Chapter Song(s):
Lost And Found (Delicate Version) - Katie Herzig (ft. Sleeping At Last)
Playing God – Paramore
Stay – Gabrielle Aplin
A Shot In The Dark – Liz Bissonette
A Moment Like This – Kelly Clarkson
Back To You – Selena Gomez
Wherever You Will Go – The Calling
Run For Cover – Gabrielle Aplin
You And I – One Direction
The wind blew across my face, cool and wet. When I inhaled, I could smell the salt of the sea. We were getting close, and I could almost hear the crashing of waves. I saw the large brown rocks that bordered the edges of the beach come into view, and I smiled. My hair whipped behind me as I turned to get a better look at the upcoming ocean. The air was no longer cold, exactly. It had warmed to a comfortable mixture of warm and cool. Though the skies were still dark, spring was slowly making it's entrance. Inhaling the salty air one last time, I ducked my head back into the car. Jace was shaking his head at me, but a small smile was on his lips. I couldn't stop a smile from spreading across my own lips. Tomorrow, Jace and his parents would leave for their trip. I tried not to think about it, or how much I was going to miss him. I wasn't going to be one of those girlfriends who couldn't function without their boyfriend around. But it was going to be hard. He had filled a part of me I hadn't even realized had been missing. Minutes later, we pulled off to the shoulder. The car crunched against the sand as we slowed to a stop. We got out of the car. Jace took my hand as we walked towards the beach. Sand shifted under my feet as we walked across it, toward the crashing waves. We stopped so that we were close to the water, but far enough away that the water didn't touch our feet. Wind blew my hair back. I leaned my head against Jace's shoulder. We stood there in silence for a few moments. Normally, lapsed silence would be awkward, but right now, it wasn't. I closed my eyes and listened to the crash of the waves, and savored the warmth of Jace beside me. There were a million things going on miles away, but right now, it felt like we could pretend we were in our own world. At least for a little while.
I didn't know how long we stood there before Jace spoke. "I wonder how cold that water is."
"I think freezing would be a good bet."
"Hm."
I gaped at him, disentangling my hand from his as I figured out what he was about to do.
"No, Jace do – " I broke off into a scream as he grabbed me around the waist.
"No! Don't!" I squealed as he twirled me around. Next thing I knew, the ocean was fast approaching. I screeched, wrapping my legs around his hips to get away from the chilled ocean. But it was fruitless, I realized as the water splashed around us. I dropped from Jace's hips. The momentum caused us both to fall. The water was a shock to my body as it soaked us both in seconds. I had been right; it was freezing. I emerged from the water and tackled Jace, who had risen to his knees. We both went down in a splash of water. "I hate you!" I shouted, but I was laughing. He was as well. He brushed my wet hair back from my face and kissed me. He tasted of salt water. We stayed there like that, enveloped in each other's warmth, until another wave rolled through and crashed over us. Jace cursed, raising to a standing position and bringing me with him. "Maybe not my best idea ever." He admitted, shivering.
"You think?"
He grabbed me and twirled me around again. I laughed as my legs flew out as we spun, and he nuzzled his face into my neck. And despite the icy water, I was filled with warmth.
We stayed out there until the sky had darkened into a violet twilight, and then we headed to the car. We drove home with the heat blasting. By the time we arrived to my house, my clothes had dried but felt starchy thanks to the salt water. We both leaned forward at the same time. I don't know who made the final move, but our lips met in a dizzying rush. His hand came up to cup my cheek, and my fingers dug into the upholstery of the seat beneath me. I tried to resist the urge to run my fingers through his hair, because I knew that if I touched him, it would make leaving that much harder. But as if of their own accord, my hands wound around his neck, teasing the hair at the nape of his neck. The kiss felt like it didn't last nearly long enough, but when he pulled away we were both breathing heavily. His forehead rested against mine, and I closed my eyes.
It's just a week, stop being a huge baby. If you are like this now, what are you going to do when he leaves for college, or you do? I didn't want to think about that right now. My mind was swirling with thoughts. What if he found an older college girl, and – stop. I commanded my brain. I knew nothing would happen, but that didn't stop the traitorous thoughts from nagging at me.
"I – I hope you have fun."
"Clary." He stroked my cheek, and I brought my eyes to look into his. "I love you."
I closed my eyes again for a moment, savoring the words before opening them again and nodding. "I know. I love you too."
This next kiss was short, but it felt like I was trying to hold onto it forever. I slipped out of the car, hugging my arms to myself as I jogged up the stairs to my front porch, opening the door. I paused at the threshold, not able to stop myself from turning around. I found him watching me. Using the doorjamb to support myself, I lifted my hand in a small wave, accompanied by a slightly watery smile. He returned the gesture, and I stood there, savoring the moment, before I forced myself to go inside and shut the door behind me.
Jonathan got accepted to Stanford University. I'd handed him his acceptance envelope. He'd torn into it viciously, digging out the papers. We'd both cheered and jumped. He'd hugged me, and we'd jumped together. All of the hollering had attracted my dad, who responded to the news with a grin. He'd given Jon a one armed hug – the one men did that said I feel emotion, but want to express it as little as possible – and patted him on the back. Dad had declared that they get dinner to celebrate. I was reluctantly brought along, and only because Jon wanted me there. The quicker I escaped Valentine Morgenstern, the better. Now, three days later, when I pulled out the mail, I froze. My stomach dropped and I felt like I couldn't breath. Hands shaking, I pulled the purple and white envelope from the rest of the stack.
Ticsh School Of The Arts
721 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
Ms. Clarissa Morgenstern
How was it here already? I wasn't expecting anything until at least May. I closed the mailbox, running into the house and dropping the rest of the mail onto the coffee table. I ran to my room. Never taking my eyes off of the envelope, I sat on the edge of my bed. I was finally able to breath semi-normally, and my hands shook considerably less. But opening the envelope was still a challenge. I finally got it open, and inside was a folded piece of paper. Heart pounding, I opened it.
Dear Clarissa,
On behalf of the admissions committee, it is my honor and privilege to inform you that you have been accepted to the Ticsh School of the Arts at New York University.
Congratulations!
Below that was information on what to do next, in terms of housing and financial aid. I couldn't help the scream of joy that escaped my lips. I hugged the paper to my chest, jumping around and squealing. Luckily, I was the only one home so no one noticed the noise I made. I couldn't believe it. I'd been accepted.
I ended up telling Simon first. He'd hooted and hollered as loud as I had.
"So, when do you leave?"
"I don't know." I admitted. "I just can't get over the fact that I actually got in."
"Are you kidding me, Fray?" He said. "They're lucky to have you."
I smiled even though he couldn't see me through the phone. "Thanks, Si."
There was a knock on my door. I looked up to find Jonathan standing in the open doorway. He looked shocked, and faintly sick.
"Simon, I gotta go." I said, and hung up. I stood slowly. "Jon? What's wrong?"
"Come with me." He said. I followed him to the front door, nervousness churning in the pit of my stomach. He hadn't heard the news of my acceptance. If he had, this wouldn't have been his reaction. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Jonathan, tell me. What's going on?"
He turned to me, his hand on the doorknob. "Please, Clary." He said, his eyes desperate.
Without another word, I followed him out the door.
I'm curious if any of you will guess the twist. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for this story. I'm very nervous about these chapters and the story and how I'm going with it. But I really hope y'all like them and are happy. Well, until next time. I love you all.
- Megan
