The Significance of Orange Juice

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Would it be too cliché to say that everything else disappeared? That the noise of the arena was drowned out by the blood pounding in my head and that there seemed to be no one in the world but Jay and I? Because it’s not too far from the truth.

I pressed a trembling hand to my lips, as Jay’s dark eyes gazed searchingly at me, looking for a reaction. Something – anything – to show what I was thinking. Unfortunately for Jay, I wasn’t really thinking. My thought processes had jammed shortly after I realised that Jay has kissed me, in an arena filled with shouting children. It didn’t exactly scream ‘romantic’.

Slowly but surely, the cogs in my mind began to creak back into action, and I began to realise the true reality of my situation. Of all the people in the world, it was Jay who had stolen my first kiss. Jay Roberts, the guy who was so adamant in teasing me and mocking me, who had caused me so much frustration and angst. And he had kissed me.

It made no sense.

Jay swallowed uncomfortably as I lay on the floor, still staring up at him uncomprehendingly. This guy had kissed me.

Deliberately.

A claxon sounded in the room, dropping me back into reality with a painful thump. There was a chorus of disappointed sighs from the losers whilst the winners boasted about how many shots they’d managed. The room began to empty as participants handed in their guns, but Jay and I remained locked in our own personal world, unmoving despite the people around us.

I sat up slowly and Jay moved back so that the space between us remained unchanged. Silently and without even glancing at Jay, I pushed myself to my feet, dusted my jeans off and headed to the exit. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Jay breaking out of his stupor and hurrying to catch up with me before I disappeared from sight, but I didn’t slow down for him. Instead, I picked up the pace, certain that I couldn’t face Jay. Not here. Not now.

A hand latched around my wrist, just like it had so many times before in the past few weeks. But this time, I wasn’t having it. I wrenched my hand from his grip and quickly tucked it away in the safety of my pocket. Head down, I darted past a young family and out of the exit, hoping to put some distance between me and Jay.

I ground my teeth in frustration as I realised that Jay was my lift home, since he had driven me here from the hospital. Resigning myself to a long trek home, I walked out of the car park, careful not to make eye contact with Jay. It was just too hard when I had so little idea of what I even thought about the kiss. I grimaced. How could Jay make life so difficult so quickly?

This time when Jay managed to grip onto my arm, there was no way that he was planning on letting me go. He tugged on my hand, spinning me slightly until my back was pressed against the wall, my arms pinned to my side by Jay.

He caught my chin with his fingers and forced me to look up at him. The hesitancy from the Quasar was long gone and in its place was a fierce determination.

“You can’t run away forever.” He warned, his dark eyes staring deep into mine.

I struggled to look away, but Jay held fast, so I dropped my gaze instead. If we must have this conversation, I’d rather talk to Jay’s chest than his face anyway. Especially when his eyes seemed to pierce all the way to the core of my being.

“I can try.” I replied defiantly and a muscle in Jay’s jaw twitched erratically.

“Of course,” he laughed angrily, “because that’s what you always do, isn’t it?” He closed his eyes and drew in a long breath before he spoke again. “You run and run and if something’s too difficult, then you’ll never stop running.”