Nobody cares about what I did, or what I was about to say. All this time, it feels like I've been doing this all by myself; I've been carrying this burden on my shoulders for as long as I can remember and even my parents refuse to hear me out. Liam has finally convinced me that it'd be best to come clean about the hit-and-run. But my parents told me that we couldn't talk then.
Annie slammed the bedroom door behind her, her face looking flushed as tears raced down her face. All she wanted was her parents to hear what she had to say. Annie's secret had been buried deep in her and it was about time she revealed the truth to them, because at present, she really did not know what else to do. Annie could not live with herself any longer. Each and every day, the memory of running over Jasper's uncle haunted her. And to make matters worse, Jasper often made sure she did not forget about it. While he may have toned down slightly on the crazy, manipulative behaviour, Jasper still occasionally followed Annie around. He had professed that he had fallen for her, but Annie could definitely not return the feelings.
'Just give me a call if you need anything.' Annie recalled Liam saying that just before he dropped her off less than ten minutes ago. Back then, Annie thought that her phone call to Liam was to reveal the outcome of her talk with her parents. But apparently, she was still at square one; her secret was still kept and her parents still had no clue. Annie dialled his number; as of recently, calling Liam seemed to be like a reflex action whenever she needed someone to talk to. That night, surprisingly, Annie had reached his voicemail. 'Liam here; can't pick up. Drop me a message if you have to.'
It felt as though her heart was being pulled in every single direction. Even Liam decided not to answer the phone. Seriously, did anyone care about Annie at all? She was using up all her strength to fight back the tears, but her emotions betrayed her badly. It took Annie a long while to comprehend the whole situation she was in. In her head, there were so many voices just screaming out loud – there were her own nagging thoughts and Liam's false promises – and add on to that, Annie could actually hear her parents arguing in the kitchen. It was all too much for Annie to take that night, and after several hours she eventually drifted off to a restless, exhausting sleep.
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Annie felt no better the next morning. Her head was throbbing from all the weeping last night and there was no doubt that her eyes were slightly swollen. She felt no inclination to get up from bed to get ready for school. Somehow, it felt like a hangover – except Annie was sure there was not even an ounce of alcohol in her system but the cause of it, rather, was a disappointed, broken heart.
"Annie, get up right now or you'll be late for school!"
The teenager immediately groaned upon hearing her mother's voice. As of lately, she had not been much of a mother figure to herself and Dixon. Annie and Dixon knew better than to push her buttons these days and really, it was just a lot easier to avoid her and Mr Wilson as well. Anyway, Annie eventually dragged herself out of bed and managed to get herself ready for school.
She was not exactly sure why, but Annie was nervous at the prospect of maybe seeing Liam today. She had not felt nervous the past week whenever he approached her, but on that day, Annie was unsure if bumping into Liam would be the best idea. Annie pretty much spent her day like a spirit; just floating around but she had barely spoken two words to anyone at all. Fortunately for Annie, none of the other girls had come looking for her so had been left alone with her own crazy thoughts. And maybe fortunately for her as well, Liam was still not in sight.
Annie paused at her locker. She had probably been staring at the same spot for a while now but nobody seemed to bother to interrupt her supposed daydream. She did snap, however, upon hearing a male voice. Annie jumped the moment her thoughts were interrupted; mostly because she was afraid that it would be Liam. But she knew that voice too well.
The Wilson daughter bit her lip and slowly turned around to see Jasper standing right in front of her. He was still with his crutches like how Annie had seen him the previous day but the only difference was that Jasper's face was covered in bruises this time.
"What happened to you?" she asked with genuine concern, upon looking at the blue-black rings under his right eye and near the jaw.
Jasper shook his head, an indication that he was not going to answer the question. His next few statements though, sent a chill running down Annie's spine. "He's no good for you, Annie. You deserve someone better than that badass."
In all honesty, the girl had no idea about whom or what her ex-boyfriend was talking about. She did not know that Jasper was around at the dock while Annie and Liam were having their own pity party in Liam's boat the evening before. She did not know that Jasper had been watching them for several hours, jealousy and anger just building up in him the whole time. And she definitely did not know that he had set fire to Liam's boat. Jasper had started to walk away just as quickly as he had approached her. Annie still yelled over to him anyway, hoping she would get some kind of explanation or clarification. "What are you talking about, Jasper?"
He stopped dead in his tracks, but made no immediate decision to turn around. He looked slightly to his left, just enough for Annie to see his face without him having to look right at her. The response he offered did not give Annie any comfort at all. "You know exactly who, Annie. But I'm glad that you're probably not going to see him around anymore."