Twenty-Nine: Rumors

With the flick of a wrist, Haley's hand smacks across my arm, making me feel a slight pain in the area. She then pushes at my arm, nearly making my hand turn the wheel too far to make us end up in the wrong lane.

"Ow!" I shout at her. "What is your problem?" I ask, shaking my arm out to make it feel normal again.

"You kissed Jace! Why didn't you tell me sooner!" She shouts at me, clearly much more enthusiastic about the even than I was.

"Because I didn't kiss him, he kissed me," I correct her.

Haley scoffs, loudly and annoyingly, right in my ear. I knew she was going to be dramatic when I told her, which is exactly why I waited so long to share the news.

"Either way, your lips were on his lips. He leaned in a put his lips on yours. I'm not trying to be dramatic but if that isn't a sign he wants you then I don't know what is," she tells me.

I turn my blinker on and merge into the right lane, taking the exit off the highway. After going through what seemed like a million lights, we're finally turning into the parking lot.

"Wait!" Haley shouts, stopping me from getting out of the car. "Are you going to tell Tyler?"

"No. I didn't kiss Jace back and like I said, it didn't mean anything. He was just caught in the moment," I defend.

I didn't need Tyler to hate Jace or have a problem with our friendship. Most boyfriends wouldn't even allow their girlfriend to be close to another man. Jace and I are deeper than just close. He's my best friend. He's always going to be a big part of my life.

If Tyler ever had a problem with Jace and I being friends I wouldn't know what I would do. I just hope that if never comes down to it. Choosing between Tyler and Jace would be one of my toughest decisions yet.

"Just caught in the moment? Gee, if I was caught in the moment of committing a crime I don't think the first thing I would do is kiss someone. He kissed you because he likes you," Haley tries to convince me.

"Okay, so maybe he does like me. He's probably just confused and lonely. He hasn't been with anyone except Kristen in eight years. This is new to him," I justify.

Haley rolls her eyes but doesn't speak on the subject any longer. We both get out of the car and walk side beside into the mall.

It seems like we do this a lot. Her and I always end up shopping. Even when we walk out empty handed, knowing we don't have the money to treat our selves we still enjoy getting out and seeing what's out there.

"The other girls are already here," Haley comments as she looks down at her phone.

"Meeting at the food court?" I ask and Haley nods as we make the familiar route towards the food court.

I went over and over in my head all the things I could say to Kristen, though nothing seemed right. I made no effort to reach out to her after her breakup with Jace and I just feel like a horrible person for it.

Jace and I may be closer, but Kristen and I are friends too. She's been there for me when I was goin through my breakup with Ryan, the least I can do is repay it back to her.

I just don't know what to say. It's been weeks and I haven't made any attempt to reach out to her. She did agree to hang out with us, so that's something. I'm sure she isn't mad at me.

"Are you going to tell Kristen that Jace kissed you?" Haley asks as we grow closer to the food court.

"Why on earth would I tell Kristen that?" I ask Haley, who's clearly not thinking before she speaks.

"With how close you and Jace have always been, she may have suspected something to happen," Haley answers, shrugging her shoulders.

"Nothing happened. I don't want to talk about it anymore," I tell her, making my tone more strict.

Haley lets it go, but I know she'll mention it again later. I hate that she wants me with Jace more than Tyler because I really do love Tyler. Jace has just been apart of my life for so long it's hard to just turn him away.

"Why do you get prettier every time I see you!" McKenzie shouts as she pulls me into a hug .

"I could say the same to you," I reply, squeezing her tight before giving Kaitlyn a hug as well.

I see Kaitlyn quite often compared to the other two. All I ever want to talk to her about is her wedding, knowing it's soon. I'm sure she's had enough of wedding talk though, so I always try to avoid the subject.

Last to greet me is Kristen, who's beaming with a large grin spread across her small face. She hugs me, but it is quicker than usual and a bit awkward.

"Good to see you again, Octavia," she addresses me.

"You too," I say back, sincerely.

"Should we eat first or shop first?" Kaitlyn asks.

"Eat. I am actually starving," Haley answers.

The five of us separate, all going into different directions except for McKenzie, who follows me towards McDonald's. I order first and she orders after, a conversation striking up as we wait.

"Are you still with that boy you brought to Diva's?" McKenzie asks me, making me realize that I haven't spoke to her in that long.

"Yeah. We're together still," I say, smiling as I think about Tyler and I.

"Even after Kristen's and Jace's split?" She asks me, her face twisting in confusion.

"Uh, Yeah. Why would we not be?" I ask her, taking a bit of offense to her question.

"I just thought with Jace being single and completely in love with you that maybe something would strike up," she says to me.

I shake my head at her. "Jace and I are just friends. We don't think of each other like that. We're just close is all," I clarify and she apologizes for the assumptions.

It seems like Haley isn't the only one with this crazy idea that Jace and I belong together.

*

I run my hands down my sides and stomach to smooth over the fabric of the dress. The dress is a soft blue color with a pink and white floral design. The sleeves are long and the dress comes about mid-thigh. The deep v neck is what worried me and I feared I would flash one of the girls at any moment.

"Honestly, Octavia, if you don't wear that to my wedding you're un-invited," Kaitlyn threatens me, standing behind me in the mirror.

I look myself up and down, liking the way it looks on me. It's cute and modest enough to wear to the wedding, while still being sexy enough for my liking. I even had a bag that matched the blue color perfectly.

"And it's finally a dress that isn't maroon," Haley says, doing a little cheer.

"It's not my favorite color on me, but it does look good," I say, taking one last look at it before going back into the dressing room to change back into my regular clothes.

We have been shopping for hours, yet I haven't bought a single thing yet. Haley has enough bags in her hand for the whole group, and I wonder how she can carry so many at one time.

Once I get changed back into my clothes I go up to the counter and buy the dress, then head outside to sit at one of the benches. I'm sure with how many events Kaitlyn has coming up she'll be in there shopping for another hour and my feet cannot take standing any longer.

Kristen walks out of the store too and comes to sit beside me on the bench.

We haven't spoke to each other all night. She's pretty much been at Kaitlyn's hip and Kaitlyn has done most of the talking whenever conversation stirred up.

Neither of us say anything for a few moments, but soon enough Kristen asks a question that makes me choke on air.

"So you and Jace are sleeping together now?" She says, not turning to look at me.

I begin coughing uncontrollably, not expecting her question at all. Kristen has never been one to be blunt about anything, so this is very unexpected.

"Relax, I'm joking," she laughs it off. "There are rumors, though. Just wanted to address them with you first," she says to me.

"Rumors?" I ask.

I haven't heard anything about any rumors involving Jace and I. Then again, I haven't really spoke to anyone other than my small friend group. I haven't even had the chance to give Tom what I retrieved from Nathan's house.

"You know people around here. Once something starts it's the talk of the town. I've just heard you two have been close. Him at your apartment and you at his. People at the station said he's in your office a lot, and you join him on runs. Just stuff," she says, faking as if it didn't hurt her at all.

"Kristen, I promise you that nothing romantic is going on with Jace and I. He's just upset about this breakup and he has been leaning on me for support. We're just friends," I assure her.

Kristen finally looks over at me. Her eyes are watery and bloodshot, and tears begin to drip down her face. She quickly wipes the tears away, trying not to cry as she does so.

"Eight years with someone just for it to end. He never even proposed. He never even bought a ring. Eight years for nothing," she sobs.

I wrap my arms around Kristen and hug her, trying to calm her down. It seems to work, and soon the people walking by don't even notice the scene unfolding before them.

"I know. It's a pretty shitty situation. But if it was meant to be it would have been. You've grown and learned so much about love and relationships that another guy is going to sweep you off your feet and give you the love you deserve," I assure her as I rub her back in circles.

"Will you promise me something?" She asks me after the tears begin to dry up.

"Anything," I nod at her.

"Promise me that you'll look after him. Don't let him do anything stupid. Be kind to him always and don't hurt him. He loves you a lot, Octavia. He always has," she tells me.

"I promise," I reply back.

I felt like I didn't even need to promise her that. I would never do anything to hurt Jace. He's my other half. He's the Alex to my Meredith. He really is one of the greatest people I've ever met.

"I know you and Jace are just friends, but if you ever want to be something more don't worry about me. Whatever makes you both happy I am full support of," she tells me.

Before I get a chance to reply back to her, the other three girls come out of the store and trot over to us, full of laughs and smiles.

Kristen and I stand up from the bench and the five of us begin making our way throughout the mall and eventually into another clothing store.

"I'm not trying to freak you out, but a man in a black suit has been following us around," Haley says, whispering in my ear over the loud music the store is playing.

I look around, making it as obvious as I can without meaning to that Haley just told me to look at someone.

My eyes meet the man who she's speaking of and I feel goosebumps raise on my arms. Nathan himself stands just outside the entrance of the store. His eyes are fixated onto mine, hands holding a box at his side.

When he finds me looking at him, a smirk appears in his lips and he starts walking into the store.

I reach into my purse and grab my keys, ready to jab him with it if he tries anything. I doubt he would in a store full of people, but there's always a possibility.

"Ms. Bradley," he nods at me when he finally reaches me. "I have been instructed by Mr. Kensley to deliver this package to you. He leaves you with his best regards."

As soon as I take the box from Nathan he spins on his heels and quickly exits the store. I didn't know how long he had been following me, or why he waited so long to give me the box.

I feared that maybe he gave me a bomb and that the second I pulled the lid off the entire store would blow up. It would explain his quick departure.

"Open that bitch up," Haley says, looking down at the box.

I look around the store, spotting Kristen, Kaitlin, and McKenzie on the other side. I make sure nobody else is around before pulling the lid off and looking at the contents inside.

The box is full of dozens of pictures of Jace and I. One is of us outside the station, him giving me my morning coffee. We're standing very close, both of us smiling at each other. One is us in my office, taken through the window. Jace is sitting in my chair and I'm sitting on top of my desk, once again, sitting very close to each other.

Most of the pictures are of us in the car together, but one picture in particular draws my attention. It's a picture from the night we broke into Nathan's house. Jace's hand is on the back of my neck, tilting my head up enough so that his lips are perfectly placed on mine.

Kensley was watching me that night. He had the pictures for proof. Not only did he have pictures of me with Jace almost everywhere we publicly went together, he probably had pictures of us breaking and entering Nathan's home.

He had a picture of Jace kissing me.

A picture that could easily ruin mine and Tyler's relationship.

"Octavia, there's a note under the lid," Haley says, flipping the lid over so I can see it.

I warned you. - Kensley

I feel sick as I look at the note. I didn't tell Tyler. I stuck to my end of the deal. He can't do anything to me.

But he could. He could do anything to me. He no doubt paid Nathan to kill the men at Joeli's and now he's coming for me for trying to expose him.

"What kind of Pretty Little Liars shit is this?" Haley asks, reading the note herself.

I wish I had an answer. I wish I could tell her everything going on, but I couldn't. I couldn't tell anyone. I shouldn't have even told Jace.

All I could do was hope that what I had obtained from Nathan's house is enough to get out of this mess.