Belong to Me

by Laura Howard

  I stuck my fist in my mouth to keep from laughing. He sauntered over to the bed. “Here she is,” he said and held out the phone.

  I grabbed it, shaking my head at him. He just grinned mischievously and headed into the kitchen.

  “Hello?”

  Kelsey blew out a heavy breath. “Hi Kate. Sorry to bother you guys so early, but I just had to sneak a call in to you.”

  “It’s fine,” I said, pushing the hair out of my eyes. “What’s up?”

  “Well,” she began. “I feel really weird coming to you about this, but I’m concerned about Maggie.”

  That caught my attention, and I sat up straighter. “What about her?”

  She sighed again. “Has she mentioned anything to you about that guy, Jared Kingston?”

  I stood and stretched. “Yeah. We were just talking about him the other night, why?”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  If she had been standing in front of me, I would have shaken her. “Why?” I repeated. I rummaged around in my bag and pulled out the pajamas I hadn’t bothered with last night, then got dressed as I juggled with the phone.

  “Well,” she said, dragging the word out. “I don’t know how much you know about him. But I’m going to assume that you know he’s trouble.”

  “I got that impression,” I said, because she was the one who’d given me that impression. I didn’t bother to say he seemed like a nice enough guy to me, just a little depressed.

  “Okay, good. So, a few days ago we saw him at the cemetery. Which was weird, but whatever.”

  “Mmmhmm,” I said when she paused for dramatic effect.

  “He was hanging out there with the other kid from the accident. Alec?” she said it like a question, and I wasn’t sure if I should answer her.

  “Mmmhmm.”

  “They’d been drinking, which…whatever. But Maggie was upset. Maybe she told you that?”

  “Mmmhmm.”

  “Okay, so Jared starts talking to Maggie. I knew he was upsetting her, and I could hardly even stand to look at him. Ugh. I just wanted her to leave with me. I kept trying to get her back in the car, you know?”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m assuming you know about the time they hooked up last month, right?” she said.

  I froze in the doorway. I hadn’t thought she had anything new to tell me, and I certainly hadn’t expected to hear this.

  “Maggie and Jared?” I asked, a feeling of panic rising in my chest.

  “Oh, shoot,” she said, clucking her tongue. “I figured you’d know. But whatever, it doesn’t matter. My point is, I know she doesn’t want anything to do with him. I mean, seriously? Who does this guy think he is—Tim Riggins? Come on. Get over yourself, dude.”

  I was getting agitated as I waited for her to get to the point. Had something happened to my little sister?

  “Anyway. So, he starts telling her about how much he wants to stop drinking. She got, like, seriously annoyed with him. It was almost scary, since Maggie is, well Maggie, right?”

  I huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, she’s Maggie, all right.”

  “So, I went to the lake with Maggie and your parents this weekend. She was acting sort of funny, but I figured she was a little off because of what happened with your mom the other day, no problem.”

  Another pause.

  “But then she got a text, and I saw the words, ‘I’ll be there.’ When I asked her about it, she got all quiet on me. I had this hunch it had something to do with Jared. Call me crazy, but I think something is going on there…and it’s not good.”

  Kelsey’s theatrics aside, I was curious about what—if anything—was going on between Jared and Maggie. Still, Kelsey didn’t need to know that. There was no need for her to be any more involved with my family than she already was.

  “Okay. I’m sure it’s no big deal, Kelsey, but I’ll talk to her.”

  “I knew I could count on you, Kate,” she said. The way she said it made me bristle. As though I was doing her a favor by checking on my own sister.

  “Of course,” I said, staring at a little chip in the paint on the bedroom door. I could feel Noah watching me from the kitchen. “Let me know if you hear anything else.”

  I hung up and tossed the phone on the bureau. When I made my way into the kitchen, Noah was sitting at the little table reading the newspaper. He’d poured a coffee for me and left it in front of the empty chair beside his. I sat down with a sigh and took a long sip.

  He folded the paper and put it on the table. “What did Kelsey have to say?”

  Rubbing a kink in my neck, I blew out a breath. “Kelsey is worried about my sister,” I said. Without meeting his eyes, I took another drink of my coffee.

  He choked on his laugh. “And that bothers you. Am I right?”

  I shot him a look. “Yes, that bothers me. I’d like to tell her to stay out of my family’s business.”

  Suppressing a grin, he reached over and grabbed my hand “So, what has her so concerned for Maggie?”

  I pressed my lips together. “I don’t know. I guess Kelsey thinks Jared sent Maggie a text. Which is weird, but I don’t get why she thinks it’s her problem.”

  Noah nodded, rubbing his chin. “I thought Maggie hated Jared?”

  I shrugged. “I guess Kelsey knows more than I do. It sounds like they have some kind of plans to get together.”

  “Why don’t you give your sister a call? Maybe ask her to have lunch with you? You can take my car.”

  I picked up my cup. “Yeah, that might be a good idea.” As I sipped my coffee, I tried to imagine what was actually going on between Maggie and Jared. From what she’d told me, she hated him with a passion. But was that because of Jack’s accident or because of some hook-up?

  “I have a ton of studying I need to do. I’ve been slacking, but with finals starting Tuesday, I need to get busy.”

  I put my coffee down and raised an eyebrow at him. “You trying to get rid of me?”

  He put his hands up. “Not at all. I just don’t want you to think you have to hang out with me all day. I’ll be pretty boring.”

  I stood and stretched my arms over my head and Noah leaned over and tugged me into his embrace. I looked down into his warm hazel eyes and smiled. He brushed his fingertips across my cheek and took a deep breath.

  “There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about,” he said.

  I frowned. “What is it?”

  “Graduation is coming. I know it’s probably not something you want to do, but I promised my mom I’d invite you.”

  I tilted my head to the side, searching his eyes. “Noah,” I said. “Of course I’m coming to your graduation. I’m stunned you thought you had to ask.”

  “Yeah, well...I figured it might be too hard for you. I don’t want to put you through any more pain. You have enough to deal with.”

  I pulled him up until he was standing beside me. “Yes, I’ll go to your graduation,” I said. I kissed him softly, hoping to show him how much he meant to me.

  Noah sighed and closed his eyes. “Okay,” he said.

  I pulled back and gave him a little shove. “Now, you better get studying, or there won’t be a graduation.”

  He chuckled and sat back down at the table. “I don’t think that will be an issue,” he said, “if only because I’m terrified of you.”

  I went back to the bedroom to get my phone. I pulled up Maggie’s number, but stared at it for a minute before pressing send. What if she wouldn’t have lunch with me?

  Maggie answered in a whisper. “Hi, Kate.”

  “Why are you whispering?” I asked.

  “We’re just leaving church,” she said, still speaking softly. I could hear voices and laughter in the background.

  “Did you come back from the lake last night?”

  “Nope, we got back this morning. Kelsey left last night, though.” I heard the sound of a car door opening.

  “I’m coming home in a little bit. Want to do lunch today?” I as
ked.

  “Yeah,” she said. “That sounds cool.”

  “Great. I’ll be there in about an hour,” I said.

  I took a quick shower and threw on a pair of old jeans and a Welcome Back Kotter T-shirt I’d left in the dresser. When I walked out into the living room, Noah was on his phone. I grabbed some water from the fridge and sat at the kitchen table to wait for him to finish.

  “My parents are flying in next week,” he said, dropping down next to me.

  “Oh, good,” I said. Noah’s parents were very affectionate and doted on Noah and his younger sister. “What about Steph?”

  “She’s coming, too.” He laughed. “I could hardly keep her away.”

  Stephanie was seventeen and probably the quirkiest person I knew. She was a little ball of energy—always hyper and always happy. Which was probably why I liked her so much—she was the total opposite of me.

  “I can’t believe you thought I wouldn’t come to your graduation, especially if your sister will be there,” I said shaking my head.

  He smirked at me. “Is that the only reason?”

  I shrugged. I used to tease him all the time that I was only with him for his family. Although, arguably, he’d spent more time with mine growing up than I had with his.

  “Speaking of sisters,” I said, getting up. “I’m heading over to see mine.”

  Noah gave me a weak grin. “Good luck.”

  I kissed him goodbye and drove across town to my parents’ house. When I walked inside, I could hear my father banging around in the cellar. The television in my parents’ bedroom was on, so I poked my head inside. I gaped when I saw my mother ironing.

  “Don’t look so surprised, Kate. I have to go back to work eventually,” she said, watching me with her lips pressed together.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” I asked. She worked as the Director of Finance at Saint Mary’s, the college where both Maggie and I were enrolled.

  “Well,” she said, returning her focus back on the blouse in front of her. “It’s either that, or I sit at home all day watching daytime television.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Then it’s a good thing.”

  “I think so,” she said. I backed out of the room, still surprised, but hopeful this would be a step in the right direction for my mother. Maybe her visit to the hospital last weekend had been exactly what she’d needed to start moving forward.

  I went into the living room, expecting to find Maggie watching television in there. The room was empty, so I called up the stairs. Her reply came from the basement.

  I jogged down the stairs to find my father and sister standing over Maggie’s bike. He was laughing at something she’d just said. I cleared my throat and they turned to look at me.

  “Ah, Kate’s here,” my father said, smiling.

  My eyes widened in surprise and I licked my lips. “Hey guys,” I said. “What’s wrong with your bike, Mags?”

  Maggie wiped her hands on a cloth. “Nothing. Dad was just oiling the chain.”

  I smiled, looking back and forth between the two. Maggie was definitely a Daddy’s girl. Jack and I might have inherited his blond hair and blue eyes, but if anyone could help my father get through this difficult time it was my sister.

  “What’s for lunch?” my father asked over his shoulder as he washed his hands in the utility sink on the other side of the basement.

  “I thought we’d go to Cafe Aere,” I said, glancing at Maggie for her reaction.

  She shrugged and tossed the soiled cloth into a bag by my father’s workbench. “Works for me.”

  My father nodded as he came to my side and slipped something into my hand. I opened my fist to find a fifty-dollar bill.

  “My treat,” he said and before I could even thank him, he trotted up the stairs.

  I held up the money in my fingers and waved it at Maggie. “I guess Dad’s paying. Now we can order whatever we want.”

  She laughed, but she wasn’t looking at me. She pulled her phone out and tapped it a few times before sighing and shoving it back into her pocket.

  “I have Noah’s car,” I said. “Are you all set to go?”

  “Yup,” she said finally meeting my eyes. “All set.”

  As we drove, we chatted about finals and when her last day of school would be. Something about Maggie was off. She answered my questions with short, clipped replies, not typical of her breezy personality. And her posture suggested stress—her arms were crossed, her fingers clenched tightly over her elbows.

  When we got to the cafe, I followed her inside. Cafe Aere was a trendy little hot spot on the edge of campus. I had expected Maggie to turn her nose up when I mentioned it. She typically avoided places like this, but I loved it. They had local artists’ work on display, and when Noah and I were in high school, we used to come here for the poetry slams and the sophisticated coffee. I’d eventually realized how pretentious the whole establishment was, but at sixteen it had felt like the height of culture.

  As we walked in, I breathed in the delicious aroma of artisan-roasted beans. The sleek blue and yellow tiled walls were covered in paintings and sketches of various skill levels.

  I sat beside Maggie at a counter against the window, the only space available.

  “This place is kind of creepy,” Maggie said with a dry laugh.

  I raised one brow. “Creepy?”

  “Well, yeah,” she said quietly, looking up at the menu on the wall. “I feel like I need to be wearing a nose ring and a slouch hat just to walk through the door.”

  I chuckled. Maggie was the embodiment of the All-American girl next door. She didn’t try to be stylish or trendy like the people here did, but she was comfortable in her own skin.

  “At least the food looks good,” she said as she scanned the menu. “I really like paninis.”

  My lips twisted up. “I’m relieved this wasn’t a total fail.”

  She blinked. “I didn’t mean anything bad,” she said, her embarrassed expression making me grin.

  “It’s totally fine,” I said with a laugh. “I know this isn’t your kind of place. But the coffee here is really good.”

  “You picked a place to eat based on the coffee?”

  I shrugged, looking at the menu. “I like the good stuff.”

  A ding sounded from her phone and she yanked it out of her pocket. I watched as she scanned the message. My expression must have conveyed my thoughts because she was blushing when she glanced up at me.

  I waited for her to tell me who it was. Normally she’d say who’d texted her and leave it at that. But this was different. Her eyes shifted, looking anywhere but into mine. She was hiding something. I was willing to bet that something was Jared.

  “Who was that?” I asked, keeping my voice light.

  She drew her lower lip across her teeth and looked at the table. “It was Jared,” she said, still not looking up.

  “Maggie…” I began, but she cut me off.

  “It’s not a big deal, okay?” she said, her voice thick with apprehension.

  I held my hands up. “I didn’t even say anything.”

  She exhaled, her shoulders relaxing. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

  I tilted my head to the side. “Why are you being so jumpy?”

  “Let’s go order our food and I’ll tell you after.”

  We went to the counter and ordered. I didn’t even have to look at the menu, I always got the Colombian Monserrate and the Asiago Turkey sandwich. Maggie twisted her lips—she was having trouble deciding between ham and chicken.

  “Jack loved the Chipotle Chicken sandwich,” I said as I walked over to grab napkins.

  “Okay,” she said. “That sounds good.”

  We got our food and brought it back to our space. I waved my hand at her, letting her know I hadn’t forgotten our previous conversation.

  “If you’re going to lecture me for talking to Jared, don’t bother,” she said in a rush, pausing to take a sip of her lemonade.

/>   My mouth dropped open. “Mags, I’m not going to lecture you.”

  She shook her head and sucked in an unsteady breath. “I guess I’m being paranoid.”

  I thought about that for a second. It seemed likely Kelsey was the one who’d made her this uptight. I gritted my teeth. “Believe it or not, I don’t have a problem with Jared.”

  She sighed and rubbed a hand across her cheek. “Really?”

  I looked at her. “Yes, really. He seems okay to me. I don’t blame him for what happened to Jack. He didn’t force him to get behind the wheel that night.”

  She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. When she finally looked at me, her eyes were shiny with held back tears. “Well, I do. I do blame him. He wants me to forgive him. But...I don’t know if I can.”

  I frowned. The pain in her eyes was palpable. “Look, I might not blame him, but I understand what you’re saying. ”

  “Honestly?”

  “Of course. Some days, I’m mad at Noah for letting Jack hang out with those guys. There are plenty of times I’m mad at myself. Maybe if I hadn’t been in London, Jack would still be alive today.”

  “Hmm,” she said, pulling a chunk of bread from her sandwich. “I told Jared that if he got help for his drinking, maybe I’d be able to forgive him.”

  “Oh, wow,” I said, surprised. “How did that go over?”

  “Well, he went to an AA meeting on Thursday,” she said, clasping her hands in front of her sandwich. “I actually met him there.”

  I huffed out a surprised laugh. “Wow,” I said again. That explained the text.

  “Kelsey really doesn’t like him,” she said, looking at me. “She doesn’t know I went to that meeting. She would totally freak out if she knew.”

  I pursed my lips and slapped my hand on the counter. “Who cares what Kelsey thinks?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t even know what I think half the time.”

  “Listen, Mags,” I said, trying to get her to look at me. “Kelsey told me something happened between you and Jared.”