––––––––
I’d spent the entire night worrying about Jesse, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I’d tried to call and text him over and over, but he’d apparently shut off his phone because it always went straight to voice mail. I’d went over our last conversation over and over in my head, trying to understand what had happened to make him snap, but I couldn’t figure it out. I knew what my mom said had hurt him, but I didn’t think it was enough for him to leave me over. From the beginning, he had known just what kind of person she was.
I had hoped that we’d worked things out at his house, but that obviously wasn’t the case. I knew he was stressed over his mom trying to get him to move, and I was hoping that his outburst was because of that. I didn’t want to lose him. I couldn’t. I loved him.
Unable to sit around and wait any longer, I grabbed my keys and crept quietly to the garage where I’d parked my car the night before. I knew I was taking a chance on my mother catching me, but I didn’t care. I had to find Jesse and tell him that none of that stuff mattered to me. We could be together in a tent for all I cared—as long as I had him by my side.
I broke several traffic laws on my way to his house, and I was surprised that I hadn’t gotten pulled over. As soon as I parked my car outside of his house, I was out and running for the door. When I noticed Ally’s car parked next to Jesse’s, my stomach instantly dropped. At least, I thought it was her car. I’d only seen it once when we first met outside the dinner. What is she doing here so early?
I knocked on the door, but no one answered, so I tried the knob. The door was unlocked, and I let myself in. I glanced around for signs of life, but there were none. Trish apparently wasn’t home since her car wasn’t outside, and Jesse was nowhere to be seen either. The place was eerily quiet.
I walked through the living room and down the hall to his room. His door was closed, and I hesitated before opening it. As soon as the door opened, I wished that I’d left it closed. Jesse was in his bed in only his boxers with his arm wrapped around Ally. I felt like I was going to vomit when she opened her eyes and gave me a triumphant grin. She’d won. She’d finally taken him from me.
“No,” I whispered.
Ally held a finger up to her lips. “Shh, he had a long night. You don’t want to wake him.”
At the sound of her voice, Jesse groaned and opened his eyes just barely.
“Ally? What are you doing here?”
“You don’t remember last night?” she asked sweetly.
I was going to be sick. How could he do this to me?
“I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” I said in a shaky voice.
“Emma?” Jesse’s eyes opened wider as he took in Ally in bed with him and me standing by the door. “What the...oh shit. Emma, it’s not what you think!”
“I’m not stupid, Jesse. We had a fight last night, and then I walk in to see you in bed with someone else the next morning. It’s not hard to put two and two together.”
“Let me explain! I was drunk, and Ally brought me home. I don’t know how she ended up in my bed, but I swear, nothing happened.” He looked down at Ally with pleading eyes. “Ally, please. Tell her nothing happened.”
She turned away from him, so he couldn’t see her facial expression as she smiled at me again and winked. “Emma, nothing happened.”
“I can’t...I have to go.” I turned and ran from the room.
I threw the front door open and rushed to my car. I really was going to be sick. I stopped beside my car and started throwing up violently. Dear God, why did he have to do this? We could have worked everything out. I would have stood up to my mom and told her that I loved Jesse and that I was going to be with him. I would have put it on a billboard if he wanted me to. But now...everything was ruined. Everything.
“Emma, wait!” Jesse yelled as he ran out of the trailer.
“Please. Just leave me alone,” I managed to gasp out as sobs wracked my body.
“I swear, nothing happened. Ally is just my friend. That’s it.”
“A friend you sleep almost naked with?”
“I don’t know how I ended up like this, but I know I didn’t cheat. No matter how drunk I was, I would never do that to you.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you. We’re done, Jesse. I can’t even stand to look at you.”
“You don’t mean that,” he pleaded.
“I do. I never want to see you again. I think you should move with your mom because I don’t think I could stomach the sight of you at school.” Now that I’d stopped vomiting, I opened my car door and got in. “Good-bye,
Jesse. Please don’t try to contact me again.”