Surprise!

I reached 1000 fans so I wrote this chapter as a manjor thank you. This is in Jace's POV, and it's probably one of my favorite chapters in the whole story. It's the one where Jace graduated and leaves for college after he spends the whole night with Peyton.

I'm so thankful for all of your support. Honestly, i never expected myself to get over ten fans, haha.

But regardless, I hope you like this chapter just as much as i loved writing it.

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The last day.

               The last day I was going to see her for months, more probably.

               I sighed as I closed the zipper of the final suitcase and sat on it, looking around at my practically empty room besides the bare bed and the unfilled dresser. This would be my last night in this room before I head off to college. Tonight I was spending my last huzzah at Dillon’s graduation party. Of course I planned on spending my entire night with—

               “Is it time for you to go now?” Cara walked in and kicked the suitcase I was sitting on. “Don’t you have to go to Peyton?”

               I glared at her but I did agree. “Yeah… I should probably get going.”

               Cara stared at me for a few seconds before leaning down in front of me. “I have one question before I say goodbye because there’s probably a big chance that we won’t have time for that tomorrow.”

               I raised an eyebrow at my older sister. “Yeah? What is it then?”

               “Do you love her?”

               I froze but then asked dumbly, “Who do you mean?”

                “Stop being such an idiot and answer the damn question.”

               I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, a nervous habit of mine. I avoided my sister’s eyes as much as I could but I could feel them boring into mine. “It doesn’t matter if I love her or not, I’m leaving tomorrow anyways.”

               Cara just stared at me before patting me once on the back. “Just keep telling yourself that, Jace, and you’ll soon figure out how stupid you sound.”

               I sighed and put my head in my hands after she left me alone. I couldn’t tell Peyton how I felt about her and then leave the next morning for college. That wouldn’t be fair to her at all.

               I finally got up and drove myself over to the Brandt’s where there were only a few cars in the driveway so far. All of them probably held people who came to help set up. I parked behind Dillon’s car and walked up their long driveway and through the front door that was propped open with a plant.

               “Hey, Jace!” a friend named Jimmy called to me as he carried a cooler that I knew was filled with alcohol. I nodded at him and saw a glimpse of red in the kitchen so I headed over with a smile.

               She was sorting out the snacks and absent-mindedly biting her lip. She was so deep in concentration that she didn’t even notice me walk in. Deciding to have some fun with it, I snuck up behind her, placed my arms over her eyes and whispered into her ear, “Guess who.”

               She was startled a little before she took my hands away from her eyes and turned around, leaning against the table.

               “You’re late,” she accused with a joking tint in her voice.

               I looked down and placed my hands in my pockets. I had to tell her the truth but every time I talked about leaving, she almost started to cry. Regardless, I didn’t lie. “I, uh… I was doing some last minute packing…”

               True to my beliefs, her bottom lip started trembling and her voice was shaky, “o-oh.”

               I ran my fingers through my hair and wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms but no. I couldn’t do that. I can’t just do that and then leave tomorrow. Instead I put my hand on the table right next to her waist, the closest I dared to get. “Hey, come on now. We have tonight to be crazy. Let’s not think about tomorrow, okay?”

               “Fine…” she mumbled, obviously still upset. To hopefully lift her spirits and make today feel like an average day, I flicked her nose with a smile.

               As more people showed up, the party soon became the crazy and famous Brandt parties that everyone knew of. Alcohol spread amongst the graduates and students but neither Peyton nor I took one sip.

               I stayed with Peyton the whole time, never wanting once to stray from her side and say goodbye to my other friends. I didn’t care about them like the way I cared about her. We had fun and when we danced, I never let my hands stray from her waist or be any closer to her face than a foot away.

               At one point Dillon came up to us and started talking nonsense about how this party was amazing and when he asked who was hosting, I told him that he was.

               He burst out laughing. “Oh, then I’m amazing!” His eyes went to mine suspiciously. “What about you two? Going to hit the sheets before you say ‘sayonara’ tomorrow? You know, Pey, you could probably get pregnant and have the kid and then he’ll stay for you. He’s already head over heals in—“

               “Okay,” I interrupted my intoxicated friend before he told Peyton too much. “I think you need to calm down.”

               Dillon crinkled his eyebrows, “What do you mean—“ His eyes widened. “Why the hell is my fucking stripper pole out of my room? I was going to use that tonight!”

               He left which left Peyton and I in an awkward silence. Why was it weird right now? I sighed and nodded up to the stairs, wanting to have a moment of peace and quiet with her. I led her upstairs and into her room. We both sat on her bed but it wasn’t a sexual gesture. We weren’t like that at all.

               She was fiddling with her fingers and staring at something behind me before she spoke in a soft voice. “What time do you leave?”

               “Seven.”

               She bit her lip and looked deep in thought. “Oh…”

               The way she said it made me want to just stay here forever and never leave. She sounded sad and conflicted. Next year she’d be all alone in high school because all of her friends now are now graduates. I don’t want her to be like that.

               “Hey,” I crawled across her bed and lifted her head up with one finger by her chin. “Come on now, we have…” I looked over at the clock and my breath caught in surprise. “An hour left…” is that it?

               “Jace—“ she tried but I stopped her.

               “Peyton.”

               She looked up and into my eyes. Hers were big and brown. Usually brown eyes didn’t move me at all but hers struck me hard. “Do you remember our talk a few months ago? The night you won state?”

               Of course I did. That was the night where she more or less admitted that she liked me. “I’ll never forget that.” I hope she didn’t notice that my voice cracked.

               “But back then did you—we—ever expect you to get into a college so far away from me?”

               I shook my head. “No,” I expected myself to stop there but I continue on. “Peyton?”

               “Yeah?”

               I took a deep breath and said what I finally needed to say. “I really, really, really like you,” She blushed a deep scarlet. “You know that, I know that, everyone in the world knows that. As much as I like you, I can’t have a relationship with you so far away from me. It’s not that I’m worried about you cheating, I know you’d never do that, but rather that I don’t want to be motivated to quit school and move back here.”

               She bit her lip and I already wanted to retract my words. “That sounds… right.”

               A heartless chuckle escaped my mouth. “It’s like the universe doesn’t want us to be together, you know? It’s like it’s always drawing us apart.”

               She made a face. “That’s cheesy.”

               “Cheddar or parmesan?” I cracked a joke to hopefully lift the dark edge over us.

               It worked when she chuckled and looked at me from the corner of her eye. “When will I see you again?”

               “I don’t know. I don’t exactly have the money for plane tickets right all the time…”

               Her bottom lip started quivering and I knew she was about to cry. Fuck. “Will… Will you miss me?”

               Her voice shook and I blinked once, “Peyton…”

               Her next words same out in a sad and fast scramble. “No, I just want to know. You’ll be there, hundreds of miles away with new friends, new girls. I’ll be here, absolutely alone. I just want to know if you’ll miss me when you’re off having the time of your life.”

               I pulled her into my arms then and she buried her face into my shoulder, her tears wetting my shirt. I probably shouldn’t have done this, but I needed to. I hated seeing her cry. I hated being the reason as to why she was crying.

               “Peyton Olivia Brandt,” I whispered into her ear and I felt her shudder in my arms. “I’ll miss you every single day that you’re gone.”

               She sniffed. “I’m sorry for crying… I’m such a girl,” she laughed half-heartedly.

               “No, it’s fine,” I ran my fingers through her soft hair and tried making her feel better. “I like it when you’re like this. It gives me an excuse to hold you.” The only reason why I like when she cries…

               “What a gentleman,” she mumbled under her breath and grasped me tighter.

               I grinned, “You know it.”

               We pulled away from each other quite some time later and when I looked at the clock, my stomach dropped. I should be leaving soon or I won’t make it to the airport in time. I took one look at Peyton and I saw that she knew it too because her brown eyes held a panic and fear in them.

               I don’t know what possessed me to do this next, but I found myself unable to stop my body from leaning into hers. Her eyes glanced down at my lips for a split second before she turned her head.

               “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

               I’m so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

               “I understand,” I said honestly. I knew why she couldn’t, it was my fault for even thinking of kissing her.

               “I just don’t want to kiss and then not be able to do anything else about a relationship and—“

               I placed a finger on her lips to quiet her. When she’s scared, she rambles on. I gave her a little smile and said, “I understand, Peyton.”

               We were quiet for a long time, thinking, until I broke it, with something that I was really hesitant to ask.

               “I don’t know the next time we’ll see each other…” I started. “But promise me one thing. Promise me that the next time we see each other and we’re both out of college, single, and possibly living near each other, that I’m allowed to kiss you.”

               My spirits were lifted when she smiled. “Yes.”

               “Good,” I grinned, ecstatic beyond belief. That’s when my phone went off, a text from my mom saying that I have to come home now to grab my stuff and leave; the feeling immediately left. “I… It’s time for me to go.”

               Her eyes quickly filled with tears and I gathered her in my arms, squeezing as hard as I could without hurting her. Now I was getting worked up as she cried into my shoulder. Calm down, Jace. Calm down.

               “Please, Pey…” I hoped she didn’t hear the shakiness in my voice as I tried to keep myself strong. “Please don’t make this any harder for me.”

               “I’m sorry!” she blubbering and sniffed. “I’m sorry!”

               I pried her fingers off of me and leaned my forehead against hers. I looked into her tear-filled brown eyes and I almost told her that I would stay forever. This was the girl who I told everything to, regardless of that stupid bet. Even now, crying and messy, even with the scars from the fire, she was beautiful. She was the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen and she acts like she doesn’t even know it.

               I couldn’t stop myself from saying what I did next when I looked at her like that.

               “I love you, Peyton,” I whispered and I saw her eyes widen the slightest bit. “I’m so sorry that I’m leaving you.”

               “Jace—“

               I interrupted her, “Sorry. I’m sorry that I said that and now I’m leaving. I just needed to get it out before I’m gone.”

               I couldn’t stay here any longer because if I did, I’d promise that I’d stay with her. I got up and started for the door, not even turning around when I heard her sobs. They broke me. I hated that she was crying because of me, I hated that I had to leave her alone for her last year of high school, and most importantly, I still hated myself for agreeing to that fucking bet.

               “Jace!” I heard her cry out and I turned around, breathing in to help calm myself down. If I broke down, I didn’t want her to see it.

               “Yes?” I prayed that my voice was steady.

               She looked down, tucking her body in. She does that when she’s unsure of herself, insecure. She shouldn’t be. She’s the most perfect girl out there.

               She peeked up at me and said, “I love you.”

               I’ve been told by many people that Peyton Brandt is in love with me. Of course, I believed that she’d never be able to feel that way about me because of what I did. Hearing it now, it’s unbelievable.

               I crossed over to here, wanting nothing more than to kiss her but I knew that I couldn’t do that. Instead, I did the next best thing and pecked her forehead, letting my lips stay there for a few seconds.

               “I know…” I said sadly. “But I’m amazed that you said it.”

               I turned around again, only pausing at the door to turn around and say “Goodbye, beautiful. See you… whenever.”

               And then I left the girl I love sobbing in her bedroom. I numbly crossed through the crowds of drunk people, some of them trying to stop me, but I didn’t stop walking. I went out to my car and looked up at Peyton’s window, seeing her small form in a ball.

               Goodbye, Peyton. I promise that I’ll find you again.

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And if you guys want, check out my other story, Playing His Little Game!

Thanks for everything, I hope you liked this :)