Free Red Flags by C.C. Brown Page B

I
didn’t allow him to read anything on my face. “I called Mila
shortly after you fell asleep and assured her that you were just
fine. She said she would let Chelsea know.”
    I was curious as to how he got Mila’s number,
since my phone was off and on my side of the bed all night.
    “How did you get her number?”
    He laughed as if I had just asked the most
absurd question. In all actuality, he was a very resourceful guy,
so this just might have been the most absurd question that he had
ever heard.
    “Um, your phone. Not that difficult to get
into.”
    I felt my blood start to boil, and I
unleashed it on him.
    “Jason!” I was practically screaming. “You
took my fucking phone last night, and then you went in it this
morning without my permission. That’s a total lack of regard for my
privacy.”
    “Why are you so mad? He said in a very
condescending tone. “There are no secrets between us Cara. I just
wanted to make sure that your roommates knew you were okay.”
    I was seething. He could have very easily
left my phone alone last night and I could have done it myself, and
saved them the panic I’m sure they felt when they got no responses
from me.
    “Jason, my phone is off limits. I need this
to make sure I can communicate, and I can’t have you dictating when
and how I use it.” I was actually impressed with myself for
conveying what I was thinking into words.
    He had an impassive stare, and swiftly moved
over to where I was standing. I wasn’t sure what to make of his
actions, after yelling at him the way that I did.
    He kissed me on the lips, and then stepped
back to look at me, his eyes searching mine.
    “Cara, I will try to accommodate your wishes,
but it’s kind of hard for me. And, watch your mouth, it’s very
unladylike.”
    How the hell did things get turned
around?
    Jason took his phone out of his pocket and
told me that he was going to call his dad. I told him that I was
going to call mine so he stepped out of the room to give me some
privacy – how that word became so taboo, I had no clue.
     
    <>
    Speaking to my dad was pleasure and pain
mixed into one. He was so comforting at one moment, and the ever
present disciplinarian during the next. He expressed his extreme
displeasure at not being able to get in contact with me -- thankful
that Mila let them know that I was out and that I was okay -- so I
tried my best to appease him. I detailed for him the night I had on
Jason’s motorcycle, and the deafening silence prompted me to move
on to a much more pleasant topic. The details on the Shelby caught
his attention, and incited him to ask a ton of specification
questions that I could not answer. The talk of me learning to drive
the Shelby had my dad’s excitement level through the roof, and he
proceeded to tell me about his first time driving a Mustang back
when he was a teenager. I knew this would happen, so I just allowed
him to ramble. After being MIA all night, I felt obligated. I had
nearly given him a heart attack. Just as my dad started asking
questions about how Jason afforded all of his goods, Jason walked
back into the room; thank goodness, because I knew he didn’t want
to tell my parents just yet, and I didn’t want to be the one to
tell them. I hung up with my dad, feeling relieved that he wasn’t
completely furious with me; the last thing I ever wanted to do was
disappoint him.
    “How was your conversation with your dad?”
Jason asked hesitantly. I assumed he sensed my dad’s frustrations
due to my earlier outburst.
    “It was good. I told him about the
motorcycle, the Shelby, me driving it…”
    His mouth gaped open, almost appalled that I
had spoken about those things.
    “What did he say about the death machine?”
His voice was full of sarcasm.
    I laughed, “He didn’t say anything, so I
wisely moved on the Shelby and my learning experience. He started
reminiscing about his old days when he drove his first Mustang,
blah blah blah.”
    Jason laughed -- his carefree