The Step Brother

27. The Other Side.

Jace

He tries to get her back for 6 months after the break up. He calls, he texts, he buys a second phone just to call from a different number— before he realizes there are apps designed for that purpose, he emails her, he Facebook messages her, Tik Tok, Snap Chat, Instagram, he even sends her money with messages in Venmo. He asks Zoey and Ryder to reach out to her. He talks to her mom almost every day, hoping for an update on Will, never asking because he doesn't want to make things worse than he already has. He flies out to New York on two occasions. The first time, she doesn't answer her dorm door and he gets kicked off of campus. The second time, Ryder appeared at the gates when he landed at JFK. Somehow he'd figured out Jace was going.

"You know I love you, buddy. And I know you love her but you have to let her go." He'll never forget the look on Ryder's face when he said these words. He was serious, looking into Jace's eyes with his hands on his shoulders. "This isn't what she wants right now. You have to let her figure it out. You know that."

He did know it. But the alternative was giving up, and he couldn't give up. He couldn't lose her.

"I love her, man." It's the only thing he could think to say. Isn't it all that should matter?

"I know you do." Ryder nods. "I know you do."

So he cried in Ryder's arms there at the airport. He didn't care about the people passing by or the fact that men aren't allowed to be emotional like this. Ryder didn't give him any shit either. He just let him cry. And when he was done, he got them both back on a plane to California.

Ryder and Zoey were there for him when he had no one else. They were the only people in his life who knew the truth of it all, who had seen their love story from the start. They were there to take care of him the night's he drank too much, they were there the next morning when he was hungover and filled with regret. Their guest bedroom practically became his safe place. He lost count of the nights one of them held him as he cried. It was a pain he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

During the week, he tried his hardest to get through school. He buried his head in books to get by. It's a distraction really. Or maybe subconsciously he believed that if he becomes as smart as Will, if he got a good job, he can win her love again. He took more of an interest in math. Thanks to all of her lessons, it's one of the few things in his life that comes easiest. Sometimes it's the only thing that seems to make any sense.

No one, not even Jace, would've expected him to become a math teacher. But he graduates and that's what he does. It starts as something to make ends meet, get some experience, allow him to buy his own place close to the beach. He takes a job teaching 5th graders at a private school. It turns out he's really good at it. His kids love him and it warms his heart to see their progress through the academic year.

He goes on one date in those 5 years after Will. Her name is Tanya and she has long blonde hair and nails that she taps on every hard surface. She wants to go see a new movie with some British singer and go to dinner. She asks for somewhere fancy but she spends too long getting ready, resulting in them only have 15 minutes before the movie starts.

"Where else might you like to eat?" He asks from the driver's side of his jeep. Not the old one, though that's still in his garage, but a new baby blue one that lets the top go down.

She smiles and shrugs her shoulders. "You choose. I'm easy."

He picks In-N-Out. Apparently this is the worst decision he could've made because when they pull up to the drive thru she makes a disgusted face and rolls her eyes when he asks for her order.

She ends up ordering a grilled cheese and some fries but instead of eating it like a normal person, she mostly picks at it and complains about his choice in food.