keep me counting ➳ j. dilaurentis

eight.

➳
thursday morning

she could feel her heart beating in her throat, looking out the window of jason's car. maisey had no idea why she'd even decided to skip town with jason in the first place, as if something good would have come out of it. she thought of what her mom would say, to her and to jason, and what he would think of her afterwards. it was always what he would think of her that filled her head with worry, because she keeps thinking that after he finds out about everything, he would never look at her the same way.

"i should never have gone to philly with you," she muttered, fidgeting with the hem of the hoodie she stole from jason's closet.

"don't say that," he put his hand above her knee, speaking in such a sweet and caring tone that maisey couldn't bare to hear. she was dragging him into her mess, and for some reason, she just wanted him to get pissed at her, to stop babying her. there would be less guilt weighing her down if he did.

"drop me off at my apartment please," she asked as they drove past the welcome to rosewood sign.

"i can drop you off at school."

"no, i have to get changed."

"i'll wait in here while you get changed. we can go and face your mom together."

"no," she insisted. "no one can know about us."

"why not?" jason asked, glancing at her with a confused look.

"because it's not right."

she was getting tired of this, and he was just losing enthusiasm by the second. he pulled over, again.

"why are you pulling over again?" she snapped. "we have to get to school!"

"maisey," he said softly, taking her hands on his. "look me in the eyes and tell me that being with me doesn't feel right."

there was silence, maisey staring at him with her mouth open, trying to find the right words to say, but she couldn't.

"see," he started the car again. "if it were so wrong, we wouldn't have held onto something for two years, something that only lasted a few months."

"jason, it may feel right but it's wrong to everyone else. i'm sixteen. you're, what? like, twenty two? you could go to jail."

"we never had sex?"

"you're still part of the rosewood high faculty!"

"i'll quit."

"what?"

"i'll resign."

"jason."

"maisey, i'm serious," he said, stopping the car in front of her apartment. jason looked at her with complete sincerity, putting his hand on her knee. "i'd do anything to make things easier for you, for us."

"this is the most unrealistic thing ever," she mumbled, moving her knee away. "i'm literally sixteen, and i ran off to philly with a guy that's like, six years older, who i've only been around for less than a week since i left for two years." maisey looked up at the roof of the car, holding back tears. "and now he's telling me he'd quit his job for me, while i'm just counting the seconds til my mom busts into my highschool and finds out about everything."

"well, that's exactly what's happening," he said. "believe it or not."

"i hate you," she joked, looking out the window to avoid eye contact, as she knew her eyes were glassy already.

"right back at you, donnie darko."

"shut up."

➳
thursday noon