Living with the Karters

Chapter 18 : Journalism

Its been 3 days since Jeremiah and I have talked. 3 days full of crying. 3 days since I found out that who I thought was the one... wasn't.

Today is the day, I tell myself. The day that I tell Kelsey and Jeremiah what's on my mind. I'll tell you what, though. Ever since we broke up, I've become closer to Issac, Sammie, Cameron and Tristan. Frankie and Kaytlyn both defriended Kelsey and befriended be.

Adrian finished my room. it was beautiful, a sunset. I also met someone. Though I'm not over Jeremiah and, I won't be for a while, I met someone. His name is Mark and he's amazing and awesome and cute. His eyes, though, are just like Jeremiah's.

I ride with Sammie to school today. When I sit down in my Journalism class, the bell rings.

"Good morning class," Mr. Fetcher says. We all know what today is. the day to share our works!" he says. I frown looking at my paper. It's perfect, but I might end up bawling by the time it's over. "Who would like to go first?" he asks.

I raise my hand, wanting to get it over with. "Ms. Hastings." I get up with my papers amd hurry to the front of the room. "And what is it?"

"A mixture of things," I say and clear my throat before starting to read. "Once upon a time, there was a girl named Anon. Like anonymous and she was a very amazing girl, though she couldn't think that anymore, because she's been screwed over. TWICE," I say emphasizing twice.

"Her boyfriend cheated on her when she lived in Idaho and then again when she moved to Kentucky. When she moved to Kentucky though, she met a guy and thought he was perfect. Keyword being thought..."

"Now, like every love story they started to like each other. Or rather she liked him. A lot. So much that she really thought that he was the one. So when she found out, not by either of them by the way, she cried, sobbed until she heaved and her chest ached. AND he cheated on her with her bestfriend. She didn't know what to do," I say avoiding eye contact with Jeremiah and Kelsey until the big moment.

"So she did the only thing she could think to do, go home and write. she wrote and wrote and wrote about her feelings. She sat up in bed one night and said, 'I'm going to read it to them.' So Anon stood up and went to school the next day and read it to them in the middle of class," I say making eye contact with Jeremiah.

"To the boyfriend she wrote this:

"When I first met you, I didn't know what to do. You made me smile and laugh and all those happy things. I was getting over my ex at the time and you made it easier for me. Then, when you asked me to be your girlfriend, I was estatic. And a few nights after.. well, you know what happened. Then, to come and find out," I say pausing,

"by your sister," everybody gasps. "that you cheated on me with someone I trusted. At first, I felt mad and angry, not only at you, but at myself too, like I did something wrong. But even more than that, I felt betrayed and hurt. I thought you were the one. I thought we might make it. remember the day you told me that it'd be okay? that you wouldn't let anything hurt me? well you lied. Just like when you told me nothing happened."

I look up at the clock it's already been 2 minutes. "But don't worry, not like you are or anything, but just like you most likely intended, my heart still aches right now"," I say, my eyes filling with water, but I shake my head.

I look at Kelsey, "And we can't forget about what she wrote to the best friend, "Dear so called 'best friend', I trusted you, cared about you and even looked up to you. You took me under your wing when I first came to this school and now what? you're making out with my boyfriend? I'm supposed to be crying to you, not about you!" my eyes fill with tears again, but this time more come until they're streaming down my face and I'm shaking.

But I have to finish, "You were a self centered, lowlife, slutty bitch," I spit, "You hurt me, stabbed me in the back with a knife and then shit and stomped on my dead corpse!" I scream at Kelsey, sobbing now, mascara running down my face. Everyone can see I've been looking at both Kelsey and Jeremiah.

"And she finished with a sentence." I say, my voice barely audible, "Well, at least they deserve each other." and that's all I can say before sobbing again and putting my paper on his desk and hurrying back to my seat, wiping my tears, I've done enough running away for a while.

"Wow," Mr. Fetcher says, "that was amazing."

"Thanks," I say, softly, still cying.

"Jeremiah, why don't you go next," Mr. Fetcher says.

He stands up and goes to the front, "I wrote this for my exgirlfriend when we were dating, but we broke up, but I still feel like this and I hope she'll hear me out," he says.

I raise my hand. "Yes, Ms. Hastings?" Mr. Fetcher says.

"I have a question for Jeremiah," I say glaring at him.

"Uhm, by all means, go ahead."

"Why did you and your girlfriend break up?" I ask.

I see him get nervous. "Not something I really want to say in front of the class," he says.

"Why did you break up with your girlfriend?" I ask again through clenched teeth.

"I cheated on her," he mutters.

"Say it again, louder," I say, tears threatening at my eyes again.

"I cheated on her okay! But I said I was sorry!" he says and I shake my head and stand up. It's me and him, that's it.

"No, you didn't, you haven't spoken to her in 3 days! You haven't said ANYTHING!" I scream, crying now.

His face softens, saddens really, probably realizing that he didn't say sorry or explain, but still he feels the need to argue, "She didn't let me! She shut me out!"

"How would you know? you haven't made an effort to talk to her!"

I feel everyone watching us, even Mr. Fetcher. Jeremiah can't look at me. "Look at me Jeremiah Reed Karter!" I scream.

He looks at me, "Maybe she doesn't want to hear about the past," I say nodding at his paper. "Maybe she just wants to know how you feel. Maybe she just wants to hear sorry and that you love her and that she's your one and only," I say, sobbing now.

He takes the paper and tears it in half, then quarters then eighths...16th...32nds and so on and throws it in the trash. He walks over and takes my hands. I jerk them away but he grabs them again.

"Jasmine Rose Hastings," he says softly. "You make me so happy and I know I made you happy once too. You tell me things that make my knees go weak. I wrote you that song because I actually felt like that, Jasmine."

I look away, but he takes one of his hands and puts in on my cheek to have me look at him. "I know that what I did was terrible and took our strong trust and broke it into a million pieces, but if you were to take me back, I'd never hurt you again Jasmine, ever. I'd always be there for you. Like before," he says and smiles at me as I start to cry. He wipes away my tears, "I am so sorry."

I jerk away my hands. "You cheated on me," I say, "I can't just forgive you like that! I don't trust you anymore Jeremiah."

Just then the bell rings. Thank God. "Jeremiah, Jasmine," I hear Mr. Fetcher, "Stay please. Sit," he says nodding to two seats.

"Yes?" I ask.

"You, my dear have are an amazing writer and you," he says nodding towards Jeremiah, "Are amazing too. it just sucks that my two best writers have to be in DETENTION today."

"What? why?" I demand.

"Because of that little thing!" he says. "My room after school."

"Why didn't you just stop us?!" Jeremiah asks.

"Because you guys were communicating and Jasmine, sometimes that's what you really need instead of writing. Only sometimes," Mr. Fetcher says.

Ugh. I hate school. I hate Jeremiah. I hate Kelsey. I hate New Jersey.