Page 20 of What If It Was Us
“What happened?” I tried asking.
Jackson opened his mouth to answer, but Julie cut him off. “His balls got twisted and he had to get them fixed.”
“Julie!” Jackson shouted.
At the same time, I let out a horrified, “What!?”
Julie laughed and made a motion in front of her crotch. “Jerking off too much.”
My jaw dropped and Jackson whipped the remote at Julie. “It’s called testicular torsion, you bitch! And no, it’s not—it just happens!”
Julie looked over at me. “He’s so grumpy since he hasn’t been able to masturbate all weekend. He almost lost a ball.”
“Get the fuck out of here, Julie!” Jackson screamed. I was the one that was flushing red now, and Jackson being angry made me feel embarrassed about coming here. I definitely should have asked first.
Julie put her hands up in surrender, covering half her mouth with a palm to hide her laugh. “I’m leaving for work, do you want me to drop you off at home, Addie?”
I set Jackson’s homework on the coffee table, slinging my backpack over my arm to leave.
“Can you stay for a bit?” Jackson asked me. “I’ve been bored out of my mind all weekend, and my parents have been at the restaurant all day. Julie can drop you off later.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. I looked over at Julie and she just shrugged before putting on her work shoes.
“Please,” Jackson begged. He was still laying on the couch, hair mussed, looking helpless. The blanket slipped down his chest, revealing that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. One glimpse of that freckle on his collarbone, and my decision was made.
“Okay.” I took off my backpack and sat back in the recliner, pulling the lever and swinging out the footrest with a clunk.
Julie was nice enough to hand the remote back to Jackson from where it landed on the floor when he threw it at her. Then she refilled his water and set it on the coffee table.
“Anything else I can get before I go?” Julie asked with her hands on her hips.
Jackson ignored her, putting his full attention back on the TV.
“I’m good,” I answered over the awkward silence.
“Later,” Julie said before walking out the front door. I heard the music blaring from her truck before it faded away as she drove down the street.
I started cracking my knuckles, not knowing what to say. I didn’t want Jackson to feel any more uncomfortable than he already did.
Jackson cleared his throat. “Sorry Jules is so annoying. Don’t act weird, I’m seriously fine.”
“I should have texted you before I came over. I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” I said bashfully.
Jackson let out a small laugh. “I’m not embarrassed. I was just pissed at Julie for telling you my business without asking me first.”
I looked over at him, and he was smiling at me. He fixed a piece of his hair then pulled the blanket up to his neck. “Seriously, I had like, a million different people look at my nuts this weekend. I don’t even think Icanbe embarrassed anymore.”
A nervous laugh burst out of me, and all the weird tension left the room. I quirked an eyebrow at Jackson, glancing down to where his groin was beneath the covers, then looking back at his face.
“Did you really almost lose a ball?”
Jackson let out a small chuckle. “I really did. You have to have the surgery within six hours or else you could lose it. ‘But don’t worry,’ they said, ‘We can give you a prosthetic!’” He shivered. “I do not want a fake nut.”
I laughed again, rocking back in the recliner and leaning my head to the side to face him fully.
“How did you know something was wrong? Was Julie right about the . . . ?” I made the same motion Julie did earlier.
Jackson rolled his eyes and scoffed at me. “Jesus, no, I’m not some freaky chronic masturbater. I woke up in the middle of the night with such intense pain”—he pointed down there—“that I started puking. I had to wake up my mom and explain that my package felt like it was being ripped to shreds.” He shuddered. “I could puke again just thinking about it. They had to take an ultrasound at the hospital.”
