Chapter 54: Senior year

Jace stepped down from the car, his eyes fixed on it as the driver drove off. He let out a frustrated sigh, cringing slightly as he shook his head from side to side. It had been a month and a few days since prom night, the night everything turned upside down. Since then, his father had confiscated his car keys and frozen his bank account. He couldn't leave the house unless it was to go to church with Grandma or accompany her somewhere else. As long as Grandma was involved, his father allowed him to tag along. But apart from that, he was essentially under house arrest. Joseph had kept his word, monitoring Jace's every move with strictness that bordered on obsession. For Jace, the past month had been the worst. His friends occasionally came over to visit, but it didn't change the fact that he was grounded and trapped. He never liked the feeling of being caged. Remembering his situation made him scoff under his breath. 'Such a boring life to live," he muttered with a sigh and turned to walk away, only to bump into someone. He staggered a little in surprise. 'Oh my God! You scared me," he exclaimed, stepping back instinctively. 'It's not like I'm a ghost or something," Miranda said, rolling her eyes as she adjusted the strap of the backpack hanging from her shoulder. 'You could've at least let me know you were there," he mumbled, brushing past her in an attempt to leave. But she quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his way. 'You've been ignoring my calls," she said, looking straight into his eyes, searching for an answer. 'Did I do something wrong?" Jace let out a slow sigh. 'Sorry. I've just been trying to reflect... you know, about the fight." 'What fight?" she asked, brows furrowed. Then her eyes widened as realization hit. 'Oh, you mean the one that happened at prom? I wasn't at school that day. Emma told me later you guys got into a fight. What happened? You're not the violent type. What pushed you that far?" Jace didn't answer immediately. He walked ahead, and she followed quietly beside him. After a moment of silence, he spoke. 'I don't know," he murmured. 'Maybe it was the video that played that night, or maybe I've just been wanting to punch him for a while now." 'You okay?" she asked softly. He gave a small nod. 'Yeah. I guess." 'Did you guys make up? Or have you just been ghosting each other?" 'The latter," he said with a slight shrug. Miranda scoffed. 'Seriously? You guys are friends. Why not just settle it and move on? You're boys, not girls." Just then, they spotted Helena walking toward them. Jace was about to reply when she called out. 'Jace!" Miranda groaned audibly at the sound of her voice. 'What is it, Helena?" Jace asked, clearly annoyed. 'I heard about the fight. I've been trying to call you, but your number hasn't been going through," Helena said, flashing a smile. Miranda narrowed her eyes at her, clearly displeased with the interruption. 'So?" Jace asked flatly. 'I just wanted to check on you. Are you okay?" Helena asked, still smiling. 'I'm fine," Jace replied curtly, then reached for Miranda's hand and gently pulled her away. 'Why are you even talking to that girl?" Miranda asked, frowning. 'I wasn't. She was talking to me. You saw that," Jace said, releasing her hand. 'Yeah, but you still stood there listening to her ramble." 'I was just... wait." He paused, narrowing his eyes at her. 'Are you... jealous?" Miranda froze mid-step. He stopped too and turned to look at her. Her eyes darted away. 'Me? Jea..... no, no. Why would I be jealous?" she stammered, dropping her hands from her chest and letting them fall to her sides. Jace frowned, Dorah's words from earlier echoing in his mind. He shook his head lightly, trying to clear the thought. 'It can't be true, right?" he asked quietly, eyeing her suspiciously. 'What?" Miranda asked, blinking at him. 'You're not in...." 'Jace!" a familiar voice cut in. They both turned to see Ronald approaching, looking slightly awkward. 'Hey, buddy," Ronald greeted with a wave. 'Hey. What's up?" Jace asked, sensing the tension between them. 'Nothing much. Can we talk for a bit?" Ronald asked, rubbing his palms together nervously. It clearly took effort for him to approach. Ronald remembered what Dorah had told him the previous day: 'Jace is proud. If you don't make the first move, he won't. Just go and talk to him already. You're friends." 'I'll give you guys some space," Miranda said, stepping away. There was a brief pause before both boys spoke at the same time. 'How have you been?" They exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing. 'You're one hell of a jerk, you know that?" Ronald said between chuckles. 'Yeah, I agree. But you're not much better," Jace shot back, grinning. 'You messed up my face, man. I can't even talk to any girl without them wincing. And don't get me started on spicy food, I couldn't eat anything peppery for a whole week!" 'Sorry, bro," Jace said with a shrug. 'You can hit me for it if you want." 'Really?" Ronald asked, eyes twinkling. 'Yeah. Why...." He didn't get to finish. Ronald punched him right on the cheek. 'What the hell, man?!" Jace shouted, staggering back and clutching his face. 'What?" Ronald asked innocently. 'You said I could hit you." 'On the face? Seriously?" Jace growled, emphasizing the word. 'You didn't say I couldn't hit your face," Ronald smirked. 'Ugh, screw you," Jace muttered, rubbing his cheek. 'Come on, let's go patch that up," Ronald said, laughing. 'Leave me alone," Jace said as Ronald reached for his arm, but he couldn't help smiling. They looked at each other again and started laughing uncontrollably. 'Why are you laughing?" Ronald asked, wiping a tear from his eye. 'Why are you laughing?" Jace shot back. 'I asked first." 'Whatever," Jace said, grinning. 'Let's go."