Chapter 16

Secrets

He carried me – flung over his shoulder – for at least three minutes. I was under control, now, but I wasn't sure Jamie would let me go even if I told him. Finally, we arrived at my house and he placed me in front of my door, his arms were crossed. I looked up at him smiling but my smile disappeared as soon as I saw his expression – exactly the expression of an angry parent.

"Jasmine, what am I going to do with you?" he asked, eyes closed. He was obviously irritated.

"Sorry…" I said and looked down. I heard Jamie sigh.

"Why is it that I always have to get you out of everything? …Idiot. Do I have to look after you every hour of the day?!" he asked angrily.

"Well, you don't have to," I responded, looking straight up at him with an annoyed expression, "you could just –"

"What do you mean I don't have to?" Jamie asked, astounded, "Of course I have to protect you!"

"Why?!" I asked, challenging him. He looked away, blushing. "Jamie, why?" I asked, irritated. He looked down at me with a serious expression.

"I don't know," he said, and the genuine expression on his face told me he was telling the truth.

"Well," I said, feeling bad, "Thanks anyways," I flashed a smile at him. Before I could even think, I went on my tippy toes and kissed his cheek. Jamie turned away, and I saw him blush. "You stupid little girl…" he mumbled, and walked to his ranch.

And now I'm sitting on a rock waiting for some stupid fish to get a clue. I felt bad about being mean to Katie and Joe, but was too chicken to face them right now. I was staring at the water when I heard someone sit next to me. I ignored Jamie, and kept staring at the river.

"You might want to try fishing where there's actually fish, Jasmine…" he said sarcastically. I frowned, glaring at the stream. I'd never been great at fishing at all.

"They hate me." I said angrily. He knew I was talking about Katie and Joe. Jamie sighed and I could see out of the corner of his eye he was staring at the same stream as me.

"No, Joe's so pleased with himself. His little 'plan' worked out, and well, Katie's very concerned about him. He seems to be loving that," Jamie sounded amused. I stared at him, obviously very confused.

"You actually talked to Joe and Katie?" He simply rolled his eyes at me. Jamie usually despised Joe, with his perky nature. I knew he wasn't best friends with Katie, either.

"I'm not that socially inept" responded Jamie. "By the way, why are you even fishing? You're really bad at it, all you're doing is wasting your time." He was in no rush to insult me. I shrugged.

"I fish when I have something on my mind, or I have nothing to do… By the way, how's Katie? Is she still mad?" Jamie chuckled in response.

"She's not mad," Jamie was still cackling, "but she has a really disgusting bruise on her face, thanks to that punch." He was practically laughing, now, and I knew he was enjoying the preppy little girl's misfortune. I groaned and put my face in my hands. Jamie just stared into the rushing river, he seemed to be thinking of something.

"You remind me of my mother," he said randomly. I opened my eyes, and looked up at him. The smile had vanished, and his face was dead serious with a hint of sadness in his sharp eyes. I stared at him, waiting for an explanation. I decided he wasn't going to say more, so I decided to ask.

"Why do you say that?"

He sighed and continued, "Her name was Celeste, which means heavenly. I always thought she was so beautiful, but I guess all kids think their mom is beautiful; I have her eyes. She had long and straight, dark brown hair, with a… shine of purple."

He seemed to concentrate as he paused, "It's hard to explain. She had a bad temper..." He paused again and smiled down at me. "Just like you. But, I guess she needed a temper to keep my dad in line." He stopped and chuckled. I smiled along. "But don't get me wrong, she was the most loving person I've ever known." He looked down, and I thought I saw his eyes water.

"She died in a car crash when I was five. That left me and my sister, Serenity alone with our father. Serenity was only three when mom died. Dad was depressed… he became an alcoholic when I was seven, which left me to be the responsible one. When I was thirteen, cops showed up at my door. I wasn't stupid; I knew when dad was arrested for child abuse that I would be separated from Serenity. So I took her and ran away." I stared at Jamie. I'd never known he'd had such a hard life!

"You have a sister?" I asked, interested. Jamie smiled.

"Yes. She should be about twenty now." He said, amused. "She's in college."

"What does she look like? Does she have purple hair, like you?" I asked, and ruffled his hair playfully. He laughed quietly.

"She's a pretty girl. She has short hair, up to her chin, and no, it isn't purple. She has my mother's hair, but my father's green eyes." He looked at me again. "Maybe you two will meet someday…" he paused and stared at the rushing stream, thinking. "I hope not."

"Why!? I think it would be awesome to meet your little sister!" I smiled, and Jamie shook his head.
"That wouldn't be a good idea. Both of you have very short fuses. I have a feeling that wouldn't go very well. Serenity is a very… tough girl. As you can see, she and I have been through a lot." He chuckled nervously. Jamie seemed like he really loved his little sister. I was just a little jealous. Just then, the sun began to set. Have I really been sitting here for such a long time?! I wondered.

"Well, I guess I should go now." He said, and stood up.

"Wait." I said, and stood up, too. "I'm so sorry about your mom…" I embraced him, and expected him to push me away. I braced myself, eyes shut. Then – amazingly – he hugged me back. I don't know how long we stood there, but all I knew is I didn't want to let go. Jamie really needed me right now, I could tell.