The Apocalypse

by Jack Parker

  She was quiet for awhile, but then Hannah sighed. "That's the only reason I got mad, you know. I really did think you were just trying to make me fall for you." She frowned to herself. "But I should've known better because, looking back, you were a real asshole to me after the accident."

  Mildly surprised, Jake surveyed Hannah. "Was I? I didn't even mean to be."

  "You didn't talk to me very much." Hannah nibbled her lower lip, tilted her head, and let her strawberry blonde hair fall in a wave. "You know, I faked you out and acted like I didn't know what simple things were, just to make you talk."

  That one stunned Jake. "You're lying," he accused lightly, smiling in his amusement. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard."

  Hannah half smiled and looked away. "Jake, if…if your feelings changed, why were you trying to get rid of me?" Her eyes narrowed. "And don't even try to convince me that you weren't trying to do that because I'm not an idiot. You were trying to brush me off on the girls."

  "Because you scared the hell out of me," Jake answered easily. He thought he'd gone over that already. "Even without admitting to myself that I like you, I knew I was getting in over my head. If you got pissed and hated me when you remembered everything, I didn't want to get caught on the warpath I thought you'd be on."

  Regarding Jake curiously, Hannah sighed and sat up on her knees. "I've got to go work on some homework," she told him after taking a glance at the clock. "But…thanks for explaining things."

  Jake was perhaps more confused than ever. What did that mean? Slowly, he exhaled, prepping himself for what was to come. "So where does that leave us?"

  Hannah nibbled her lower lip more as she stood up. "I don't know, Jake. Really, I don't."

  In silence, Jake watched Hannah walk out of the living, wondering what he was supposed to do. He felt somewhat accomplished, since he'd been given the opportunity to clear the air with Hannah. She no longer seemed pissed at him, but she was as uncertain about where they stood as he was. Were they friends now, or were they just calling a truce and getting on with their lives? Was she interested in something romantic, or had Jake blown any chances of that?

  He looked over near the raging fire and glimpsed that brown book. Curious, Jake glanced around, and, once satisfied that no one was around to see him, he picked up the book and opened it. The age of the pages let Jake know that he'd been correct in recognizing the book as Hannah's diary, but none of her childish handwriting was sprawled on the pages. In fact, there was no handwriting at all. Frowning, Jake flipped through all of the pages, but the only writing he found was the near the very end of the book, written in handwriting that he figured belonged to Hannah when she was probably a sophomore or so.

  I love Jake.

  That's all it said, in tiny sprawl, as if it was the sole piece of information that Hannah had forgotten to destroy.

  To say that Jake was intrigued would have been one of the greatest understatements of the century. His heart skipped a beat, and his mind reread the words over and over. While the three words offered him some hope that things would work out in the end, he almost wished he hadn't snooped through the old book because now he was more bewildered than ever.

  The sound of the front door opening made Jake drop the book like it was on fire. He spun—as innocently as possible—to look near the doorway, where Isaac was coming in, a smile on his face.

  Jake half smiled. "Hey, man. What have you been up to?"

  "Oh, you know." Isaac smiled, excitement lighting up his blue eyes, and he flopped stomach-first onto the couch, stretching out. "Went to eat with Avalon after school, and then we watched a movie at her house."

  A slow, significant smile started to spread on Jake's face. Carefully, he commented, "Really now."

  "Mmhmm. You know her, right?"

  Jake thought back and recalled a petite girl that he'd seen pretty frequently with Isaac lately. Their high school was pretty large, and the girl was a freshman, so Jake didn't know anything about her. "I'd recognize her if I saw her."

  Isaac closed his eyes, smiling more. "Yeah… She's pretty awesome, Jake."

  It was pretty ironic, really. Isaac was the little nerd that Jake had helped get involved at school, and Jake was one of the more well-known students—class president even. Yet little Isaac's love life was blossoming brighter than Jake's.

  Rapidly, Isaac's eyes popped open. "I have a confession to make."

  Almost amused and thinking Isaac would say something relating to romancing with Avalon, Jake nodded eagerly. "Sure, dude. Confess away."

  "I've been home for awhile." Isaac propped himself up on his elbow and stared down at Jake on the floor. "You and Hannah were too busy talking to hear the door open, so I just let you keep on going."

  "You were eavesdropping?" Jake asked flatly.

  Grinning, Isaac shrugged nonchalantly. "If you want to call it that," he conceded. "I thought it'd be too impolite to just interrupt you when there was so much stuff you guys had to talk about."

  "You're unbelievable." Jake shook his head sadly and leaned back on his elbows, stretching his legs out. "So. Lecture me. Tell me how to fix things. Tell me what a prick I am. I'm ready for it."

  "Hmmm." Isaac rubbed at his blond hair thoughtfully and then let his hand drop to the couch. "You've really got a thing for my sister?"

  Jake inhaled slowly. "Yes."

  That cracked Isaac up. He buried his face in the cushions of the couch, his whole body convulsing with shaking laughter. Jake had flinched at the sudden burst of laughing, but now he just stared at Isaac, thinking the kid had surely fallen off the deep end or something.

  "That's the most hilarious thing I've ever heard," Isaac finally managed to gasp out. Literal tears had formed in his eyes from laughing so hard. "Jake and Hannah. Allen and Ayers. Jake Allen and Hannah Ayers." Isaac proceeded to laugh even harder. "Wait till this one gets out—who would've predicted this?"

  Jake rolled his eyes. He hadn't really thought about what people would say if he and Hannah did end up getting together. He knew that most of his peers were used to them fighting in the hallways and hearing of their latest streaks of insults, but he supposed that he and Hannah would create a bit of gossip if anything came of their feelings for each other. Of course, Jake had no way of knowing what was going to happen between them.

  "Can you give me a warning before you tell Mom and Di?" Isaac asked, suddenly looking somber. "You know, they're going to freak out so hardcore and gush over you two for at least a few months. I want to plan a trip to, basically, anywhere to avoid that."

  Ignoring the fact that Isaac made a very good point indeed, Jake smirked at the younger boy. "Okay. But you don't get a warning when I tell Mom and Patricia that you've gone and got yourself a girlfriend." Jake laughed. "That'll keep them gushing for a few more months."

  Isaac scowled. "You can't do that. It'd take away the limelight from you and Hannah because I'm the baby and all."

  Jake grinned widely. "I know."

  Groaning, Isaac lifted himself off the couch. "I've got to go study for my chemistry test," he announced, frowning. "My nerves need a break from you and your threats."

  "Yeah, and chemistry is a sure way of calming your nerves."

  "It calms me down." Isaac shrugged, looking a little cocky. "It's a smart kid thing. You wouldn't understand."

  Jake made a face while he watched Isaac go into the dining room. He figured that realistically the kid would probably go text or call Avalon; it's what Jake would have done when he had his first girlfriend. Now, though, he couldn't even get a girlfriend—not the one he wanted anyway.

  A look at the clock told Jake that it wasn't yet nine o'clock. It was still early, definitely early enough to go check on Hannah. He wasn't sure why he wanted to, but he thought maybe the brief amount of time that she'd spent upstairs would have cleared her head enough for her to know where they stood. At the very least, Jake could maybe have a cordial conversation with her.

  Hell, he'd settle for sitting
in the same room with her without fighting.

  Once upstairs, Jake lightly tapped on Hannah's door. "It's open," she called after a momentary pause. He opened the door slowly and peered in; he wasn't sure if Hannah considered the door open to him, after all. When Jake's eyes adjusted to the darkness of Hannah's bedroom, he saw that she was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She glanced over at him. "Hey."

  "Hey," Jake returned, going in and closing the door behind him. He felt sort of nervous. Cautiously, Jake sat down on her bed. "Finished your homework?"

  Hannah rolled on her side so that she was facing Jake, so he lied down, facing her as well. "Honestly? Earlier, yeah," she said, giving him a small, sheepish smile. "You're still here?"

  "I was talking to Isaac."

  "Oh."

  Jake studied Hannah, not able to read her expression well at all in the darkness. He could see that her eyes, opened wide, had resumed staring at the ceiling. At that moment, he would have given just about anything to know what she was thinking. But Jake wasn't a mind reader, and he didn't have the gall to ask Hannah what was on her mind.

  Instead, he tried a different approach, commenting lightly, "Isaac's got a girlfriend. Did you know that?"

  "Mmhmm." Hannah's eyes flicked from the ceiling to Jake's face. "I heard she's nice. Tisha and I are going to stalk her soon, just to make sure."

  Pleased by the friendly conversation, Jake smiled. "That's illegal, I think. But I'm impressed."

  "Thanks. I figured you would be."

  Jake's smile widened. If he hadn't acted on impulse and had instead contemplated how awkward things could have been with Hannah, Jake would have felt foolish, since he was decently comfortable. There wasn't much awkwardness at all, despite the tension that had been between them earlier.

  "You do tend to encourage illegal acts."

  Laughing a little, Jake looked at Hannah more than a little bit curiously. "What are you talking about?"

  "Indecent exposure." Hannah raised her eyebrows. "Under the guise of playing hide and go seek. That's pretty illegal, I think."

  "Uh-huh…" Jake grinned. "You seem a little fascinated with that game. Want to confess to any dirty thoughts you've been having about me?"

  "Not particularly."

  Jake shook his head, laughing softer. "That's okay." He flicked Hannah's forearm with his finger gently. "Don't get so bent out of shape. I've already promised to include you in the next round, if there ever is one."

  Making a face, Hannah flicked Jake's shoulder in return. "I want to know which sluts you were playing with. That's pretty intense play…I don't know why that never surfaced in the high school gossip. Were you all drunk or something?"

  "Mm, some probably were." Jake was highly entertained by Hannah's interest in his endeavors. He hadn't expected that interest at all. He sighed slowly, saying, "Really, I don't remember everyone who was involved. Me, Brent, Ethan, Kirk, Anthony, Jason… Mercedes, Molly, Natalia, Stephanie…" He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully. "For some reason, I think Libby was there."

  Hannah snorted. "That doesn't surprise me at all."

  Grinning, Jake elbowed Hannah's side tenderly. "It just makes you more jealous, doesn't it?"

  Laughing, Hannah smacked at Jake's chest. "Shut up. I'm pissed that she didn't tell me about it. That would have been such great dirt on you!"

  "I'm pretty sure she was wasted out of her mind," Jake explained easily, catching Hannah's wrist before she could pull it away from his chest.

  "That doesn't surprise me either," Hannah admitted, seemingly torn between amusement and bitterness. Jake watched Hannah watch their hands together. "She's a skanky drunk. She's skanky sober too though."

  "I'm not going to defend her there."

  Jake's fingers interlocked with Hannah's, and they lied on her bed in silence. It was on the tip of Jake's tongue to ask her what was going on between them, but he was afraid of ruining the cordiality that they had going for them. He'd rather just enjoy the moment he had with her now, rather than pressure her for knowledge about what they were or what they were going to be. Truth be told, Jake suspected that Hannah was still as clueless as he was.

  The moments passed slowly, or so Jake thought, and he was perfectly content listening to Hannah's breathing, her slow inhaling and steady exhaling. It was soothing, comforting, and he reveled in being able to just kick back with her.

  "Jake!"

  Isaac's hiss was quiet, but it managed to pull Jake out of his deep sleep. His eyes opened slowly, and he recognized pressure on his chest, realizing that Hannah was using him as a pillow. Astonishment hit him when the clock informed him that it was nearly three o'clock in the morning.

  "Jake!" Isaac hissed again, this time gripping Jake's shoulder and giving him a firm jerk. Hannah stirred, but Jake's reflexes led him to rub her shoulder soothingly. "You'd better get out of this room! Di's worried about you, and she just called Mom because you didn't answer your phone!"

  That rocked Jake. Of course his mother would have noticed that he wasn't at home when she got in from work, and, of course, she would have called him, though Jake had no idea where he'd left his cell phone—probably at home. He cringed with guilt when he thought about how anxious his mother probably was, especially considering that Jake was never out late on school nights—partially for the reason that he didn't want to worry his mother.

  Though Jake tried to ease away from Hannah gently, she woke up, rubbing her eyes blearily. She looked as perplexed as Jake had felt only seconds ago. "What's wrong?" she murmured, clearly still half asleep.

  In that instant, Ethan's advice to Jake hit him hard. Still acting on impulse, Jake leaned in and kissed Hannah lingeringly. After a moment, he felt her lips react against his passionately. Jake's hand slipped to Hannah's waist as he deepened the kiss.

  "Jake!"

  Isaac's voice was frantic and caused Jake to pull away, much to his displeasure. He rolled off Hannah's bed quickly, already forming an alibi about being with Isaac and falling asleep. There was plenty of motivation that he had for preventing his mother and Patricia of finding out anything about him and Hannah just yet.

  Just before he left Hannah's room in a hurry though, Jake glanced back. Hannah smiled at him, looking like she really meant her smile, and he returned it eagerly. That had to be a good sign.

  Chapter 21

  Flabbergasted Finality

  "That little girl has got ADD worse than anyone else I've ever met before," Tisha remarked to Hannah. "That's a trait I never thought Isaac would like in a girl."

  Hannah's mouth turned up almost into a smile as she and Tisha stalked Avalon Edwards in the Fairfield Commons mall. Tisha was growing annoyed because every time she thought she'd have time to try on clothes before Avalon left a nearby store, Avalon abruptly left the store she was in, and so Hannah and Tisha would have to trek after her. It had already happened four times.

  "What is she even doing here?" Tisha mumbled to herself, craning her neck around to get a better look at Avalon. "What kind of pathetic friends would let her go to the mall all by herself? I almost feel sad for her."

  Hannah glanced at Avalon, who was walking around rather obliviously. She was on the short side with extremely pale blonde hair, cut to frame her small, heart-shaped face. Hannah hadn't gotten a close enough look at Avalon to know her eye color, but, from afar, she could congratulate Isaac on his girlfriend or at least on picking someone cute.

  "I almost feel sad for us." Tisha sighed and took out her cell phone, texting away. "We've been following her around for almost an hour. Have you got enough nerve to approach her yet?"

  It took Hannah a few seconds to realize that Tisha hadn't asked her a question that was rhetorical. She was growing all too used to just spacing out on her own and listening distantly to what was going on around her. "Um, sure."

  Tisha frowned at Hannah openly, studying her somberly. Hannah tried to look perky, but she knew from Tisha's sigh that her act was see-through. "Fine. We'll follow her int
o whatever store she goes into next."

  While getting information on Avalon had seemed like a good thing to do, Hannah's heart wasn't into stalking her. Then again, Hannah's heart hadn't been into much of anything that she'd done over the past few days. For nearly a week, her mind had been somewhere else entirely, thinking about Jake, of course. Almost a week had gone by since that night he'd fallen asleep with her, and she'd barely talked to him at all over all that time.

  At first, Hannah hadn't thought too much about it. There had been a cluster of basketball games all at once, and Hannah had chalked up Jake's absence to his involvement with basketball. She'd also taken into consideration that he was practicing quite a bit, but, when Isaac was at home or with his friends or with Avalon, Hannah knew that Jake had the opportunity to be too. Sometimes on these occasions, Jake's truck would be parked across the street, but usually it wasn't.

  Then there were the times that Hannah did see him. At school, they stayed on their respective sides of the classrooms, ate at their respective tables at lunch, and stayed busied with their respective projects and friends. Even trips to her locker didn't result in Hannah seeing Jake. Putting all of this together made Hannah jump to the conclusion that Jake was avoiding her, but what kind of jerk would do that? Kiss a girl and then ignore her?

  That was cruel.

  If he was playing her hot and cold after all of this… Hannah nearly scowled as she walked behind Tisha in the mall. She definitely scowled when Tisha's feet stopped moving and Hannah collided into her back.

  Tisha spun around easily and took a deep breath. "Okay, I can't pretend everything is all right anymore," she blurted, catching Hannah off guard. "You've been distant for a week now, Hannah. Please tell me you're not mad because me and the other girls believe Jake. I know you were feeling betrayed that we think he's practically in love with you and all, but please don't be mad. None of us have even brought it up since we told you that he likes you, you know? Hold a grudge if you absolutely have to, but I'd really prefer it if you didn't."