My Heart's Choice (On Hold)

Chapter 12

I half run, half jog up the lane leading to Jamie's house. Mason huffs when he has to halt for me to catch up to him.

"Can't we just... Slow...down," I ask, between heavy breaths.

"Not until you get me my car!" he says, not even bothering to slow down a bit.

I pull at the strap of my sling bag, beginning to actually feel its weight. My shins and thighs burn with all the jogging that I have never ever bothered to do before. Heavy breaths escape my lips and I can literally feel my throat ripping apart and heart exploding into pieces.

I pull out the water bottle I packed into my bag and lift it to my lips savoring the liquid when suddenly I slam into Mason's back. I erupt in a series of raspy coughs with water running out of my mouth and nose, while he just decides to watch me, wearing a foul expression.

When my loud body-rocking coughs does not stop, he puts my own palm against my mouth to shut it up. Finally when they die down, I wipe the tears that daze me and look around to realize that we are already at Jamie's

"Okay," I say, caressing the front of my neck, " You go get it. I'll stay here."

"No girl! I think that you did not hear me the other time. I told you that I want you to get me my car," he says, pointing a finger at me.

Huh? Isn't that 'his' car? Why am I getting it for him?

Before I can ask him for a valid reason, he pushes me though the gates and hides himself behind the huge walls running around the house. He is kidding me, right?

As soon as I am pushed in through the gates, I come face to face with a man in shorts, who looks like someone in his fifties. He gives me a curious look.

"Who are you?" he asks kindly, waving a sponge, dripping of water, at me.

"Dana," is all that I manage to say.

His brows furrow as he dips the huge sponge in a bucket of soapy water at his feet and then slaps it against the windscreen of a car beside him, rubbing the soap on the glass.

"Are you here for Jamie?" he asks, bending over to plunge the piece of sponge in the water.

I slowly nod, unsure of what to say.

"Girlfriend?" he raises a brow.

My eyes bulge out at the mere thought. "No!" I almost choke on my own spit, "I'm here for Mason's car."

"Ah... So you were here at the party last night? You youngsters find it amusing to party all night when your parents are not around. When have you got time to do all your homework and stuff?" he drops his kind voice and goes on rubbing the windscreen looking annoyed at my mere presence.

"Hey!" I hear a voice to my left and spin around to find Jamie making his way towards me, "Hey there, Mason's girlfriend! Looks like you've already met my dad."

I give him a small smile which he returns. Jamie's dad scrunches up his nose in disgust at the sight of his son in what I guess is his bedtime attire.

"She is Dana," Jamie's dad says, letting the sponge drop to the bucket of water.

"Oh sure, I know, Dana. Right! Dana," Jamie says, in an over-enthusiastic voice.

He gives his dad a extra-bright smile and slowly steers me away towards the wall by the entrance gates.

"Ah. Sorry about that. He's so mad about the party yesterday, and the fact that he and mom ended up freezing their butts at the door for two hours last night because I wasn't exactly sober to open the door, after the party," he explains, scratching the back of his neck.