Redemption by Rebecca Royce

Author:Rebecca Royce [Royce, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: k'12
Published: 2015-10-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Then

“We have to break up.”

I knew I’d been an absolute coward to tell him over the phone. Jason and I had too much time invested in each other not to warrant a face-to-face breakup. But he scared me sometimes. I didn’t really think he’d ever physically hurt me. His intensity, however, caused me to worry about his reaction.

So I’d chickened out. I closed my eyes and leaned against the pillows on my bed. He’d hate me either way.

I could hear his breath over the phone. He hadn’t spoken a word in response and it felt as if hours had passed. Maybe, in reality, it had been more like thirty seconds.

“Say something.” I opened my lids and fiddled with the stuffed animal sitting next to bed.

“No.” His answer sounded fierce and determined. A crash sounded in the background. Had he thrown something? Broken the wall? I almost asked and then thought better of it. Short and awful. I had to keep this horrible conversation brief.

“No, you’re not going to say something, or no, I’m not breaking up with you?”

“You aren’t ending this relationship, Pixie-girl.” Jason’s tone sweetened, as if he thought he could talk me out of this by suddenly being easygoing. I knew better than to believe it. Jason had many facets and one of them included kindness. The rest of Jason’s personality was what had triggered our breakup. I had to remember why I was doing this.

“You don’t get to say no. If I want out of this, then I’m getting out no matter how much you object.” I wiped away a lone tear traveling down my cheek. I couldn’t let him derail me simply because part of me would always feel conflicted.

“Give me one good reason why you’re doing this. Hold on, I’m not talking to you on the phone. I’m coming over there.”

I sucked in my breath. “No.”

“You don’t get to say no.” He threw my own words back at me. Jason lived right down the street. He’d be over before I knew it.

In two seconds, I’d hung up the phone and darted from the room. “Dad,” I called out loudly, hoping they weren’t already asleep, “Dad. Mom. Please.”

Their door swung open. My mother was wearing her bathrobe, and she wiped sleep out of her eyes. Eleven o’clock on a weeknight. She’d been in bed at least an hour. On any other night, I’d have felt badly for disturbing them, but not then. I needed them.

“What’s wrong?” My mother grabbed my arm. Seconds later, my father appeared in a robe matching the one my mother wore. They’d bought them together on some trip.

“Jason.” I let the tears fall in earnest. Somehow I could be brave all the time, except when my parents were around. If they were with me, I couldn’t be grown up. I immediately became their little girl, who needed them. In this case, I didn’t even want to complain about it.

“I just broke up with him over the phone. Now he’s insisting on coming over.

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