As we drove around, Jasper kept sneaking glances of me in the rear view mirror. At this point, I didn't even care that he was staring at me. I just wanted to get as far away as I could, and I didn't care how it happened.
Evan was silent as he sat besides me. He just sat there holding me, and he made me feel safe. After everything that had happened between us, it felt as if they had washed away. However, I couldn't get one thought out of my head.
Why were Evan and Jasper together?
They clearly aren't friends, and after what happened the other day, it is weird to see them in the same space. What happened between them? They came out of Jasper's car and I know for a fact that Evan worked today. Did Jasper pick him up? But why?
As Jasper drove, I sat there planning on what I would do next. I wasn't going back to that house, and I sure as hell wasn't going to show up on my fathers doorstep. There was only one option, and I knew it would work.
After driving around for twenty minutes or so, Jasper pulled off into an empty parking lot behind the high school. Jasper was silent as he pulled into a spot near the back. After a few seconds, he turned the car off and tossed the keys into the cup holder. Jasper gripped the steering wheel tightly, and I saw his knuckles turn white.
"What happened back there?" Jasper asked me softly as he kept his eyes forward.
I felt my throat instantly go dry, and it felt as if someone had a tight grip on it. Memories of what happened flooded back, and my cheek started to sting once again. I didn't expect Jasper to ask me that question. He never really cared about me.
Right?
"Hattie?" Evan asked, suddenly bringing me back to reality. I glanced up to see him looking at me with warm eyes. "It's okay, you can tell us. Your're safe."
I nodded slightly as I tried to form the words together. "I don't even know what happened."
"Well, who was that man my mom told be about?" Jasper asked as he turned around to look at me.
"Apparently," I started to say as I looked down at my hands. "My new father."
Both Evan and Jasper looked up at each other with weird looks before they both turned to me. "What?" they both asked at the same time.
I pushed myself off of Evan and sat up straight in my seat. "I didn't bother to stick around and chat."
"Shit," Jasper grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Where were you going?" Evan asked as he motioned to the bag that I had tossed in the front seat when I was trying to leave.
"Away from here," I say as I look up at both of them. "I should get going. I have a long drive. Jasper, switch seats with me and I'll drop you guys off somewhere."
Confusion swept over Jasper face as he looked at me. "Um, no."
I narrow my eyes at him. "Why not?"
"Multiple reasons," he says as he stared at me, clearly not amused. "Where are you going?"
"Waukon, not that it's any of your business," I say.
"But that's like five hours away," Evan questioned me in disbelief.
"Yeah?" At this point, I was starting to get a little annoyed at the both of them.
"What's in Waukon?" Jasper asked me softly. I look up at him, and I notice that he is different somehow. The hatred I usually saw on his face when he saw me was on longer there. His eyes were even a little more softer than I had ever seen before.
I sighed. "My grandparents."
"The ones on your dads side?" Jasper questioned as he looked at me. I nodded. I never spoke about them before in front of Jasper, and it was a well known fact that my mothers parents lived in Florida and I haven't seen them since the divorce. "I thought you weren't close with them?"
"I haven't seen them since I was twelve, but we still talk," I say.
"Look, Hattie," Jasper started to say as he turned all the way around in the seat. "I don't feel comfortable with you driving all the way out there."
I was a little taken aback when he said that, but before I could open my mouth to say something, Evan spoke up too.
"I agree with Jasper in that, Hattie," he says, and I quickly look at him in shock. "You can't drive with your leg like that. We all know that you use that leg to push the pedals.
I glance down at my right leg. Since I wasn't paying attention when I got in the car, it was crammed in between the space between the two seats. At first I thought driving would be no problem, but who was I kidding? Even when I gently bump the cast on a soft surface, pain still explodes throughout my body. I would never be able to hit the pedals, but that wasn't my only plan.
"I mean, I do have two legs so that's not a problem," I say, which caused them both to frown at me.
"Yeah, you're not doing that," Evan says before looking up at Jasper. "You coming?"
"Yeah," Jasper quickly said, but I just sat there confused as hell. What were they talking about?
"What are you guys talking about?" I asked as I watched Jasper reach for the keys to the car that were in the cup holder.
"We're going to take you to your grandparents," Jasper says without looking at me.
"What!" I nearly yell. "No you are not."
"Hattie," Jasper started to say, but I cut him off.
"Don't Hattie me," I say as I lean forward. "You do not get to do what you think is best for me. You can't keep your nose out of my business, can you?"
"No, I can't," Jasper spoke up loudly, which threw me off guard. "Look, I know I mess up. You don't think I know that? But I want to fix everything. Why do you think I was with Evan?" He questioned as he pointed to Evan who had a sad look on his face. "I was trying to get him to go talk to you. You've been freaking me out the last few days by not answering you phone or when I would knock on your door."
"So you just dragged him along with you?" I asked in disbelief. Did Evan not want to be here?
"What? No," Jasper said.
"I kind of just hopped in his car," Evan said with a small smile. "I was worried about you."
I sat there silently as I tried to wrap my head around what was going on, but I was both physically and mentally drained. "You made it pretty clear that you didn't want to see me again."
Evan sighed as he reached out to grab me hand, but I pulled away. Evan looked saddened by my sudden actions, but spoke up. "I was mad that you thought I would do something like that, but the moment I got down the street I was even more mad at myself for acting like that. I should have just turned around, but I didn't and I'm sorry. I just needed so time to think."
I sat there, staring at him as I tried to process what he was saying. He needed time to think? Why? He clearly just said he regretted storming out of there, but I didn't want to get into it right now. At least, not with Jasper sitting a few inches away.
"So where am I driving?" Jasper asked, breaking the silence.
I closed my eyes and sighed. "You're not driving anywhere, I'm going on my own."
"Like hell you are," Jasper says to me as he holds my keys up to his mouth. "I will swallow these if I have too."
"That's a bit extreme," Evan muttered under his breath.
"Go ahead, then I'll just take a bus," I tell him.
"Then I'm taking the bus too," Jasper said with a smug grin on his face. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
"I have a crowbar in the trunk that says otherwise," I say seriously, but that only causes him to laugh.
"If we're talking about murdering Jasper, I have to say I'm not cool with that," Evan speaks up.
"She's not going to murder me," Jasper says once he stops laughing and slips the key in the ignition. "You going to tell me where we are going or am I going to have to guess?"
"You are not going anywhere," I say again like a broken record. "I don't want you guys to get mixed in with my family, alright. Besides, I'm not planning on coming back here."
"What?" they both asked at the same time, and they both had looks of worry on their faces.
"Why?" Jasper asked.
"Well, for obvious reasons," I say. "I'm clearly not wanted in my house, and its a matter of time before I get kicked out for some stupid reason. No one would care if I disappear."
"That's not true," Evan spoke up. "I would care if you just disappeared one day."
"He's not the only one," Jasper said with a sad look on his face.
I sighed. "Yeah, Emily and Gerald would miss me."
"So would I," Jasper said as his eyes shot up at me.
I narrow my eyes in confusion, but I don't say anything back. "Look, guys. Thanks, but it's not going to happen. It's just best for you two to stay here."
"Best for who?" Evan spoke up besides me. "The way I see it, you have two people in this car that care about you whether you like it or not. I'm not letting you go off somewhere on your own after what had just happened, and we both know Jasper is stubborn like a mule and there is no way he is getting out of this car."
"He's not wrong," Jasper spoke up. "Remember that time when we were kids our parents took us to that park that was deep in the forest? I wanted to get away from you so I climbed that tree and refused to come down for hours, but I ended up getting stuck and my dad had to call the fire department."
I couldn't help but snort a laugh at the memory of Jasper crying as he held onto the tree for dear life. "That was a stubborn of you."
"Oh I know, I still hear about it to this day," Jasper chuckled to himself. "So what do you say? The three of us go on a little road trip and drop you off?"
"But how will you guys get home?" I asked as I looked at the both of them. "I kind of need my car."
Evan shrugged. "We'll just take a bus back home. Worse comes to worse, Jasper and I stay at a motel for the night. That is, if neither one of us kills each other before that happens."
"I don't think it will come to that," Jasper said before he turned to look at me. "You in?"
I let out a sigh, but I nodded. "Fine, but are you sure you guys want to come?"
"Oh, I'm defiantly coming," Jasper says as he put the car in drive and begins to pull out of the parking space. "If I remember correctly, your grandma makes really good pies and always has them in her house."
"That's because she owns a bakery," I say as I roll my eyes. "What about you, Evan? Do you have to work tomorrow?"
"Yeah, but I think it's time to quit," he said with a smile. "Well, for the next day or so. I still have bills to pay."
I chuckle as I look up at Jasper. "I guess it's settled. Start heading towards the interstate while I put the address in the GPS."