12:51

Twenty-One

"Did ya hear me?! I have a flight to catch and none of these bitches will open the door until you guys made up!"

I rapped on the door desperately. "No, no, Jade! Come on! You can't do this!"

"She's gone. I heard her car speed away."

I ignored him. I continued banging the door with my red knuckles. "Dana? Hailey? Jade's gone! Come on, she wouldn't know a thing if you opened this."

I heard a muffled answer from outside. "Sorry! Not gonna work!"

I kept pounding until he took hold of my hand with a hurt look on his face.

"Is that how bad you wanted to get away from me?"

I avoided his eyes and shook my hands out of his grasp.

I took a seat farthest away from him.

After a few minutes of silence, he spoke again.

"I'm sorry I beat him up."

"Tell him that."

I saw his knuckles clench.

"If you didn't want me anymore, you could have just told me."

"Gosh we were just dancing!"

"He was all over you!"

"Oh yeah? Like how you were with Ashley?!"

"The fuck?! She's just my friend!"

"So is Josh!"

"He was about to fucking kiss you!"

"The hell he was! He'd never do that!"

"That ass likes you and you don't even see it!"

"No he doesn't! You're just being overprotective!"

"I'm not being overprotective! That's just me loving you!"

My breath was caught in my throat.

"What did you just say?"

He leaned on the wall,

Exhaustion written all over his face.

He brought his hands to his face,

Raked his fingers through his hair.

He looked so vulnerable.

His eyes were pleading,

As if everything was out of his control.

His voice broke,

"I can't help it okay? I love you."