Chapter 5
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Jed was furious when he thought Abbey was still dating Ron and didn't give her a chance to tell him she and Ron were through.
Summary: Abbey gives Jed a piece of her mind. Jed regrets his actions, but feels he's lost Abbey.
Abbey was shocked by the image in front of her. Jed had met Veronica. He knew how much Abbey despised her, he knew of the bitter rivalry between the two women. Of all the girls he could have chosen, Veronica was the one that would hurt her the most and it was obvious to her that that's why he did it.
Ron watched from a close distance as Abbey approached the beaming couple, now nestled in each other's arms.
"Abbey!" Veronica triumphantly exclaimed.
Jed's eyes pierced into Abbey's, but unlike before, it wasn't a look of comfort and trust, it was a look of pure anger.
"Hello." Abbey greeted them with a tight lip.
"You know, it's just such a shame you've disappeared from the pageant circuit," Veronica continued, her voice shadowed in sarcasm. "We really do miss you."
Abbey turned away from Jed, her attention focusing on the tall blonde. "Don't screw that crown on too tight, Roni. I hear the rhinestones can easily seep into the brain."
"Now, now, Abs, that's not very nice," Jed replied critically, though he was secretly amused by her candor. Abbey stared at him with such contempt; he was tempted to call an immediate cease fire.
"You're really scraping the bottom of the barrel, aren't you?" Her temper was quickly rising.
"Me? It looks like you're the one who's here alone. Where is Skippy anyway? Where is everyone else, for that matter? With all the boyfriends you must have hidden around, I assumed one of them would have escorted you." He paused momentarily, but against his better judgment, he continued. "I'm sorry, are they actual boyfriends, or just fun little dates you have on standby so you don't get lonely?"
"Go to hell," she angrily shot back as she splattered her drink in his face and turned to walk away. Jed took a step towards her, grabbing her wrist to spin her back around.
"Look…" That's when he saw it -- the tears that formed in her eyes, threatening to trickle down her cheeks. His anger faded into regret. What he was seeing in her was genuine hurt and he never imagined her hurt could make him feel so bad.
"Let her go, Jed," Veronica ordered. "She just can't handle losing. She'll always be second-best, just like her pageant days." Still under Jed's hold, Abbey lunged towards the woman, but Jed held her back.
"Knock it off!" he yelled back at Veronica as he tried to keep Abbey from doing something she may regret.
Ron, who had seen the incident play out, rushed to Abbey's side. "Are you okay?"
Abbey pulled away from Jed's grasp. "Can you take me home please, Ron?"
As the two of them walked away hand-in-hand, Jed stood there watching, his head hanging low in shame for orchestrating the altercation and upsetting Abbey so deeply that her entire demeanor changed in a matter of seconds.
Suddenly, he wasn't in the mood for a party.
"Why did you take her side?" Veronica asked him coldly. "She was vicious to me and I was being perfectly nice."
"Oh please. The only reason you agreed to show up with me is to stick it to Abbey. And nothing you said was 'nice.' You don't give a damn about being nice to her."
"Maybe I would if she wasn't so stuck-up."
Jed gestured her with his arm. "Come on, I'm going to take you home."
"No thank you. I'll find my own ride." She brushed past him as she walked away.
Jed stood frozen for a few minutes, his anger now turned on himself as he desperately searched for a plan to make it up to Abbey.
Meanwhile, Abbey's vulnerability opened her up to possibilities with Ron. Despite their breakup, they had remained friends and tonight, she needed him. Ron's intention was to simply drop her off, but he accepted her invitation to join her inside. Little did either of them know that Jed had just driven up to the house, ready and willing to beg Abbey's forgiveness. He sat quietly in his car as he watched Ron opened Abbey's door and take her hand to help her up the steps and into her house.
After another twenty minutes and no sign of Ron or Abbey, he assumed the worst and left feeling rejected once again. If only he knew how drastically he had misunderstood.
Initially, all Abbey wanted to do was talk to Ron. She wanted to get her mind off Jed, so she begged Ron to engage her in conversation about school, his classes, his professors, anything to distract her. But as he spoke, she realized she needed something more. She needed the kind of comforting that couldn't come from just a friendly discussion. She needed his touch, his kiss. She leaned in and pressed her mouth to his, causing him to quickly pull back.
"What are you doing?" He rose to his feet, surprised by her behavior.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." It was a sincere response. Her actions surprised even her. She didn't want to be there with Ron. She wanted to be there with Jed.
"Abbey, you know I care about you, but I can't be here to help you mend your broken heart. It's too awkward."
"I know. I'm sorry," she said softly.
He kissed her forehead and held her tight as she cried in his arms.
TBC