Fall Into Forever

by Beth Hyland

  “His dad is the police chief of Lincoln Falls, and it’s not like he threatened me or anything. Besides, he’s never used his name. I just know it’s him.”

  “I don’t fucking care if his dad is the President. What he’s doing is wrong, Ivy, not to mention illegal. What did your parents say?”

  “My parents?” She sniffs and tells me about the conversation with her mom today. “So I wouldn’t exactly call them supportive.”

  I don’t know where to start or what I should do to help her. But what I do know is that I’m sure as hell going to do something.

  chapter twenty-one

  Hey, you need to get your shit together.

  ~Trent Reznor

  Ivy

  My heart races as I stare across the street at the orange awning of the Student Counseling Center.

  “You’re going to be fine, Ivy,” Jon says, jutting his chin in that direction. “This is going to be fine. Good, even.”

  “I…I don’t know.”

  “I know it’s scary, babe,” he says, rubbing my back. “But you’ll feel better talking with a professional about what’s been going on.”

  “And what if I don’t?”

  I feel him shrug. “Then you can decide not to go back. It’s your choice.”

  Glancing across the street, I see a normal-looking girl going into the building and a normal-looking boy coming out. I don’t know what I expected. People in straitjackets?

  Yes, this is my choice. I need to take charge of my emotional health. After talking to Mom the other day, I know I can’t rely on them to help me.

  “I’ll go with you to meet the doctor, if you want,” Jon says. “They said it was okay. And then if you’re comfortable with the situation, I’ll leave, so you can talk.”

  I push away from him. “You…you called them?” Panic constricts my airways, making my voice high-pitched and squeaky. “What did you say?”

  “I didn’t give them your name…or mine. I only told them that a friend had an appointment and was nervous about coming.”

  Somewhat relieved, I exhale and stare over at that orange awning again. Can I really go in there and spill my guts to a stranger? I did it with Dr. Kramer, but that was because my parents forced me to. This is voluntary.

  Jon’s words echo in my head. If I don’t like it, I don’t go back. It’s my choice. I’m the one in control. If, after talking with Dr. Mehta, I don’t connect with her or feel comfortable, then I don’t need to keep seeing her. It’s my decision.

  The tension in my shoulders eases a little. I straighten up, and Jon gives me a warm smile of encouragement.

  “Okay, I’ll go there on one condition. Two, actually.”

  “What are they?”

  “First, you’re going to need to leave.”

  He frowns. “Leave?”

  “Everyone knows you. I don’t want people wondering why you’re in the SCC and figure out it’s because you have a fucked-up girlfriend.”

  “You’re not fucked up, Ivy,” he says, sliding his hands from my shoulders down to my upper arms and giving me a little shake. “But okay, if you want to do this on your own, I’ll leave. You can call or text me when you’re done. If you want to. What’s the second condition?”

  “I want you to tell me who the Olivers are.”

  He looks confused. “The Oli—” Realization flickers in his eyes and his expression hardens. “Who?”

  “That old couple, the Olivers. They sent you another friend request. I saw it pop up again on your laptop.”

  He runs a hand through his hair. “You really want to know who they are?”

  “Yes.”

  Blowing out a long breath, his eyes get a faraway look. “They’re my father’s parents.”

  “Your grandparents?”

  “Yeah, I guess you could call them that.”

  “So why don’t you want to talk to them?”

  “For one thing, I’ve never even met them. Why should I friend them online?”

  “Why not?”

  Anger gathers behind his eyes as he works his jaw back and forth. “They’ve known about me from the time I was born, and yet they chose to ignore me the whole time. Now that they’re old, are they suddenly feeling guilty that they raised a son who went around fucking lots of women and getting them pregnant? Do they think friending me online is going to make things right with God before they die? Well, I’m sorry. It doesn’t work that way.”

  He’s obviously thought about this a lot. “Maybe they didn’t know about you until now,” I say quietly.

  He laughs bitterly. “No, they did. They thought my mother was a slut and a gold-digger. Isn’t that what all groupies are? What they didn’t know was that my mom was with my father—their son—for almost a year. She traveled all over the country with him. But he dumped her when she got pregnant because she couldn’t go out on tour with him anymore. So you tell me who was the biggest user in that situation.”

  “Jesus, Jon.” From what he told me before, I knew his father was a dick, but this is pathetic. Part of me is curious about who he is, but that’s not important. If I ask, Jon might think it matters to me when it doesn’t. He’ll tell me if he wants me to know.

  “She and her friends shouldn’t have gone backstage to meet the band,” he continues. “I mean, everyone knows what happens when a band’s manager starts pulling hot girls out of the crowd, right? But she was fucking seventeen! What seventeen-year-old girl doesn’t have stars in her eyes when given a chance to meet a rock star backstage? And what twenty-five-year-old guy thinks it’s okay to prey on teenage girls? It fucking makes me sick.”

  “God, she was younger than we are,” I say almost to myself.

  “The Olivers didn’t know shit about my mom. They didn’t know she dreamed of going to college and becoming a nurse, but because their son got her pregnant, kicked her out, and didn’t pay child support, she had to give up on those dreams to raise me. Alone. With no help from my father or his family.”

  “He didn’t help her financially at all?” I ask, appalled. His father clearly had the means to support her.

  “He did a little at first, but the checks stopped coming after a few months and my mom didn’t pursue it.”

  My mind is reeling as I try to make sense of it all. “Your dad’s a jerk. You said so yourself. But what if he only told your mom that he said something to his parents, but he actually never did? What if he was feeding your mom a load of BS to keep her—and you—from disrupting his life? What if they’re just finding out now that they have a grandson? Have you considered that possibility?”

  He shrugs, his face a mask of indifference. “I don’t need them, Ivy. I’m managing perfectly fine on my own.”

  He’s right. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as hardworking and dedicated as Jon. “But have you thought about the fact that maybe they need you?”

  He studies his hands and doesn’t answer.

  I grab them and give them a little squeeze. “I don’t know who your dad is and I don’t care to know. But I’ll tell you this. Although I’m sorry you and your mom had a difficult time with things, I’m glad that selfish fuck didn’t raise you. If he’d have been in your life growing up, you might have turned out to be a different person today. And I think you’re awesome just the way you are.”

  Even though his expression is hard and his brows are furrowed, moisture wells up in the corner of his eye. As he turns his head and brushes it away, I’m struck with sudden clarity.

  I’m in love with him.

  Jon Priestly. This gorgeous, sensitive, deeply damaged guy standing in front of me right now. I love him. More than I’ve ever loved anyone in my entire life.

  But as my heart feels as if it might explode, a painful lump forms in my throat. I want to tell him how I feel, but I’m afraid. If he learns everything about me—that I may have killed someone—how will he react? Will he leave? I’m not sure I’d want to be around me if I were him.

  * * *

  I
walk into the waiting room at the Student Counseling Center and feel like I’m going to throw up.

  Come on, Ivy. You can do this.

  A dark-haired woman is sitting on the edge of the receptionist’s desk holding what looks to be a ball. No, it’s not a ball. It’s a skein of yarn that an older woman behind the desk is crocheting. They look up as I approach.

  The younger woman pushes up her horn-rimmed glasses and gives me a sheepish smile. “Oops. You caught me. I came out to check my schedule, but Janice and I ended up talking about crocheting and yarn.” She holds out her hand. “I’m Dr. Mehta, a hopeless yarn addict. You must be Ivy.”

  I shake her hand and smile, the tension in my shoulders lessening. My gaze lands on Janice’s crochet project. I can’t tell if it’s a scarf or a shawl, but whatever it is, it’s really pretty. She’s doing a really cool lace stitch I haven’t seen before.

  “Do you knit or crochet?” Dr. Mehta must’ve noticed my curiosity.

  “Um, yeah. Both, actually.”

  “Wonderful,” she says, as she shows me back to her office. “We’re going to get along famously then, because I haven’t met a yarn-aholic I didn’t like.”

  * * *

  It takes me two weeks and four sessions with Dr. Mehta to gather enough courage to talk to Jon.

  During that time, she told me about the university’s no-tolerance policy when it comes to stalking and put me in touch with campus security…and didn’t let me blow it off either.

  Ha. She figured me out pretty damn fast.

  Because Aaron isn’t a student here, there’s not a lot they can do from a legal standpoint, but the IT department is blocking all his incoming email messages to me, so at least that’s a start.

  Campus security gave me a pamphlet on all the steps to take when someone is stalking you. I’m supposed to keep a journal of any interactions I have with Aaron, although, if I’m not getting any more emails from him and since I stay off social media, there won’t be much to report. The officer in charge gave me his personal phone number. He actually sat there, making sure I plugged it into my phone, and told me to get in touch with him night or day if I was ever afraid. And when I mumbled, “Okay,” he made me look him straight in the eye and promise to call.

  I can’t tell you how much better it feels to have people believe what I’m telling them and truly want to help me. And it’s all because Jon pushed me.

  “Do you think the waffle iron is hot enough yet?” I ask him.

  We’re standing in his kitchen, and I’ve just finished stirring the batter. Thirty times, to be exact. No more. No less. Who knew Jon was so particular when it came to cooking? But with a recipe called Waffles of Insane Greatness, who am I to question anything?

  “Let me check.” He lifts out the last piece of bacon from the frying pan and puts it with the rest to drain on a paper towel. Then he flicks a few drops of water onto the old waffle iron (a gift from Stella), and it sizzles. “I’d say it’s ready.”

  A few minutes later, we’re sitting at the table, and although the waffles are insanely good, I can hardly eat. Dr. Mehta’s words keep ringing in my head.

  Truth and honesty are the cornerstones of a healthy relationship.

  “Jon, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

  He looks up from his plate. “You’re joining the circus?”

  I laugh. “Do you have a thing with circuses, or what?” Before he says something else funny that will divert me from what I need to say, I take a deep breath. “I haven’t told you why Aaron has been stalking me.”

  “There’s a reason other than he’s a troll?”

  “He thinks I…killed Chase. That I either grabbed the steering wheel, causing the accident, or that I was the one driving and ran the car off the road on purpose.”

  “That’s so fucking ludicrous, it’s not even funny.” Jon takes another bite.

  “But what if it’s true? I have no memory of what happened. For all I know, I could’ve been so angry with Chase that I finally decided to do something about it. I knew he rarely wore his seatbelt.”

  Jon puts down his fork and stares at me. His expression is dark, unreadable. Is he trying to imagine me doing it? That I reached over and jerked the wheel with the intention of killing someone? My heart is beating so hard that it’s pounding against my eardrums, creating a dull roar in my head.

  “Ivy,” he says quietly. “You didn’t kill him.”

  “But you weren’t there. What if I did it? What if Aaron’s right?”

  “How would Aaron even fucking know? He wasn’t there either.” He pulls me into his arms, and his strength comforts me. “And if you did, then you must’ve been pretty fucking scared out of your mind and did the only thing you could think of to get away.”

  My breath catches in my throat. “So, if it turns out I did cause the accident, you won’t think…less of me.”

  “Ivy, nothing you do could make me feel less of you. Nothing.”

  chapter twenty-two

  Love is a serious mental disease. ~ Plato

  Jon

  We’re in a long line of cars exiting the freeway heading to the Gorge Amphitheater. I grip the steering wheel, hoping I haven’t made a huge mistake. The thing about Ivy is that I’m powerless to resist her when she sets her mind to something. She wanted me here, so, yeah, I caved.

  I can’t say I didn’t try, though. Last week when she told me Cassidy wasn’t going to use her Sasquatch tickets and would sell them to us cheap, I said no. I’d seen the line-up. I had zero interest in going.

  Ivy looked at me as if I’d sprouted horns. A big group was road-tripping over here and she really wanted to go. James was no help either. I think his exact words were, “There’s no fucking way I’ll miss it again this year.” Way to support your friend, bro.

  Ivy kept pressing. God, she was relentless. Listed off a bunch of the bands as if I didn’t already know who was playing. Shit. I’d given away two tickets the last time I was on the air.

  But that was last week, and here I am.

  I glance over at Ivy in the passenger seat. With her mismatched sock feet on the dash, she’s keeping time to the music while braiding her hair.

  “Looks like you’re ready to get down to business,” I tell her.

  “I can’t wait!” Excitement lights up her eyes, making me glad I’m here. With her. I can endure anything if it makes her happy. “Do you think the tent will take long to set up?” she asks. “I can’t wait to check out everything.”

  “Stella said it’s easy, but obviously, she hasn’t used it in years.”

  “You checked it, right? All the stakes and poles are there?”

  “Yep. Laid it all out in her backyard and—”

  “Ahhhh.” She points to a car trying to squeeze in front of us. “Don’t let him cut between us and the others. We need to go in as a group to get camping spots next to each other.”

  Too late. He’s already too far over. I ease up on the gas so I’m not riding his bumper. “That’s okay. We’ll figure it out.” The guy ends up turning into the RV section, so we’re right behind Kelly and Reece again.

  The check-in process goes smoothly and soon, with music blaring around us, we’re all setting up our tents. Ivy wastes no time laying out our sleeping bags and zipping them together. This weekend is going to be fun in more ways than one.

  Except for Sunday afternoon.

  When O-Twist is playing.

  Hopefully, I can talk Ivy into heading out before they take the stage. We’ll be tired, right? Besides, a lot of people leave early on Sunday anyway, so it’s not like we’d be the only ones. If not, though, I’ve already got it figured out. I’ll stay back at the campsite. Pretend I’m hungover. Or too tired. Or that I have a stomachache.

  One thing’s for sure. I refuse to see my father in person, even from a distance.

  As I pull the cooler out of the trunk and dump in one of the bags of ice we bought at the gas station in Vantage, I hear someone coming
up behind me.

  “Jon!” a female voice shrieks.

  Tina?

  Before I can turn around, she jumps onto my back, piggyback-style, and wraps her legs around my waist. Even though it can’t be more than sixty degrees and the weather forecast calls for rain tonight, she’s wearing shorts with cowboy boots. Untangling myself from her bare legs, I push her knees down so she has to stand, then I turn to face her. She adjusts her cowboy hat and flashes me a broad smile. Two other girls are with her, including Sara.

  “Hello, ladies.”

  “I didn’t think you were coming.” Tina puts her hands on her hips. “Why did you change your mind?”

  Before I can answer, I hear the tent zipper and Ivy steps out. With her skinny jeans, short boots and a PSU hoodie under her jean jacket, she’s looking pretty damn hot. “Because I twisted his arm,” she says.

  “Yeah, it hurt.”

  She comes over to us with a funny little smile on her face. At first, it seems like she’s going to rub up against me, staking her claim for Tina and Sara’s benefit, but no. She slides her arm around my waist and then, when my guard is down, she pokes me right in the ribs. Where I’m really ticklish.

  “Aaaaah.” I grab her hands, pull them away and lock them behind her.

  She laughs. “Baby.”

  Tina has a curious expression on her face as she looks Ivy up and down. “Is it just the two of you at this campsite?”

  “The White House guys are there,” I say, letting go of Ivy and pointing to two army-sized tents next door. “Kelly and Reece are on the other side of them.”

  “And beyond them,” Ivy says, “are some people from my floor.”

  “Can we put up our tent next to yours, then?” Tina asks. “The camp host says each site can sleep up to six people.”

  I glance at Ivy to see what she thinks, but I can’t read her expression. Is she indifferent about it or pissed?

  Since we’re all packed tightly together, it wouldn’t be much different than if they were in an adjacent campsite, so I tell Tina okay. Most likely, we’ll all be hanging out in one big group anyway, eating and partying.