Blindsided

12 - We're So Proud of You

A/N: Thank you so much to the readers that are still here from the beginning. I love hearing what you guys have to say, so please don't forget to comment and vote at the end of the chapter.

...

"My head has never, ever felt like this. I am never drinking again. Really, this is your guys' fault," Moira whined, her eyes squeezed shut in exhaustion. Ashlee and I both laughed at her, working away at the stove to get breakfast ready for everyone. I was manning the pan with the bacon and buttering toast while Ashlee flipped the sausages and cooked the eggs.

"Maybe it was because the only sleep you got was when Drake passed out while you guys were—"

"Morning," Kristina chirped, sashaying to stand at the counter beside a green Moira. She looked up to see whoever had interrupted her much needed silence and didn't even attempt to hide her scowl. She was followed closely by Simon, whose smile was something between surprise and affection. Maybe he was surprised that Kristina was being so social with the rest of us despite her late night of partying. I didn't force anyone to leave the party, but since Kristina was staying the night I made Simon finally drag her away at two in the morning.

Her, Mandy, Moira and Ashlee had been doing shots while Simon and I talked with Drake and Brandon. After Kristina disappeared with Alex fairly early in the party, I didn't see him again for the rest of the night, and I hadn't seen Jared either. Which I was thankful for; kicking him off the property without letting anyone but Moira and Ashlee in on what happened would have probably proved difficult. Obviously Moira and Ashlee knew, and they checked in throughout the night, but I insisted that I just wanted to have fun and deal with it tomorrow. The only thing I asked of them was that drunk or not, they kept it between us.

I hadn't exactly told Alex that something had happened between Jared and I, but he knew something and was just waiting for me to bring it up first. Come to think of it, he had tried to tell me something before Kristina practically kidnapped him. I wasn't sure if he had stayed over or not, but seeing as he was pretty wasted, I made a mental note to try and find where he had crashed after I made sure everyone was fed. Until I talked to Jared with someone there to back me up—preferably Simon—I didn't want to tell Drake or Brandon. They weren't as close to Jared as Alex or Simon were, but he was still their friend and I owed it to the guy that I had spent over three years of my life with to give him the benefit of the doubt. Even though there wasn't really any to give.

I didn't dare tell Simon the details, only admitted that someone had hit me at the party last night. Even when he didn't know who it was, he was ready to chain the doors shut and interrogate each party guest until someone owned up. I could only imagine how he would react when he found out it was his best friend. Confiding in Moira and Ashlee was enough, and I saw no reason to even consider telling Mandy. We had run into each other a few more times throughout the party, but we weren't close enough for me to ask her opinion on the whole thing.

Honestly, I didn't really need anyone's opinion on it. When it had happened, I just needed someone to lean on as I tried to pull myself together. But now that I had gotten a chance to take a step back and see the matter in a whole different light—specifically one where my cheek wasn't swelling—I knew what I had to do. I had tried to be the bigger person, sparing Jared's feelings and waiting for the right time to bring up the fact that I had gotten his spot at university. But he had taken advantage of the fact that I cowered down to him, and for that I felt ashamed.

I was strong and I didn't need any man telling me what to do. I definitely didn't need a man having so much control over me that I had to sacrifice my future for him to be happy. It just took a slap in the face for me to realize that. So Jared and I were officially over, or at least we were in my head. I wanted to give him some space to cool off, preventing another 'attack'. But there was no way that he would ever come back from this, and keeping it under wraps for his benefit was something I was doing out of the kindness of my heart, which was something I had very little for him at the moment.