AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I almost asked her how she knew, but then I realized that she was just teasing me. I wanted to tell Calla about us, but I needed to tell Cam first. Strangely, it didn’t seem real until then. Like if I couldn’t announce it on Facebook, then it hadn’t happened yet.
I rolled my eyes at that and turned to her. “I’ll see you later.”
She waved good-bye as I painstakingly made my way to where he was idling in the no parking zone. Jase got out and jogged around to my side. Brown hair curled out from under the gray knit skullcap he wore. I decided it was a good look for him.
He opened my door and then took my crutches, placing them in the back, and when he turned to me, he started to lower his head, as if he were going to kiss me hello. My insides tensed. He stopped short, let out a deep breath, and then cupped my elbow.
“Up you go,” he said, and I shivered at the deepness in his voice.
Once he was in the Jeep, I glanced over at him. “Did you get everything taken care of this morning?”
“Yeah.” His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror. A campus police cruiser was coming around the bend. With a quick, satisfied grin, he pulled out before they could get him for where he was parked. “Mom called me early this morning. Jack was sick all night. Throwing up.”
“Oh no, is he okay?”
He nodded. “He’s got a bug. Doc said he just needed to drink lots of fluids and rest. He’ll be out of school the rest of the week. He was pretty upset about that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he loves his teacher and going to school.” He paused, rubbing his chin. “Hopefully he stays like that.”
I leaned toward him. “Did you like going to school when you were little?”
“Yes.”
“Did it stay that way?”
He laughed. “Hell no. I skipped more than I went to class—Jack’s different, though. He will be different.”
I smiled at that, silently wishing him luck.
“If he’s feeling better this weekend, I thought we could . . . I don’t know, take him out to lunch or something?”
That was huge. I nodded eagerly, a little nervous. What if Jack woke up one morning and decided he hated me? Kids were fickle like that.
“Good,” he said, relaxing.
Since a lot of students had already bailed for the four-day weekend, we didn’t have any problem finding a parking spot near the Den, and the place was practically empty as I walked in. Jase carried my bag and slowed his long-legged steps to match mine.
Only Cam and Avery were at the table, sharing a slice of pizza. I opted for a hot dog and fries—breaking up the monotony of greasy hamburgers—and Jase, I think, got an entire pizza judging by the stacks of slices on his plate.
Sitting down across from the lovebirds, I stretched out my right leg. “I’m surprised you guys are here. I thought you were heading up to Pennsylvania?”
“We are.” Cam swiped a handful of fries off my plate and didn’t even bother to look guilty. “We’re leaving tonight.”
“Excited?” I asked Avery.
She nodded rapidly, causing her high ponytail to bounce. “I’ve never been there, so I can’t wait.”
“What are you guys planning to do there?” Jase dropped an elbow on the table, and as he leaned forward, he picked up the second slice of pizza and lowered his other hand under the table. “I mean, what do you do in the Poconos? Stare at trees?”
