Pregame(29)

       
           



       





I couldn't hold back my sobs, "He shouldn't be out!"





Wes pulled me tighter against him and wrapped both arms around me, placing kisses on my head, face, and chin.





"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered, and I could hear the remorse in his voice. "I am so, so sorry."





"That's why I came here. It didn't take long for everyone to find out  what had happened since it was such a small school, and I couldn't go  anywhere without getting looks and people asking me about it. My parents  wanted me to finish the year at a community college near home but I  refused to let him take anymore away from me. I finished out the year  and applied here. I was surprised that I got in since my grades hadn't  been very good my first semester, but I knew I couldn't stay there  anymore. Having Elle here made it that much easier to transfer. I  couldn't have done it without her." I finished.





Wes was silent for a few minutes while he absorbed everything I had  thrown at him. The only sounds were our slow, steady breathing filling  the air.





"I will never hurt you, Brookelyn." Wes promised me, placing his  forehead against mine and staring into my tired eyes. "You know I would  never hurt you, right?"





"Yes," I whispered back, honestly.





"Promise me," he demanded gently, but I could hear his desperation. "Promise me you know I would never, ever, hurt you. Ever."





"I promise. I'm not afraid of you, Wes." And I wasn't.





"Thank God," he sighed, and kissed me on the lips. "I love you. I love you so much, Brookelyn."





My heart lurched in my chest at his words. After everything he now knew,  he still loved me. He wasn't turned off by what happened, or found me  broken and used. He loved me.





The next tears that fell were the happy kind. I couldn't contain my wide  smile as I leaned up and kissed him hard on the lips. He mouth moved  against mine and I relished every second of this moment. In this moment I  knew what being in love, and somebody loving you back, truly felt like.  Elle was right when she said there was no better feeling in the world.





"I love you, too." And I did.





EIGHTEEN


No one had heard from or seen Jesse since that day at Wes's apartment.  Although it had been two weeks since I last saw him, I couldn't help but  scan my surroundings everywhere that I went. I was worried he'd find me  again, and punish me for his time in prison. I knew I was being  somewhat irrational but I couldn't contain my fear. Jesse had taken away  any sense of safety that I felt and his reappearance kept me on edge.

Wes would stay with me most nights, knowing that I was scared without me  having to tell him. Elle spent more time at the apartment as well as  Savanna who I had finally told about what happened. She was shocked at  first, but any surprise or sadness she felt was quickly replaced by  anger. I had never seen her so riled up before and it made me laugh a  little. She made it her mission to personally remove his testicles if  she ever saw him.

Elle's reaction was much like I had expected. She scolded me for not  calling her right away but then started to cry. I found myself soothing  her, holding her in my arms, much like Wes had done for me. The irony  wasn't lost on me that I was the one comforting her.





Because Jesse now knew where Wes lived we decided it was best to inform  Jade and Luke about everything as well. I hated telling so many people  about what had happened but Jesse was volatile and I didn't want Jade  and Luke to be unsuspecting on the rare chance he actually showed up at  the apartment. I was grateful to them for not treating me any  differently once they knew. Jade had suspected that something big had  happened to me in the past, she had said, but she didn't want to pry.  She knew I'd tell her when I was ready, just as she had shared her story  about what had happened to her sister with me.





I didn't blame Reese for what happened, but Wes did, and their  relationship had been a little strained ever since. I tried to tell Wes  not to be upset with his brother but he was being stubborn and refused  to forgive Reese for bringing Jesse into his home.





Reese had come to me a few days later and apologized, and I could see  the sincerity in his eyes. He felt truly horrible and even though it  wasn't his fault, he blamed himself. I rationed with him that I would  have run into Jesse eventually anyways, even though I wasn't sure if  that was true.





I spent the last two weeks doing my schoolwork and spending time with  Wes, avoiding any extracurricular events or parties on weekends. I was  most comfortable staying home and watching a movie curled up beside Wes.  I could sense his restlessness however, and although he denied it, I  knew he was anxious to go out. I promised Elle that we'd head to one of  Zeta Pi's house parties this Saturday night and I knew that she was glad  to see me doing normal things again instead of hiding out in the  apartment and in classes.                       
       
           



       





I was able to excuse myself from classes tomorrow so that I could head  home and meet with my attorney that had handled my case for me last  year. He had filed for a restraining order for me now that Jesse was a  free man, and I had to sign the final documents as well as pick up a  copy to keep with me, should he pay me an unwelcomed visit. I shuddered  at the thought.





Wes was insistent that he drives down with me, so we were leaving early  in the morning. I was both excited and nervous for my parents to meet  him. It was important for my parents to give me their approval, not that  it would stop me form being with him if they disapproved. You can't  fight love, I've learned through this journey with Wes. On the other  hand, however, I was nervous because they would surely give him a hard  time at first. I haven't exactly shown them that I had the best taste in  men. But I also knew that once they saw the way we felt about each  other, and how much he truly loved me, they'd be able to look past his  tattoos and bad boy persona and see that he would never hurt me.





I had already planned most of our day back home after my meeting with my  lawyer. I wanted him to know everything about me, and vice versa. I  wanted to take him to the park down the street from my house that Elle  and I would spend hours at, swinging on the swing set, challenging each  other about who could swing higher. I planned to take him to my favorite  frozen yogurt place after dinner with my parents, and kiss him on my  front porch where I had my very first kiss. A kiss that was so horrible I  needed him to erase it from my memory with a better one. I knew he  wouldn't disappoint.





It was a Thursday afternoon and I had just finished up my last class of  the day and I decided to take a step forward and head to the union      center for a coffee all by myself. It was strange walking more than a  few feet without Wes or someone else walking with me like they had been,  and although I found myself watching the people around me, it felt good  to loosen up a little.





I groaned when I saw that Starbucks was packed with students but I took  my spot in line anyways. After five minutes of barely moving forward in  line, I was planning to leave when I felt a hand come down on my  shoulder. I jumped, spinning around, but relaxed when I saw that it was  just Gabe. He was wide-eyed, confused by my overreaction but I just  waved his unspoken questions away with a flick of my hand.





"You can't just sneak up on a girl like that, you know." I kidded,  nudging him with my shoulder. It was weird seeing him, but his face was  completely healed, thank god.





"I guess not," he replied, "do you have anymore classes today?"





"Nope," I answered, waiting for a follow up question.





"Alright, well, I'm doing some studying over there," Gabe pointed to a  table across the room with a few books and a laptop strewn across the  top. "So after you get your drink if you want to come over and we can  talk or whatever that'd be cool."





Gabe sounded like he was feeling awkward, stumbling over his words slightly. I laughed, "Okay, I'll be there in a few."





"Great." Gabe smiled, and strolled back over to his table.





Although there was nothing left between us romantically, I still like  Gabe as a person-but not when he was drunk, for obvious reasons-and I  wouldn't mind catching up. I felt a little bit responsible for his fight  with Reese and I wanted to apologize for getting involved. If I hadn't  said anything than maybe Reese would have never seen him.





"I'll have a venti unsweetened iced coffee, please." I told the barista and gave her my name.