one. I guess perfect Jared doesn’t have a problem in the world.
Finally, I concede. “So how does one find oneself again?” I turn to ask.
Meeting my eyes, he smiles. “Live a little April,” he replies, climbing to his feet and holding out his hands for mine.
I slap my hands into his and he pulls me up. Then he turns and bolts down the hill. I pause for a second, debating my options before I decide to follow suit. My initial descent down the hill is slow. It’s pretty steep and I don’t want to gracefully fall on my face and tumble the rest of the way down. I’ve been embarrassed enough for 24 hours. I pretty much tiptoe the whole way down and once I reach the meadow, Jared is no where to be seen. I walk through a row of sunflowers. They are huge, taller than me. Crazy, but from up on the hill they don’t look that big. I guess it’s all about perception. I look up to face a drooping sunflower and suddenly it morphs into Jared’s face, so close to mine. I remember something. I remember last night – I kissed him! I also remember him pushing me away. Mortified, I begin to walk faster through the stalks of sunflowers as the memories come flooding back.
We are in my house, and he watches me crawl up the stairs. When I stop on the landing with my butt still up in the air, he smacks it playfully. I shriek in a flirtatious manner and run up the rest of the stairs before I throw open the bedroom door.
“This is where the magic happens!” I spin with my arms out and wink before I loop my fingers around the hem of my shirt and start peeling it off. I toss it across the room before I kick off my pants and slip on a tank top and flannel pants. I then proceed to unhook my bra and slide the straps down my arm, turning to lock eyes with Jared before flinging that into the same corner as my shirt.
“Oh yea, lotta magic here. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” He laughs, throwing the covers off and Jinx hops on top of them. I crawl up the side of the bed like a drunken tiger and have a seat on the edge right in front of him.
I look him straight in the eyes and ask him, “Why do you hate me so much?”
He doesn’t respond, just tries to get me to lay back. I fight with him before I climb to my feet again.
“Jared, I asked you a question. Why do you hate me?” My fists clench at my sides.
“I don’t hate you,” he murmurs, his exact words from only moments before.
“But…” I feel the hesitation in his voice, knowing more is coming.
“I’m here, aren’t I? I’m helping your drunk ass into bed! I don’t hate you, April,” he tells me, finally getting me to lay back and pulling the covers up to my chest. He turns, glancing back once before I hear him whisper to himself. “Just the opposite.”
I freeze as the memory fades and I blink back to the stalks of flowers before me. Just the opposite? What is that supposed to mean? He’s giving me conflicting information here: on one hand, he is hard and rough, never showing any emotion, never letting any guard down, always insistent on telling me what it is that I’m doing wrong. Then on the other hand, he picks me up from the police station, takes care of me when I’m drunk, takes me for coffee and gives me a ride to school. It’s as if he hates me, yet he can’t stop hanging out with me.
“There you are!” His face pops through a row of stalks, scaring me out of my thoughts.
“You scared the crap outta me!” I gasp as my hand reflexively flies to my chest.
“Did you find it yet?” he gets out breathlessly as he comes to sit beside me in the dirt.
“What? Myself?” I giggle at the insanity of it all.
“No luck yet?” He pauses, taking a deep breath and placing his hand in the dirt behind me. We are sitting close again when he leans back more. We sit like this until his breathing evens out and he climbs to his feet again. “Oh well. Come on, we are going to be late.”
“Late? Late for what?” I wipe the dirt off my pants as
Finally, I concede. “So how does one find oneself again?” I turn to ask.
Meeting my eyes, he smiles. “Live a little April,” he replies, climbing to his feet and holding out his hands for mine.
I slap my hands into his and he pulls me up. Then he turns and bolts down the hill. I pause for a second, debating my options before I decide to follow suit. My initial descent down the hill is slow. It’s pretty steep and I don’t want to gracefully fall on my face and tumble the rest of the way down. I’ve been embarrassed enough for 24 hours. I pretty much tiptoe the whole way down and once I reach the meadow, Jared is no where to be seen. I walk through a row of sunflowers. They are huge, taller than me. Crazy, but from up on the hill they don’t look that big. I guess it’s all about perception. I look up to face a drooping sunflower and suddenly it morphs into Jared’s face, so close to mine. I remember something. I remember last night – I kissed him! I also remember him pushing me away. Mortified, I begin to walk faster through the stalks of sunflowers as the memories come flooding back.
We are in my house, and he watches me crawl up the stairs. When I stop on the landing with my butt still up in the air, he smacks it playfully. I shriek in a flirtatious manner and run up the rest of the stairs before I throw open the bedroom door.
“This is where the magic happens!” I spin with my arms out and wink before I loop my fingers around the hem of my shirt and start peeling it off. I toss it across the room before I kick off my pants and slip on a tank top and flannel pants. I then proceed to unhook my bra and slide the straps down my arm, turning to lock eyes with Jared before flinging that into the same corner as my shirt.
“Oh yea, lotta magic here. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” He laughs, throwing the covers off and Jinx hops on top of them. I crawl up the side of the bed like a drunken tiger and have a seat on the edge right in front of him.
I look him straight in the eyes and ask him, “Why do you hate me so much?”
He doesn’t respond, just tries to get me to lay back. I fight with him before I climb to my feet again.
“Jared, I asked you a question. Why do you hate me?” My fists clench at my sides.
“I don’t hate you,” he murmurs, his exact words from only moments before.
“But…” I feel the hesitation in his voice, knowing more is coming.
“I’m here, aren’t I? I’m helping your drunk ass into bed! I don’t hate you, April,” he tells me, finally getting me to lay back and pulling the covers up to my chest. He turns, glancing back once before I hear him whisper to himself. “Just the opposite.”
I freeze as the memory fades and I blink back to the stalks of flowers before me. Just the opposite? What is that supposed to mean? He’s giving me conflicting information here: on one hand, he is hard and rough, never showing any emotion, never letting any guard down, always insistent on telling me what it is that I’m doing wrong. Then on the other hand, he picks me up from the police station, takes care of me when I’m drunk, takes me for coffee and gives me a ride to school. It’s as if he hates me, yet he can’t stop hanging out with me.
“There you are!” His face pops through a row of stalks, scaring me out of my thoughts.
“You scared the crap outta me!” I gasp as my hand reflexively flies to my chest.
“Did you find it yet?” he gets out breathlessly as he comes to sit beside me in the dirt.
“What? Myself?” I giggle at the insanity of it all.
“No luck yet?” He pauses, taking a deep breath and placing his hand in the dirt behind me. We are sitting close again when he leans back more. We sit like this until his breathing evens out and he climbs to his feet again. “Oh well. Come on, we are going to be late.”
“Late? Late for what?” I wipe the dirt off my pants as
Similar Books
