Page 42 of Palm South University: Season 3

“BEING A GIRL IS THE ABSOLUTE FUCKING WORST!”

I flail around on my bed, kicking up the covers and swinging my arms like a toddler as Ashlei chuckles from her front row seat to my pity show. She’s perched on the edge of Skyler’s bed, sitting on her hands, shaking her head as I detail every thought I’ve had in my pea brain the past two weeks since Jarrett left.

“He’s probably just busy with his job, Jess. He treated you like an absolute queen when he was here,” she points out. “It’s not like he went home and said, ‘Fuck that bitch.’”

“I don’t know,” I counter, sitting up on the bed and tucking my knees up to my chin. “He did go out to Ralph’s with all of us, and we are certifiably insane.”

“I thought it was a pretty low-key night.”

“Skyler kept hiding under tables, grabbing people’s legs and shouting, ‘SHARK ATTACK!’” I deadpan.

Ashlei snorts.

“And Bear jumped up on stage and started dry-humping the DJ while begging him to playParty in the U.S.A.”

“Okay, so maybe we scared him off and he took a hammer to his phone so you couldn’t trace him.”

I bury my face in my hands, something between a groan and a whine squeaking through my lips.

“I’m kidding,” Ashlei says, hopping down from Skyler’s bed to come sit next to me. She places a hand on my back and rubs gently. “Seriously, he’s crazy about you. Just chill.”

“He hasn’t called me since he left two weeks ago, Lei.” I sniff, leaning my cheek on my knee to look up at her. “His texts have been short, if he even texts back at all. How the hell am I supposed to do this long-distance thing with communication like that?”

She frowns, rubbing my back in response.

“What if he’s cheating on me,” I whisper, stomach turning and threatening to forfeit the pizza I shoved inside it earlier. “Oh, God, I couldn’t handle that. I couldn’t.”

“He’s not cheating on you.”

“How do you know?”

“I only had to spend one night with the two of you to see there’s not another girl in this world who has his attention, babe. Just try to relax. He’ll call, and you’ll talk it out, and it’ll be fine. Okay?”

I nod, cheek rubbing against my knee pathetically. “Tell me about your internship. I’ve sucked up enough of the air in the room.”

Ashlei smiles. “It’s been amazing so far. I feel like I’m really standing out…” Her voice fades off a little, a slight blush hitting her cheeks. “The CEO knows my name, so I guess that’s saying something, right?”

“Uh, yeah. That’s amazing. I’m so proud of you! What’s it like, being an intern?”

“Thank you,” she says, and then blows out a short breath. “And it’s exhausting. The other interns are pretty slack-ish when it comes to the account we’ve been assigned, but I don’t want to be just another intern, so I’m busting my ass to stand out.”

“You always stand out,” I say, nudging her. “Why do you think you’re my best friend? I don’t just let any basic bitch have that title.”

Ashlei scrunches her nose with a grin right as my phone vibrates, and I panic, tossing the covers off the bed until I find it hiding underneath.

“Oh, my God, it’s him.”

“Answer it. I’m going down the hall to Ex’s room, just come get me when you’re done.”

I nod, not even taking my eyes off the screen with his name and a picture of us on the beach filling it. When the door closes behind Ashlei, I take a deep breath and answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey, babe,” Jarrett says on a breath. “God, it’s good to hear your voice.”

I flop back into the sheets, head hitting my pillow with apoof. “Jarrett, where have you been? You haven’t called in two weeks… and you’ve barely been texting me.”

“I know,” he answers with a sigh. I imagine him running a hand over his smooth head, his elbows propped on his knees. “I know. I’m so sorry. Jenny and I got assigned to a project as soon as the wheels on my plane home touched down and we’ve been drowning in work ever since. I’ve barely had time to sleep.”