Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 41918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
"Oh, just talk?" I let go of Sarah and wave my hands towards the setting sun. "It's nearly dark, and you know good and well how much I don't like to be out at night. So you waited until it's late enough that I would be uncomfortable and then approached me?"
"Manipulative," Sarah adds.
"Yeah, that," I agree. "Seriously, Jason. Leave. Me. Alone. We're done. There is no 'us' anymore. You need to accept that. If I find out that you're stalking me, I'm filing a restraining order."
For a moment, it looks like he's going to argue, but then he must think better of it and gives us one last dirty look. "Fine. Have it your way. But don't say I didn't give you a chance. I'm on to bigger and better things and here soon you're going to wish you gave me the time of day, Emma."
Before I can respond, Sarah and I watch him walk off, and I realize that I'm shaking.
"Hey." She wraps an arm around my shoulders. "Let's get back to the dorm, okay? You're safe now."
I nod, allowing her to lead me home.
We stay silent, but I can tell that Sarah is worried about me. I'm touched by her concern, but I'm not ready to talk about the encounter yet. My mind is still reeling from Jason's sudden appearance and the realization that he hasn't given up on trying to control me.
As we approach the dormitory, Sarah stops, her expression serious.
"Emma, promise me you'll be careful, okay? I know he's your ex, but Jason is obviously still obsessed with you. And if he's willing to confront you in public, there's no telling what he might do."
I swallow hard, the reality of the situation hitting me in full force.
"I will," I promise, hoping that I'm not making a mistake. "I'll be careful, Sarah. I promise."
We head up to our shared apartment together, and being inside calms my nerves a fair amount. Jason has never felt dangerous to me, just obsessive, but he's turned everything up a notch since the breakup.
I only saw him casually for the last two months, but he wanted more from the relationship than I was ready to give. More physically, if I'm being honest. When Jason kissed me, I felt nothing. Less than nothing, even. So when he tried to push me into sleeping with him, I decided enough was enough. He seemed charming and like a good time when we first met, but now … now I see the truth.
When I broke things off, so many of his lies started to come to light. Jason told me he was attending business school online, but it turned out he lied. He worked at his dad's car lot, which wouldn't have bothered me all that much, but the lying was too much. Then, when his ex messaged me on social media, I discovered that she didn't cheat on him like he told me. It was actually the other way around.
Jason was sleazy, pushy, and a liar. The icing on the cake was how as soon as we split up, he began to mock my fears of the dark and being out at night. Approaching me after the sun had gone down was definitely a manipulation tactic, just like Sarah said. Jason would never walk me home from class or go out after dark to get me something from the store. He didn't care about anything but my body. It makes me sick to think I ever gave him a chance.
After a hot shower, I get into my favorite pajamas, an oversized tee shirt, and some warm fuzzy pants, and head back out to the living area where Sarah is paying the delivery guy. The smell of it has my stomach grumbling, and I let thoughts of Jason fade into the background.
One exam, and then my date with Luke. I shouldn't let something as stupid as my ex get me down. Not when I have that to look forward to.
We eat and I head to bed at a semi-reasonable hour, the heavy meal helping me put all the complicated things on my mind to the side. At least for the time being.
I’m deeply asleep when the door to my room bursts open, and my pulse immediately kicks into overdrive, adrenaline flooding me. I might have devolved into a full-blown panic attack, but Sarah quickly flicks on my bedroom light, flooding the area with harsh white light.
“What–?” I sit up, squinting to look at the time on my phone. 1:11 AM. “Sarah, what is going on?”
“Hey.” She’s frantic, but she also just realizes what state her sudden entrance has put me in. “God, Emma, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about how much I might scare you.”
“It’s fine,” I lie. “What’s wrong?”
Sarah paces the small area, wringing her hands. “I just got a call that my sister was in a car crash. She’s alive, but my mom needs me to come home right now. I didn’t want to leave without telling you what was going on, but I can’t stay. I’m sorry, Emma. I know you don’t like to be alone–”