by Jack Parker
"I walked, Jake."
Taken aback, Jake stared at the ground and mulled over her words. After a moment, he sighed deeply. "I'm going to kill you," he informed her. "Really, I am. Are you serious?"
"Yes."
Jake had the perfect mental image of Hannah's defiant expression. It made him mad all over again, but this time his anger wasn't as intense. He was borderline amused until he thought of Hannah walking in the dark, alone, in the freezing cold. Add in that she probably wasn't too confident of her location and how to get home. While those thoughts would have once entertained Jake, they made him feel bad now, and that nearly made him mad at himself. But he was too tired to get too mad.
Finally, he sighed in resignation. "Go to bed, Hannah. You can bet we'll be talking tomorrow."
"Whatever. Good night."
Jake wrinkled his nose as Hannah hung up her phone. He stood then and started walking toward where he'd parked his truck, hoping that he wouldn't be blocked in by any vehicles. Jake was nearly to his Ranger when he noticed lights in a car nearby. He glanced casually and immediately recognized Brent with some girl. Interested too much, Jake turned in that direction and went over to the car. He was totally stunned to see Tisha and Brent sitting close together inside, apparently flirting.
Amused, Jake tapped on the window lightly, startling them both. Brent opened the door and grinned at Jake. "Hey, man. What's up?"
Jake shrugged lazily. "I'm going to head home. You and Ethan want me to pick you guys up later or what?"
"I'll take you home, Brent," Tisha offered. "And I'm sure we can fit Ethan in too." She smiled at Jake. "No problem." She paused and tipped her head at Jake. "I'm afraid Hannah's pissed at you, by the way."
Jake raised his eyebrows. Surely Hannah hadn't already texted Tisha since they'd talked on the phone. "What for now?"
"Apparently, you were flirting with too many girls in front of her, so she got mad and left," Brent answered, a knowing smirk on his face. Jake looked away from his friend and glanced at Tisha for confirmation.
She gave him a sympathetic smile. "That's the gist of it, yeah. But don't worry. I'll help bail you out with her, if you think you need help."
"I'll probably be okay," Jake replied, having already talked to Hannah and survived—albeit not in person. "But I'll let you know."
Brent flashed him a warning glance. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Sighing, Jake started for his truck, calling backwards, "That's what I hear."
Chapter 15
Intense Interrogations
Never in her life had Hannah ever experienced being any colder than she had been on New Year's Eve—or at least that was what she'd let herself believe, since she may, in fact, have been colder at some point in her life, though she doubted it very seriously. Walking home from Mollie's house had left Hannah with a coldness that ran to her bones, and her face had turned red from wind and cold. Tiny snowflakes had frozen into her hair while her feet had slid on icy sidewalk. Once she'd arrived back at her house, she'd changed into dry clothes, made steaming hot chocolate, and bundled under four blankets. She was still cold when she'd fallen asleep.
Now, with winter sunlight streaming through the blinds of her bedroom's windows, Hannah finally felt warm. Her nose was still chilly, which Hannah found hard to believe, but overall, she decided that she'd warmed up. She sat up in bed, and it hit Hannah—her nose was definitely stuffy. Inhaling, Hannah realized that the stuffiness was not going away. Additionally, her throat was sore, and she could feel that something was not right in her lungs.
She was sick. Already.
Sighing, Hannah felt of her cheeks and forehead, trying to see if she had a fever. Oh how she hoped not, but she couldn't tell if she did. She paused, debating about whether or not she was hungry. A lost appetite would have sealed the deal, but Hannah's stomach assured her that her appetite was as healthy as ever, and that assured Hannah that her sickness couldn't be too bad.
She swung her feet out of bed and wrapped up in a quilt, not trusting the rest of her house to be as warm as the realm under her blankets. In her socks, Hannah padded down to the empty kitchen and started scrambling for breakfast.
"Good morning, sweetie," her mother greeted. Patricia left the sink where she'd been scrubbing at a pot and went to her daughter's side. Hannah was then engulfed in a hug. "How did you sleep?"
Hannah smiled and poured herself some orange juice, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Very well."
Patricia paused and studied Hannah for a moment, but then she migrated toward the stove. "I'll make you some pancakes." Hannah grinned her appreciation and sipped her juice, allowing the cold liquid to soothe her sore throat. "How was the party last night? I didn't hear you come in, but I saw you asleep early."
Hannah's shoulders sunk in remembrance of the party. "It was okay. I got bored, so I came home." Hannah prayed that her mom wouldn't question transportation. "I was really tired."
Seemingly out of nowhere, Patricia settled medication in front of Hannah and gave Hannah's back a firm pat. "You're sick," she said simply to Hannah's inquisitive glance, returning to the stove and the batch of pancakes. "Should I make pancakes for Isaac now or wait till later? I don't want them to get too cold… I never know how long that boy is going to sleep."
"Mm…" Hannah swallowed the pills that her mother had supplied her with and hoped they'd take care of the illness. "I don't know," she murmured distractedly, finding herself watching the movements of her mother very closely. "Mom?"
Patricia jumped to attention and looked at her daughter instantly. "Yes, dear?"
"I…I'm sorry I went out that night." Hannah offered a sad smile. "It was stupid for me to go out when I knew that the roads would be dangerous."
Something quite similar to tears seemed to glisten in Patricia's eyes, unless it was just the angle that Hannah viewed her at. Patricia moved to her daughter's side and enveloped Hannah in a tight hug. "Oh, sweetie," she murmured gently. "I'm just so glad you're okay. And I know you're going to be fine, Hannah. You've always been a fighter."
Hannah swallowed, snuggling into her mother. Somehow, that made her feel much better.
"Hannah! The girls are here!"
"Shut up, Isaac!"
"What's your problem, Libby?"
Hannah nearly smiled at the banter between her brother and Libby as she came down the stairs of her house. She'd been dozing for most of the afternoon, but she'd just taken a long hot shower to clear her head; already, she was feeling better, though nowhere near one hundred percent well.
"Just shut up, Isaac, please," Libby snapped, rubbing her temples with her fingers. "Go away now."
"Libby, stop being a bitch," Tisha scolded, ruffling Isaac's blond hair. He smirked at Libby, growing arrogant after Tisha's defense. "Hey, Han."
Hannah smiled at her friends, though she was surprised to see them gathered together in her living room. It only took her a moment to realize that Isaac was studying her intensely, which Hannah responded to with raised eyebrows. He raised his right back, confusing Hannah a little bit.
"Mom said to tell you that she and Diane went out somewhere," Isaac informed Hannah as he made for the stairs. "She'll be back by dinner."
After her brother had disappeared, Hannah plopped onto the couch beside Tisha, near the chair where Morgan was taking up space. Surprisingly to herself, Hannah didn't feel a bit awkward with her friends. It finally felt all right to be around them.
"Is he gone?"
Morgan rolled her eyes, and it was then that Hannah noticed that Libby's eyes were closed as she clutched her head. "Yes, Libby, he's gone."
Immediately, Libby slid from her chair and stretched out over the floor, burying her head beneath her arms. Hannah stared at her, stumped. "Is something wrong, Libby?"
Libby responded initially with something that was a mix of growling and groaning. "I have a hangover from hell."
Tisha exploded with giggles, and Hannah found herself laughing along
with her. Finally, Libby would have to keep her mouth shut about everything because she was in no mood to talk, let alone argue. "Fascinating," Hannah commented through laughter. "It's, like, four o'clock."
"She didn't stop drinking till five this morning," Morgan smirked, obviously disgusted. "I only got her out of bed an hour ago."
Hannah stole a glance at Tisha, and both girls broke out into hysterical laughter, much to Libby's displeasure. From the floor, Libby sent them a perfect view of her middle finger. That only made the girls laugh harder, and Morgan joined in.
"You seem much happier today," Tisha commented suddenly, looking at Hannah seriously. "You weren't too happy at all last night."
Morgan leaned forward in her chair to get a better look at Hannah. "Yeah, Han. What happened?"
Hannah shrugged. "I don't like parties too much."
"Neither do I," Libby groaned.
Tisha snickered. "Yes, you do, Lib. You just don't like the day afterwards."
A coughing fit from Hannah prevented an argument from breaking out. She rubbed her chest and coughed lighter. "I think it's time for my meds," she announced with a look at the clock. "Or maybe not."
"Did you really walk home last night?" Morgan asked, frowning. "I thought you were going to ride with Gloria."
"Gloria ran into Scott on the way out," Hannah explained, rolling her blue eyes. She shrugged. "They ended up—"
"In Mollie's guest bedroom upstairs," Libby filled in.
The heads of Hannah, Tisha, and Morgan turned to stare at Libby, who was peeking up at them through her arms. The girls had what seemed to be a staring contest for several moments until one of them decided to break the silence.
It was Morgan. "And how would you know that?"
"Because Alec and I walked in on them." Libby offered a sheepish smile. "Gloria and Scott are very much back together. I have no doubts."
"And I have no doubts that you're a skank," Tisha declared, wrinkling her nose. "Alec? As in Alec Murphy? Are you serious? Come on, Lib! He's gross."
"He's been with every girl minus me, Han, and Tisha," Morgan put in, disgusted. "Ewww, Libby. What happened to your taste?"
Libby shrugged. "I guess it went out when that fourth round of mixed drinks came in."
Trying not to burst out laughing, Hannah forced herself to stare at the floor where Libby wasn't lying. She couldn't wait to tell Jake about this; he'd die laughing with her. She'd heard about Libby's sexual exploits from Jake before, and it was about time that she could add in some information. Or…was that not very friend-like? Hannah grew confused; Jake was a friend—a closer friend, now anyway—so…
"Do you feel awful?" Tisha asked, nudging Hannah and pulling her out of her thoughts. "You look pretty feverish."
"My throat and chest hurt mostly," Hannah answered, shrugging. "I'll live."
Libby sat up, resting her head on her knees in front of her. "So why did you leave last night anyway, Han? We've been taking bets that it was because of Jake," she remarked, looking proud of herself for suggesting it. "That's right, isn't it?"
Shocked and worried that Tisha had shared what Hannah had told her in confidence, Hannah stared. "You think I left because of Jake?"
"More specifically because of the girls crawling all over Jake," Morgan clarified carefully. She sighed softly. "It wasn't very nice of him to ignore you like that."
Hannah stole a glance at Tisha, but the pretty brunette didn't show any signs of nervousness or sheepishness. Taking that into consideration, Hannah decided that Tisha hadn't told the girls the reason why she'd left; apparently, it was so obvious to them that Tisha hadn't had to say anything, which kind of pissed Hannah off.
"Jake didn't ignore me," Hannah replied, her shoulders tensing indignantly. "We were talking, and then Mercedes came over, and then everyone else came. But Jake didn't ignore me. The other girls just…stole him from me."
The look that passed between Tisha and Morgan wasn't discreet enough for Hannah to miss it. But instead of making Hannah feel uncomfortable, it almost made her relax, for maybe the girls would say something encouraging about the situation. In truth, Hannah hadn't been able to stay at the party and watch Jake get mauled by all of those girls; it had just been the proof that Jake wasn't Hannah's boyfriend, like she so wished he was.
"Hannah…" Tisha's voice was cautious, which somehow made Hannah feel panicky. What could Tisha ask that Hannah hadn't already given her enough information about? "Do you like Jake?"
"Like…really, really like Jake?" Libby asked; her head was up now, her eyes trained on Hannah's face. All of the girls were looking at Hannah quite intensely. "As in…want him kind of like him?"
"Jake and I are just friends." Hannah curled her legs up under her and looked at each girl seriously, praying she was a good liar. "That's all. I left last night because I was bored. It didn't have anything to do with him."
Libby wasn't ready to drop the subject yet. "So you're not mad at him?"
"Not at all." Hannah hoped her tone was truthful enough. She also hoped that Tisha would keep her mouth shut and not say anything to the girls about how Hannah truly felt. "I have no reason to be mad at him."
Morgan offered a slight smile. "We were just concerned, Han."
"Yeah," Tisha agreed, giving Hannah's arm a subtle pat. Though Hannah didn't know why, that reassured her. "Maybe you should take some more meds, Han. You're not looking too well. Want me to go get you something?"
Hannah smiled at Tisha weakly. "No, thanks, Tish. I'm fine."
"We should probably go," Libby said suddenly. "Isaac said your mom would be home soon, and, uh, I bet she can spot a hangover." Libby cringed. "That would not be a good thing for her to see."
"That'd get us all in trouble," Morgan agreed, frowning.
Tisha hugged Hannah tightly, which further relaxed her. "Feel better soon, Han. We need to hang out before school starts back."
Nodding, Hannah gave her consent as she watched her friends leave. Once they were gone, she gave a huge sigh of relief. She wasn't sure why she was taking such great lengths to hide her feelings for Jake from them (with the exception of telling Tisha that she didn't like all those girls around him), but it seemed like something the old Hannah would have wanted, since the only person Hannah had told was…her diary, and that definitely didn't count. For whatever reason, it was meant to be kept a secret, and until Hannah came up with a reason that suggested that should change, she'd keep it that.
Or try to. Those girls were smarter than she'd thought.
A couple sneezes reminded Hannah that she should be taking medicine, so she maneuvered into the kitchen to take another round of drugs. Sitting at the kitchen table was Isaac, who appeared deep in thought with his head in his hands and an incredibly pensive expression on his face. The sight took Hannah aback briefly, but she kept on making her way to the pill bottles.
"Hey," she greeted her brother casually, pouring pills into her hand. She went to the refrigerator and poured herself more orange juice. "What are you up to?"
"Thinking."
She rolled her eyes. "As if that's not obvious enough."
Isaac made a noise that slightly resembled a laugh, but his thoughtful expression didn't change. "There's that sarcasm I so know and hate."
Grinning, Hannah sat down at the table next to him. "Don't be hating."
More pensive, Isaac studied Hannah; she raised her eyebrows back at him and sipped her juice, letting him gander for a few minutes. Finally, he spoke. "Feeling any better?"
"Do I look any better?"
"Eh…"
Hannah wrinkled her nose and finished off her juice. "I'm starving." She sighed and tipped her head at her brother, her strawberry blonde ponytail swishing. "Are you going to tell me what you're thinking so hard about?"
Isaac shrugged. "You probably wouldn't want to talk about it."
"Girls?" Hannah guessed. "Literature? Because you'd be right there. You'd be even more right if you wanted to talk about school. Try me
though. What's on your mind?"
"You and Jake."
Taken aback, Hannah stared at her brother and then cringed. "You were totally eavesdropping, weren't you?" she accused, crossing her arms over her chest. He smiled, proving that she was correct. "Isaac! Why would you do that?"
"You never answered me about Jake before," Isaac explained. Then he laughed, almost evilly. "Besides, I always eavesdrop. You should know that by now."
Without stating the obvious—that she couldn't remember that—Hannah let the comment slide. "Okay, whatever. So what are you wondering about us? Because I would be the ideal person to ask about it."
"Pretty much," Isaac allowed. "By the way, he's coming over for dinner. Just in case you're avoiding him or whatever." Isaac looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "He'll probably be getting here soon."
She considered that. "Okay," Hannah answered simply, shrugging. She noted Isaac's expectant expression and shook her head. "No, I'm not avoiding him. I'm not mad at him. But I don't know what to tell you because I don't know what you want to know. So tell me, and then I can tell you, and neither of us will be so frustrated."
"Do you like him?"
Hannah blinked. "Oh." She looked away, stricken by the brilliant guise of searching for food. Her location was changed to the pantry quickly. "Do we have any Oreos?" she asked, her mind raging. Should she tell Isaac that she liked Jake? Maybe Isaac could offer some male insight or some information that would encourage her not to like Jake.
"I think Mom, Diane, and I finished them off last night," Isaac replied, spinning around in his chair to watch Hannah. "But don't try to change the subject. It's a simple question, Han. Do you or don't you?"
Feeling sly, Hannah met Isaac's eyes. "Does Jake have a thing for me?"
The stare-down began then, with both siblings watching each other intensely. "You tell me first," Isaac challenged. "I asked first, after all."
Hannah scoffed. "That only worked in elementary school." She closed the pantry doors and made a face at her brother. "Besides, I bet you don't know anyway, so if I told you anything, you wouldn't have anything interesting to say back. I'm not stupid."
