Eighteen Days to Forget You
Eighteen days after giving up on Jarrett Sheppard, Alayna Dickerson cut off her waist-length hair and called her father, announcing her decision to move to California and attend the UC Berkeley College of Music.
Her father, Samuel Dickerson, surprised, asked about the sudden change, reminding her how she'd always insisted on staying with Jarrett. Alayna forced a laugh, revealing the painful truth: Jarrett was getting married, and she, his stepsister, could no longer cling to him.
That night, she tried to tell Jarrett about her college acceptance, but his fiancée, Kisha Prince, interrupted with a bubbly call, and Jarrett's tender words to Kisha twisted a knife in Alayna's heart. She remembered how his tenderness used to be hers alone, how he had given her her first harmonica when she was eight, becoming her musical mentor, and how she had poured out her heart to him in a love letter at seventeen, only for him to explode, tearing the letter and yelling, "I'm your brother!"
He had stormed out, leaving her to painstakingly tape the shredded pieces back together. Her love, however, didn't die, not even when he brought Kisha home and told her to call her "sister-in-law."
Now, she understood. She had to put that fire out herself. She had to dig Jarrett out of her heart.
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Chapter 3
That night, Kisha Prince slept in Jarrett Sheppard's room.
Alayna knew they were a couple. She knew it was normal for them to stay together. But the quiet, ambiguous sounds that floated through the house in the dead of night kept her awake.
She lit another cigarette, watching the smoke curl around her slender fingers before taking a deep drag. It tasted bitter and acrid, just like her feelings.
The next morning, Alayna came downstairs with swollen eyes.
"Alayna!" Kisha called out, pulling her to sit on the sofa. A faint red mark was visible on Kisha's neck. "Your brother's birthday is coming up. I want to throw him a party. Do you know what style he likes?"
Kisha's question pulled Alayna back to the present. She couldn't help but remember a conversation she and Jarrett had once had.
She had told him she loved the sound of the waves, and how it reminded her of her harmonica music. That day, Jarrett had promised they would always spend birthdays by the sea.
"We agreed to go to the beach..." Alayna started to say.
"Let's just have a party at home," Jarrett interrupted, his eyes fixed on Kisha. "Kisha likes it lively."
Alayna lowered her head and swallowed her bitter porridge.
After breakfast, Alayna prepared to go out to handle her visa.
"Where are you going?" Jarrett asked.
"To run some errands."
"Alayna, you just graduated high school. Don't get mixed up with the wrong people and start dating too early," Jarrett warned sternly.
Kisha laughed coquettishly beside him. "Oh, it's normal for girls to date when they grow up. Jarrett, don't be so fierce."
Alayna didn't explain. She turned and walked into the rain.
On the way, she scrolled through Jarrett's social media.
He had posted a new photo: a wedding picture of them kissing in the rain. The caption read: [Rainy days are perfect for going public. Please guide me for the rest of my life.]
Alayna stood under the eaves of the visa office, looking at the photo, her heart dead.
She calmly typed two words: [Congratulations.]