by Anna Albo
CHAPTER THREE
EMMA
I was the first awake, but I lay in bed for a few extra minutes, staring at Jake as he slept. His soft breathing and contented face were peaceful. I wanted to slip my arms around him, but of course I didn't dare. How many times had we slept together since we were kids? Too many to count, and not once had he ever made an advance no matter how much I wished for it.
I eased myself up and out of the room so I wouldn't wake him and decided to extend the olive branch to my cabin mates by putting on a pot of coffee. The smell lulled some from their slumber, mostly the princes who intended to get in some early morning fishing. Jake was one of them. I watched as he walked to the kitchen, bleary-eyed and mumbling a good morning. Zach was the last to make an appearance, and I smiled at him and he smiled back and winked. Then a thought occurred to me. What if he thought I was flirting? He was nice and all, and easy on the eyes, but I wasn't interested. Besides, he had a girlfriend.
"We got to hurry up if we want to get an early start. Fifteen minutes and I want us out of here," Brett barked.
"I could whip up a quick breakfast," I suggested.
Four pairs of eyes stared at me. Slowly they all nodded in agreement. I went to work cracking eggs and frying bacon. I threw in some toast since there wasn't time for hash browns. No one said a word as they wolfed down food and twenty minutes later, they were gone. In that time not one of the princesses had stirred. I cleaned up without making a peep. I had no intention of making any of them breakfast.
I took some peanut butter-covered toast, a book, and a lawn chair and sat by the lake. A couple of hours passed and I didn't see the princesses. I knew they were all awake by this point and fending for themselves. I didn't even leave them a drop of coffee. By mid-morning a few had ventured outside to sunbathe. None said hello.
Knowing the guys would be back soon, and wanting to get in a quick call to Dad since I'd forgotten to the night before, I returned to the cabin. By now all four were outside, all sunbathing in their designer bikinis and perfect, taut bodies. Still no hello. Not to be deterred, I decided to speak.
"Hi, everyone."
One head rose and looked at me from behind her sunglasses. She sort of nodded. The rest were silent. I went inside and decided at that moment not to make another attempt to befriend them. What for?
I poured myself a glass of water and looked for Jake's phone. Knowing him like I did, he wouldn't dare take it out on the boat and risk losing it. How would he communicate with Bianca? As expected, it was resting next to the bed and I grabbed it. What did he say his password was? I tried a few but to no avail. There wasn't a landline, and I wasn't about to ask one of the princesses to borrow a phone. I made a few more attempts and when I was about to give up, it hit me. The last four digits of his grandparents’ phone number. I punched it in and mercifully unlocked the phone.
He had several text messages and I assumed most, if not all, were from Bianca. He'd been texting her before he'd fallen asleep. The incessant tapping annoyed the hell out of me.
I dialed the first few numbers to my house when another of her texts popped up.
Bianca: Fishing? I'm soooo bored. That mutt following you around everywhere?
Mutt? I'd never snooped through Jake's phone before, but this text caught my attention. Was she referring to me? Obviously. My heart picked up a few beats and blood pulsed through my veins. I opened up his text messages and scrolled back through at least a couple dozen. What else did she have to say about me?
Bianca: OMG! I am so sick of her. How can you stand that bitch?
Jake: I don't!
Bianca: She stares at you like a fucking creepazoid. So weird like she's going to lock you up in her basement and never let you out.
I scrolled ahead. Nothing I'd seen so far had surprised me.
Bianca: How's your filthy mutt? Still sniffing around your ass?
Jake: She spent lots of time with Zach. What a relief! Poor bastard.
Bianca: Zach is too nice. He's always feeling sorry for disgusting strays.
Jake: Lol.
Bianca: Make sure she doesn't give you fleas.
Jake: Lol. I'll get her a flea collar.
Bianca: Brett's going to have to call in exterminators.
Jake: Or we’ll all have to get vaccinated.
Bianca: LOL. I wish she'd get the hint and leave you alone. Get some friends like a normal human being.
Jake: Even tonight she didn't try to talk to anyone. At least Zach got her off my back for a while.
Bianca: I would die if I had to spend the weekend with her.
Jake: Worst day of my life was when she got into Western. Just when I thought I got rid of her for good.
Bianca: At least you had one year without the freak.
Jake: But now I'm stuck with her for at least 2 more. I'm going to lose my mind! She drives me crazy!
Bianca: OMG I hate her so much. I wish she'd go away and die somewhere. Kill herself or something. Do us all a favor.
Jake: Lol. Me too.
I stopped reading. Tears were blurring my vision and my body was shaking. Me too? That's all I kept seeing. 'Lol' and 'me too.' He agreed with everything. I was nothing more than a flea-ridden dog, a friendless weirdo. A pariah. I put down the phone and although I was sobbing not a single sound came from me. The ultimate betrayal. My best friend since birth, the person who always looked out for me, thought I was a pathetic hanger-on. An albatross. Someone he wished was dead.
I stood up and methodically packed what little I had. My book? Where was my book? I bolted for the kitchen to retrieve it, happy no one was there. I then ran to the bathroom and threw up. I sat on the cold marble floor for minutes, trying to calm myself. Jake, the person I loved most in the world besides Dad and Grandpa, was complicit in all this. I stood up, splashed cold water on my face and refused to look in the mirror. I couldn't face myself.
Then I heard the voices. They were back. I slipped out of the bathroom and grabbed my backpack and went into the main room. Everyone was there, the guys recounting their tales of fishing for the girls. Some sprawled out on the two brown leather sofas, others were milling around in the kitchen with beers.
"Jake," I said.
He didn't hear me above the chatter.
"Jake!"
He turned to look at me, clearly irritated that the mutt had interrupted his tales from the high seas. "Yeah?"
"I'm going. Give me the keys."
He saw my backpack and his phone in my hand, but the two weren't adding up. I didn't care. I just wanted to go home, even though my head was pounding and my hands were shaking uncontrollably.
"Why? Something happen? Is everyone okay?"
My Jake. All six feet of him was staring at me, perplexed but still aggravated that I wanted to leave. My once beautiful Jake. The only man in the world I trusted. The only friend I ever needed.
"Can you please give me the keys?"
"Are you all right?" he asked, walking toward me. I took several steps back. Even though I wasn't looking at anyone else, I knew their eyes were on me. They'd all stopped talking and were no doubt wondering what was wrong with the weirdo now.
"The keys?"
"If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm not giving them to you."
"Give me the keys!" I shrieked.
Zach came and stood beside Jake. He was looking at me like I'd just been released from a mental institution. "Hey Emma, what's going on?" he asked, his voice soft with concern.
"I want to go. I want the keys!"
Jake's face hardened. "I don't know what your problem is and I don't really care. Why do you have to ruin everything for me?"
Something came over me, like the Emma I knew had been replaced by someone else and I was nothing more than a spectator. This Emma was tough, a goddess warrior. "I'm sorry, Jake, that I ruin everything for you. But just so you know, I don't have fleas, and you don't need a rabies shot either. And this filthy mutt you and Bianca think I am, well, if you giv
e me the fucking keys I'll run away and you'll never have to worry about me again! Lol!"
"Oh, shit," Zach said, cringing. He could see Jake's phone in my hand. He wasn't an idiot. "Jake, what did you say?"
"Say? No, Jake didn't say anything. They texted it to each other. Let me read it for you," I said, tears blinding my attempts to enter in his password. But I was determined and not even a few tears would stop me. "Let me quote my best friend of nineteen years and his stupid girlfriend. Bianca says, make sure she doesn't give you fleas, and my best friend Jake replies, lol, I'll get her a flea collar. Isn't that hilarious? There's more. Bianca says, OMG I hate her so much. I wish she'd go away and die somewhere. Kill herself, or something. Do us all a favor. And Jake says, lol! Me too."
The room fell silent. Not even a snicker from the princesses.
Jake snatched his phone. "You shouldn't have gone through my stuff," he said, shame dripping from his voice.
"I wanted to call my dad," I said between sobs.
Zach came and stood between us. He faced me but I couldn't look up at him. "Emma, I'll take you home. Do you have everything?"
"Yes," I whispered.
"What about me?" Becca protested from the other end of the room.
“I’m sure someone else can drop you off,” he told her over his shoulder. To me, he said, "I'll meet you at my car, it's a black SUV. I'll grab my stuff and we'll be gone in a few minutes." He turned to Jake. "You're a piece of shit."
I don't remember getting in the car, only sitting on the soft black leather, wiping my eyes with a sweater from my backpack and feeling like my entire life was over. I wanted to go home. I wanted to go back to Pine Falls and if I never saw Jake again, it would be too soon. The humiliation ... it was too much.
Zach climbed into the car, started the engine and drove. For minutes we didn't exchange a word. I was beyond embarrassed and ashamed. What did he think of me now? I’m sure he totally pitied me, which I hated more than anything. I didn't want anyone feeling sorry for me.
"That was really shitty," Zach said, breaking the heavy silence.
"Yup. And I wasn't snooping. I forgot my phone, and I didn’t think Jake would mind if I used his." My voice sounded small and defeated. I hated showing weakness.
"I know. You don't have to justify it to me."
"Were they all making fun of me?"
"No one was saying much of anything. I grabbed my gear and took off."
I wanted to be sick. My stomach churned, and I closed my eyes trying to catch my erratic breath. What would I tell Dad and Grandpa? They'd want to know why I was home. If I didn't tell Dad the truth, he'd see right through me, but I didn't want what Jake did to affect Dad's friendship with Uncle Ron. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned my cheek against the cold passenger side window. What if I threw up in Zach's car?
"Are you going to be okay?" Zach asked, glancing over.
"I'm fine," I managed.
"You say that, but you can't stop tapping your foot on the floor and you're kind of bouncing in the seat like a bomb that's about to go off."
I gulped in another deep breath. "I don't know what I'm going to tell my dad."
"I'd go with the truth. Your dad should know what an asshole Jake is."
I stole a peek at Zach. He had the beginnings of a scruffy face and it looked good on him. His dark eyes were warm and trustworthy and I hated that. I hated trusting him.
"The thing is that Jake's brother, my Uncle Ron, is Dad's best friend."
Zach's eyebrows furrowed and by his bewildered expression I knew he was computing and calculating my statement. "Are you Jake's cousin?"
"No, I just call him Uncle Ron. He and Dad are best friends from high school."
He nodded but the befuddled expression remained. "If your dad and your uncle are best friends, how does that work? How is everyone related?"
Here it came, the explanation I hated. Zach would then view me like a lab experiment gone wrong and his demeanor would change because he'd know the reason for my weirdness. "Here's my deal. My birth mother and Dad weren't careful, and she got pregnant when they were fourteen. She and her family wanted her to have an abortion, but my grandparents refused to allow it. She had me and basically handed me off to them and went on with the rest of her life. My dad and my grandparents raised me. Uncle Ron is Jake's oldest brother."
I waited for a reaction, but didn't get one.
"That's kind of cool. So your dad is what? Thirty-four? It must be awesome having a young dad."
I scratched my head. Why didn't he think it was strange? How come he didn't pass judgment on us like most people did? "I guess so. My dad's pretty great."
"That explains why your mom isn't around."
"Yup."
"That also explains why you don't want to tell your dad. I still say tell the truth."
I bit on my fingernails. I couldn't do it. Dad and Uncle Ron were like me and Jake, well, what I thought Jake and I were. "I need to think about this."
"What's your gut telling you?"
"To go home for a week or so. I'll come up with something to tell my dad."
"Bad idea. You go home, I bet you won't come back. Take a few days to think it through. If you need to, you can crash at my place."
What I really wanted to do was go home. "Thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind."
"What Bianca said in those texts was out of jealousy. I'm sure it eats her up that you and Jake are so close. As an outsider looking in, I can see how much you care for the guy, but I also see how devoted he is to her. He already threw you under the bus. If he was any kind of man, he would have come after you and apologized."
"I know."
We didn't say much else for the rest of the ride. I gave him the directions to my apartment, and he walked me to the front door.
"Look, Emma, if you need anything, call me. My offer still stands for a place to stay. I've got an empty bedroom and everything. You have my number from that text I sent last night. Text or call later so I know you're okay, okay?"
"I will. And thanks."
I went inside to the elevator. The moment I stepped into the apartment and shut the door behind me the tears flowed. I had no friends, no Jake and I couldn't turn to Dad. I had nothing.
CHAPTER FOUR
EMMA
I sent Zach a text and he sent a few back. I didn't want to chat and told him to have a good night, thanking him one more time for all his help. I stared at my phone and not once did Jake even make an attempt to contact me. Not even a text to see if I was alive.
I sent Dad a checking-in text. I was too afraid to call him, fearing he would hear something in my voice. After a few days passed I’d be able to hide it better. In the meantime, I still didn’t know what to do. Did I go home, stay in the apartment, or find a place of my own?
Since I didn’t know when Jake was coming home, I holed myself up in my room with textbooks. In a few hours I was all caught up and reading ahead. I was going back through my anatomy notes when I heard the key slip into the front door. I didn’t move and listened as he came in and set his overnight bag on the ground. Silence. Was he listening for me? I waited, hearing nothing until the light rapping on my door.
“Emma, are you in there? Can I come in?”
My heart pounded and a wave of nausea and panic set in. “Yes.”
He sheepishly stepped inside, a look of shame marring his handsome face. He stared at me, sitting on my bed, my school books all around me and tried to smile.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
My bottom lip quivered but I told myself not to cry. “You were so mean,” was all I could say.
“I know. I don’t know why I texted those things. Maybe because it was easier than fighting her.”
“I have never done anything to her,” I said, my eyes stinging with tears.
“I know.”
“All those things you both said. They hurt me so much.”
“You don’t know how terrible I feel.”
“Then dump her.”
His jaw tightened. “Emma, I love her. Sure, she said some horrible things, but it’s not like you two have to be friends.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “After all she said about me, don’t you see the person that she truly is?”
“She’s threatened by you. That’s all.”
I massaged my temples, trying to collect my thoughts. What was he talking about? “Jake, we’ve been friends our entire lives and you would let her say those things about me and still defend her? And you agreed with her!”
His face hardened. “Emma, here’s the thing. You’ve been here a few weeks and haven’t made any friends. Do you know how hard it is for me to be your only friend? I feel like I can’t have a life unless you’re included in it. It’s not fair. I have a girlfriend and I love her. She happens to not like you. What do you want me to do? I need you to give me space, to not do everything I do. I need you to get a life!”
Another tear slipped down my face. When had I become such a weepy wreck? I usually had it all under control. “Zach is my friend.”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Zach feels sorry for you. In a week he won’t remember your name.”
“Why are you acting like this?”
“Because I’m frustrated. I can’t babysit you all the time. When you said you were enrolling at Western, I knew immediately that you’d latch on to me and never let go. I’ve made a life for myself and it can’t always include you. I have Bianca, and I can’t even bring her here because of you. Do you know what that feels like? I’m sorry that I’m being a jerk, but I’ve been feeling this way for a long time and now I’ve said it. I think you need to hear it.”
Something passed over me, like a moment of clarity when all the clouds seemed to float away leaving only the sun and bright blue sky. “You’re free,” I said, my voice taking on a stronger tone. “Consider yourself unburdened.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you and I are no longer friends. Isn’t that what you want?”
His eyes opened wide. “Wait, that’s not what I want.”
“You can tell Bianca that your little dog is running away. And that starts with me finding my own place.”
