Free For Always by Danielle Sibarium Page B

joy. I didn’t need to tell my mother anything more about my feelings for Jordan than that.
    “Jordan! He’s here? Outside?”
    Mom nodded.
    “Omigod! I need to get dressed.” I ran toward the stairs and paused. “Maybe I should stick my head outside and tell him to wait a few minutes.”
    “Get dressed. He says he’s been waiting for half an hour.”
    I took the steps two at a time, threw on a pair of jeans and a warm sweater. I ran a brush through my hair, splashed some water over my face, all the while feeling my insides bounce around like I was on a bungee jumping ride. I took a few breaths before opening the front door, hoping to return my heartbeat to normal.
    All I saw when I stepped outside was a head of long, thick, black hair. Mom must have been wrong. Or else my eyes deceived me. The person in front of me couldn’t possibly be Jordan.
    I turned to Maria. She smiled, and her eyes went from me to the person standing in front of her. Slowly the form turned.
    “Hi,” Jordan smiled playfully. “Took you long enough.”
    I stared in his eyes, a feeling of warmth spreading from my chest throughout my body. He came. I was so happy I didn’t care that he looked bizarre and outlandish.
    “What is that?” I asked bursting into laughter.
    He ran his fingers down the length of it. “I thought of growing my hair out. Not a good look for me?”
    “What are you doing here?” I asked.
    “Could we talk for a few minutes?” He suddenly sounded serious.
    I nodded.
    Maria said goodbye and went inside.
    “I haven’t seen you in a while,” he began, looking calm and self-assured.
    “I saw you yesterday,” I corrected.
    “You know what I mean.” He looked directly into my eyes.
    I couldn’t tolerate how they pierced through me. I broke the gaze and looked down at the ground. My teeth chattered from my wound way too tight nerves. He thought I was cold and offered to go inside.
    Jordan helped me carry in the grocery bags and joked around while I put everything away. When I finished, we sat at the kitchen table sipping hot chocolate. Mom went into the living room where she could watch television while keeping an eye on us.
    “What do you know about Chris?” Jordan asked looking more serious than I was used to.
    More than I’d like. “Not too much.”
    “Did Maria tell you she doesn’t like him?”
    I rolled my eyes showing my annoyance with her. “She didn’t have to. I could tell. I can’t believe she’d ask you to speak to me about him.”
    “She didn’t.” He reached up and gently rubbed my upper arm, making my skin tingle beneath the warmth of his hand. “I don’t like him either.”
    I looked away from the bottomless abyss I seemed to fall into when I looked into his eyes. My stomach churned and twisted in knots.
    “He’s trouble. Big trouble. You don’t want to get mixed up with him.”
    Too late. Why couldn’t he have told me two weeks ago?
    “I didn’t realize you knew him.”
    Jordan nodded. “We had a few classes together freshman year.”
    “I thought he was a junior.”
    “He is. He failed a bunch of classes, not enough credits.”
    Knowing how often Chris cut class in the last two weeks alone, it was no surprise he failed.
    I felt very uncomfortable. “And?”
    “You need to open your eyes.” He hesitated, and then pulled away. I wondered if he did that to be certain I’d hear him, rather than focus on how wonderful it felt to have him touch me. “He deals, Steph.”
    It took me few moments to let the meaning of his words sink in.
    “Drugs?” I barely got the word out.
    Jordan pressed his lips together and nodded.
    But wouldn’t I know? I mean wouldn’t he smell funny? Or act spacey and zoned out all the time? I crossed my arms over my chest and wrapped them tight around me. I didn’t want to believe Jordan. But why would he lie about something like that?
    I felt sick. I wanted to hurl. And to have Jordan sitting at my kitchen table pointing out what a stupid, naïve,