1Prologue
June 29, 2003
"Don't deny it. You loved that movie," Alicia said to her boyfriend with a smirk on her face. She had dragged Jason to the movies to see "Alex & Emma." She slipped her arm around Jason's waist and leaned into him as they walked out of the movie theater.
Jason swung his arm around her shoulders and grimaced. "I can't believe you made me watch that. We've been going out for fourteen months. Anyone would've thought that you would know your boyfriend doesn't exactly prefer chick flicks."
"Yeah, yeah." Alicia put her head down and smiled. Fourteen months. She thought back on all the times she and Jason fought; she had been afraid that they would break up. Never in her life did she expect to go out with Jason Lund. No one suspected that Jason was a long-term relationship kind of person, and neither did she. Jason had definitely surprised her when he had brought her flowers every month on their anniversary. Alicia had never been happier in her entire life.
Sure, their relationship almost ended three months after they started dating. Alicia and Jason were at a party one Friday night. Alicia was about to leave when she caught Jason kissing Brinley, the biggest flirt in Lee High School and the girl who had been after Jason ever since his freshman year. After two weeks, Jason convinced Alicia that it was Brinley who came on to him. He sent her flowers, left notes in her mailbox, and called her everyday. She would never pick up her phone, but she did listen to his messages. Jason finally admitted that he was in love with her and that he couldn't live without her. Hearing the "L" word, Alicia immediately believed Jason and put it behind them. As time went by, Alicia started trusting Jason again, and when she started going to Lee High School, Brinley seemed to back away and stopped flirting with Jason.
Jason shook Alicia's shoulders. "Hey, what are you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing." She smiled and tip-toed to kiss him on the cheek. "I love you."
Jason looked down and Alicia saw sadness in his eyes.
"What's wrong, babe?" she asked.
Jason shook his head and forced a smile. "Nothing. I love you too, baby girl."
Alicia heard someone calling Jason's name from a distance. Recognizing the high-pitched voice, she turned around and saw Brinley waving her arms and walking towards her and Jason. "What does she want?"
"I don't know. Let's go." Jason sped up and walked faster.
Brinley didn't take the hint but kept on walking, yelling after them.
Curious, Alicia stopped walking and turned to face the blonde-haired blue-eyed teenage girl. Jason turned around. "What are you doing? Let's go. Who cares what she wants."
By that time, Brinley had caught up to them with a smug smile on her face. "Hey, Jason," she said as she bit her lip. She looked at Alicia and rolled her eyes. Keeping her eyes focused on Jason's lips, she kept on talking, "Great party at Nick's on Friday night, huh?" She reached out to touch Jason's arm but he drew back.
"What do you want?" Alicia asked, getting defensive.
"Jason knows what I want." Brinley twirled a piece of her hair with her finger.
Jason took Alicia's hand and pulled her towards the exit. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You seemed to know on Friday night."
Alicia stopped at her tracks.
"In Nick's bedroom."
Alicia let go of Jason's hand and proceeded to walk towards the exit. She kept on walking towards the parking lot to Jason's car without once looking back. She would've walked home, but the movie theater was thirty minutes away from her house, and she didn't have enough money to pay for a cab. Noticing Jason walking towards the car, Alicia put her head down and waited for him to unlock the doors. When he did, she stepped into the black Mustang and shut the door, not saying a word.
The ride back to Alicia's house felt like it took thirty hours instead of thirty minutes. Jason didn't know whether it was okay to say something or to turn the radio on. He kept thinking of a way to explain himself, but he knew no words could make a difference this time. He had messed up once, letting Brinley's kiss take over him a year ago. Alicia had caught them kissing, and Jason knew he had messed up big time. For a week Jason couldn't function right. He couldn't sleep at night, and his appetite went away completely. It was then that Jason realized he had fallen in love with Alicia and he had to do anything and everything to get her back. She finally forgave him and put it behind them.
This time Jason knew Alicia would never forgive him. Jason and Alicia had promised Nick that they would be at his party, but Alicia wasn't feeling too well that day. Jason wanted to be with her, but Alicia insisted that he should go to the party without her. Knowing he would not win the argument, Jason went to the party. Everyone was crowded at Nick's house and most of them were already drunk when he got there. A bunch of the guys kept pushing for Nick to have another beer and another beer and another. He knew that he shouldn't be drinking anymore, but he did it anyway. Next thing he knew, he woke up with Brinley laying on his chest. Jason meant to tell Alicia what had happened, but it was never the right time. Every time he looked into her eyes – those dark eyes that had captivated him ever since he met her – he couldn't do it. He didn't want to hurt her. Now Jason knew that he had hurt her in the worst possible way by not telling her.
They finally arrived at Alicia's house and Jason cut off the engine. "Alicia…"
Alicia opened the door and stepped out. She closed the door and walked a few steps away from Jason's car. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.
Jason got out of the car and walked towards Alicia with his head down. "I'm sorry," he said softly as he reached out to hold her hand.
Alicia pushed his hand away and turned around. "Did you sleep with her?"
"I—" Alicia opened her eyes and looked into his, and she immediately knew the answer to her question. "Alicia, I'm sorry. I had one too many beers. I didn't even know—"
Alicia put her hand up to stop him from giving more excuses. "I will never, ever, forgive you for this." She turned around again and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Standing tall with her shoulders back, she walked away from Jason, determined to never fall in love again.
Author's Note: Hey, guys! I haven't written in two years, so be good to me, ok. Lol. 33 Michelle