Chapter Nine
Where We Learn
“Pass me the wrench.”
Belle hands me to cool metal and I slide back under the Mustang Fastback, moving it towards the part I need to change. She ducks under to watch me and I feel her excitement to be doing something normal. Back home, with Dad, we never got to spend time together like this. Instead we were always in the company of our father, who refused to let us out of his sight.
“Isn’t Jacoby supposed to be helping you?”
My jaw tightens as I move the wrench with more force, putting my frustration into the car. I don’t know why but ever since Lark, Carson and I went to his house, I’ve been so into working on the Mustang that I hardly do anything else. Because of working with my dad, I know a good chunk about cars. However I do need Grandpa’s help a lot and Google printouts have been a lifesaver.
“I don’t think Jacoby is going to be coming around much more,” I tell her honestly. He’s been calling the house and showing up occasionally, but I always tell Grandpa that I don’t want to see him. He dropped off the car parts I needed but after that, his efforts have been lessening quickly.
“Why not?”
“Belle,” I grunt, rolling out from under the car. “Just drop it, okay?”
“I was just asking,” she mutters, climbing onto my chair. The three kittens play underneath it and she watches them with bright eyes. “Did you ever call dad?”
I roll back under the Mustang, not wanting her to see my face. I told Grandpa I tried and got no answer, but really, I didn’t even touch the phone. I sat by it and thought about it a lot, but decided against it.
“No, Belle.”
“Why not?”
“Because we don’t want to go back to that monster until we have to.”
My words make her quiet and despite being thankful, she’s ruined my calm mood. Everything I had been pushing to the back of my mind has been surfacing and I don’t want to deal with it right now.
Without so much as another word to Belle, I head out of the shed and into the daylight. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I stomp across the gravel walk and head into the plantation fields. Belle asks me where I’m going, but when I don’t respond, she doesn’t follow. I just need to be alone right now.
I walk along the grove, passing the spot where Jacoby and I buried the mother of the kittens. Pushing away the thought, I will my feet to take my further, unsure of where I’m going. My chest hurts, feels like my heart inside it is breaking. But it’s not real pain; it’s a faint ache that gets worse when I forget it’s there.
“C’mon, Stevie,” I mutter to myself. “Get a hold of yourself.”
When I finally do stop, I realize where I had unknowingly been leading myself. A large Oak tree twists its way through the smaller trees in the grove. I don’t think as I move towards it, my hands grasping the familiar branches. Once I’ve pulled myself up, I lean back on a branch that feels much smaller than it did when I was a kid.
Before I can do anything else, I’m wiping tears from my eyes. Everything that I’ve been holding in since Belle and I came here starts spilling out. My father’s possibly dead. If he isn’t, he’s going to come and get us and things are going to get worse. My mom doesn’t remember me. Jacoby’s been hiding that-
I stop myself. Despite all the worse thoughts going through my head, I can’t even think about what the boy I used to love is hiding from me.
“There you are.”
My whole body flinches and before I know it, I’m falling off my tree branch. My whole body scrapes against the bark before I don’t feel anything touching me at all. Then, I hit something hard, but it’s not the ground.
“Whoa,” Jacoby says as he struggles to find his footing and not drop me at the same time. Once he’s steady, he looks at me with worried eyes. “Are you okay?”
I can’t find the words to tell him anything, so instead I look at my arms. They’re scratched up from the bark, but will be gone in a day or so.
“Put me down,” I finally gasp, catching my breath.
“If I do, can we talk?”
Knowing what he’s going to do if I say no, I put on a fake smile and tell him yes. As soon as I’m on my feet, I start striding out of the grove and into the fields.
“Stevie, you said-“
“I lied,” I reply simply as he starts to catch up to me. “It’s nothing different from what you’ve been doing to me.”
“Oh, come on,” Jacoby whines, grabbing my arm in attempt to stop me. He spins me around and I wrench myself out of his grasp and fold my arms across my chest. “I never lied to you, Stevie.”
“So what do you call not telling me about something pretty significant in your life, even when I asked?”
He’s silent for a while and when he doesn’t show any sign of responding, I stomp off across the grass, blinking away from the tears that sting my eyes.
“It’s not like you haven’t told me anything, either,” he spits and I stop in my tracks. Without turning around, I hug my side. I’ve been praying that he never pried; that this day would never come. “You just left me, Stevie. You left. And when you came back, you thought everything would be fine and it’s not.”
“I didn’t tell you why because you wouldn’t understand, Jacoby.” At first I’m not sure if he can hear me, but when I feel his hand on my shoulder, I know he did.
“You don’t know that.” His voice is still angry but this time it’s quieter. “You never told me, so why should I tell you?”
“I already know,” I snap. “Lark showed me what you’ve been hiding.”
The hand he placed is quickly removed and I feel his whole body tense behind me.
“I wanted to tell you,” I whisper, looking down at my feet. “But I can’t. I just can’t.”
This time when I walk off, Jacoby doesn’t follow right away. I know he does once I’m far enough away, but he’s just going to his car to drive home. When I walk around the corner of the house, I see it in the driveway. However, it’s not the only car there.
“Hey Stevie!” Carson calls, his head hanging out of his car window. “Lark wanted me to pick you up. Hop in.”
I stare at him grinning and decide that it’s probably better than sitting at home. Besides, if Jacoby sees me go off with Carson it will put him over the edge. With no time to tell Grandpa I’m leaving, I mentally remind myself to call him from Lark’s. The second my fingers touch the car door, I see Jacoby come around the side of the house and his step falters.
I let my expression remain blank as I lower myself into the car. Jacoby stands still, watching as I close it. As soon as I’m buckled in, Carson takes off speeding, leaving Jacoby in the dust.
©
“So…” I mumble, looking around Caron’s silent house. There’s no one else here, as far as I know. In the familiar country living room, my fingers play with the fabric of one of the couches. “I thought Lark send you to come get me.”
“She did.” Carson plops onto the couch and I move my hand away.
“Then where is she?”
Carson shrugs. “She just told me to get you and that she would be home later.” I roll my eyes. Typical Lark. “Want to watch a movie?”
Carson picks a movie I’ve never seen before and I settle onto the couch beside him, watching intently. A few minutes go by before he speaks, his words surprising me.
“So what were you doing with Jacoby, after that night Lark and I showed you what he was hiding?” I feel his eyes on me, but I refuse to look at him.
“He just keeps showing up and I’ve been avoiding him. But I think I said something this time that will shut him up for a while.”
Carson grins. “Serves him right.”
I don’t realize I’m tired until we’re halfway through the movie. Before I can stop myself, my eyes are slowly closing and I’m sinking into the comfortable couch, drifting off to sleep…
“Oh my god, gross!” someone shrieks.
My body flinches and my eyes fly open to find Lark standing in front of me, staring down disgustedly. Everything seems fine until I realize she’s kind of lopsided. Confused, I blink a few times and then see that I’m leaning over. Sitting up, I rub the sleep from my eyes and recognize that there’s an arm draped around my shoulders.
I can’t get out of Carson’s arms fast enough.
“Carson, you are such a jackass!” Lark yells, throwing her hands in front of her. “Leave poor Stevie alone.”
Carson looks wide awake and can’t hide the smirk on his lips or the annoyance in his eyes. “She fell asleep. What was I supposed to do?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Lark mutters, folding her arms across her chest. “Wake her up!”
Carson doesn’t respond. Instead, he stays silent as Lark rushes towards me and grabs my arms, yanking me to my feet without warning. Once I’m standing, she loops her arm through mine and starts leading me through her house.
“Where are we going?” I ask, rubbing my eyes with my free hand. Lark pulls me to the front door and opens it, gesturing to the outdoors. It the small amount of time I was asleep, day has quickly changed to night. The only thing I can see is a red Mini Cooper waiting on the curb, the convertible top down.
“There’s someone who wants to talk to you.” Lark looks like she’s wincing as she speaks. “The only reason I’m coming is because I think you need backup.”
“Who is it?” I squint in the darkness as Lark closes the front door behind us. She doesn’t answer my question as we go down the walk, the figure in the driver’s seat becoming clearer and clearer. “Lark?”
By the time we’re standing in front of the Mini, Lark still hasn’t answered and she doesn’t need to. I can clearly see the person who’s sitting in the car.
Dove Miller.