The Player Broke My Leg

Chapter 26

It was quiet in the car. As I sat in the back, I could tell that Jasper was starting to get tired. Every now and then, he would look up at me in the rear view mirror as if to make sure I was still there. Dark circles began to appear under his eyes, and I knew that he was getting exhausted, but there was nothing I could do about it. I would ask him if he wanted to trade places. He could lay down in the back seat while I drove, but he shot that down real fast. 

Evan has been asleep for the past twenty minutes or so. Neither Jasper or I spoke in fear of waking him up. The car was completely silent, and the only sound that could be heard was the tires on the asphalt.

I glance down at my phone, the the dim light illuminates the backseat. It was just a little bit after nine o'clock, and there was nothing on my phone. No missed calls, no text messages. It was like no one except for the other two people in the car knew what was going on. Well, probably except for Emily. Back at the gas station, I saw Jasper on the phone while he was pumping gas. It must have had to be her. At least, that's what I'm going to assume.

Looking back on it, both of Jasper's parents were practically my own. I remember growing up that my mom was never really in the house. That was probably a red flag right there. Even after dad left, thing's didn't get better. Mom spent most of her time at the office doing god knows what while I stayed in an empty house, isolated from the world. As time went on, it just became daily life for me. Home was the only really safe place for me. No one could reach me there, but being alone was never something I had enjoyed.

Even now, it was weird that I'm with Jasper right now. Even though we weren't technically alone since Evan was there, it still felt strange. Typically harsh words are said between me and him, and other times he would resort to other mean tactics. However, that has not happened ever since I fell out the window. His attitude didn't change at first, but it did when Evan came into the picture. I didn't know why, but it didn't seem right. Did Jasper no longer hate me? No, that can't be right.

"Are you really not coming back?" Jasper asked softly from the drivers seat. His tone was so soft, and I could hear the pain coming from behind it. I set my phone down and cross my arms over my chest.

"Yeah," I say barely above a whisper. 

"Do you think you'll change your mind though?" he asked as he looked up at me through mirror. As I looked up, I could see the pain in his eyes. "You know you're welcome at my place, right? There is that extra room in my house. You're welcome to move into there for as long as you need."

I smiled a little bit. "Thanks, but I think I need a fresh start, and I can't get that when school starts up again."

Jasper was quiet for a moment, and I could see his knuckles tightly gripping the steering wheel, causing them to turn white. "I'm going to fix everything."

I narrow my eyes at him in confusion. "Fix? What are you going to fix?"

Jasper slowed the car as the light in front of us turned red. The moment the car came to a complete stop, Jasper turned in his seat to face me. The inside of the car was pitch black, and the only light came from the stoplight. Half of his face was lit up, and I can see he meant what he was about to stay.

"I will make sure that no one ever bothers you again," he said as he looked me straight in the eyes.

My smile fades and I shake my head. "Thanks, but I don't see that happening."

The light in front of us turned green, and Jasper sighed before turning back around and gently hits the gas. The car pulled forward, but Jasper muttered something under his breath low enough for me to barely hear it.

"I'll make sure of it if it means you'll stay."

I wasn't sure if I heard him right, but I didn't to ask. It was best to drop it now for the time being. We were nearing the end of our little road trip, and we were about ten minutes away from my grandparents house. When I had called, they were extremely happy to hear from me. I didn't go into details about why I was coming. It would have been too hard over the phone.