MAD LOVE

Chapter 18

My temporary shelter, as Jess promised, was still a well-kept secret, which thrilled me. But eventually, I would have to tell my friends about it. When my parents found out about Mark, they were ready to take me back to New York, and it took a lot of effort to convince them that everything was fine.

The school day drew to its end, and I left the building to go towards my apartment, but my honey blonde called out to me.

"Hi, Lana," girl said urgently. She looked around, as if someone was following us, but that feeling hadn't left since the hospital discharged me.

"Hello to you, too..." But before I could finish, Jessica grabbed my elbow and dragged me towards the parking. We got into her car, and I observed my friend's reaction.

She nervously peered at every inch of the street, then started the car and drove off campus. We drove in complete silence. I held my tongue, giving her chance to explain herself first. We stopped on some deserted street, and if I didn't know that innocent girl, I would have thought I was going to be killed.

"I'm sorry," Milton sighed. "I've been feeling an unfamiliar set of eyes over my shoulder all day today. Alana, we need to talk. Let's go to a café. We can have a snack at the same time."

"Let's go to my place. I'll feed you myself..."

When Jess walked into my cozy apartment, she couldn't believe that I rented it for next to nothing. However, she didn't find out who my benefactor was. I prepared a big lunch, and we sat down by the fireplace for a serious conversation.

"I have information about Mark, and I think you should know it."

"But I'm not sure I want to..." A wave of disgust washed me over me from head to toe.

"I'm afraid it's inevitable you'll run into him again, because he not only studies here, he also lives in Boston. By the way, his university is quite close to your medical school. It feels like everything's rigged."

He couldn't have known I was going to Harvard. My parents wouldn't have had enough money to pay for my education; they took out a loan to make my dream come true.

"Alana, may I ask a question?" After an affirmative nod, she continued. "Why's he free? Why didn't you file a police report?"

"We've been through hell because of Wood's family. At first, they tried bribing us, but my parents were above it. Then they bent the law and, despite hard evidence, Mark got only a suspended sentence..." I stopped fidgeting. One thing bothered me and I wanted to find out once and for all. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. You can ask me absolutely anything."

"How do Farrell and you know this freak? Does Mike know him too?"

"We've all known each other since childhood. Distance doesn't matter if your parents are business partners. Family get-togethers, social evenings, and indeed any events – we all had to attend," Jess sighed heavily, staring off into space. "The adults are friends with each other, and the children are enemies... Funny, isn't it?"

I couldn't talk calmly about him. My discomfort grew, and I had to calm myself down urgently. I went to get a notebook and a pen, and returned to my friend. I opened on a blank page, chose a number between five and ten, and began to write numbers from one to nine in a column, continuing to write it until I told myself to stop.

"Tell me about your specialty. I wonder, why did a young and beautiful girl choose this profession?" I asked a question without getting distracted.

Jessica began her story from the events of her childhood when, looking at her friends' families, she realized what evil was in some of them. However, she could not take her attention away from my scribbling. When I finished writing down the numbers, I began crossing out the pairs that added up to ten. My friend did not stop me, instead she stopped her narration and patiently waited for me to finish. The first column, the second, the third... and so on until some numbers, which I could do nothing with, were left.