by Elena Lawson
Jared’s brows lowered. “You aren’t homeless, Allie. You chose to live in that blind.”
“How would you know?”
“It was a guess. You just confirmed it.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
Jared tossed two pieces of toast on one plate, and the other two on another and passed me one. “Eat fast or we’ll be late.”
Right. I still had to go to school. Though, on the bright side, at least I had a ride.
My blood chilled as I took the proffered plate from Jared. I couldn’t show up to school in Jared freaking Stone’s Jeep. I’d never hear the end of it from Viv and Layla. I’d be the target of every glare—the butt of every joke.
I could already hear the senior’s snide remarks in my head. Their disbelieving expressions as they rationalized to themselves why someone like me would be with someone like Jared. And Devin. Fuck…if Devin saw me with Jared again…I shuddered to think what he might do.
Seemingly unperturbed, Jared took a seat at the table and opened up a jar of raspberry jam. He cocked his head at me when I didn’t move to sit down. “What? You don’t like jam? There’s peanut butter too if you want.”
Unbelievable.
Thank god by the time we pulled up to Forest Grove, the parking lot was all but empty, everyone rushing to make it inside for the bell that would ring in two minutes. I managed to put distance between Jared and I and make it into first period class before I would be marked late.
The teacher for Forest Grove’s culinary arts class was super laid back, though. I doubted he would have marked me late, especially given I’d had to limp into the classroom. My ankle felt about a million times better, but the hike from the cabin to the lot where Jared’s Jeep was parked had made it start to ache again. I’d need to ice it really good tonight if I planned to be walking that distance daily to get into town.
My skin bristled. Would I really stay with Jared and Clay that long? Jared was insistent that I didn’t need to go anywhere. That I could stay as long as I needed until I was able to find a place of my own. But, how long would that take? And what happened if one of them lost control around me? What if I went insane from all the questions wreaking havoc in my head?
I watched the teacher pace in front of the chalkboard but didn’t hear him. I always hated this part of the day’s lesson. We always spent the first twenty minutes of class learning theory before he allowed us into the adjoining kitchen to start cooking.
Quinn slid into the seat next to me quietly, not saying a word. I blinked, pulling my head out of the storm clouds and back down to earth.
“Hey, Quinn,” I said, turning in my seat to face him as I resumed taking down notes about proper cooling methods. But my hand froze before I could write a single word.
Even though he had his head bent, and the dark flop of brown hair covered most of his face, I could see the purplish-blue hue of an angry bruise on his jawline, and what looked to be a swollen eye.
“Shit Quinn,” I whispered, careful to keep my voice low. I didn’t want to draw attention I could tell Quinn clearly didn’t want. “What the hell happened?”
His jaw twitched.
“Quinn?”
My heart started to pound. A clammy sweat coated my palms.
He wouldn’t have…
“Why don’t you ask your boyfriend,” he said, finally turning to me. My stomach heaved as I took in his pummeled face. I didn’t miss how his eyebrow ring was missing, the line of dried blood telling me how Devin had ripped it from his head without Quinn needing to say anything.
What. The. Fuck.
I didn’t want to believe it.
My mind rebelled. Hands clenching into fists in my lap.
I thought I knew him.
I thought he was good.
How could I have been so wrong?
“I—I’m so sorry, I didn’t know that—”
“Save it, Allie.”
Tears pricked in my eyes and I spent the rest of class going over what I would say to Devin in my head when I saw him in the hall today. Messing with me was one thing, but this was Quinn. Fun-loving, not-a-care-in-the-world Quinn. My cooking partner for this class who now couldn’t even look at me, let alone smile or crack jokes like he usually did.
I was still fantasizing about hunting him down with my damned bow and putting a couple arrows in places that would hurt, but wouldn’t kill him, when I ran into Viv in the hallway.
“There you are,” she said accusingly, pulling me out of the surge of students and into an alcove between lockers. Her short honey blonde hair made her look more severe than her slight features would otherwise allow. Her brown eyes took me in appraisingly. “I texted you last night, did you get it?”
“I fell asleep super early,” I told her. “I was exhausted. Sorry, Viv.”
She squinted at me. “Oh yeah?” she asked. “And I suppose you have an equally lame excuse for why you’re limping?”
I shrugged. “Missed the last step on the bus and fell on my face,” I lied, rolling up my sleeves to show her all the scrapes there as further evidence.
Viv tapped her finger to her chin. “You’re lying.”
Why did she always have to know when I was lying? Was it that easy to tell? “I’m not,” I insisted, my spine straightening as the throng of students in the hallway began to thin out. If we didn’t hurry, we weren’t going to make it to the next class on time.
Viv didn’t budge.
On first meeting her, you’d think Viv was overbearing—and that’s because she was. You might also think she was kind of a bitch—which she also was. And I suspected those two things were the main reasons why she didn’t have many friends. But once you got over her filterless ranting, her overbearing nature, the third-degree questions and need to know everything that’s going on, she was the nicest, most loyal friend I thought I would ever have.
“I’ll explain later?” I offered, not really intending to explain anything at all—just hoping to put her off the scent for a while until I could figure out how exactly to explain.
I side-stepped her and rushed in the opposite direction.
“Hey!” she called after me. “See you for lunch?”
“You know it!” I called back, rushing around the corner to my locker before the second bell rang and I was late for AP History. Mr. Brown didn’t just mark you late for that class—he made you stay behind a minute for every minute you were late—effectively making you late for your next class, too.
I already had a voicemail from Uncle Tim I was dutifully ignoring for now. The school still called them when I missed classes and he was probably wondering why I didn’t go yesterday. I didn’t want them getting another call today saying I was late. I didn’t want to give them any reason to suspect anything at all.
They hadn’t bothered to contact Viv or her parents at all so far to make sure I was actually staying there—and I didn’t think they ever would so long as I stayed in line and didn’t cause them any hassle.
I just had to last until the guy above the bookshop moved out and then I was home free. Even if they found out about the lie anytime after I turned eighteen, it wouldn’t matter. There wouldn’t be anything they could do about it then.
I managed to make it to lunch without much incident. I crossed paths with Jared in the hallway once and kept my head down. I kept expecting to run into Devin, but I never did, not even between third period and lunch, when I always saw him at his locker. He must not have come today.
On my way to lunch, I took out my cell phone and jammed the screen until I had his text conversation pulled up. Ignoring the zillion messages from him, I typed out one of my own.
Allie: What the fuck is wrong with you? Quinn didn’t do anything to deserve that.
My cell phone buzzed with his reply almost immediately and I pulled it angrily back out of my pocket. It slipped from my trembling fingers and skidded onto the floor between the lines of moving bodies on their way to lunch. I sucked in a breath and darted between
people to grab it, but someone else was faster.
A tan hand closed around the cell and I looked up to find Jared watching me with a worried furrow in his brow. I snatched the phone from him, my gaze shifting to make sure no one was watching us.
“Thanks,” I chirped, trying to shoulder past him.
He stopped me with a hand lightly on my shoulder and whispered my name. I shivered. “Are you avoiding me on purpose?” He asked the question so quietly; I was hopeful that no one heard. But if I didn’t keep moving someone would notice us talking and I didn’t want the drama that would surely come with being publicly involved with Jared Stone. Already, I heard Amanda Schmidt whisper under her breath to Stella Baker, her eyes sliding over me with a question in them.
“I need to go meet my friends,” I rushed to say, unable to look him in the eye.
“I was hoping you’d have lunch with me.”
My eyes widened and I snapped my head up to see that he looked dead serious.
“What?”
He cocked his head. “I said I was hoping you’d have lu—”
“No, I heard you,” I whispered, tucking my phone away. “But I told Viv and Layla I’d eat with them. See you later, kay?”
I rushed off before he could reply, weaving through the front atrium and up the stairs into the cafeteria. I sighed as I entered, finding Viv and Layla at our usual spot in the far-left corner, just next to the small raised stage that didn’t make any sense to have in a cafeteria. It was literally never used, but it made our spot a little more private than the rest of the wide-open space.
“Did you really come to school this morning with Jared?” Layla asked the second I sat down.
Couldn’t anyone keep shit to themselves in this fucking town? I groaned and let my head fall to smack against the table.
“Guess that means it’s true,” Viv teased, knocking her shoulder into mine. “Spill. Now.”
“It’s nothing alright,” I muttered without lifting my head. “I missed the bus connection and he saw me walking.”
“And he offered you a ride?” Layla asked, her voice giving away her shock.
I lifted my head, trying my best to keep my expression neutral. “I was as shocked as you are. But I would’ve been late if I hadn’t accepted the ride.”
It sucked having to lie to them. Each time I did, I felt the hollow pit in the bottom of my stomach yawn open a little more. Sucking a little bit more of my soul down into the dark. Soon, I wouldn’t have to lie I told myself.
Soon.
Viv studied me and I hoped to hell I was passing whatever weird lie-detector thing she had going on. After a minute, she gave a one-shoulder shrug and went back to her mac ‘n cheese. Layla, however, spun in her chair and watched as Jared walked into the cafeteria. I watched him, too, unable to help myself.
When our eyes met, I hurriedly turned back to the table and stole the clementine off Viv’s tray and began peeling it.
“There’s something off about him,” Layla mused as she brushed her long jet-black hair from her face and spun around. “I don’t know what it is. But I get a weird vibe from that guy. Like he’s radioactive or something.”
I barely managed to keep my composure at her comment. She had no idea.
“So, about Thompson’s party…” Vivian said, speaking around half a mouthful of cheesy noodles.
And just like that, I got away with another lie.
Walking to the bus stop after I locked up the shop for the night felt familiar, and if it wasn’t for the feeling of unease skating over the back of my neck like a warmth breath, I would have been skipping.
I couldn’t help but keep glancing over my shoulder, afraid to find a wolf’s glowing eyes or Devin following me.
I’d hauled ass to the bookshop after the final bell. Declining the ride offer from Jared. I told him I’d meet him where he usually parked his Jeep. There was a bus stop near there and I needed to replace Maggie’s umbrella, anyway.
After a quick stop at the ATM to get Jared some cash for my new kicks, and another stop at the pharmacy to pick up a plain black umbrella, I had to sprint to the bus stop—which proved to be harder than anticipated with my ankle still causing me a stupid amount of grief.
I pounded on the glass of the door a split second after Maggie closed it.
“Miss Allie, you done gave me a heart attack,” she exclaimed, her warm brown eyes widening at the sight of me as she opened the door again. “Where’ve you been, child?”
Out of breath from the run and weighted down with the tattered old textbooks I’d been given to temporarily replace the ones I irresponsibly misplaced, I stepped up the two steps and onto the bus. “Hey, Mags.”
She eyed the umbrella in my hand, her gaze zeroing in on the price tag. Then her eyes trailed to my scraped-up hands, and down to my foot. “You got caught in that storm, didn’t you?”
I handed her the umbrella and swiped my bus pass in the reader.
There wasn’t really any point in lying to Mags at this point. She may not have known that I lived alone in the woods, but she knew I walked into them every evening when she dropped me off.
“Yeah. Slipped in the mud and twisted my ankle really bad.” It was only a half lie.
She pursed her lips, taking the proffered umbrella. “And just what happened to my umbrella?”
“It—uh…it broke.”
“Mmmmmmmhmm” said Mags, releasing the airbrake as she pulled away from the stop and onto main street. “Sit down, Miss Allie. I got a route to get to.”
I did as she said, sitting where I usually did just behind where the blue seats reserved for commuters traveling with children or seniors. Neither rode the bus at this hour—in fact, I usually rode entirely alone—but I felt strange taking up one of those seats anyway. “You didn’t have to go and buy a new one, you know,” Mags said after a few more minutes.
I saw her watching me from the rearview. “It was yours. Of course, I did.”
Mags kept glancing up at me in the mirror for the rest of the ride, as though trying to figure out if she should say something. I beat her to it. “I’m getting off at Carpenter Creek today instead of my usual.”
“Alright,” she said after a pause, and I could tell she was wondering why and knowing it wasn’t her place to ask.
Maggie made the stop and opened the door, I paused as I walked by her. “I don’t know if I’ll be on the bus much anymore for a while,” I told her, watching her graying brows furrow. “I found a better place to stay.”
Her shouldered visibly sagged. “Thank the lord for that,” she said with a laugh. “Child, I was about this close to taking you home with me.” She pinched her fingers together with about an inch of space between them to illustrate her point.
I cocked my head at her, a chill gripping my chest.
“A girl your age shouldn’t be out there in those woods all alone. I know it’s none of my business, but it ain’t right.”
I snorted. I should’ve figured she would know. There wasn’t anything around my usual stop for miles except for a car-pool lot and she knew damn well I didn’t drive.
“Thank you,” I told her earnestly. “For not telling anyone…and well…for everything else.”
“You’re welcome. Take care now, hear?”
I nodded. “I will.”
It didn’t take long for me to find Jared leaning against his Jeep in the space he usually parked in at the mouth of the hiking trail. “There you are,” he said as I approached. “I was just about to go look for you.”
My ankle had started to hurt again from the walk, and I winced as I made my way over to Jared. I was still feeling a little awkward after turning down his offer to have lunch today and could barely look at him. Which made what I was about to suggest a lot harder. “I guess we should exchange numbers,” I said sheepishly. “I mean, if I’m going to be staying with you for a little while, anyway.”
I didn’t miss his slight grin. “Yeah,” he said, tugging a slim black phone from hi
s back pocket. “Good idea. What’s yours?”
I told him my number, my gaze flitting toward his face as it was bent over the glowing light of the cell, punching in the numbers as I said them. “There,” he said after he was finished, raising his head with a smile. “I just texted you.”
I felt my bag vibrate. “Great,” I said, adjusting my pack. There was one more thing I needed to ask him, and the chill of the evening gave me the courage to do it. “Do you think you could give me a ride to the edge of town?”
His brows furrowed.
“To my aunt and uncle’s storage unit. I—I need to grab my jacket and winter stuff…and whatever is left of my clothes.”
“Oh. Yeah. Of course. Do you want to go right now?”
“If that’s okay?”
Jared nodded and nudged his head toward the Jeep. “Hop in.”
On the way to the unit, I returned my uncle’s phone call. It was awkward as fuck with Jared in the car, but I didn’t foresee another time to call, and if I didn’t return his call soon, he might try to call Viv or her mom. I couldn’t have that.
Jared shifted in his seat as I lied to my uncle, telling him that I wasn’t at school the day before because I came down with a bad cold and that I was completely fine now and not to worry about it. Placated, Uncle Tim told me they were going to try to come home for Christmas in two months, but that the plan wasn’t concrete yet. I gulped. I didn’t really care to see them for Christmas, or anytime really.
I didn’t even feel like I wanted to celebrate Christmas this year. Besides, I knew Uncle Tim was just saying that to give me false hope. If my aunt wanted to stay in Florida—which I knew she did—he would stay too.
“Is this it?” Jared asked about an hour later, after I’d finished gathering up the last vestiges of my belongings from the packed storage unit. His eyebrow was raised as he glanced down at the small box in his arms. He was kind enough to offer to carry it back to the Jeep for me after I nearly dropped it with all my limping.
I dropped my gaze and brushed my hair from my face. “Yeah,” I told him, looking around at the vacuum-sealed Hermes pillows, and the Tiffany lamps. The dusted jade Ethan Allen sofa set, and glittering gold coffee and end table set. Not to mention the bagged-up winter parkas and boots that were worth more than everything I owned in all the world. I mean, who the fuck needed a nine-hundred-dollar jacket, anyway?