. He couldn’t deal with their insinuations, not when he could barely understand his own feelings.
He glanced anxiously across the lake shore, his expression darkening with each passing minute. The sun beat down mercilessly, a physical manifestation of the burning andety spreading through him
“Where is she? Why hasn’t Kelsey shown up yet?”
It was already noon
Jason had been certain that Kelsey wouldn’t let his wait in the scorching sun without food or water all morning she was too kind, too considerate–even when she was angry. The Kelsey he knew would have come if only to tell him off in person.
Hut she still hadn’t appeared.
He’d sent her numerous messages, with no response. Each unanswered text fell like another needle under his skin
An unfamiliar sense of panie rose in his chest, contracting his breathing. This wasn’t like the controlled nervioness before a big hockey game. This was something raw and painful, something he couldn’t strategice his way out of He was about to end another test when his phone vibrated.
He checked it eagerly–a message from Kelsey.
Shummer Tonk Farthing
His eyes lapas hope sorged through him. His fingers tri
slightly as he opened it.
hat then he rent
[I’m not coming |
Jasom, we’re done |
Jason’s entire body wen rigid. The world around him seemed to freeze, the noise of the reosed fading to a distant besar. The ample words of the screen felt like a physical blow–something he hadn’t anticipated, hadn’t prepared for. A cold emptiness spread from his chest outward, munding his
We’re done
Two small words that shouldn’t matter. Two words that shouldn’t make him feel like he’d been hollowed out from the inside. She was just part of a plan, wasn’t she?
So why did these words feel like they were tearing something essential from him?
Meanwhile, Bryce was still rambling on, his voice nome a grating irritation against Jason’s raw nerves
Stan, instead of worrying about Harbour, you should deal with the Peterson situation. Their family might not be as connected as yours, but they can still cause trouble…”
Their words blurred together into meaningless noise. All jason could focus on was the message on his screen, the finality of it. The thought of neve weing Kelsey again–never making her laugh never holding her close, never watching her dance–created avoid that threatened to consume him.
“Hey, Stan! Where are you going? Derek called out.
But Jason wasn’t listening anymore. A primal urgency had taken over, driving him forward. He took off running hea madman, his heartbear thundering in his ears.
He couldn’t let this happen. He wouldn’t.
He sprinted all the way to the girl dormitory, his lungs burning and lags aching, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the turmoil in his
chost.
“Kelsey!” he shouted from below, desperation edging his voice,
“Kelsey, come down and explain yourself! What do you mean we’re done?”
At this point, Jason was genuinely furious–not at Kelsey, but at himself. At the situation. At the fact that she could walk away so easily when he was standing here feeling like his world was crumbling. Pride and fear collided inside him, creating a volatile cocktail of emotions he’d never experienced before.
He’d assumed Kelsay was just upset about yesterday and would eventually come around. It had never crossed his mind than she might actually bewak up with him. The thought was incomprehensible–she loved him, didn’t she? She had to
Thinking about how she used to blush whenever he looked at her, how soft and warm she felt in his arm, how her eyes would follow him acrosi a room, he couldn’t fathom that the words “we’re done” had actually come from her.
But he also knew that beneath Koley’s gentle exterio was an iron will When she committed to something, she followed through, no matter the cost to herself. That was what had drawn him to her in the first place–the quiet strength beneath the grace.
When she decided to master a difficult dance sequence, she’d practice until her feet bled.
When she set her mind to learning a new skill, she’d work at it relentlessly until she perfected it
Knowing her determination, cold fear began to replace Jason’s anger. If Kelsey had truly decided they were over. manipulation would change her mind.
The realration hit him with stunning clarity: he might have lost her for good.
Ha heart pounded painfully against pas ribs as panic completely overtook him.
of charm or
He called her phone again and again, each failed attempt increasing his desperation. When he discovered it had been turned off, something close to
ith Your Before That Cruel Sur Took Everything
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
