Unbreakable Love (14 page)

“I have to know, do you love me?”

Nate had no time to think so he said the first thing to come to his mind.

“I can’t love you Jennie. Please don’t ask me to.”

Before Jennie could even react she was scooped up by a man wearing protective gear, and Nate slipped away to sneak back into the house that was now fully engulfed in the fury of an uncontained fire. As the firefighter carried Jennie out to the front yard to be examined by a medic, he assumed her tears were from fear or pain. In fact, everyone she talked to after that tried to console, her but what they didn’t know was that the tears coming out hot and salty in the cool night air had nothing to do with the fire and everything to do with her broken heart.

Later, while Jennie sat on the edge of a portable gurney and watched the house fall victim to the hungry flames, she forced her heart to turn cold in self-preservation. At that very moment, Jace walked up behind her and wrapped his arms protectively around her and let her cry on his shoulder. Even with the overwhelming heat radiating from the house, his human touch felt warm and soothing. Then, when she looked up at him with tear-stained eyes, she found herself begging for the taste of his comforting lips to press against hers. She knew with a kiss she would also get his acceptance, his love and his warm body just when she couldn’t take any more rejection. Jace saw her pleading eyes and responded with a tender kiss on her lips and then one on her forehead. His window of opportunity had arrived and he was quick to take it.

“Let me take you home,” he offered. Jennie looked at the scene of chaos in front of her and for just a second thought of Nate, and then she looked back at Jace. Jace was here, willing to give her what she needed, and Nate was not. Jennie extended her hand and Jace took it willingly, leading away from the devastating fire and into a new chapter in her life.

Sometime later Marissa and Nate found each other by Nate’s car. Nate had literally walked through the fire to help several more people get out of the house. He wanted to go back in a third time, but there were too many firefighters coming and going, too many witnesses forcing him to seek for anonymity. By the time he retreated to the front yard, he couldn’t find Jennie anywhere.

“Have you seen Jennie?” he asked Marissa sharply. Even in the chaos of the situation, he was already regretting their last words spoken.

“I saw her briefly,” Marissa said. “She was walking out with Jace’s arm wrapped around her. She told me he was taking her home and to give you this.” Marissa reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklace he’d given her for Christmas. As Marissa handed it to him, her expression was apologetic as if she understood exactly what Nate was feeling and wished she could take it away. Nate took the necklace and shoved it in his pocket before unlocking the passenger’s side door for Marissa. As Nate turned to walk around to the driver’s side, Marissa reached out and grabbed his arm.

“She loves you, Nate,” Marissa said intently.

Nate bit his lip and clenched his fists. “Yeah,” he said, “but she’s going home with Jace.” Not knowing what else to say, Marissa held her tongue and watched Nate walk around the car to his own door.

When he dropped her off at her house, she struggled to find some comforting words to help him. She came up empty and said goodbye with a simple, “Thank you for the ride home.” Nate produced a half-hearted smile and nod for her as she climbed out. As he drove the darkened streets his heart felt just as dark as the moonless night. He had followed the rules of his job and ignored his heart, so why did he feel so terrible? Once he was home, he went straight into his room and, without even taking off his smoke-saturated clothes, he climbed into bed and laid limply until Sebastian finally joined him, where they both slept away their troubles for the rest of the night.

The Sunday following New Year’s Eve, Jennie invited Jace to spend the day with her family playing games. When Jennie told her parents he would be coming, they exchanged a concerned glance.

“Are you sure you want to get involved with him again?” her mother gently questioned. Jennie quickly became defensive.

“He was there for me at the fire,” she said.

Jennie’s dad, who was always the toughest critic on the boys she brought home, was quick to speak up. “Wasn’t Nate the one who saved your life?”

“I can go
out
with Jace on Sunday instead,” Jennie responded, unusually curt with her father.

Jennie’s father let out a defeated sigh. “If you would like to have him here as a guest, we’ll respect your wishes just as we always have.”

“Well, then, he’s coming,” Jennie said with finality.

Sunday came and Jennie’s family was cordial to him. On Monday, Jennie arrived at work to find a belated birthday present from Jace. Wrapped in an oversized box, Jennie found a gift certificate for a local spa that treated her, her mom and her sister to a day of pampering.

When he stopped by work later that night, Jennie gave him an appreciative hug and a lingering kiss as they stood in the store’s parking lot beneath the streetlight.

Nate sat in the shadows and watched the exchange, feeling powerless. Watching her from a distance was all he had left. Jennie rejected his phone calls, ignored his texts, and asked him to leave when he tried to talk to her at home. For now, the best he could do was observe her from the shadows. Celeste had been very clear when they spoke after Blake’s party. No one would replace him. He still had to find a way to protect her and keep her from getting in the car with her parents. Celeste also gave him a final date. Spring break fell early this year. Jennie and her parents were planning a long weekend away in Santa Barbara. They would be leaving on March seventh, which meant that Nate had about two months to get back in Jennie’s good graces. Until then, Celeste gave him permission to use his ability to watch over her without being seen. With this camouflaging ability, Nate could be standing right next to her but remain completely invisible. It was as if he became a backdrop, a part of the scenery. Nate hated watching her without her knowing. Not only did he feel like he was eavesdropping on her life, but even worse than that, it meant that he was no longer part of it. Finally, when he couldn’t take watching Jace hold her close beneath the soft glow of the streetlight, he withdrew.

On Tuesday, Jace went to lunch with Jennie alone and by Wednesday, they were holding hands at school. Jennie was slipping away from Nate at an alarming speed. When she went to the trouble of having her locker reassigned, Nate knew he was in way over his head and decided to get help. This time he didn’t go to Celeste; instead he went straight to Marissa.

Marissa was sitting in the bleachers after basketball practice on Thursday when Nate caught up to her.

“Hey,” he greeted her as he took a seat on the hard wooden bench next to her. He was still holding a basketball in his hands and he found himself fidgeting with it nervously as he talked to her.

“You guys look good out there,” she said lightly.

“Thanks,” Nate replied, not sure exactly what to say next.

“Sooo,” Marissa guided the conversation, “You really screwed up.”

Nate laughed lightly, but his eyes gave away his recently acquired heartache. He decided not to beat around the bush. Marissa was smart. She probably already knew why he was there.

“I need your help,” Nate stated boldly.“I feel lost without Jennie.”

“I know,” Marissa responded. “To be honest; you look a little bit lost.”

Nate pulled his lips tight as he took her honest feedback. She wasn’t saying anything he didn’t know, but it was still painful to hear.

“Why didn’t you tell her that you love her when you had a chance?” she asked plainly.

Nate was beginning to feel like this conversation was anything but helpful. Nate stood up. He knew what a bad situation he was in, far more than Marissa ever would.

“Sit down, Nate,” Marissa said in a kind but firm voice. “You and Jennie are meant for each other, and I’ll help you get her back. Besides,” she added, “Jace is such a loser. I don’t want him anywhere near her.”

Nate let out a heavy sigh of relief.

“What should we do?” he asked. Marissa studied him for a minute and then glanced down to the court below them before responding.

“I know you’re holding back on the basketball court. I want you to make sure we win every game and that we win big,” she said.

Nate’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. He didn’t understand how that would help him, but he trusted Marissa so he would do whatever she asked. Plus, she was the only one in his corner and he needed her.

“Meanwhile,” she continued, “We’ll try to get the scumbag to show his true colors before Jennie gets too attached.”

“That’s it?”

“For now,” Marissa replied. “Oh, and I suggest you tell her how you really feel, when the time is right.”

A genuine smile broke out on Nate’s face for the first time since his and Jennie’s fight, and he felt a whisper of hope that everything might be all right.

“Thank you,” Nate said quietly in the now-empty gym. He didn’t feel quite as alone with Marissa on his side. Nate stood again and grabbed the ball he’d placed on the ground sometime during their conversation.

Marissa stood and gathered her backpack. “I’m not making any promises,” she warned as she began to descend the stairs. When they reached the door and had to go their separate ways Nate caught her eyes one more time.

“I’m not asking for a miracle,” he said, “I just need a little help.”

Without directly responding to his comment, Marissa reached up and kissed Nate on the cheek. “See ya soon,” she said, giving Nate an encouraging smile before walking toward the parking lot. Nate turned toward the boy’s locker room to go shower and gather his things. He felt a tiny bit more hopeful than he had before his conversation with Marissa. That hope, however, was not a sure thing and Nate knew it would take a lot of patience and hard work to win Jennie’s friendship back. He only hoped he was equal to the task.

Jennie sat quietly in her assigned seat listening to the rise and fall of the voices of her classmates in homeroom. Mr. Barthel was standing in front of the large white board writing out his lesson plans while they waited for the morning announcements to come over the loudspeaker. The familiar crackling of static could be heard as Reina, their student body president, picked up the intercom microphone to speak.

“Good morning, Indians!” Reina called out, sounding unusually perky even for her. Jennie strained to hear over the classroom chatter. Mr. Barthel, who was having the same problem, demanded that the class settle down and listen to announcements. Soon Jennie could hear again.

“We want to congratulate our girl’s volleyball team on their victory against Palm Desert High. Way to go, Lady Indians!”

With her last couple of words, Reina got a little close to the microphone, causing her words to sound uncomfortably loud and distorted. In response, half the class including Jennie covered their ears.

“Oh, and let’s not forget our fabulous basketball team. They haven’t lost a game since the New Year, and it looks like they may go undefeated for the rest of the year. Yesterday, they blew Bermuda Dunes out of the water 39 to 82, and over half those points were scored by our own Nate Everett. Keep ‘em coming, Nate. The next basketball game is on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Let’s all show up to cheer our team to victory. And last but not least, Vice Principal Diab has asked me to remind you not to text during gym class. Yesterday two students were hurt when they collided during a volleyball game. Well, Indians, have a great day, and always wear your feathers proudly.”

As soon as announcements were done, Mr. Barthel went back to writing on the board and her class went back to ignoring him. Jace, who sat across the room, made his way over to Jennie. He knew he didn’t have much time before the teacher started class, so he got right to the point.

“Hey, Jen, let’s go to the next basketball game. What do you think?” he said, putting on his most persuasive smile.

Jennie had gone to great lengths to avoid being anywhere that Nate might be and it had turned her into a social leper. In order for Jace to be with her, he’d followed along, but he was getting tired of missing all the parties and basketball games. Jace sensed her hesitancy and was quick to counter it.

“C’mon Jen, everyone is going to those games. The whole school is excited about their winning season. Besides, you can’t hide from Nate forever.”

Jennie shot him a withering glance to let him know he’d gone too far, but he ignored it. Jace was feeling secure about his relationship with Jennie. So far, he’d let her run the show, but he figured he was paying his penance for cheating. He was pretty sure she trusted him again and it was time for things to go back to the way he liked them.

Jen shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “What if I’m still not ready to face Nate?” she asked.

Jace forced himself to relax. She was a lot more work this time around and so far without any benefits, but he still wanted to be with her and was willing to work for her attention for a little longer.

“I think you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for,” he tried to convince her. “Besides, it’s time he learns that you are mine and he can’t drive a wedge between us.”

Jennie flinched. Jace was sounding awfully possessive and pushy, more like the Jace she used to date. She was just about to respond when Mr. Barthel said, “Class, take your seats, it’s time to begin.”

Jace reluctantly walked away, but before he did, he grabbed a pen from her desk and wrote
think about it
on the cover of her notebook. Jennie tried to listen as Mr. Barthel began to explain mitosis, but her thoughts kept returning to her conversation with Jace. Jace had a way of making his ideas sound like they made the most sense. Jennie recognized that she had been extremely sensitive about Nate. Some might say overly sensitive. Maybe he was right and it was time to let Nate see her with Jace. She couldn’t run away forever. The problem was that even though Nate had broken her heart, she still thought about him, daily, hourly, far more than she should’ve. Jennie’s phone hummed in her pocket. Discreetly, she pulled it out and looked at it under the desk. Somehow, Jace had managed to send a text.