Chapter 287: A Long Talk
"I got some urgent stuff to handle, so you're on your own for school today. If you need anything, hit me up on Facebook or call me. I'll get back to you when I can. I'll try to wrap things up by noon and take you out later."
As soon as I heard the door click shut, my smile vanished.
Awesome, another date down the drain!
Every single time, it's the same old broken promise!
Me saying I wasn't bummed? Total BS. I was so disappointed I could scream.
Brad finally rolled in early evening, but then he bounced again. We barely exchanged a few words.
Even though Brad said he'd try to be done by noon, I knew better. No way he'd be back before evening.
I felt like a little abandoned puppy. I got up, showered, changed clothes, blow-dried my hair, all by myself, then just sat in front of the vanity, zoning out.
Dating was such a drag. We did our own thing without bugging each other. We seemed more like an old married couple than my parents, who've been hitched for over twenty years.
My face turned red again.
Who was like an old married couple with him!
One day, after graduation, I'd go out and build my career too. Let him be the one waiting at home like a fool.
Mia sneaked the door open a crack, saw I was awake, then waltzed in. She plopped down next to me, staring at me like she had X-ray vision.
"What are you doing? Perv, I don't swing that way." I clutched my collar, eyeing her warily.
"Jane, I got a question that's been bugging me forever. Not sure if I should ask."
"Spit it out," I snapped.
"You and Brad have been dating almost a year, right? How come I've never seen any hickeys on you?"
"Mia, are you nuts?"
"No, Jane." Mia leaned in closer, all serious. "Jane, you're so innocent. Don't tell me you and Brad haven't done it?"
"No, we haven't. We're dating, not married. Do we have to?"
"Brad doesn't react? Just sleeps?"
Mia collapsed on me like she'd been hit. "Jane, are you an alien? No wonder Brad always looks so down. He's sexually frustrated."
I frowned at Mia, totally lost.
Mia sat up, eyes wide. "You didn't see Brad's face this morning. He looked so serious, like he was mad. I thought you two had a fight, so I came to check. Now I get it. He's just sexually frustrated."
"Mia, get outta here!"
At eight sharp, the three of us left the house together and split up at the entrance.
I mulled over what Yancy said yesterday and, honestly, it made a lot of sense.
If Adam was dead set on bugging me, he'd find me no matter where I went. Moving out of Crystal House wouldn't fix squat. Plus, I was already knee-deep in this competition they'd been prepping for ages, so bailing now wasn't an option.
So, I decided to keep painting at Crystal House for now. If the day came when I had to bounce, I'd deal with it then.
Crystal House was actually closed!
I had no choice but to stand under the peach tree in the yard, scrolling through my phone while waiting.
I definitely needed to ask Adam for a key to avoid standing around like an idiot again.
I opened my News Feed, and the top post was from Jenny, posted an hour ago.
The carefully edited pic showed a slender, fair wrist with a platinum bracelet encrusted with tiny diamonds. The bracelet's style and material were super familiar. The caption was even more infuriating: "I heard that bracelets are best when given by a boyfriend. So happy!"
My heart sank like a rock.
Yesterday, I saw this bracelet at the jewelry counter with my own eyes. It was the one Brad said he would buy for me.
If I hadn't seen this picture, I wouldn't have remembered that Brad said he would buy it for me yesterday afternoon. He actually forgot about it last night.
But why was the bracelet on Jenny's wrist? Did she buy it herself to show off, or did someone else buy it for her? She used the bracelet I liked captioned with the words I told her. It's obvious she posted it for me to see. What was she trying to tell me?
Rationally, I told myself not to be blinded by her post. Brad wasn't that kind of person, but I still felt sour in my heart.
I kept telling myself to trust Brad, but another voice inside me was screaming to figure out the truth.
I thought it was time to have a serious talk with Brad. I wanted to know his attitude towards Jenny and what we should do for our future.
If Jenny's injury couldn't be healed, would he spend his life compensating her, or would he choose me unwaveringly, and we faced the unknown challenges together?
If Brad chose the latter, with Jenny's tactics, she would definitely create some extreme events to coerce and punish Brad, which could severely damage his career and personal reputation, even branding him as ungrateful.
If that day came, would Brad have the guts to face it head-on?
All of this needed a final conclusion.
And to get that conclusion, I needed to have an open and honest conversation with Brad.
Whether it was good or bad, there must be a result.
I must understand what Brad's thinking because his thoughts directly affect what I do.
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