Before You

Chapter 17

"Hello?" I say into my phone.

"Happy birthday Evy! I can't wait to see you today! Zane and Mason are ready to go. As soon as I get off work we're leaving and coming straight to you" Boston says.

"I'm so ready for you all to be here! What would you like to do this weekend? I'm down for anything" I reply.

"Oh, I definitely have some ideas, but we'll talk about it when we get there. I'm about to walk into work now. I'll text you as soon as we're on our way" she says.

"Sweet! Talk later!" I almost yell and then hang up the phone.

Today is definitely starting out on the right track. I woke up on time and went by Moe's Coffee. Boston just called, and I'm looking forward to having a fun weekend with my friends. I let out a sigh of relief. I feel good today. I just hope that Jett is in a better mood, if he's even here. Why am I even having thoughts like this? I shouldn't care if he's here or what his mood is. I open the door to Mr. Harrison's class and look over to my table. Jett looks up at me as I enter the room. For some reason I feel better knowing he's here. I look down at my watch. We still have a few minutes before class starts. I walk over to the seat next to him and put my bag down.

"Hey Evy" Jett says.

"Hey" I reply.

"Thanks for sending the assignment information. I would have been behind if it weren't for you" he says nicely.

"Yeah, no problem" I respond.

I sit in my chair and slowly drink my coffee. I can see Jett fidgeting out of the corner of my eye. He seems like he wants to say something. I can't be sure. I sit there quietly not taking my eyes off the front of the class.

Ding. My cell phone makes a noise and I pick it up. My mother sent me something. I open up the message and am shocked at what comes next. It's my mother and Brad singing "Happy Birthday" to me. I rush to turn the volume down. How did she learn to send audio messages? I look around the room to see if anyone noticed. Jett looks at me with a big smile.

"It's your birthday?" he says.

"Um, yeah. It's my twenty-first birthday today" I say quietly.

"Why didn't you say something? Happy birthday, Evy" Jett says.

"Thanks" I say plainly. "I don't really like a lot of attention. It's just another day".

"Not true. This is your day. Are you celebrating this weekend?" he says.

"Yeah. My friends are coming up from Savannah for the weekend. We'll get into something, but I'm not sure what" I say.

"Well, I know you're twenty-one, but you're not going to go out drinking are you?" he asks.

"I didn't plan on it. Why?" I ask.

"Well, you don't know the area very well yet. If you and all your friends get trashed, how can you even take care of yourself?" he says.

"Once again, you shouldn't be worried about me. I can take care of myself, remember?" I respond.

I was actually somewhat pleased that Jett was back in class today, but now he is aggravating me again. I feel like I'm up and down constantly with him. He is a nice guy and he hasn't done anything wrong, but he's always telling me what I should or shouldn't be doing. I don't' want or need a father figure in my life.

"Do you not go to bars?" I ask him.

"Every once in awhile I do," he says plainly.

"But it's not okay for me to go?" I ask.

"You're a woman. If all your friends are trashed, including you, you're putting yourself in a bad situation. There are guys that look specifically for that in bars. You know, women that are drunk and then they take advantage of the situation. It happens all the time," he says plainly.

"Wow. So because I'm a woman, I must be stupid, and therefore can't handle myself," I say frankly.

Jett turns his body towards mine and begins to speak as Mr. Harrison enters the room. I point to the front of the class so that maybe Jett's attention will go there instead of towards me.

"Okay class. Let's get started" Mr. Harrison says.

Jett and I are quiet through the remainder of the class. I try not to think about what he said. If I think about it too much, I'll push him straight out of his chair. I start to think I should distance myself from him. He shouldn't care what I do. My life has nothing to do with him. I glance over at him for moment. His cell phone is in his lap and keeps vibrating. Each time, he presses the silent button. Geez. Someone is constantly calling him. Why doesn't he ever answer?

"Alright class. That's it for today. Everyone have a great weekend!" Mr. Harrison says loudly.

I put my notebook back in my book bag and reach for my purse. I need to get to my next class, and I really don't want to speak to Jett right now. However, Jett grabs my purse before I have a good grip on it. I look over at him completely shocked.

"Just hear me out," he says quickly.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" my voice escalates. I look around the room. Everyone has left.

"I'm not telling you what to do, even if you take it that way. I don't know why I care so much, but I do. I see that it's annoying to you that I care. However, it's more than annoying to me that you think of me as being untrustworthy just because I'm a man. I told you that I wanted to be friends and I mean that. I am a good person and I'm trustworthy. But you should also know that I would like to be more than friends. I care. Even when you're harsh to me, I care. It hit me like a ton of bricks on Monday in class. That's why I didn't come to class on Wednesday. I was trying to put some distance between us and just turn it off. I'll take whatever I can get, whether that means we're friends or more than that. I just feel the need to be close to you," he says frantically.

I look at Jett. His chest is moving in and out quickly. I turn to the table in front of me and cover my face with both hands. What just happened? All of his words are drowning my mind and I feel dizzy. I don't know what to say. I can't afford distractions. I have to live my life for me, not anyone else.

"Jett, I have to go," I say urgently.

I grab my things and run out of the classroom. I don't stop to look behind me. I don't know if he's following me or not. I have to get away from here, from him. I don't need this. My run turns into a brisk walk as I approach the building that holds my next class. I take a seat on the steps and try to collect my thoughts. I wondered if I needed distance from him and this was verification. We can't be friends. We can't be anything.

Boston is coming today. I'm determined to have a good weekend and she'll know what to do. Jett doesn't know me. He said I shouldn't drink, but I don't take rules very well. I can do what I want. The fact that he doesn't want me to go to a bar makes me want to do it more, to prove a point. It's time for some fun. Whatever it takes, I'll erase Jett from my mind.