Typical Secrets

T W E N T Y - T H R E E

I woke up for the second time today. The first time I woke up was at 5 am, and it was because of Ryder.

He was shaking my shoulders with his hands and when he saw my eyes slowly opening, his smile widened even more. I sat up on my elbows and looked at him while using one hand to rub my eye, so I could see him properly.

"I'm leaving now, I just wanted to let you know. Go back to sleep when I've left. Wow... you even look beautiful when you've just woken up." Ryder said and placed a kiss on my forehead. I smiled and hid my face in a pillow, hiding my red cheeks from more embarrassment.

I removed it and nodded and hugged him the last time. "Tell Milan he's an ass for me," I whispered in his ear. Ryder laughed but covered his mouth up with his hand to not cause more sounds and risk the girls waking up.

"I will. I will text you if he says something in return, so you can rethink whatever comeback you have in mind right now." He whispered back. One of my eyebrows raised in confusion.

"Don't look at me like that! You just had that face on that usually means you have the greatest comeback beaming in your mind—I love it when you do that." Ryder chuckled. I rolled my eyes and sarcastically shook my head.

"You should get out of here before anyone notices," I said and he nodded and got up, slowly walking toward the door and quietly opening it, and sneaking out. I sighed and laid back down and closed my eyes.
That was the first time I fell asleep again.

Then I woke up at 9 am, this time it wasn't because of Ryder, but because of Mrs. Eastwood.

"Just get up and get dressed, I don't want to be late! Understood?" Her voice circled in my mind until I sat up on the bottom bed of the bunk bed and saw her at the door. She was yelling at Jasmine because she was the only one awake. Of course, that's why she's yelling.

Jasmine's eyes flickered between me and Mrs. Eastwood and then she closed the door in the teacher's face. I gasped and Jasmine didn't even bother looking in my way.

I had to fix this.

"Jasmine, we need to talk about yesterday. Whether you like it or not, you have to listen to what I have to say. From there, you can rate if my explanation is good enough for you to forgive me." I said and got up from the bed.

She sat down on the floor and got her suitcase out, as she started looking for something very aggressively. She didn't even look up at me, so I sat down across from her and put my hands down on my lap, and stayed quiet until I met her eyes.

"I don't want to lie to you about this, because you deserve to know. At the airport, Milan followed me into the bathroom. We spoke, and he told me the thing about your virginity, but he didn't know that I didn't know—so it was an accident. Don't hate him for it." I wasn't waiting for her to say anything, I was waiting for me to catch my breath again.

"Again with the defending—"

"Shut up, I'm not done. Anyway, he said he wanted to change and wanted you to forgive him and wanted my help since I'm your best friend, so I agreed because I genuinely thought you guys would be a good couple if he got his shit together. I'm sorry for going behind your back with him, it was a shitty thing to do and you didn't deserve that." I explained and looked down at my lap in shame of my actions.

"That's why you defended him. Oh my god. Alissa, Jesus Christ! I snapped at you and yelled like a little child for nothing when you just tried to do what you thought was best for me! I'm sorry. But you should've told me earlier so I was aware and this wouldn't have happened." Jasmine shook her head at me.