[Teen and New Adult Romance]
"Life as a trailer trash kid is nothing short of shitty, especially when the love of my life pretends that I don't exist."
River wants two things: to get out of Gladstone and to be with the boy from her childhood. With h...
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Landon's back porch was nothing to scoff at. He had a pool and pool house out back. I began to imagine what it would be like to date someone like Landon. He was a quiet guy, and he was kind and giving. He and I were a lot alike. I wondered if his parents would have a problem with us dating, hoping they wouldn't.
Jordan lit a cigarette as he sat on one of the patio chairs. "So, I've been meaning to ask you this. What ever happened with that anonymous note?"
I chuckled, thinking about Landon again. "I threw it away, but it was written by someone who told me that they've had feelings for me for years."
"Did you ever figure out who it was?" Jordan blew out smoke, analyzing my face closely.
"No. People had a few ideas about who it was, but honestly, my life is way too chaotic to care. If they want to tell me how they feel someday, that's up to them." I shrugged, taking a sip from my drink.
Jordan chuckled, examining my face as he took a drag. "There's no telling who wrote it. There's a bunch of guys in school who have crushed on you for years."
"Really? From how people treated me, I would've never known that." I gestured toward the party, pissed that Randy was even here. "Thank you for saving me from Randy, by the way. I can't believe I dated that fucking jackass."
"Famous last words." Jordan laughed while he put out his cigarette and pulled a joint from his pocket. "You want some of this?"
I shook my head. "I'm riding the liquor train tonight. I need to keep it somewhat together, or I might get jumped again."
"Hey, that's never going to happen again. Not on my watch. That's one of the reasons I wanted you to come with me tonight. You're safe with me." Jordan lit up the joint and inhaled, holding the smoke in his lungs. His voice changed as he pushed out his words. "So you don't mind holding hands with me tonight?"
Jordan coughed out smoke before he took a drink of his beer.
"I don't care if we hold hands as long as it doesn't ruin anything between us. You know you're one of my best friends, right?" I smiled, feeling happily buzzed from the alcohol.
"You're one of my best friends too. I want Lyla to see how much I hate her now. Us holding hands will stop her from texting me in the middle of the night. I'm so sick of her shit. One day she loves me, and the next day she's acting like a total bitch all over again." Jordan put the joint out on the cement as he gazed at the stagnant water in the pool. "You want to swim in the pond with me sometime before it gets too cold?"
I nodded. "Yeah, we should go sometime this weekend when I'm not working."
"Sounds good." Jordan stared at me as his cheeks grew pink. He gave me a cute half-smile. "Maybe we could go on Sunday."
I nodded as the back door opened. Landon walked out and glanced between us, adjusting his hat. He looked hot tonight. "Can I get a few minutes alone with River?"