Tara’s POVI’m sitting with Zoey and Jane in our usual spot when Zoey suddenly gets this excited look on her face and starts talking about parties again. She’s been obsessed with the idea ever since we finished our exams yesterday.“Come on, Tara,” Zoey says, practically bouncing in her seat. “We have to go to that party this weekend. It’s going to be epic!”I roll my eyes and pull out my phone to check if Jake has messaged me back yet. I sent him several messages earlier, and he never responded, which is making me worried. Usually, he texts me back right away.“Are you even listening to me?” Zoey asks, throwing a small piece of paper at my head to get my attention.“Sorry, what?” I say, looking up from my phone screen.Jane laughs and shakes her head at me. “She’s asking if you want to attend the party after we’re completely done with all our exams.”I make a face. “Ugh, I don’t want to.”Jane gives me a look. “Come on, Tara. We’ve been studying nonstop for weeks. Don’t we deserve to
Xavier’s POVJasper’s sudden attitude change doesn’t surprise me at all. I know I was using my questions to tease him, and he always gets defensive when he thinks I’m pushing too hard. But honestly, I don’t really care about his mood swings right now because I have bigger things to worry about.My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I quickly check to see that Tara has come online. She’s been offline for a while now, and I’ve been waiting to talk to her. My heart jumps with excitement, and I can’t help but smile widely as I see her name appear in my messages.I immediately start typing a message to her, trying to think of something casual to say. I don’t want to seem too eager, but I also don’t want to waste this opportunity to talk to her. She’s been so busy with her exams and her friends that we haven’t had much time to chat lately.“Hey, beautiful, how are you doing?” I type quickly, hoping she’ll respond right away.As I’m waiting for her response, Jasper suddenly leans over and tries
Jasper’s POVThe next day, I wake up early because I’m determined to catch Jane and Zoey before they leave. I know today is their last day at Tara’s house, and this might be my only chance to talk to them about helping me with Tara. I need to be smart about this and find the right moment when Tara isn’t around.I get dressed quickly and wait in my room, listening for sounds of movement from across the hall. Usually, Tara and her friends are pretty loud in the mornings, laughing and talking while they get ready. But today, everything is strangely quiet.I wait for what feels like forever, checking my watch every few minutes. Jane and Zoey should be coming downstairs for breakfast by now, but I don’t hear anything. Maybe they’re packing their bags first, or maybe they’re sleeping in because it’s their last day.Finally, I can’t wait anymore. I need to find out what’s going on, so I decide to go upstairs and knock on Tara’s door. Maybe I can ask to borrow something from her, and then I’l
Jasper’s POVI watch Tara leave the kitchen, and I know I want more of her. She has become so addicted to me that I can’t control myself anymore. Every time I see her, every time I’m near her, I lose my mind completely. The way she kissed me back just now proves that she feels something too, even if she won’t admit it.I grab a glass of milk from the fridge, trying to calm myself down. My hands are still shaking from our kiss, and I can still taste her on my lips. I need to get back to my room before I do something stupid like follow her upstairs and kiss her again in front of her friends.I walk back to my room, still thinking about the way her body felt pressed against mine. But when I open the door, I find Xavier pacing around anxiously like a caged animal. His face looks stressed, and he keeps running his hands through his hair.“What’s wrong with you?” I ask him, setting my glass down on the desk.Xavier stops pacing and looks at me. “Nothing. Everything is okay,” he says quickly
Tara’s POVWhile I am organizing the snacks, I hear footsteps behind me. I turn around and see Jasper walking into the kitchen. My heart immediately starts beating faster, and I feel nervous.He pretends to be super busy opening a pack of Doritos, like he just came in here to get a snack. But I know he followed me. I can feel him looking at me even though he is acting like he is not paying attention to me.I try to ignore him and focus on what I am doing. I pour milk into three glasses very carefully, making sure not to spill any. My hands are shaking a little bit, and I hope he does not notice. I do not understand why Jasper makes me feel so nervous now. Before today, seeing him just made me angry. But now everything feels different.I open the package of chocolate chip cookies and arrange them nicely on a plate. I can hear Jasper still messing with the Doritos package behind me. The crinkling sound is so loud in the quiet kitchen. Part of me wants to look at him again, but I force
Tara’s POVI get home with Jane and Zoey, and my heart feels heavy. This is the last day they will be staying with me before they go back to their own homes. We have had such a good time together studying and hanging out, and I am really going to miss them.“We need to make tonight special,” Jane says as we walk through the front door. “This is our last night together before we go back to normal life.”“Yes!” Zoey agrees, dropping her school bag on the floor. “We should go out and spend all night talking and making memories. We can stay up late and do all the fun things we want.”I smile at my friends. They always know how to make me feel better when I am sad. “That sounds perfect. We can take lots of