Jared

The next morning, Jared had a splitting headache thanks to partying a bit too hard at his scholarship celebration. But if he was honest, he’d finished the night drinking for all the wrong reasons—mostly to forget how Caroline was ruining his life.

Beth stopped by to offer him a ride to school. “Hey, all-star. You ready to go?”

“Not even close,” Jared said groaning over his bowl of cereal.

“Hung over?” she asked.

“Majorly.”

“Want me to skip first period? We could go to Hazel’s for a greasy breakfast?” Beth walked up behind him and looped her arms around his neck, kissing him just below his ear. “Or we could stay here and celebrate a little more.”

Jared straightened up and unhooked Beth’s arms from his neck. “I’ll just meet you at school, okay?”

Beth looked hurt, but nodded. “Sure. I’ll see ya later.”

When she left, Jared slammed his fist against the table. This needed to end now. It was killing him not being able to be with Beth the way he wanted. But he couldn’t let himself sleep with her without telling her the truth. He respected her too much to do that to her.

Jared pulled out his phone and dialed Caroline.

“Hello, handsome.”

“We need to talk.”

* * *

After school, Jared stormed into the dive bar Caroline designated as their meeting place. He’d made up his mind on the way to the bar that he was going to end whatever this was between them. It wasn’t a game anymore. It stopped being one the minute Caroline held that scholarship over his head. She was messing with his life now and he wasn’t going to stand for it. Jared wanted Syracuse and Beth, and he’d do whatever it took to get them, damn the consequences.

“Hey handsome,” Caroline greeted, as Jared slid into the booth across from her.

“Don’t,” Jared warned, pulling his hand away as she reached for it. “We’re done.”

She smiled sweetly. “Someone’s salty today. I thought you’d be happy after I gave you Syracuse.”

“This isn’t a game, Caroline. This is my future you’re messing with.”

Caroline sighed like she couldn’t be more bored. “Well, lucky for you I think it’s time our game comes to an end too.”

Jared sat back waiting for the catch. When it didn’t come he had to ask. “What do you want from me?”

“It’s simple. You come to Aspen with me and let Beth go to the wedding with Parker.”

“Why?”

“Because, I don’t trust you. If you go to the wedding with Beth, what’s to stop you from telling her your version of the truth while I’m not around to defend myself?”

“I’m not gonna do that,” Jared hissed. “Not at her sister’s wedding. I’m not a monster. She’d be devastated.”

“No, you’ll just de-virginize her and break her heart. You’re not a monster at all,” Caroline replied with her usual brand of sarcasm.

Jared exhaled deeply, running his hand through his hair. “Car, I don’t know what the right answer is here. Just tell me what the hell you want already!”

“I told you, let Beth go to the wedding with Parker and you come to Aspen with me. It’s the only way to guarantee you keep your mouth shut and don’t sleep with her.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because she’s my friend. My only girl friend! And I never wanted to hurt her.”

“So I’m just supposed to keep this secret forever and let you keep jerking me around by my balls and now my scholarship?”

“Not forever. Just till after graduation. Promise me you won’t tell Beth until after we’re done with school and the scholarship is yours.” Caroline bit her lip like she was deciding whether to say something else.

It was the first time Jared had ever seen her lose any of her cool, collected bravado.

“Just do this and I promise I won’t interfere anymore, alright? I just can’t deal with having Beth hate me. I want to graduate as friends, so I can look back at high school with at least a few good memories.”

Jared sighed. Honesty was the last thing he’d been expecting from Caroline. It made it harder to be angry at her. He ran his hand through his hair again trying to organize his thoughts. He couldn’t deny that he wasn’t looking forward to ruining the last few weeks of senior year by telling Beth the truth. Maybe he could wait until summer when his teammates and people like Parker wouldn’t be around to interfere. Then Jared could take Beth away somewhere nice and make everything up to her.

“So no more games?” he asked. “If I do this you’ll leave me and Beth alone? No more late night joy rides or clubbing requests?”

“No more,” Caroline repeated. “Just come to Aspen and send Beth to Georgia with Parker.”

Jared huffed a laugh. He’d basically already told Beth to go to the wedding with Parker, but now he was regretting it. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to let Parker spend so much time with Beth. I have this feeling he’s onto us. He saw you dropping me off late a few times.”

“So what? We’re just two friends hanging out.”

“What if he tells Beth he thinks he knows we’re more than friends at the wedding?”

“He won’t,” Caroline replied.

“How do you know?”

She rolled her eyes. “Because he’s in love with her. If he was gonna tell her he would’ve already.”

“So I’m just supposed to be okay with my girlfriend going away for the weekend with a guy that’s in love with her?”

“Please don’t act like you didn’t already know the poor kid’s obsessed with her,” Caroline sneered. “It never bothered you before.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Everyone calls him your stand-in because you treat him like a placeholder. He fills in for you at all the lame stuff Beth wants to do and you just do the good stuff, which is exactly why I don’t think you’re the right guy for her, but it’s her funeral if she can’t see that.”

Jared glared at Caroline, bitter at the truth he heard in her words. If he got through this he needed to start being a better boyfriend. He shook his head. This was getting worse by the minute but he didn’t see any other way out. Either he gave Caroline what she wanted or he’d lose Beth and Syracuse. If he gambled, he might not walk away completely empty handed. “I can’t believe I’m even considering this, but if I do it I need some sort of guarantee.”

“I give you my word. Keep your mouth shut and your pants on until graduation and I’ll leave you alone.”

“And my scholarship?”

“It’s yours to keep if you agree to those terms.”

Jared gulped down his beer while weighing his nonexistent options. He hated letting people tell him what to do. His whole life had been his father making bad decision after bad decision, uprooting their lives every time he’d been wrong about who he shared his bed with. And now Jared’s bad decisions were forcing his hand. It killed him to give up even more ground but he was stuck.

“Fine,” he grumbled.

Caroline extending her hand. “Do we have a deal?”

Jared finally reached out and shook it. “We have a deal.”

What did he have to lose? It was just his future and the girl he loved at stake.

But Jared didn’t see what choice he had. If he didn’t take Caroline’s offer, he’d have to tell Beth the truth and Caroline would make sure he lost his scholarship, and potentially Beth.

It’s only a week. He repeated the phrase to himself as he drained his beer. It’s only a week.