I catch a glimpse of Will's truck pulling off the main road and down towards the docks. The place we were almost arrested just the other night.
I park my car along the street and run across the street after making sure it's safe. Even when rush hour is coming, Beverly still isn't that busy.
Not wanting to be seen, I stand behind the laurel that lines the sidewalk and blocks the view of the docks from the road. I never understood why the city doesn't cut this stuff down.
I can't find Will; the laurel is blocking my view of the rest of the docks. All I can see is the office where Chip is probably plopped down stuffing his face with dinner. I laugh at the thought.
After I find the path that Will took me down the other night, I carefully climb down it and come out close to the office where Chip is sitting doing exactly what I thought he was doing.
I carefully sneak past the office and down to the docks where there are several boats floating on the calm waters. The small waves lap against the concrete part of the docks.
I don't see Will anywhere, but there are a few people walking around the boats on the opposite side of me. Maybe he took a boat out?
But why would he? He doesn't even own a boat here. At least, not to my knowledge.
I walk towards the boat that had once been on fire and see just how bad it looks.
The floors on the outside are splintered from things falling while half the boat is engulfed in black soot. On the dock there are saw horses and long boards along with other tools scattered around.
From where I'm standing I can't see inside at the damage, which I'm sure is much worse than the outside, but I don't get a chance too.
Just before someone grabs me from behind, I see someone moving inside the boat.
"Weren't you here the other night? You were almost arrested then, young lady," Chip says as he ushers me back toward the office. "I don't give second chances."
If my heart wasn't beating fast enough before, it definitely is now. I cannot be arrested. There's no way.
"No!" I say on accident. "Um... please, Chip! I can't. I'll leave, okay? I won't come back." I may or may not be panicking now.
Chip takes those handy-dandy handcuffs out of his back pocket and placed them around my wrists. He leads me into the office where I see at least five differently flavored bags of chips and a liter of Coke.
"Come on," I beg. He ignores me as he calls the local police station. I try to block out his conversation with them as I plan my escape route. Then I realize it would be a bad idea to run.
I'm in bad situation as it is.
It doesn't take long for a cop to show up, and to make matters worse, it's my uncle Brad, the local sheriff. I know, I know - how can I get myself into so much trouble and still have a clean slate with my parents when my uncle is the sheriff?
"Jessa Ackerman!" Uncle Brad announces when he walks through the door. "Why am I not surprised?"
I glare at him before storming out of the building before I turn and do something I'd regret to Chip.
I wait by the police car until Uncle Brad makes his appearance. He has to open the door for me and I slide in, my hands still cuffed behind me.
After he gets in, he says, "you'd think you were used to this or something."
"I didn't even do anything," I tell him as I slide to the middle seat. "I was just trying to find someone."
"Who would you be trying to find down there?" He asks me, a small smile on his face.
"Nobody," I say. "And Chip really doesn't like me."
"He told me that you and that boy broke into one of the boats the other night. Would that have anything to do with it?"
I sat back in my seat as comfortably as I can considering my hands are cuffed behind me.
"Listen, there's a lot going on in my life right now, Uncle Brad. Mom and Dad would never forgive me if I was thrown in jail. And besides, it's a stupid reason to throw me in jail; I didn't even do anything," I explain, trying my hardest not to get myself into a deeper hole than I'm already in.
"We'll go by the station and I'll think about it. Trespassing is serious business, Jess."
Uncle Brad isn't normally this authoritative. He's the uncle I can call to get me out of things - not the one to hand me over.
I sigh heavily. "Please, Uncle Brad?"
He looks at me through the rear view mirror with the same eyes as my dad.
"I have to take you in, but I don't have to tell anyone," he says with a wink.
I give him a small smile and make a note to hug him once my hands are free.
I end up having to stay at the station until five. Uncle Brad didn't want his colleagues to think he had favorites (though we all know I'm his favorite), and also if Chip found out, Uncle Brad said he'd have to deal with that, too. So I decided to stay.
There wasn't anything besides homework that I thought I would miss.
It wasn't long after I got to the station that I realized I didn't have my phone. It was a miserable couple of hours.
I'm finally allowed to go home at five. I find my car where I left it and decide to drive passed the docks again, though I can't see them. Dad is already home when I get there, so I sit in my car in front of the garage and prepare myself.
I also plan to come up with an argument as to why I've gone missing half the day with no excuse.
Dad is sitting in the living room when I walk in. He has the news on and a pile of papers on his lap, a red pen in his left hand.
"Hey, Dad..." I trailed off. He looked up at me and I noticed his shoulders relax a little. He's always so tense when grading papers. Or maybe it's just me.
"Where were you all day, Jessa? I thought we were done with the rule breaking and bad behavior?" He automatically went into it, but I have to give it to him - he doesn't raise his voice but his authority is much more affective than Mom's.
"I can explain," I practically beg. "Will drive me to school. It's because, um, we... made a bet. And we grabbed coffee so we were late. And then that experiment just went wrong. And also, why didn't you wake me up this morning for school?"
I know I'm going in circles, but Dad takes it all in. "I tried to, but you wouldn't budge and I was going to be late. Boss says I can't be late anymore." I catch a glimpse of mischief in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Dad. And, after I got back I went and hung out with.. Uncle Brad at the station." My lies would catch up with me one day but I hoped it wouldn't be anytime soon.
"I just don't want you going back to your old ways, Jessa. If Will is causing this-"
"He's not," I cut him off. "I've just been dragging. Practice, you know."
"If I find out that he's the reason for all this... I like the kid, Jess, I always did. But the boy just came back from military school," Dad says. "Just... be careful."
"Dad, really?" I deadpan. "You know he's a good kid. And besides, I don't plan on spending my time with him, it just happens."
Dad shakes his head and goes back to grading his papers. This is one reason why the two of us communicate so well; we know what we're saying even we don't say it. It's easy to say that my dad is one of my best friends.
He trusts me and I trust him.
So why can't I muster up the courage to tell him that I've been lying... a lot?
*
(A/N: Hope these texts aren't too confusing!)
From: Hannah Montana
Meet me at my car after school! Well, Tyler's car haha
From: Connor
Where r u? We need to talk.
From: Hannah Montana
Heard you got sent home. That fire alarm was because of you?
From: Hannah Montana
Hey... where are you?
From: Hannah Montana
Jessa
From: Connor
Im getting really annoyed Jessa
From: Hannah Montana
Forget about our plans??
From: Hannah Montana
Gotta go now, I'll be late. You probably just forgot
From: Connor
Whatever.
From: Hannah Montana
It's okay
From: Hannah Montana
Maybe next time when you aren't busy.
Ignoring the texts from Connor, I focus on Hannah.
The feeling of guilt is something I've never dealt with easily. But when my best friend - the girl who is always there for me, the girl who always forgives even when she shouldn't - acts like this, I know I messed up.
I quickly send her a text:
I'm so sorry Han. Things were crazy this evening. I'm so sorry.
But she doesn't answer it, and I'm worried that I've done it this time. I can't believe I forgot about the plans we made, the ones that Hannah seemed so excited about.
I'm beginning to see why it's so hard to keep up with everyone. Making everyone happy is next to impossible.
But this is my best friend. The girl that's been there for me through everything. The girl that has never given up on me, even when I caused her pain. Whatever this was that I missed out on, it was important to her.
I pull on a sweatshirt and some sweatpants, grab a tub of Ben and Jerry's from the freezer, two big spoons from the drawer, and hunt my dad down to tell him where I'm going.
Mom still isn't home, so I don't have to worry about asking her. She works late on certain days, which is a good and bad thing.
"Hey," I say when I find Dad in the basement working on a wood project of some sort. "I'm going to Hannah's - friend emergency." I hold up the tub of ice cream.
Dad smiles. "What's going on? Boys?"
I laugh and whisper, "I wish." Then add, "No, just some stuff going on. I'll be back."
After we say our goodbyes, I make my way to mend together my friendship.
I walk into Hannah's house like it's my own. Her parents greet me like usual, so I don't assume they know she's mad at me. I spot Tyler walking out the back door as I walk up the steps. It doesn't quite dawn on me that he should be at college right now.
Hannah is in her room sitting at her desk when I knock on her open door. She turns her head slightly to see who is there, then turns back around when she sees it's me.
I raise my tub of half-melted ice cream as a peace offering.
"Hi," I say tentatively. She doesn't look at me, but he shoulders rise and fall as if she's just let out a breath of air.
"I'm sorry, Hannah," I say quietly. That's yet another thing I'm awful at: apologizing.
When she doesn't turn to look at me yet, I sit on her bed and open the ice cream. I clang the spoons together and wait for her to look, plastering a giddy smile on my face.
She still doesn't turn her head.
"Did you see Connor any today? I haven't talked to him. Got some texts from him but that's about it," I say in attempt to get her to talk to me. I take a spoon and get a chunk of ice cream to shove in my mouth.
"There it is," she says so quietly that I almost don't hear her.
"There what is?" I ask in confusion.
She finally turns and I see how red her cheeks are. They're always red when she's mad or upset.
"Do you know what it's like being second best to everyone?" She asks and I can tell she's trying not to cry. Hannah is the most kind hearted person I know, so I know it isn't easy for her to say this stuff. "I'm only good for listening. Don't get me wrong, Jess, you're my best friend. But a person can only take so much."
She lets out a breath of air that I wasn't aware she was holding in.
I don't know what to tell her. It takes me a few minutes, but I finally muster a sorry and I wait for her to continue.
"It's okay," she tells me. "You're just the center of attention. The guys. Our friends. Everyone. It's not your fault."
The way she says it keeps me from growing offended.
"I don't mean it, Hannah. I'm sorry," I whisper. I never knew she felt this way.
She covers her face with her hands and doesn't move them. I'm tempted to hug her and keep her from crying, but I don't want to at the same time.
"I have problems too, you know? I needed my best friend to come with me tonight. I needed your support, but Will was a little more important. The boy that broke your heart." She has tears in her eyes now. "I'm sorry, too, Jessa."
I'm not sure how to respond to her. I didn't mean to forget - I'm human.
"What were we going?" I ask her.
"Nothing, it doesn't matter."
I nod my head and place the lid on my ice cream, setting the spoon on top of it after standing and setting the tub on the bed gently.
"I'm sorry." With that, I walk out of her room and out the house.
_______
What do you think about the situation with Hannah and Jessa? I really want to know what you think about it!
The cover attached is only one of the AMAZING covers made by whatuptam !Thanks so much for all of them!