Jumpnow’s pov.
I’d ignored Imogen all day. I just didn’t even know if I could bring myself to forgive her for this. What hurt the most was the fact that when she was so upset she ran straight to Shaun. She didn’t even try and open up to me, and I was supposed to be the boyfriend, not him.
After hanging out with Ash this afternoon I did feel a little better, the view she had of the world was a bit twisted around, but to see it through her eyes was such a change for me.
But now something was wrong, she wasn’t answering her phone, either was Shaun, and nobody was answering their house phone. I left a few messages and tried Shaun’s phone a few more times, and when he didn’t answer I left a few messages on there too. Everyone had gone outside, and by the sounds of it had gone swimming, but tonight I was just not in the mood to be carefree. After all, none of them had gotten their relationship cracked last night, that party was an awful idea.
A few minutes later my phone went off, the message was just 3 words long and sent from Shaun. “Budgewoi hall now.” It was confusing, and didn’t really make sense but it sent little quivers shooting up my spine. I grabbed Andy’s car keys, scribbled a quick note and ran. Shaun was my best friend, even if just 20 hours ago he’d banged my girlfriend. And he needed me now, and that was more important than anything he or Imogen had done to me.
It was only a 10 minute driver to the hall, but every minute I got more and more freaked out about what I was going to find. Shaun’s text sounded desperate.
There was a police car out the front of the hall, and police tape across the driveway. Ignoring the shouting officers i pushed past and into the hall, and what I saw sent ice shooting around my veins.
Shaun was kneeling on the floor next to something lifeless and dark, and before i could get close enough to see i knew who it was. Not her, not now, not here. NO.
I skidded towards her side, tripping on an uneven piece of floor and falling next to Shaun. He hardly even looked up, but I could see the tears shining on his cheeks.
Time seemed to have stopped since I read the text, but what I was seeing couldn’t be real. The bond i’d formed with this girl today, had been more solid than any freidnship i had, except the one i had with Shaun. So we just sat, side by side, I could hear Shaun trying to cover the fact he was crying, but wasn’t being to succsessful.
I could see all the details they usually covered up in the news, the stuff they edit out to stop people freaking out. It was scary, there was so much blood. I don’t know how long we’d been sitting there but the police came and told us we had to leave, this was a crime scene now. But however much she meant to me, however much it was hurting me it was obvious that Shaun was a hundred times worse. I saw him kiss her, and take the bracelet off her wrist. I just squeeezed her hand, wincing at how cold it was, and muttered ‘bye ash’ before we got lead out.
I could feel Shaun shaking beside me, the police guy told me that I could go. But Shaun had to stay and give a statement. he was in no state to do this. Could they not see this? I was walking towards the car before Shaun finally spoke, I could hardly hear him but understood every word. ‘thanks jump’
I gave him a weak smile, before getting into Andy’s car.
The blood pumping through my veins seemed to be almost icy, hurting and making my hands shake.
Why was I so upset about this? It was crazy. It wasn’t even as though ash had been any realtion to me, we hadn’t been dating or anything that could entwine us.
But i’d always loved her, no matter what.
Not as much as Imogen, but my feelings for ash were always buried under all my other feelings. And that was something I couldn’t admit, to anyone, ever.
When I pulled into Andy’s driveway he was standing there and started to yell
“the fuck……….” before he saw my face.
“what happened”
I couldn’t tell him, that was Shaun’s job.
“nothing I just hit a cat..”
“you’re that upset, over hitting a cat..”
“yeah cats have… rights”
“dude you don’t like cats..”
I tried for a sheepish loook and it must have done something. That or Andy thought i was high.
“are there cat guts on my baby?”
“no”
“good”
He got bored of questioning me pretty quick, and went back inside, leaving me to compose myself and come up with a story before i went inside
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