I Never Knew

Chapter 21

***Sorry for 5,000 words. I would totally split this chapter, but this book isn't finishing itself without a lot of redirection. And yes, this is the other Taylor Swift song I said I would use. No more of those for this book :)***

***(Jay's POV; song for this chapter: "Last Kiss" by Taylor Swift)***

It's been a long night. I didn't sleep a wink. After Nya broke up with me, Lloyd calmed down. Unfortunately, he spent the evening throwing up afterwards. That kid drank way too much.

No one really wants to hang around him after all the drama that ensued last night. They think he's a self-obsessed control freak. I guess when he's super stressed, getting sloshed is not a good way for him to deal with it.

I couldn't sleep because I was worried sick about Nya. I went and knocked on her door several times last night. It was locked.

And she never answered.

Seeing as it's almost time to leave for school, I try her door again.

"Nya?" I timidly call. "It's time for school, Nya."

I hear rustling inside. A quiet voice says, "Leave me alone, Jay."

I let out a huge sigh of relief. I thought for sure she'd jumped out her window and hitched the first ride away from here.

"Nya, please talk to me. Lloyd's really sorry for what happened last night."

He is. He's also sorry that he drank that much in the first place, given that he has a splitting headache right now.

"Tell him it's okay," she moans. "Just make sure he doesn't talk to me right now."

I pause. "Can I talk to you right now?"

There's silence for a moment, as if she's debating. Finally, she answers, "No."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not a very good reason."

I listen as feet shuffle across the floor. Her voice is much closer when she next speaks.

"Jay, I don't want to hurt you." The words are tainted with tears.

"It's okay, Nya. I'm not afraid."

"You should be. Everyone who gets close to me gets hurt."

I sigh in pity. "You mean your parents?"

"And Lloyd. And I hurt you. And indirectly, Zane got hurt because of me. Is he okay?"

"Yeah. That guy is surprisingly resilient." I scuff my foot along the floor. "Are you going to open the door?"

She avoids my question. "Can I skip school today?"

"Give me a really good reason."

"I don't want to see Harumi."

"You'll have to see her, anyway. She's basically our nemesis."

"Okay, I don't want to see Lloyd."

"We'll make sure he keeps his distance."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Aww, Nya, I hardly think – "

The door swings open, revealing a bedraggled Nya. She's wearing the same clothes as last night, her eyes are bloodshot, her nose is red, and –