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Chapter 2 - Jason - The Freshman

Jason

Shit

I couldn't hear anything or see anything either, I was pushed? Did Blair push me?

I could feel the water but I wasn't drowning, it felt like I was in nothing, emptiness is how I can describe it. The pool? I was close to it when it happened or at least that's the last thing I remember,

the night had started off like any other, but now, everything felt wrong. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. The memory of Blair's voice, sharp and accusing, replayed in my mind over and over again. Her anger, her hurt—it all felt like a storm that was about to break loose, and I was caught in the middle of it.

I felt a shove, sudden and forceful, that sent me off balance. My arms flailed as I tried to steady myself, but it was too late. The world tilted, and I was falling, my body plunging into the cold, dark water below. The shock of the impact knocked the breath out of me, and for a moment, everything went black.

When I came to, I was floating in a void. There was no sound, no light—just an overwhelming sense of nothingness. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what had happened, but the harder I tried to grasp onto something, the more it slipped away. The last thing I remembered was Blair and Grace, their faces twisted in anger as they argued. And then... nothing.

"Where's Grace?" I thought, panic beginning to creep in. The image of her, scared and vulnerable, flashed before my eyes. My chest tightened as I realized I couldn't hear her voice, couldn't see her anywhere. I was alone in the darkness, with only my thoughts for company.

"Hi," I whispered into the void, my voice trembling. "My name is Jason, and I'm guessing this is the story of how I die... I think."

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To understand how I ended up here, you need to know a little bit about me. I come from a family that seems perfect on the outside. My parents are successful, well-respected in their fields, and my older brother, Adam, is the golden child. He was always the perfect son, the perfect student, the perfect everything. And me? I was the shadow he cast, always trying to outshine him, always falling short.

Growing up, I did everything I could to make my parents proud, to earn their approval. I got straight A's, became the captain of the football team, and led our school to the State finals. But no matter how hard I tried, it was never enough. My parents had seen it all before—nothing I did could ever impress them.

My life felt like a series of checkboxes, each one ticked off in a desperate attempt to win their attention. I excelled in school, on the field, in every area I could. But their praise was always lukewarm, their approval just out of reach. It was like living in the shadow of a giant, constantly overshadowed by Adam's accomplishments.

But then Blair came into my life, and everything changed.

Blair was different. She wasn't like the other girls at school. She had this fire, this intensity that drew me in from the moment I met her. We were opposites in so many ways—she was wild and reckless, while I was more controlled, more cautious. But we had one thing in common: we were both leaders. She was the captain of the cheerleading team, and I was the captain of the football team. Our worlds collided, and before long, we were inseparable.

Being with Blair gave me a sense of purpose beyond just trying to please my parents. She made me feel like I could do things for myself, that I didn't have to live in my brother's shadow anymore. We became a power couple, ruling the school together. I was her protector, her shield, and she was my fire, pushing me to be better, to be more.

But Blair was a lot to handle. She had a temper, and she wasn't afraid to use it. She got into fights, and I was always there by her side, no matter who was in the right or wrong. It didn't matter—it was us against the world, and that was all that mattered to me. She taught me how to smoke, and we went to parties together, living life on the edge. She was my first girlfriend, and I wanted nothing more than to make her happy.

But then, a month ago, things started to change. Blair came to me one day, furious about a freshman girl who had been getting on her nerves. The girl, Grace, was new, and Blair wanted to teach her a lesson. She asked for my help, and when I hesitated, she cried and told me that if I loved her, I would do it. And I did love her, so I agreed.

The plan was simple: get Grace alone, lock her in the sauna, and leave her there for a while. It was supposed to be harmless, just a way to put her in her place. Everything was going according to plan until I heard the principal's voice. Panic set in—I wasn't supposed to be in the girls' sauna, and if I got caught, I knew my parents would be furious. So I did the only thing I could think of—I went into the sauna with Grace and closed the door behind me.

That's when everything went wrong.

The door locked behind us, trapping us inside. Grace panicked, and so did I. I tried to calm her down, telling her that I was hiding from someone and that I wasn't there to hurt her. It was a lie, but I knew she wouldn't help me if she knew the truth.

The heat in the sauna began to rise, and with it, my anxiety. I have a fear of enclosed spaces, a leftover trauma from when I was a kid and got trapped in a fire. The walls felt like they were closing in, the air growing thicker and hotter with each passing second. My heart raced, my skin felt like it was burning, and I was certain I was going to die.

But then, in the midst of my panic, I felt someone holding me. Grace, this girl I barely knew, wrapped her arms around me and held me close. She started humming softly, a song I didn't recognize, but it was soothing. The warmth of her body against mine, the sound of her voice—it was like a lifeline, pulling me back from the edge of my fear.

I clung to her, my eyes squeezed shut, afraid to open them and face the flames I was sure were going to consume me. But Grace's voice cut through the fear, grounding me in the present. "It's okay," she whispered. "It's going to be okay. I'm right here. Trust me."

Slowly, the panic began to fade. The heat, the fear, the suffocating feeling of the walls closing in—it all started to melt away. When I finally opened my eyes, it was just the two of us, huddled together in that tiny sauna. No fire, no smoke—just her and me.

I don't know what it was about that moment, but something changed in me. For the first time, I saw Grace not as the girl Blair wanted to torment but as someone who had saved me when I was at my weakest. I didn't know her, but in that moment, I felt like I'd known her forever.

With a surge of adrenaline, I ran at the door and broke it down. We were free, and as I turned to look at Grace, she smiled at me—a warm, radiant smile that made everything else fade into the background. I didn't know what to say, so I did the only thing that made sense: I ran. I ran away from the school, from the sauna, from Grace, and didn't stop until I was far from everything.

When I finally stopped running, panting and drenched in sweat, my phone beeped. It was a message from Blair, asking if I had taken care of everything. I couldn't bring myself to answer. I couldn't even look at my phone. All I could think about was Grace—how she had saved me, how she had been the one person to pull me back from the brink.

But then reality set in. Blair was my girlfriend. She had been there for me through everything, and I couldn't betray her. I couldn't be that guy. Grace had saved my life, but Blair was the one I had promised to be with. It didn't seem fair—to either of them.