“If you’re lucky that’s all she’ll do.” Lola pointed to her healing chin.
“I still can’t believe she did that.”
“Indirectly.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Yeah. She’ll probably indirectly run me over with her car or something.”
They laughed again.
Rachel glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “I should get going. I promised my little sister I’d watch a movie with her tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hopped down from the tall bed and gave Lola a smile.
Lola smiled, drawing her friend into a hug. “Thank you.”
Rachel hugged her, pulling back to ask, “For what?”
“For making me laugh, for talking about happy things instead of letting me wallow in sad ones.”
“Don’t you know by now, Lola? That’s what friends are for.”
Once she was gone, Lola sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes on the recently hung drawing across the room. Looking at it made her warm and happy; put a smile on her face.
Everything was looking up. Lola didn’t want to jinx anything by thinking things would stay that way.
She closed her eyes, thoughts stuck on Jack. She had to see him.
***
Lola couldn’t believe she’d let her take the car. Throughout the course of every day she was stupefied any number of times by the way Blair treated her. Or didn’t.
The smallest acts of kindness felt like pampering to Lola and were enough to bring tears to her eyes. And every time Blair didn’t yell at her or hit her for something Bob would have, she felt a little lighter, a little more human.
There was still fear, there was still anxiety. Lola wondered if that would ever entirely go away. She slept with the light on in her room, the door opened. Lola had nightmares every night. She didn’t like to be alone in the house and Blair accommodated as best she could.
Lola knew she might not be able to fully trust a human being again, but she also knew if she could, it would be Jack.
She turned the car off and hit the button to roll up the windows. It was dusk, a grayish pink cast to the trees and grass. The rock was larger than life, the person lounging on top of it even more so.
Her pulse tripped just looking at him. Jack was on his back, head propped on arms. Lola got out of the car, staring at his profile as she walked toward him, taking in the straightness of his nose, the way his hair hung in his face. A green shirt, jeans, and boots made up his outfit. The air was humid, hot, and mixed with Lola’s emotions, made it hard to breathe.
“Hi,” she greeted quietly, putting a hand on the cool jagged stone.
Jack didn’t look at her, didn’t move. “Hi.”
Not exactly the acknowledgement she’d expected. “Where were you today?”
“What do you care?” Jack sat up, his face blank as he turned toward her.
Lola couldn’t believe the way he was acting, like she was bothering him.
“I was worried. I—“
“Don’t be.”
Sharp pain went through Lola. She took a step back, stumbled over a broken tree branch. “What’s going on, Jack? What happened? Is it your father?”
He jumped to his feet, body stiff as he looked at her. Jack’s expression was closed, his eyes cold. “I said not to worry about me. Now run along to your new life, with your old friends. I want to be alone.”
She hated that tears pricked her eyes, made a ragged path down her cheeks. “Jack. Please,” Lola beseeched in a barely audible voice. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to push the hurt away.
Jack turned from her. “Look. I get it. You’re okay now. You have your aunt and your friends. Sebastian. Just go, Lola.”
“I don’t…understand,” Lola sobbed, her heart breaking.
He whirled around, eyes flashing. “I helped you through a hard time. You’re better now. You don’t owe me anything. You don’t need to feel obligated to me or like you need to seek me out.”
Lola reached for him; he brushed her off. “Jack.”
“I saw you, Lola.” A muscle ticked in his jaw as he glared down at her. “I saw you and Sebastian. I went to your aunt’s house after school and I saw you and Sebastian on the porch.”
Lola frowned, uncomprehending. Then she remembered the hug and kiss. How could she explain to Jack it hadn’t been anything he should worry about?
“And maybe it wouldn’t bother me so much, if I knew. But I don’t. I don’t know what‘s going on with us. I don’t know what I am to you. And it’s killing me.” Jack’s voice was stark with pain. She never wanted to hurt him; never wanted to cause him pain.
“It didn’t mean anything,” Lola said in a voice that wavered. “We’re just friends, Jack.”