Stay(106)

“Is there something going on between you two?” Lily asked, joining me at the card table.

My heart stopped beating. A hot rush of blood turned my cheeks right. “No.”

She pressed her lips together and opened a little carton of milk. “I know he likes you. He looks at you all googly-eyed.”

“I’ve never noticed,” I muttered.

“Sure,” she said and rolled her eyes. “Addie, it doesn’t matter to me. He’s, like, kind of a lost cause, but Jackson’s okay in my book. He’s kinda cute, and I think he’s nice … maybe. He doesn’t talk much. It’s just that …” she lowered her voice, blue eyes flashing to Rochelle. “We all know Jackson has feelings for you. You say you don’t see it but it’s so obvious. Hello? Remember Christmas?” She shook her head. “Zane wanted us to tell him if we noticed anything on your end, since no one knows how you feel. If he knows you like Jackson back, he won’t let you guys be together. Like ever. I won’t say anything of course but …”

“Thank you,” I told her. “But there’s nothing going on. Like you said, he’s nice but never talks to us. I don’t know him, so I can’t like him.”

“Sure,” she repeated with a wink. I ripped open a package of fruit snacks and leaned against the table. The door opened again. My eyes flitted to the stairs, hoping to see Jackson again.

“Adeline,” Nate called. “Get dressed and come upstairs.”

The hinges squeaked as the door slowly swung shut. I put on socks and struggled to get a pair of boots to fit over the clunky ankle bracelet. The girls watched me in wonder. I shrugged, telling them that I had no idea what Nate wanted.

Lou was waiting in the kitchen. He took me into the mudroom. As soon as I set foot near the door, the alarm went off blaring through the house. Lou grunted and punched in the code to open the garage door, silencing the alarm. His large body blocked the keypad from sight. We got into Zane’s Camaro. Lou ushered me into the back, behind the passenger’s seat, which he took. He scooted it back until it hit my already cramped legs. Then he pushed it back even more.

Zane got in, sighing dramatically, and cranked the music. A song I liked came on, and Zane changed the station. Go fucking figure. He sped down the country road and headed for the Quad Cities. I kept my mouth shut as confusion grew. I was almost sure I wasn’t being put to work. It would go against the deal Nate had made.

I nervously fiddled with the hoodie strings and watched the city flash by. Zane made a sharp turn down a road I was completely unfamiliar with and slowed.

“There,” Lou said, his voice gruff.

Zane revved the engine as he accelerated into the parking lot of a doctor’s office. The car lurched forward, and I began to feel sick. Part of me wanted to get carsick and barf all over the nice leather seats, but another part didn’t want to face an angry Zane … and I just didn’t want to throw up in general.#p#分页标题#e#

We parked behind a medical complex. Lou got out and flipped his seat up. He reached into the back, making me think that he was being polite and offering a hand to help me out. I was wrong. Like Zane, he liked to yank and drag me around. He marched us to an employee-only entrance. Zane knocked.

A few seconds later the door opened. A middle-aged man, as tall as Zane with salt and pepper hair, stood to the side, allowing us in.

“It’s good to see you again,” he said to Zane and shook his hand. He had on a white lab coat over dress pants and a button up shirt. Dr. L. Jerry, OB/GYN was embroidered on the breast of the lab coat. “This must be the one.” He looked at me.

“Yeah,” Zane said. “How long will this take?”

“Normally a few days, but for you I’ll have the tests run immediately.”

“Good.” Zane put his fingers in the middle of my back and pushed me forward.

Dr. Jerry led me down a hall with exam rooms on both sides. He unlocked a bathroom door, handed me a plastic up, and said, “You know what to do. Put it through the window when you’re done.”

I just nodded and took the cup, unsure why he wanted a urine sample. I had to pee anyway, so I willingly went into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. There was a little metal door in the wall next to the toilet. I opened it and set the full cup inside, then flushed the toilet and washed my hands. Lou was waiting for me outside the door.

“This way,” Lou said and took a hold of my wrist and pulled me down the hall. He hoisted me onto an exam table. “Take off your pants,” he ordered.