Page 183 of Promising You
He’s quiet and I feel like I should say something but I don’t know what to say. So instead I keep trying to figure out what might’ve happened. It sounds like he had a fight with his dad. But Garret wouldn’t get drunk over that. He fights with his dad all the time. Something else happened and it must’ve happened yesterday.
Garret adjusts himself on my shoulder. His breathing is slow and I assume he’s asleep, but then I feel him lightly rubbing the top of my hand with his thumb.
“I was going to marry you, Jade.”
Great. He says this when he’s completely wasted. Real romantic. And what’s with the past tense?
“If you get yourself cleaned up, maybe you stillcanmarry me.” I gaze down at our hands, noticing how big his is and how small mine looks by comparison.
“No!” He sits up straight, ripping his hand from mine. “It’s over!” He yells it at me, then drops his voice to almost a whisper. “This is over.” The way he looks at me, it’s like he’s trying to tell me something. Trying to make me understand.
“Nothing’s over.” I reach for his hand again. “You’re just drunk and saying stuff you don’t mean.”
Suddenly the door whips open, slamming against the wall. Pearce storms in. “Garret, get up!” He goes over and yanks hard on Garret’s arm, pulling him up to standing.
“Stop it!” I hurry off the bed. “You’re hurting him!”
Pearce slings Garret’s arm over his shoulder and storms back out of the room, Garret’s feet half walking, half being dragged by his dad.
“Where are you taking him?” I follow them down the hall.
When we get to the stairs, his dad hoists Garret’s body over his shoulder like it weighs nothing at all and walks down the stairs.
“Are you going to answer me?” I yell at him.
“I’m taking him home,” Pearce says, his voice calm but stern.
“Then I’m going with you.”
We get to the bottom of the stairs and he stops and sets Garret down.
“My son got some bad news yesterday. We both did. And we need to figure this out as a family.”
Garret’s eyes close and he sinks into his dad, who then hoists him up again to a partially standing position.
“Please tell me what’s going on. Garret keeps telling me he’s sorry. Why is he saying that? What is he sorry about?” Here come my tears again.
Pearce sighs, a look of pity on his face. “I need you to listen to me. Don’t call him. Don’t text him. Don’t try to come to the house. I’m sorry, Jade, but this is how it has to be. I truly am sorry. You’re a nice girl and I wish you the best.”
I hear his words, but they’re not registering with me. My attention remains on Garret, who’s now standing on his own a little more but still out of it.
“Will he be coming back here?” I ask Pearce.
“Yes. But I’m afraid you won’t. You need to leave Moorhurst. I won’t be funding your education anymore. You have today and tomorrow to pack up your things. I’ll have them shipped back to Iowa for you. You’ll be flying home Monday morning. I’ll get you a plane ticket and have it delivered here. My driver will take you to the airport. I talked with Dr. Cunningham and he’ll be stopping by later to check on you to make sure you’re okay to fly.”
My brain is finally getting what he’s saying but I don’t believe it. This can’t be happening. My legs give out and I sink down on the stairs.
“Jade?” I hear Garret’s voice and feel his hand touch my shoulder. I grab hold of it and find the strength to stand up again and face his father.
“No! You can’t take him away from me! Not again! I won’t let you. I love him. You can send me home, but we’ll still find a way to be together.”
“That’s not going to happen. I’m sorry, Jade.” He yanks Garret up again, tearing his hand from mine. He walks out the door to the parking lot with me right behind.
“Garret’s not going to just let me go. He loves me.”
“Yes. He does. And that’s why you need to leave.” Pearce stops and opens the passenger side door of his shiny black Mercedes.
“What? I don’t understand.”
