Chapter Twenty Nine Jayce's Story

I didn't talk to Jayce right away. I didn't know how to approach him. I mean I was still kind of embarrassed showing up in his dorm room with nothing but lingerie on and a trench coat.

He tried hundreds of time to reach out to me after that day and did I hold my hand out and let him grab on to it? No, I didn't. I was too stubborn.

But I figured since I gave Chance a chance to explain himself, I could let him do the same. It was only fair, right? I didn't know when I was planning on speaking to him but I didn't have to decided the day. He did that for me.

I was at work, clearing off a table. I took the dirty plates and cups into the back and set them down. I walked through the double doors and Miss. Diana had already seated a family of six.

I headed that way and greeted them with a smile on my face.

"Hi. How are y'all today?"

"We're very well." The mother, I was assuming, replied.

"That's good. What can I start y'all off to drink with?"

I pushed in three waters with lemons, one sweet tea, one coke and one sprite on the tablet. I informed them I would have them right out and went to the back to get their drinks and appetizer.

I placed them on the round, black, tray and took straight to them.

"Do you need more time or are y'all ready to order?"

"Can you give us a few minutes?" The father requested.

I nodded. "Okay. I'll come back."

On the way to the back, I stopped at one of my tables and asked them how they were doing. They didn't say much due to the food shoved in their mouths. Other than to refill their drinks, they didn't say anything else.

I took that as a sign that they loved their meal and I prayed they would leave me with a good tip. Well, a tip. I mean a good tip was always welcomed, too.

I brought back a tub of their drink and filled up their cups. I returned to the family of six and punched in their orders. I told them it would be ready in fifteen minutes. I wasn't gonna lie to them and tell them it would be right out, like I have been.

I mean, seriously, it never came right out. It took some time. Especially if you wanted your food cooked thoroughly. After making my rounds to each of my tables, I headed to the back.

Cassidy was in there taking off her apron.

"Taking your lunch break?" I asked.

She looked at me. "Yeah. Nolan's on his way right now. He's been complaining how hungry he is so he's buying me lunch. And I figure while I'm out I could stop by the shop and make a payment."

It was late January and the last payment we made, well I made, was back in November. Larry, one of our friends and the owner of the shop, was kind enough and didn't make us pay in December.

When I went to the shop to make the payment, I met Larry's younger, half brother, Eric. He wanted my number even though Larry told him I was off limit. I didn't know why he said that but I was thankful he did.

I didn't want to say mean or anything but Eric seemed kind of creepy. I didn't know him and I didn't want to know him. He kept staring at me the whole time I was in there.

Cassidy agreed with me that he was creepy and that had to mean something if she agreed on it. But then again she thought he was hot, too.

He was a creepy, hot guy with brown eyes, named Eric. That's all I knew and that was all I wanted, needed, to know.

"I'll be back in like an hour or maybe less." Cass informed me, leaving.

I walked out the back and grabbed the food and placed them on the tray. I went to the family.

"Be careful, it's a hot plate." I warned them, setting their plate in front of them. "Enjoy." I said, leaving them to their meal.

I walked around my section, clearing up the tables and discovered most of them left me with a tip. I placed the tip in my apron pocket and picked up the plates and other utensils.

"So how is Mr. Hotshot and his salad eating girlfriend?" Miss. Diana asked me when I was about to walk passed her.

She was referring to Jayce and Arianna. The last time I was their waitress was when Arianna informed me that she and Jayce were an item.

I stopped. "Why are you asking?"

She shrugged. "Maybe because I'm nosy or maybe because I haven't seen them around lately. They used to come eat here a lot."

I haven't noticed them but maybe they came here when I didn't have to work. Jayce did ask Cassidy if I was working last time. To say it was awkward waiting them would be an understatement. I came back to them when Arianna was sucking Jayce's face out with her fake injected lips.

I was happy, to say the least, when they decided to leave.

"Why would you think I would know anything about them?"

"Honey, you like the boy."

Months ago, she accused me of being jealous and now she was telling me I liked him.

"I don't like him" I told her.

"Still lying to yourself, I see."

I wasn't even going to comment on that. "If you must know they broke up like last month."

She smiled. "See, I knew you would know."

I rolled my eyes. "I only know because Arianna blames me for ruining her relationship."

"What did you do?"

"I did nothing." I replied. "Absolutely nothing. And I gotta get back to work."

I walked away and checked my section. They needed refills and their bill. I gave it to them and twenty minutes later, Cassidy returned.

"What did Larry say about the next payment?" I asked.

"We don't have to pay it."

I frowned in confusion. "We don't have to pay it?" I repeated. "Why not?"

"Cause Jayce paid it off."

I rose an eyebrow. "Jayce paid it off?"

Cassidy sighed. "Yes Cole. Why are you repeating everything I say?"

"I'm just confused. What happened?"

"I walked in there, about to pay for it, and Larry informed me that Jayce paid the whole entire bill off."

"Why would he do that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know and I don't care. I got to keep my money and I'm happy. Let's just leave it at that."

"Okay so where is your car?"

Cassidy opened her mouth to speak then she closed it.

"That's a good question." She said after thinking about it. "I'm about to call him right now."

She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and called Jayce.

"Jayce? Where's my car at?" She asked. "You left it in the parking lot?" She walked to the glass window and looked out it. "And you left it unlocked."

She let him speak.

"Oh yeah thanks." She said, sarcastically. "Just because you took every valuable piece out the car, doesn't mean no one is going to steal my car."

He spoke again.

"Yes we have cameras but I don't know how well they work. I'm so glad I called you or otherwise I would've killed you for not letting me know you left my car here." She had an annoyed expression on. "You know what, Jayce, bye."

I was pretty sure she hung up on before he got the chance to say anything else. She walked outside to grabbed her keys and lock the doors.

After our shift was over, we went to the dorm building. Cassidy informed she was going to take a nap. Her nap usually lasted for about two hours or so.

I didn't have anything to do and I wasn't tired so after changing out of my work clothes, I decided to take a walk around the campus for little bit.

It was still cold and windy but I was okay with it. I didn't really have a destination in my mind. I was just walking wherever my feet led me. I stopped by Starbucks to grab a drink before I continued my walk.

It was only when I was heading back to the dorm buildings when I saw him. I was going to keep my eyes on the ground and pretend I didn't notice him but when he walked passed me, I stopped and turned my body in his direction.

"Jayce?" I called.

He stopped walking and looked at me. I didn't know what I was going to ask him but I was thankful when my mind chose something for me, quickly.

"Why did you pay off the car payment?"

I was pretty that's not the first topic he wanted to talk about but he was surprised I spoke to him for the first time in some days.

"So you and Cassidy wouldn't have to anymore."

"Why? I thought you wanted us to."

"I did at first only because I was mad but I know how much Cassidy needs her car so I figure I can give it back to her." He replied.

I nodded my head. "Oh okay. Well...thank you."

He simply nodded once and was about to walk away.

"Wait." I said, stopping him. "Chance told me not to be mad at you and I'm not." I paused. "Well, I'm not anymore."

He frowned. "Why not?" He asked. "I said awful things about you."

He did but he didn't mean them. He also said some incredible ones too. Did he not know what he said? Did he not know about the second video? Or was that what he was trying to tell me all this time?

"Will you allow me to explain everything to you? I'll start from the very beginning."

I nodded. "Yeah."

He looked around. "Let's sit. It might take awhile."

We walked over to a stone bench and I waited for him to tell me his story. He didn't looked at me, just like Chance. He stared at the ground as he collected his thoughts.

When he said from the very beginning, I thought he meant that day at the park. The day he left me standing in the rain. The day he first kiss me but he didn't and I wasn't going to bring up if he didn't want to.

"It was two days before I found out about Chance's list. He and his friends invited me to their party and of course I went. I remember a few things but that night is so blurry. We started playing drinking games and having fun. Then I don't remember the rest of the night until I woke up. Chance was smiling as if he knew something I didn't. Which he did. He showed me that video and it was like I didn't know the person I was looking at. I didn't know myself. I was angry at myself for saying those words. I wanted to take them all back but it was too late."

So, that confirmed that he didn't know about the second video. Was I suppose to tell him about the second half? Should I tell him? Or would that make our relationship even more difficult? What if he didn't feel the same way he did that night? I mean he didn't remember it and I didn't want to confuse him.

"Chance had something on me and I needed something on him. So, I got one of his closest friends drunk and he told me everything I needed to know. I knew he could've been lying but when I told Chance that I knew about his list and what he planned to do with you, he confirmed it. He wanted to know who told me. I didn't tell him and since that day we kept each other's secret. We were supposed to just stay away from you but Chance broke that rule when he talked to you at that party. So, when he broke that rule, I did too. I tried to make you stay away from him but you're stubborn. I wanted you to be my friend again so I had a better chance at convincing you to stay away from him but that didn't work either."

He was explaining his side but a lot were left unsaid. He hadn't explain why he kissed me and why he slept with and dated Arianna. And he wasn't going to.

"Then when you went on a date with him, I told you I was going to talk to him. Well, I did."

"What did you tell exactly?"

He gave me a small smirk. "Figure you wanted to know. I'll tell you the clean vision. I told him if he tried anything I would break his arm and he would have to learn how to do everything with his left arm."

I rose an eyebrow. "So you did threaten him."

He shrugged, nonchalantly. "More a promise than a threat. But anyway, I wasn't thrilled you were talking to him but I really wasn't thrilled when you announced you were dating him. That was just a step closer to being crossed off his list."

I frowned. "Are you saying I would've slept with him? Do you really think I'm that easy?"

"I'm not saying you would've slept with him right then and there but give it enough time and yeah I think you would've." He confessed.

"What made you finally tell me he was using me?"

"I kinda told you before the Christmas party. I told you when you went on your first date with him. I told you he was going to hurt you."

He did and I just waved it away. If I would've listened to him, I would've saved myself all the drama but if I did, Jayce and I wouldn't be talking at all. He only started talking to me because of Chance.

"Not that you listened to me." He said. "After watching you be with him for those months, I couldn't take it anymore. When you asked me again, I just told you. You still didn't believe me. But this isn't about him; it's about me."

He looked at me with his blue eyes.

"I'm sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have said them. Especially not about you. You were my best friend and I'm sorry. I can't express that enough." He shook his head. "I really can't"

He really didn't know about the second half of the video. Because if he did, he wouldn't have to say sorry. He expressed a lot and I decided not to tell him about the video Chance gave me.

So instead I chose to forgive him and forget about the video. If he still felt the same way, he would've said so yet he didn't and I didn't know how I should feel about that.