Second Chances

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

        I stared up at the baby blue ceiling in the guest bedroom of Jessie’s house. I had been lying in bed staring at the blueness of the ceiling for what felt like hours. I could not get my mind off last night’s events. It would be a huge understatement if I said I wanted to apologize to Jason. I wanted to beg that man for his forgiveness. Saying the words, “I’m sorry,” did not feel like enough. I had probably caused him so much embarrassment when I barged out of the ball/party. The redness of his face would have spread when he would have to go back and tell them why his wife looked pissed and left. They would have given him strange looks and gossiped about how our marriage surely would not last with me acting like a lunatic.

        After much deliberating, I got up out of bed and rushed downstairs. It was rather difficult going down the stairs in my green dress. My hair was a mess and I was sore everywhere.

        Jessie was in the living room reading a book. Her husband, Matthew, sat next to her with a newspaper in his hand. Joshua must have still been asleep because I did not see him anywhere. I wanted to sneak into the kitchen and out the front door without them noticing. I took one timid step on the marble floor and my heel let out a clanging sound that disturbed the peace. Jessie whipped her head around to face me. I tried to play it off as if I was not sneaking out.

        “What are you doing?” Jessie asked warily.

        I shrugged my shoulders as nonchalant as possible. “Just going to the kitchen, I wanted some milk.”

        “For what,” she replied.

        “Cereal,” I stated.

        “You seem to have all the answers.”

        I grinned. “You seem to have all the questions.”

        She leaped off the couch with her book in her hand. “I could go for some cereal, too. Do you want some Matt?” Matthew was entranced in his newspaper and nodded his head, while Jessie looped her arm into mine, half walking, half dragging me with her.

        Once we arrived in the kitchen, she got out the cereal and the milk, some bowls, and laid them across the counter for me. I dumped the cereal in the bowl and the milk came afterwards. She handed me a spoon before she began speaking.

        “This isn’t high school, girly. You didn’t have to try to sneak out,” said Jessie.

        “I know that, but I knew you were going to give me the third degree if I tried to leave without an explanation,” I explained.

        “True,” she confirmed. “So I hope you don’t mind me asking, are you going back to Jason?”

        It was amazing how she did not know what had happened last night, but she was still upset with him. “No, maybe, I don’t know. It’s complicated.”

        “Not to me,” she replied, simply. “You can’t keep letting him hurt you like this. I know you say he is good for you, but girly, you can do so much better.”

        “You don’t even know the whole story,” I protested.

        “Then tell me.”

        I told her. I told her everything that happened starting at the house and ending at me storming out of the place. I did not feel comfortable telling her about the whole ‘Toby Martin’ conversation. I stored that piece of information in my brain for later. I watched her face shift as I continued. The more I told, the unhappy she became. I cringed at the thought of what she was going to say. Jessie was known for being brutally honest.