Chapter 60: A word with Jason
After the final bell rings, the academy parking lot slowly begins to empty out.
Naya, Leah, and Lena still have after-school club practice today, so this time she’s walking alone toward Julian’s car. She is holding a few books against her chest when a familiar voice stops her.
"Nyra.". She freezes. Jason--the same Jason who has been avoiding her for so long now.
She slowly turns, face to face with his handsome features, curly hair falling over his temple. He stands a few feet away, hands shoved into his pockets, his expression unreadable.
"We need to talk."
For a moment, she simply stares at him, baffled. She remembers sending him several messages, trying to talk to him in the hallways. But he always avoided her.
And now out of the blue, this..?
Nyra lets out a humorless laugh. "Oh, so now you’re ready to talk to me?"
Jason scratches his brow, looking guilty.
"You ignored me for so many days, pretended like you didn’t know me. But now that you suddenly want to talk to me, I should just accept it?"
"Nyra, that’s not-"
"The dress." That finally shuts him up as she comes closer. "Why didn’t you tell me you’re not the one who bought the dress?"
Jason looks genuinely confused. "The dress?"
"Yes, Jason. The ’gift’ you claimed you sent me."
Realization slowly dawns on his face. "Wait..." He rubs his forehead. "You mean the red dress you wore to the dance?"
Nyra narrows her eyes. "Yes. In the hallways, you said you sent me-"
"A necklace." He interrupts. "I said I sent you a ’gift’. I didn’t specify exactly what it was. You just assumed it was the dress."
"Wait.." Nyra pauses, looking genuinely confused. "So the gift you were talking about was a necklace?"
"Yeah." He sighs. "That’s what I was talking about when you thanked me. And you didn’t even put it on..." he adds, looking hurt.
"Oh." She looks down at her hands.
So Jason wasn’t trying to deceive her. It was her own fault after all. She looks back up. "To be honest, I didn’t even receive any necklace."
Jason clicks his tongue in frustration. "That’s not even the point!"
"Then what is?"
"The point is that you actually chose him!" The bitterness in his voice catches her off guard. "After everything Adrian did to you? After everything he said? The way he treated you?"
He looks away, eyes blazing with a kind of anger Nyra has never seen from Jason before. "And then you just let him mark you?"
"Jason, he already apologized."
Jason laughs softly, but there’s no humor in it. "And you just believed him?"
The corners of her lips drop. Nope, she’s not having this conversation with him right now. They are not even quite there yet with their relationship, Jason is acting like she instantly ran back into his arms.
"Don’t do that, Jason. Don’t act like you know what’s best for me."
"Because you don’t even know what’s best for you!" Jason steps closer. "He went back to Anna, Nyra. It’s not even been two weeks!!"
"He’s not back with Anna."
He raises an eyebrow. "Then why did I hear she moved into your shared condo?"
This time, however, Nyra looks embarrassed to answer. Her three friends scolded her when they heard, and even Julian didn’t like the idea.
"Because she’s pregnant. She needs the pheromones of the baby’s father."
"Don’t tell me you’re the one who suggested it."
Nyra can’t answer, eyes pinned to her hands. But that’s answer enough.
"So you really did?"
"Her condition was serious, Jason."
Jason lets out a frustrated laugh, running a hand through his hair. "This is honestly your problem!"
"Excuse me?" She frowns at his tone.
"You finally had him. After everything..." His voice booms around her, loud like he’s talking to a child. "...and the second Anna needs something, you gave him up?"
"Because she’s my sister."
"And?" His glare makes her flinch. "Do you even know what you want, Nyra? Or do you just like letting everyone fucking use you?"
The words sting because they sound too familiar. "Enough, Jason!"
"No, it’s not enough!" he snaps. "You let him mark you after everything, and now you’re defending him while he’s playing house with your sister again?"
Nyra’s face falls as she shakes her head. "If this is how you’re going to be, then maybe it’s better we stay away from each other."
She turns away to leave, but Jason grabs her wrist and drags her back. "We are not done talking-"
A wave of dizziness hits her as he pulls her. Everything becomes slightly blurry, and she has to hold the wall to steady herself.
"Nyra, what’s wron-"
"Get your hands off me!" She snaps before he can finish, her expression shifting from hurt to anger.
Jason finally lets her go, looking guilty. "I’m sorry for pulling too hard. I just-"
"No." She takes a shaky breath. "Don’t--just, I don’t want to talk to you right now, Jason."
She still feels dizzy, but still forces herself upright, clutching the book tightly like it’s armor.
"...Are you sure you’re-?"
Before he can even finish the sentence, she turns and walks away towards Julian’s car, leaving him standing alone in the parking lot.
---
Julian is already waiting by the car when Nyra reaches it. She quietly opens the back door and slides inside.
"Hey," she mutters.
"Hey." An unfamiliar, shy voice responds.
That’s when she realizes there’s a third figure in the passenger seat. She instantly recognizes him as Julian’s boyfriend, a junior from the Sciences Department.
When Julian finally told her he was gathering the courage to ask him out, she was genuinely happy for him.
But it is still a secret for now. Only the siblings and her know.
Julian glances at her through the mirror, wriggling his brows. "So... what happened? I saw you with Jason-"
He stops when he notices her expression. "Nyra, what happened?"
"I’m fine," she forces out, but Julian doesn’t look convinced.
"Are you sure? You look really pale."
She adjusts her bag on the seat next to her. "Just drive, Julian. I’m okay."