Piecing it Together

Chapter 24

Jordyn POV

Valentine's Day is today. Amanda told Paige she can't take off. According to Amanda, her dad wants Paige to work. I think it's Amanda trying to keep Paige away from me. I don't like the girl. I hate that Paige works with her.

Before leaving school, I went to my locker to get my stuff. When I open my locker I see a flower with a card. Excitement fills when my first thought went to Paige. I opened the card and that's when I realized it wasn't from her. It was from Mr. Hartley. Even though it wasn't from Paige the smile on my face remains.

Mr. Hartley has been trying and I couldn't ask for anything more. It's a little weird to see him in school knowing he's my father, but it's getting easier. No one knows about it besides Callie and Christian.

I walk out to my car with the flower in my hand. I was greeted by Christian and Callie.

"Aw did Paige send this?" Callie asks as she takes the flower out of my hand.

"Nope, it was from Mr. Hartley." I tell them.

We all stood around my car.

"Why don't we all take a field trip to Pullman." Christian says. "I can't stand seeing your sad faces." He was referring to Callie and me.

I look over at Callie and she looks uncertain.

"I don't want Derek to feel like I'm evading his space."

"If he thinks that, he doesn't deserve you." Christian's voice had a little coy tone to it.

Do you know what? I agree with Christian. We shouldn't spend the night being sad that we can't see our significant other. We should put the matter in our own hands and go see them.

"I'm game." I tell him and look at Callie waiting for her to agree.

"Alright, but if Derek gets mad I'm holding both of you responsible." Callie threatens the both of us. "I'm going to run home and change. There is no way I'm going to look like this. Pick me up in thirty minutes."

I nod. "I'm going to run home too, so I will pick both of you up when I'm finished."

I know if my mom is home, she will have a cow if Christian is with me, so that's why I didn't offer him to come back to mine while I get ready.

When I was finished getting ready, I went to get Callie's first. I don't want her parents seeing Christian either. I then swing by Christian's.

I was expecting Callie to look completely different from when I saw her in the parking lot, but not Christian. To think of it, I don't really know why he is coming. I started driving to Pullman. At least this time the roads are better.

"Can I ask you something?" My question was directed to Christian.

I look in the rearview mirror and see that he nods.

"Not to bring up bad memories, but why did you do what you did to Callie? When I first met you, you didn't seem like that type of person."

I was a little scared to ask him, but I need to know. I need to know if I'm just wasting my time and putting both Callie and I at risk being around him. I look over to Callie who is turned around in her seat looking at him. I know she's been dying to hear his answer as well.

Christian looks out the window in the back and then makes eye contact with Callie from what I can see.

"I can't excuse what I did, by blaming something else. What I did was wrong, and nothing will ever change it. I still have the same urges. I'm trying my hardest not to react to them."

I start to feel a little uncomfortable. If he still has those urges, then what is stopping him?

"Have you always been like this?" Callie asks him.

He takes a deep breath. "No. It all started to happen after an accident."

There is hurt and sadness written all over his face. Something traumatic happened that he has never told us. It doesn't seem like he is going to tell us, but I know Callie and she is going to get it out of him.

"We are trusting you here, so you need to tell us what happened." Callie puts it simply.

Christian lifts his hair on the left side of his head. Under his blonde shaggy hair was a scar going straight down.

"When I was a freshman in high school, my sister and I got in a car accident."

I look at Callie when Christian takes a pause. I always thought he was an only child as did Callie.

"It was in the winter, and we were on the highway. A semi crossed over the line just a little bit and contacted my sister's side."

Christian again pauses. I look in the mirror and see tears forming in his eyes.

"Christian you don't have to finish." Callie says, grabbing his hands. I think we both know how this story ends.

"I have to." He speaks. "I don't remember anything from that night. I don't remember being in the car or on the road. I only remember what my parents say the police told them. I was found outside the vehicle. They said the only thing that saved my life was the snow on the ground. My sister..." Christian starts to choke up.

Callie unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed to the backseat. "You don't have to say it." She pulls him into her arm and starts rubbing his arm.

"The impact was so hard on her side that it caused her head..." He couldn't get it out and my body starts to get Goosebumps. "Her head ended up in the engine of the semi."

Oh my god. I pull over on the side of the road. Hearing this has caused tears to my eyes. It made me scared to drive. I look back at Callie and Christian. Callie was just like me and had tears in her eyes.

He turns to Callie. "I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to hurt the girl before. I smoke weed to try to take the thoughts away. That's what everyone says works, but it doesn't. It makes me think of it more. When I would be with you, I would see my sister. I know she is dead so I thought it was God's way of messing with me or punishing me so I would lash out."

"I forgive you Christian." Callie tells him.

Christian breaks from Callie's arm. "I don't want you to forgive me. I don't want to be that guy. I need help, but no one will help me. My parents won't send me to get help, so I'm left alone. I don't know how to control my anger or the visions. I'm afraid it's going to happen again and again. I'm even afraid to be around you guys. I tried to isolate myself after the incident at your sister's wedding, but it made it worse."

There will never be an excuse for it, but there can be a small understanding. He is at least willing to admit he did wrong and even says he needs help. It's sad that no one will help him, not even his own parents. I think it's important that no one hangs with him by himself.

"When we get to Pullman, you go to Paige and I'm going to stay with Christian."

I turn my attention to Callie. The agreement of being friends with Christian is never letting her be alone with him.

"I can find something to do on my own, you should be with your boyfriend." Christian tries to change her mind.

I was nodding my head to show her I agreed with him.

"Derek is busy anyways." Callie claims.

"I should just turn around then. Paige is working." This whole idea was for both of us to go see our significant other.

"No." Both say at the same time.

I roll my eyes and put the car in drive. I continue to drive. I wish this was easier. I know Callie has feelings for Christian even though she is with Derek. I want to trust Christian, but I can't. I believe what happened with his sister. I believe he is having problems with it.

However, I can't trust him alone with Callie. I know it's going to be out of my control in the future. I always try to find the positives out of people, and I see a lot out of him, but that one negative outshines a lot of it.

We get to Pullman, and I drop them off at a bowling alley. They both agreed to it. I wanted somewhere public for them to be at. Hopefully, they don't wander off.



Paige POV

It is Valentine's Day and I'm stuck at work. I tried to get it off. I even requested it two weeks in advance, but here I am. It sucks that I can't be with Jordyn. I had the night plan to surprise her, but it all blew up. She says it's fine, but fine in Jordyn's world does not hold the same meaning.

It's no surprise that Amanda is working as well. For the last week, every time I work, she is working. She is cool and I like talking to her. I even consider her as a friend, but Jordyn doesn't like her.

We are extra busy tonight. It was adorable seeing all the couples, especially the old couples that have been together for so many years. That is what I want. I want to be with that one person that when I'm seventy they are still by my side.

A lot of people around my age want to date around, but not me. By no means would I say I'm settling, I just know what I want.

"Earth to Paige." I hear a voice.

I turn to Amanda who is waving her hand right in my face.

"Yeah?" I snap out of my thoughts.

She puts her hand on my arm. "Are you alright?" Her voice sounds concerned.

"Do you like me? Are you trying to get Jordyn to break up with me?" The questions flew out of my mouth.

I didn't plan on confronting her about this, but I guess that was what was on my mind.

She pulls on my arm that she had her hand on. She pulls me into the girls' bathroom.

"Where is this coming from?" She questions.

I don't know if Amanda is acting clueless or if she really is clueless.

"At your party, you said things to Jordyn. It made her upset." My eyes narrow down on hers.

She starts laughing, but I don't understand why. "I wasn't being serious. I knew it was her the whole time she was standing by me."

"How would you know it was her?" I questioned.

She makes me look like I'm stupid. "Well, you added me on Facebook. Your display picture is of you with a girl who I assumed was Jordyn."

I guess that makes sense, but not fully. "Then why did you tell her I was stuck in a high school relationship, and I wanted out?"

"I was drunk. I don't like girls, so if she thinks I want you, I don't." Amanda claims.

I stare at her not believing her. "So, you're saying if I kissed you right now, it would mean nothing to you, and you wouldn't want me too?" I take a step closer to her.

Her eyes look down at my lips. I knew she wanted me too.

"Do it. Kiss me." She says as the door opens.

My eyes went up to the door. I couldn't believe who I saw. Jordyn walks in and walks right out.

I walk around Amanda who latches on my arm.

"You forgot something." She speaks.

I look her straight in the eye. "I knew you liked me, and you were lying. I thought we were friends. By the way, I would never kiss you."

With that I shake her arm off me to go find Jordyn.

"If you leave, you are fired." Amanda yells out.

I ignored her as I looked for Jordyn. She is already at the front door. Not wanting to make a scene, I kept walking instead of yelling for her. I got outside and saw Jordyn walking down the sidewalk.

I decided to try her method of getting someone to stop. I grab a hand of snow that was still on the ground and throw it at her. The snow hits her in the lower back causing her to turn around.

Jordyn's eyes are shooting invisible daggers at me. I walk up to her and put my hands on her hips.

"Don't touch me." She says softly, but I ignore her.

"Jordyn stopped. Nothing is going on with Amanda and me, or at least not on my side. I called her out in the bathroom. What you heard isn't what you think."

"I heard her telling you to kiss her." Jordyn's voice wasn't pleased.

"It's because she wanted me too and I was proving a point. Like I said, I was calling her out. She was trying to tell me you were crazy at the party. I wasn't having it. I believed you when you told me she was into me and I confirmed it. You are the only one I want, nobody else."

"Prove it." Jordyn says as she is eyeing a sign at the place we were by.

I look at the sign that says Karaoke night.

"You can't be serious." She knows I hate singing in front of people.

She is nodding her head up and down.

"I'm so serious. I'm going to call Callie and Christian to come here."

Christian and Callie? "What? Where are they?"

"They are at the bowling alley. We all came down here together."

Jordyn pulls her phone out and is already talking to one of them.

My mind is trying to process what just took place in the last ten minutes. How did I get volunteered to sing?

When Jordyn gets off the phone, she leans in, giving me a kiss.

"Jordyn, I can't sing."

"Yes, you can babe. You did a fantastic job at Alexis's wedding." She bats her eyelashes at me. "Do it for me."

She knows I can't say no to that. It isn't fair. We walk into the place and take a seat. About twenty minutes later, Callie and Christian walk in.

I didn't even bother to ask where Derek is. I still don't understand how they are even hanging out with this kid.

I get up from the table and go up to the empty microphone after putting in the song I'm going to sing. The place was full of couples, and I got nervous. I take a deep breath and look right at Jordyn. I then start to sing.

A hundred and five is the number that comes to my head When I think of all the years I wanna be with you Wake up every morning with you in my bed That's precisely what I plan to do

And you know one of these days when I get my money right Buy you everything and show you all the finer things in life We'll forever be in love, so there ain't no need to rush
But one day I won't be able to ask you loud enough

Jordyn POV

"Omg." Callie says as Paige is singing.

I'll say, "Will you marry me?" I swear that I will mean it I'll say, "Will you marry me?"

Singing Ooh whoa ooh oh
Ooh whoa ooh oh


How many girls in the world can make me feel like this? Baby I don't ever plan to find out the more I look, the more I find the reasons why You're the love of my life

You know one of these days when I get my money right Buy you everything and show you all the finer things in life We'll forever be in love, so there ain't no need to rush But one day I won't be able to ask you loud enough

"OMG." Callie says again.

And if I lost everything in my heart it means nothing Cause I, have you, Girl, I have you to get right down on bended knee Nothing else would ever be better, better That day when...

I'll say, "Will you marry me?" I swear that I will mean it I'll say, "Will you marry me?"


The room starts to clap when Paige is done. My heart was pounding.

"Oh my god!" All Callie can keep saying.

Paige walks over and sits down.

Callie is staring at us with excitement all over her face. "Are you guys getting engaged?" Callie spits out.

I look at Paige who is smiling. "No, but someday."