Scars

Chapter 17 of Banished for Love

Jeremy’s Point of View

 

The moment the dismissal bell rings, I am flying toward the parking lot. I throw myself into my car and tear out of the student lot, earning myself more than a few honks and swear words. Kelsey had disappeared without a word after her class with that Devin kid. Already from what little interaction I'd had with him, I just knew that guy oozed trouble. I swing into the garage and rush around to the front door. My keys fumble in my hands as I try to unlock the deadbolt.

 

“Kelsey!” I call as I fling the door open. Her head pops out from the kitchen, a questioning look on her face, and I breathe a huge sigh of relief.

 

“Where on earth were you?” I ask, crossing the room to wrap her in a tight hug.

 

“Sorry, I was hanging out in the woods...” she trails off.

 

“With Devin,” I finish her sentence quietly, pulling back to search her face.

 

“What makes you think I was with him?” she says too defensively.

 

“Well, you disappeared after a class with him, and he was absent from my fifth and our sixth hours. It didn’t take too much brain power to see what went on there,” I say, a little accusatorily.

 

She takes a step back from me. “So, what if I was with Devin? I’m allowed to have friends, aren’t I?” she asks, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at me.

 

“I never said you couldn’t. I just don’t think he’s a good influence on you. I mean, he got you to cut class, which is very unlike you.” I reply, trying to convey my concern.

 

Her brows raise indignantly. “He didn’t get me to do anything. It was my choice to leave with him. It’s not like he used some Jedi mind trick on me,” she says waving her hand out in front of my face.

 

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to get my irritation in check. “I don’t want to fight with you, especially over something like this. I’m just worried about you. You didn't respond to any of my messages and the dude reeks of trouble. I was out of my mind with worry about what could have happened to you,” I say as calmly as I can manage.

 

“He may look like a troublemaker but if you actually took the time to get to know him as a person, he’s a really good guy. And I'm sorry for not responding, I should have,” she retorts a little more rationally.

 

“Alright,” I sigh, stroking her cheek. “I trust you. Just please promise me you’ll be careful?”

 

She twines her fingers through mine, holding my hand to her cheek. “I promise,” she replies, turning her face to kiss my palm.

 

“Thank you,” I reply, smiling and wrapping her in a tight hug. I feel my hand slide over a raised bump on the part of her back not covered by her tank top, but before I have a chance to wonder about it, the breath is knocked out of me and my vision blacks out. When the darkness clears, I seem to be high up in a tree, standing on some sort of structure. A few feet from me is a hole leading down into what I can only assume is a tree house. I walk over to it, hoping for some clue as to what the hell is going on here. Just as I reach the opening, Kelsey pops out of it, followed by Devin.

 

“Kelsey? What’s going on?” I ask, trying not to focus on the fact that she’s with Devin. I am completely ignored. Neither of them shows any indication of having heard me.

 

“Kelsey?” I say, reaching out to touch her arm. Her hand glides right through mine, as if I am a ghost. Kelsey glances around herself in awe. She steps forward and lands wrong on a loose tile, causing her to fall onto the roof.

 

“Kelsey!” I cry, reaching for her as she begins to slide down the roof, a look of sheer terror on her face. My hand goes right through hers in my futile attempt to save her. I am thoroughly relieved when Devin catches her wrists.

 

“Plant your feet on the wall and start walking, I’ll pull you up,” Devin quickly instructs. In no time, he has her safely back up on the roof. I breathe a sigh of relief and silently thank Devin.

 

“Are you alright?” he asks her, looking genuinely worried.

 

“Yes,” she whispers, looking up at him. My blood begins to boil at how close to each other they are. Kelsey brushes hair away from Devin’s eyes, making my gratitude toward him ebb away. My breath catches in my throat as Devin and Kelsey lean toward each other, quickly eliminating the space between them. Just as their lips brush together, I feel a strong tugging at my core, as if I’m being yanked away.

 

“Kelsey, no!” I cry out before being sucked into darkness.

 

I open my eyes and stagger back, snatching my hand away as though I’d been electrocuted.

 

“Jeremy, what happened? I think you may have touched my wing scars,” she says, looking over her shoulder at them, confused.

 

“I was stuck inside one of your memories,” the realization turns my body to ice because this proves what I saw really happened.

 

“What did you see?” she asks warily, turning back to meet my eyes.

 

“I saw that you and Devin are a lot closer than you lead me to believe,” I say stepping around her and sinking onto the couch.

 

“You saw me kiss him?” she asks in a small voice. I nod, not trusting my own voice. She reaches over the back of the couch and places her hands on my shoulders and I flinch. She hesitates a moment before folding her arms around my shoulders and pressing her cheek to the side of my neck. “Jeremy I’m sorry. It all happened so fast. You know I love you more than anything,” she says, lightly kissing the curve between my neck and shoulder.

 

“Then how could you do that to me? You know I don’t trust Devin, and now I know it was for good reason. He wants to take you from me. How did you expect me to feel when I found out he was succeeding?” I say, scrubbing my hands down my face in frustration.

 

“I know. And I’m sorry. I was just so confused by the whole thing. He had just saved my life; emotions were running a little high. But he’s not going to take me away. I still want you, if you’ll still have me,” she replies in a small voice.

 

I sigh. “Kels, I’m not mad at you, I just wish you had told me. Rather than having to see it for myself,” I shudder.

 

“If it makes you feel better, I ended it real quick,” she gazes sidelong at me with a puppy dog pout.

 

“You better have,” I say, smiling down at her.

 

She laughs and squeezes my shoulders. “Thank you for being so forgiving. What did I do to deserve such an amazing guy?”

 

“Obviously, you’re an angel,” I say, turning to give her smiling lips a kiss.