The Redemption Stage (Book 2: The Second Chance)

Was It Worth It (5) Jax

Okay, so maybe jumping into a freezing cold lake was not the best idea. Maybe jumping in after two girls who are always, and I mean always right told you not to wasn't the greatest idea. Maybe after being told something bad will happen and doing it anyway was one of the dumbest things of my life... But was it worth it? Yes.

I should probably explain... After Gray and I jumped out of the lake... We kinda... Well, it turns out that there wasn't only ice in the middle of the lake, but it as along the edges too! Great, isn't it?

We jumped in and the stupid person who suggests the stupid idea usually gets the stupid consequence. In my case, it was cold ice bruising my left leg, and there was a little cut and blood, but it stopped bleeding after a bit of swimming around in the water.

I didn't want the girls to know so I didn't tell them, but Grayson saw what happened underwater so... Yeah. We had a quiet conversation and we agreed that the girls shouldn't know because for starters it would induce panic and secondly I would never hear the end of it.

Luckily he helped me hide the fact that I was limping and bleeding by running behind me and such. I bandaged it in the bathroom and pulled on my soft socks to hide the bulkiness of the bandage and wrap.

I specifically didn't want Lissa to find out because she would go into a frantic panic and try to nurse me back to help even though I didn't need it. I was walking fine except for a little bruise, but the ice water from the lake helped the mild throbbing subside.

I mean it's so adorable how she cares, but we're on vacation and I didn't want her to freak out and become all stressed, she's had enough for the past two years... With the funeral, the reminders every time she stepped into her house, and all those people who didn't even know she had a brother who tried to act like they were so important in her life...

She's still hurt, I can tell and I'm pretty sure Joy can too. I don't think Joy knows that Lissa has been sprinkling little bits of her brothers ashes wherever we stopped. The night before we left the camp ground, I was sitting looking up at the stars again and Lissa walked out with a jar.

She didn't see me since there wasn't a fire to illuminate my presence, but I saw her silhouette as she let the wind pick up the remnants in her hand and let it follow along on their unending journey. I suspected she did it yesterday too, she got out of the bed and slowly went downstairs, probably thinking I was asleep. I heard the door open and close within two minutes and she sneaked back upstairs and into bed again.

I haven't mentioned it to her or anyone for that matter, it seems like it should be a secret personal thing that only she should know about and I just so happened to come across it. If she wanted to tell someone about it, hopefully it would be me first, that's her choice.

Lissa and I just wrapped around each other on the couch and watched Christmas movies even though we're closer to the 4th of July than any of holiday.

Joy and Grayson came down, a blanket evidently wrapped by Joy around Grayson's shoulders like a cape.

"Hot chocolate in the kitchen." Lissa mumbled as she focused on the movie. It was the Nightmare Before Christmas, one of her favorites but also least favorites.

She told me it gave her nightmares as a child but once she watched it again when she was older, she loved it.

The two got their hot chocolate and sat on the opposite side of the couch of us, a little ways apart, as if it was awkward to be as close as me and Lissa, who's head was on my chest and my arms around her.

"You two are so awkward and adorable." Joy said quietly so she wouldn't get yelled at by Lissa for talking over the movie. "Can I talk to you for a second, Jackie?"

Melissa scooted over so I could get up from the couch and talk to my sister in private. Grayson followed though, leaving one person in the living room and three in the kitchen.

The first thing Joy did when we walked into the kitchen, out of sight and hearing, was slapped me hard on the arm.

"OW!" I winced, her volleyball serves are really good... And they really hurt too. I rubbed my arm as she scolded at me.

"You're such an idiot, Jackson! How could you be so stupid and not tell me! You could've broken your ankle or died and I wouldn't even know what had happened! Gosh! How can an idiot like you end up with a Valedictorian and one of top three smartest people in the school!" She asked a rhetorical question.

I cringed as she called me Jackson, Jax is my actual name, it's not short for anything. When the two of us became friends with Melissa, she insisted my name was short for something, not believing that it was just 'Jax Lee Peters' so she called me Jackson, and the name stuck around. Only for serious matters, though.

"For starters, I'm also a Valedictorian, and I'm guessing Gray told you?" I shot daggers at him with my eyes.

"Don't blame me for this, she threatened to slap my wits out of me... And I need my wits, I mean, they're my wits." Gray said defensively.

Ah yes, if you want to befriend Grayson James, you must befriend his most prized possession along with it, they're basically a package deal, I mean they are a package deal. His wits are his life, that boy. Makes me wonder why Joy chose him. I mean wits... WITS?

Babbling even longer will probably make you even more restless to see what happens next so... Back to the reality.

"No one bloody cares about your wits! It's wits!" I said to Gray harshly.

"Hey, it's not his fault you did the stupid thing and it landed you in a compromise-able position... You said it in the first place, but that doesn't matter at the moment," Joy said

Notice how she said 'at the moment', I'm not living this one down any time soon.

"Are you going to tell Mel or not? Because I will gladly guilt you if you say the wrong answer, because there is a right one." She looked at me menacingly.

"... I was planning on telling her, but just with everything that's been going on..." I started, trying to make Joy sympathize for Melissa so I wouldn't have to tell her. Selfish, I know, but My big sister is scary... At times... Love you sis!

"This is her first time to get away from our small town in Maine, she's actually really happy and who am I to take that away from her. These trips mean a lot to her, I can't explain it but I just know they do, who am I to rip that away from her by making her stressed and frantic? That's unjust, you can't make me." I tried to point out.

"Maybe I can't make you, and I know the thought making Mel stressed makes you feel guilty, but don't you deserve it to some extent? I mean she specifically told you not to, her and I, we're like the oracles of Delphi with all these prophecies we've been saying. We're always right, right? So it's your stupid mistake to make up for and give her a chance to say I told you so...

"It may seem cruel or random or whatever, but you need to do it. Mel being the girl she is, she would want to know, you know this. If something happened to her, wouldn't you want to know? She's the only one left in the dark at the moment, and she'll understand, I just know she will. Or she'll slap you... But I doubt it.

"We've known this girl all our lives, just tell her before I do it because keeping her in the dark will hurt her even more than knowing that you got hurt and she couldn't help you." After that long drawn out sisterly scold, I knew that Joy was write, I did have to tell her.

"I'll do it today, just not now, she's so happy now, but I promise I'll do it today." I responded. Grayson clapped me on the back and the two of them headed back to the living room. I let outa breath, telling her would be the right thing to do, but I just can't, I won't. I followed but not before I grabbed another cup of hot chocolate. Lissa was there, finished up her movie, her mug in the table.

"What were you lot talking about? It took for ages! You missed basically half the movie!" She complained as the three of us took our seats again #Jayson still being awkward.

Yeah, what? I ship. And I'm proud. Come at me, bro.

We snuggled back into our original place and I handed Lissa the mug of now lukewarm hot cocoa. "You're so adorable." A big grin on my face.