Sick with all that had happened in recent days, Lola fell to a bench and let it hold her up.
What Roxanne had said were lies. Regardless of whether it was true or not; it still hurt. And telling her to stay away from Sebastian when he’d barely spoken to her in a year? That wouldn’t be hard to do.
Lola’s life was such a mess. She felt so helpless, like everyone else controlled her with their actions and words.
I wonder what would happen if I wasn’t here anymore?
The forbidden thought scared her. That she would think such a thing and that Lola wondered if it really mattered if she was around or not.
***
It was dark by the time she got home. She could see her breath in the chilly air. Lola timed it so that it was around the time she usually got home from work. She’d even worn her work clothes so there was no suspicion. Lola supposed if Bob had decided to check up on her at work it wouldn’t have mattered what she was wearing when she got home.
Before she made it to the front door she heard him. Something smashed against a wall. Bob swore. Lana softly cried. Lola’s pulse raced. She couldn’t go in there. Anytime he was mad, it was somehow her fault.
Lola quietly backed away from the door, eyes trained on it. He never hit her mother, though his words were often cruel. She should be okay and would be leaving for work soon. Then it would be just the two of them. Lola wordlessly shook her head. No.
She stumbled over a tree root and caught herself. Lola turned and stared at Sebastian’s house. Lights shone through the windows and the television was on in the living room. The house and those within it beckoned to her.
Lola ducked her head and hurried down the street. It would be worse for her to show up later, but maybe Bob would be passed out, and whatever he would do would have to wait until the next day. One less day of abuse to endure.
She knew her rationalizing didn’t make sense, but right now, to her, it did. Daytime monsters weren’t as scary as nighttime ones, no matter what he did to her.
A car drove by. For one terrifying second Lola thought it was Bob coming to get her, but it passed without slowing. She exhaled deeply and went down an alley, deciding to stay off the main streets. Her light jacket wasn’t doing much against the cold and Lola shivered.
When a cat yowled she jumped. Lola’s eye scanned the dark, searching for a possible unknown predator. She kept walking until she was near a wooded area on the outskirts of town. Lola stopped. A forest of trees surrounded her, looking ominous in the dark, but somehow familiar too.
Had she been there before? She didn’t think so.
A limb cracked under her shoes as she made her way to a rock slab big enough to sit on. Or hide under. It sat high and jutted out, like an upside down L.
Shadows moved and Lola squeaked.
“Wondered how long it would take you to show up again.” The voice came from the far side of the rock, low and mocking.
“Who’s there?” Lola demanded, heart pounding.
She had the insane thought Bob had somehow gotten there before her and lay in wait for her. Impossible, but fear was rarely logical.
The shadow moved and a form jumped to the ground. It lengthened, shaped into a young man. He was clothed in black, making it difficult to see him in the night. Lola thought maybe that was the point.
He smoothed long bangs back from his forehead and strode toward her. His green eyes caught her attention first, then his lowered eyebrows. “Well, I’m not your knight in shining armor. I’ll leave that title to Sebastian Jones.”
His words confused her, along with the way he said them. What did he mean by that?
“What are you doing here?”
Jack leaned against a tree and crossed his arms. “I could ask you the same thing. I’m always here. This is where I come when I can’t handle life.”
He craned his head back and looked at the sky. His lips curved sardonically and he glanced at her. “Which is why I’m here just about every night.”
His unshielded honesty tugged at her. Lola could relate to that. She took a step closer.
“Why are you in trouble all the time?”
Lola stopped beside him and looked at the twinkling stars. He smelled like leather and laundry detergent, the cologne from earlier now faded.
“Why were you in detention today?”
Lola was unnerved to find his gaze locked on her. She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and looked away. “Mr. Welsh was picking on me.”
“He picks on everyone. Why take it personally?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. It did seem silly now. She’d just been so fed up, so angry.
“I’m in detention all the time because I don’t want to go home. Can’t go home if I have detention, right?”