Caught Red-Lipped by Jena Yao (room on the broom read aloud TXT) 📖

it's 1:00 in the afternoon. Were you sleeping from the morning?”

“Duh...” he groans. “Meet me at the park tomorrow, okay? And...Mustang, I'm really sorry about Jason.”

“Mmm hmm.” I say, thinking back to Jason and Jacie coming down the stairs together. I almost start crying.

Daniel says, “Carson, are you crying? I didn't mean -”

“No, that's okay,” I say softly. “I'll see you tomorrow after school.”

I hang up. Putting on a sweater, I walk out the door, holding Jason's BOYFRIEND picture. I know exactly where I'm going.

I'm going to Jacie's house.

 

When she opens the door, her eyes flash with greed. I realise she's wearing Jason's baseball cap. That's mine! I want to yell. But it's not mine. It's Jacie's now.

“Hey, bitch, what do you want?” Jacie snaps, her bob swirling.

“Look, Jacie. It's over between me and Jason, so I don't know why you're being so fucking mean. But I guess...” I hold out the picture of Jason with the words 'BOYFRIEND' across it. She snatches it from me, holding the photo to her chest. “That's yours now.” I step down the pathway and turn away from her. I hear the door slam and I realise she's gone.

My cell phone rings.

Of all people, it's Jason.

I stare at it, and mumble, “Why can't I block you?” I drop it back in my jean pocket and let it ring. Beside Jacie's house, I can see Jason's. I look up. He's watching me from my window. What a freak – is he stalking me now?

I give him the finger and his face turns to disbelief. Serves him right after having sex with a red-haired slut. And it wasn't like she spiked his drink or anything, he did it on purpose.

My stomach growls. I walk to my car and slide into the front seat, starting the engine. Right now, to get over all this drama, I need food.

I grab a burger and soda from the nearest fast food resturant and eat it quickly. Still not enough, but atleast it gets my energy up by a little bit. I don't feel like going home, and Whitney's out with Noah, so where else can I go? What was our school planning today?

Homecoming. In one month and three days, people will be dressed up at our school and laughing. Everyone will probably have a date. But I...I'll be dateless.

“Fuck my life and everyone in it,” I mumble. As the prettiest girl of Collindeer High – uh, no, I don't even like it – everyone expects me to have a date. But how am I supposed to find someone new when the love of my life just dumped me?

Jason – I think he only wanted me because of my looks. What he wanted was my virginity, and now that Jacie's given hers to him, why should I?

I sit in the parking lot of McDonalds for more than an hour, thinking about Jason and Jacie and Daniel and Whitney and Noah. And Mom.

When I get back home, I see my mother's car parked in the driveway. She doesn't usually get home this quick.

I step inside, calling, “Mom?”

“Oh, honey, guess what!” She cries, running from the kitchen and hugging me. “Your father is coming back!”

The air is sucked out of my lungs. “Andrew...he's coming back?”

No no no no no no no.

“Isn't it amazing? He says he's very sorry...” She stops talking when she sees my face. “Carson? Are you okay, baby?”

I rush past her and run up the stairs, screaming. All this hard work, making an account on Eharmony and looking up guys for mom – all for nothing? Andrew can't come back. I don't want my mother's heart broken again. I'm never forgiving him. Ever.

“Holy shit!” I yell, falling backwards onto my bed. Andrew. Coming. Home.

Holy fucking double shit.

 

 

Chapter 3

 

When Andrew comes home, I am standing in the front of the lawn, watering the grass. He pulls up in a black SUV, and I can see his face – a goatee and bright blue eyes that smile at me. I turn away, back to the flowers.

Mom immediately rushes outside. She hasn't seen him for over a year, so tears roll down her cheeks. I shake my head at her – how is she so forgiving? He left her for some chick that dumped him two weeks later and stole his mansion. Now he's coming back; it's fucked up.

Andrew walks out of the car. Mom rushes to him, grabbing him into a hug. Wtf? She looks so happy I decide not to say anything.

I text Daniel: where r u?

Uuh...somewhere? Ok, at my house. Where r u? He replies.

At house...dad came back, I write, ignoring Andrew calling my name.

WTF? U let him???? Daniel knows all about Andrew and our family.

No, he came himself...mom decided she was still in love w/ him and is giving him the spare room. I shake my head just thinking about it. I text a ttyl and look up to see Andrew walking towards me. His arms are stretched out for a hug. No way in hell is he getting one.

“Carson, baby.” Mom says in dissappointment. “Hug your father.”

“He's not my father.” I snap in disgust. My hands are clenched to my sides. “He's a lying cheapskake who decided he would leave us one year with hardly any money.” I say through gritted teeth.

“Carson!” Mom yells. “You are not allowed to speak to your father like that, you hear me? Now hug him!”

Andrew is getting closer. I back up.

“Rot in hell, you bastard! I fucking hate you!” I yell at him. His jaw drops, and I use that split second to run into the house.

 

Daniel calls me later the next day and tells me that our afternoon at the park is canceled. Instead our whole senior homeroom class – that includes Jason, Jacie, and Whitney – are going on a trip to the beach. Whitney comes over to help me search of a bikini.

“Try on this yellow one.” She says, holding up a yellow two-piece. “Wait, never mind, it does not look good with your olive complexion.”

She rummages through my closet a little more, than picks out a strapless ruffle red bikini. She holds it up, then grins. “Perfect.”

Whitney takes the yellow bikini and tries it on. We both come outside from the bathrooms a few minutes after changing. I look at Whitney. “That looks amazing on you, Whit.”

“I know,” she laughs, putting her hands on her hips. “Please take a picture.”

I grab my phone and snap a picture of her. When Daniel calls me again to tell us that the bus is almost there, we both put one of Mom's big T-shirts on and wait outside. The bus pulls up in a few minutes.

I wave goodbye to Mom, but ignore Andrew when he calls, “Have fun, honey!”

Honey.

I climb on. Jason is in one of the backseats, sitting with Jacie. He stares at me, his eyes filling with what – lust? I send him a death glare as I sit down next to Whitney.

Daniel, who's in the seat behind us, says, “Forget about him, Mustang. What an ass.”

I twist my head so that I'm looking up at him. A boy in the seat next to us, Alex, looks at me, then Daniel.

 

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Publication Date: 07-13-2015

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