"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” A voice erupted through our haze. I pushed Jackson off of me to see a middle aged man standing at the door a phone in his hands. "I am calling the police!" I stood there frozen in fear. Suddenly, Jackson was pushing me out of the water to the top of the wall. "Yes I need law enforcement." I could hear the man saying but all I could do was stand there. Jackson gathered our clothes and pulled me by the arm. We were both over the fence again by the time I realized what was happening, we ran together down to his car.
Jackson peeled out of the block and started turning down random roads, trying to make a path out of the neighborhood without drawing too much attention. In the distance, I could hear the police sirens but we were safe now.
It was on my way to class that I finally texted him. Keeping my eyes on my phone, I almost ran into five different people. No response came. Throughout my class I kept my phone on top of my desk and instead of writing notes, I kept my eyes on the black screen that stayed black. Class ended without a single word from the lecture reaching me. It was on my way back to the Phi Nu house that I saw Jackson; standing under a tree he was talking down to a person that I couldn't see. As I adjusted my course to approach him, determined to get answers that I saw it was a girl he was talking to and then kissing. I stopped dead in my tracks. He was holding her now, hands on her small waist. I didn't even know that my feet were moving again until I was right next to them.
"What the hell?" The words escaped my mouth. He turned his head from her without dropping his embrace of her.
"Hey Leila." His tone was so causal it angered me even more. She glared at me.
"Who are you?" She asked annoyance dripped from her words.
"I'm his girlfriend, who the fuck are you?" I bite back on my tongue. She took a step away from him now.
"Jackson, I'm going to go. This girl is crazy." With that the girl flounced away from us. Now Jackson turned to me fully. He smiled an amused grin at me.
"Girlfriend?" He asked. "Since when did we label each other boyfriend and girlfriend?" Stunned I didn't have anything to say. "Listen, Leila, you're great and I have fun with you, but we've never said what we were so I don't think it's fair for you to call yourself my girl."
"Excuse me? Are we fifteen?" I snapped at him. "Have you been sleeping with other girls this whole time?"
"Who said anything about having sex? But yes. You couldn't expect to keep me having sleeping with you and me not find someone that would." Jackson pulled up his slipping backpack higher on his shoulder.
"We did have sex." I pointed out. "If that's what you can call you fucking me and then ignoring me for the rest of the night."
"That was only last night." He sighed. His bemusement twisted into exasperation. "Come on, babe. We were just having a good time. Let's go back to my room and we can talk about this some more."
"I'm not going anywhere with you, asshole." I said pointedly before turning away from him. I rushed back to the house and up into my room. Caitlyn was still asleep in her bed so I dropped all by things onto my desk and climbed into my own bed.
CHAPTER FOUR
Book open on my desk, I flipped through pages absentminded. Caitlyn was getting ready for a party at Phi Kappa Nu. She didn't seem to notice that I wasn't fluttering around preparing to leave so I didn't mention the fact that I wasn't going. After what happened yesterday, I wasn't ready to go out and see Jackson. When she finally emerged from her hung over slumber she had gone out to get some greasy diner food without a word. I knew that she would be too sick too notice that I was upset yesterday, but today my mood had not improved and she still didn't give me a second glance.
"I am so thrilled for this party!" She burst back into the room. "Our first real party as sisters!" That's when she made note of my yoga pants and sweatshirt. I felt her eyes boring into my back. "Leila..."
"Yeah I'm not going." I stated not lifting my eyes from the textbook.
"Yes, you are. Get up now!" She grabbed my shoulders and swiveled my chair around to face her. I looked up at her now and she could see my pale face entirely without makeup. I had bags the size of Texas, and in the few moments I was alone I allowed myself to cry so now she could see my tear stained cheeks. "What did Jackson do to you?" I avoided her question by looking down at her feet adorned in slivery strap heels. She grabbed my chin and raised my face to her's.
"He had been cheating on me this whole time." I confessed. "Also, our first time wasn't as romantic or sweet as I led you to believe." The words sighed out of my mouth. "So I am not going to the party." Caitlyn pulled over her desk chair and sat in front of me. She took my hands into her's, giving them a comforting squeeze.