Through the Layers (Rumor Has It series Book 4)

by RH Tucker

  I put it back on the nightstand and nestle closer to her, wrapping my arms around her. The phone goes off again.

  “What the?” I grab it once more. It still says ‘Unknown.’ “Want me to answer it?”

  “I don’t care,” she says sleepily, burrowing her face into my chest.

  I hit ‘Accept.’ “Hello?”

  “Hi, I’m so sorry for calling, but is this Veronica?”

  “Who is this?”

  “Wait, is this Micah?”

  “What the hell? Who is this?” Veronica looks at me with the same confused expression I have from the caller.

  “Micah! Micah, please don’t hang up. It’s Lana.”

  “What? Lana?”

  “Micah, please, I’m begging you don’t hang up. Please, I just need—”

  I hit end.

  “Did you say Lana?” Veronica asks, peeking up at me.

  “Did you give her your number?”

  “No. Wait, she called me for you or …”

  “I don’t know.”

  I’m just about to put the phone back when it buzzes again. “Maybe you should find out what she wants.”

  “No.” I hit ignore. “I don’t care what she wants. While you were gone, she pulled some crap at my parents’ house.”

  “What’d she do?”

  “Nothing. Forget it. Come on, let’s just go to sleep.” The phone starts again.

  I let out a grumble, sitting up in the bed. “Micah, maybe it’s an emergency. Why would she have my number? How’d she even get it?”

  “It’s not an emergency. She just doesn’t get it.” I hit ignore. “Taylor joked I should get a restraining order. Now I’m seriously considering it.”

  The phone vibrates.

  “Oh my God!” I hit ‘Talk.’ “What the hell do you want?”

  “Micah! Please! Please, please, please! Don’t hang up. I’m so sorry, for everything, but I’m in trouble. Please don’t hang up on me.”

  “Lana, if this is some stupid shit then I’m—”

  “It’s not, I promise. I’m stranded out here.”

  “Where?”

  “I’m in Carlsbad. Please, my car got a flat, and I’m stranded out here. I’m scared.”

  “What the? Jesus, Lana.”

  “Abi and I came out to a party, but she left with a guy. I told her I’d be fine to drive and I was.”

  “You’re not, I can hear it in your voice. You’re slurring.”

  “But I was fine. Then I hit something and my tire’s flat. A guy came by, but he was drunk. He just left and I—” Her voice catches, and a small whimper escapes her. “Please, Micah. I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Damn it.” I take a deep breath. Veronica’s sitting up now, looking at me. “Are you in your car?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, stay in your car. Lock your doors. Don’t open them for anyone.”

  “Okay.”

  “Gimme a couple minutes. I’ll call you back.”

  “Thank you, Micah. Thank you, thank you.”

  I toss the phone on the sheets, letting out a deep sigh.

  “What’s going on?” Veronica asks.

  “She’s out somewhere, sounds drunk or something. She has a flat and is stranded.” I let out another huff. “I’m gonna call Jen. Maybe she’ll go help her.”

  “Did you want to—”

  “No.” I cut her off. I don’t mean for it to sound harsh, but I’m getting sick and tired of everything that has to do with Lana. I grab my phone and call Jen, hoping she answers her phone.

  “Micah?”

  “Hey, yeah. Sorry, Jen, I know it’s early.”

  “Yeah. What’s going on? Everything okay?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m fine, it’s Lana.”

  “What?” Her voice drips with apathy.

  “Yeah, sorry. She just called me. She’s stuck out Carlsbad. Look, I really hate to ask you, but would you be able to go pick her up?”

  “No,” she replies immediately. “I’m sorry, but no. What the hell, Micah? I told her. I told her when she woke up in the hospital she needs to figure out her shit. She’s out of control. Not just with you. She’s partying too much. I don’t care if this makes me a bitch or not, but I’m not helping her. After everything she’s done? No. No way. She made her bed, now she has to lie in it.”

  I let out a cynical chuckle. Jen took it almost as hard as I did when Lana cheated on me, so I’m not surprised by how harsh she sounds. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.”

  “Micah, I’m not going to tell you to not help her because I know you. But she needs to figure her shit out.”

  “Yeah. I know. Talk to you later.”

  I throw my head back, raking my fingers over my face. My second idea is to call Emma, and knowing her, she’d help Lana out, but then I remember she went out of town with Carter. My last thought is asking Taylor, but all he drives is a motorcycle. “Shit,” I groan out.

  “Micah, it’s okay.” Veronica rubs my arm. “If you need to go, you should go. I’d hate if something happens to her.”

  “That’s just it, V. I don’t need to go. I should just let her figure it out herself. She did this to herself.”

  “I know.” She leans her head on my shoulder. “But what if something happened to her?”

  “Yeah.” I nod my head and then dial her number.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, I’m on my way. Send me the address.”

  “I don’t know the address.”

  “Damn it, La—” I take a deep breath. “Where are you, Lana? How can I find you?”

  Her voice breaks and I can tell she’s crying. “Okay, okay. I’m in a Starbucks parking lot. There’s … there’s a bookstore next to it.”

  “A bookstore, okay. Can you see an address?”

  “No—” She yelps into the phone. Then I hear her talking to someone. “No. No, I’m fine. My friend’s coming. No, thanks. No.”

  “Lana?”

  “No. I said, no, he’s on his way.

  “Lana!”

  “Micah, hurry.”

  “Lana, lock your doors. Don’t open them for anyone. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Turn on your location on your phone. I’ll find it. It’s gonna take me an hour to get out there.”

  “An hour? Micah, no. Please, ple—”

  “Lana, calm down. I’m gonna get out there as fast as I can.

  “Okay.” She sniffles. “Thank you.”

  “Okay.” I hang up, letting out another deep breath. “Unbelievable.”

  Veronica hugs my arm. “Did you want me to come with you?”

  “No, stay here. Go back to sleep.” Hugging her, I kiss the side of her head. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For being so understanding. I don’t know if I’d do the same thing if your ex was calling.”

  She lets out a sleepy laugh and lays back down. “Be careful.”

  “I will.” I lean over her, giving her one more kiss before I get out of bed and get dressed.

  The freeways are empty as I drive to Carlsbad, which is about an hour from Irvine. Getting her location from the app, I know where the Starbucks is she’s supposed to be waiting at.

  When I first left the apartment, I was more upset than worried. But no matter how she’s been acting these last couple of months, I don’t wish any harm on her. The hour it’s taken me to get to her, while I’m still hoping everything is okay, the frustration is setting back in.

  As I’m pulling into the parking lot, it’s still dark out, but there’s a small sliver of daylight breaking over the horizon. I park next to her and get out, walking over to her car. Her knees are brought up to her chest as she sits in the driver’s seat, her face between her knees.

  I knock on the window lightly. Her head comes up, slowly, like she’s afraid of who’s going to be outside. Peeking over her arm, her eyes meet mine, and she comes alive.

  “Micah!” She anxiously grasps
at her door handles, swinging the door open so fast I almost don’t get out of the way in time. She throws her arms around me, burying her face into my neck. “Oh, thank God. Micah, thank you. Thank you.”

  “It’s okay. You’re okay,” I whisper to her.

  She looks up at me with tear-stained cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I was … it was horrible. I didn’t think you’d get here.”

  “It’s all right.” She’s holding on to me so tightly I can feel her shaking.

  “Do you have a spare tire?” Glancing back at her car, she shakes her head. “What about insurance? Can we call the insurance to tow it?” She doesn’t look at me, instead keeping her eyes low, shaking her head again. “Lana, seriously?”

  “It overlapped last month. I was going to see if my parents would help me with it, but then …” She pauses, and I hear a sniffle. “They kicked me out.”

  “What?”

  “My roommates kicked me out, so I moved back home. After the hospital … Dad said they couldn’t do it anymore.”

  “Damn it, Lana.”

  “Please don’t be mad at me, Micah. Please, please … I know I’m a screwup. I’ve ruined everything. I don’t know what else to do. That’s why I’m staying with Abigail.”

  “Where the hell is she?”

  “She took off with some guy that lives close to us.”

  “Well, come on,” I pull her along toward my truck. “I’ll take you home. You’ll have to figure out how to get your car towed back though.” She stops walking. “Lana?”

  “I don’t have a key.”

  I can’t help it. I throw my head back, letting out a disgruntled groan. “Seriously?”

  “Abi was going to make me one, but I’ve only been there a few days. I’m sorry.”

  I’m so exasperated, I feel like throwing my hands into the air, and yelling out in frustration. “What the hell are we supposed to do then?”

  “Can I stay at your place? Just until I can get ahold of Abi. Then she can pick me up.”

  I immediately think of Veronica. There’s no way I’m asking her to leave the apartment, but I don’t know how comfortable she’ll be with Lana there, too. However, it’s not like I can just leave her out here, in the middle of nowhere.

  “Yeah, I guess I have no choice.”

  I don’t realize how callous the words sound until she frowns, looking away. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. Come on, let’s go.”

  She gets into the truck, and as I step into the driver’s side, I see her rubbing her arms. It’s the first time I realize what she’s wearing. Little, white shorts, and light pink halter top. It doesn’t feel cold out, but then again I’m wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a hoody.

  “Here,” I say, unzipping my sweater and handing it to her.

  “Thank you.”

  The front seat of my truck has a large armrest that folds between the driver’s side and the passenger. After we’ve been driving on the freeway for about ten minutes, she leans over it and lays her head down over her arms, lifting her feet onto the seat. I remember her doing that in the past when we would drive back from going out to the movies. I try to shake the memory, focusing on the road in front of me.

  We finally get back to the apartment, and the sun is now entirely out, shining through my windshield. I tap her shoulder. “We’re here.” She doesn’t move. “Lana, time to wake up.”

  She stirs, lifting her head. She looks around the cab, then up at me with heavy eyelids. Grabbing my hand, she pulls it under her face and lays back down. Another thing she used to do. “I’m too tired.”

  I wiggle my hand free, tapping her again. “Lana, get up.”

  She wipes her eyes with her forearm. “Okay.”

  Making our way to the apartment, I open the door and see her heading directly to my room. “Hey,” I say, lowering my voice and grabbing her hand. “Where are you going?”

  “I just need to sleep, Micah. Please.”

  “You can sleep here. On the couch.”

  Her eyes find the sofa, then mine. “I can’t—”

  “No. You can’t.”

  “But your bed’s so comfortable.”

  Gone is her fearful state from when I picked her up. She’s acting playful now, almost flirty. And now I’m over it again.

  “I know it is.” I snap. “And my girlfriend’s sleeping in it right now.”

  She jerks her head back. Her eyes find mine for only a second, as her cheeks turn red. She looks over at the couch. “Oh. Right.”

  “I’ll get you a blanket. Have a seat.”

  “Okay,” she replies without looking at me.

  I head to my bedroom door and take a deep breath before going inside, opening the door quietly. Veronica’s asleep, snuggled under the blankets. Remembering she’s wearing the lingerie, I’d like nothing more than to just wrap my arms around her and go back to sleep. Letting out a sigh of frustration instead, I go to my closet and grab an extra blanket.

  “What are you doing?” Veronica asks, sleepily watching me. “Everything go okay?”

  I smile and crawl over to her. “Hey, yeah, everything’s fine.”

  She smiles back and opens her arms to me. “Okay, good. I’m glad your back. I didn’t like sleeping here alone.”

  “I know, baby.” I kiss her cheek. “Um, so … just to let you know, Lana’s outside.”

  Her eyes pop open, and she sits up, wrapping the blankets around herself. “What?”

  I cringe, showing her the blanket. “Yeah, I guess she got kicked out or something. She’s staying with a friend but doesn’t have a key to the place yet.”

  “Oh.”

  “She isn’t going to be here long. We’re just waiting for her to get ahold of her roommate, so she can come and pick her up.”

  “Uh, should I leave?”

  “No.” I lean closer, wrapping my arms around her. “Absolutely not. I don’t want you to leave. You can meet her if you want or whatever, I don’t know. But don’t leave. This is your place, Veronica. Our place. She just had nowhere else to go.”

  “Yeah, but … it feels weird.”

  Bringing my hands up, I cup her face. “Vero, please don’t leave. I want you here. Just let me give her these blankets, and I’ll come back in, and we’ll go to sleep.”

  “I … I don’t know.”

  “Please?” I press my lips to hers, hoping to calm whatever fear she’s having, but I know it’s not working. She kisses me back, but it’s a standard reply. Nothing that tells me she’s okay. Still holding her face, I wait for an answer. She finally nods with a struggling smile.

  Walking back into the living room, I find Lana hunched over on the couch, her phone to her ear, whispering loudly. “No. I know, Mom, but I don’t know what else to do. No, that’s the only credit card I have. I know this is my fault, okay? I know. But if you’d just give me a little— Hello? Hello? Mom?”

  Pulling her phone away, she stares at the screen. I hear her sniff, and she squeezes her phone. I’ve never seen her like this.

  When we were in school, and even after, she was always the life of the party. Her parents are both realtors, and she’s always been well off. They provided her with anything and everything. Multiple credits cards. A new car on her sixteenth birthday, and then traded that one in to get an even newer one when she graduated high school. But now she’s in shambles.

  “Hey,” I say quietly.

  Her head snaps to me, quickly raising a hand to her face, wiping away tears. “Hey,” she replies with a raspy tone.

  “Here you go.” I hand her the blanket.

  “Thank you.”

  I wait there, unsure if I should say something, attempt to console her, or try and figure out why she seems to be spiraling out of control. But I also know Veronica’s waiting for me on the other side of my door and if I’m choosing anyone’s feelings over another’s, it’s Veronica’s. “Try to get some sleep, okay?”

  “Yeah,” she says with an unconvinced chuckle,
wiping away more tears.

  I head back to my room, finding Veronica up and in jeans and a T-shirt. Shutting the door behind me, I hurry over to her. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m gonna go.”

  “Veronica, please. Don’t go.”

  “No.” She shakes her head, rolling up the babydoll and putting it into her backpack, before zipping it up. “I think I should. I just feel too awkward.”

  “Please,” I whisper to her, wrapping my arms around her. “Don’t put that on yourself. I want you here. With me.”

  She wraps her arms around me. “I know, but she’s right outside. I don’t … I can’t just ignore that. It’s too weird.”

  “Okay, fine. Let me take her to my parents. My mom seems to be in love with her anyways.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “That’s right, I haven’t told you. I’ll tell you when I get back. Please, just let me get her out of here, and you stay. I don’t care if I have to drop her off on Jen’s front door. I will.”

  She lets out a small giggle that puts me at ease, but only partly, because she shakes her head. “No, I already texted Cindy. She’s on her way.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. It’s fine, Micah, really.”

  “It’s not fine. You’re not the one who should be leaving. You’re not the one who should be feeling uncomfortable.”

  As soon as I say that her phone chimes. “Cindy’s here.”

  I let out a long sigh, bringing my forehead down against her, still holding her. “I’ll walk you out.”

  When we walk out of the room, Lana’s head is on the armrest of the couch, and she looks over. She immediately sits up as she sees Veronica walking out. “Oh, hi.”

  “Hi.” Veronica gives her a quick wave and heads to the door.

  “I’m Lana.”

  “I know.” She motions to herself before reaching the front door. “Veronica.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Lana calls out.

  “Yeah, nice to meet you, too,” Veronica replies as she walks out of the apartment.

  I trail behind her and see Cindy in the parking lot. She seems confused but gives us both a tired, yawning wave. Walking over to the passenger side, Veronica opens the door.

  “Vero, I really wish you’d stay.”

  “I know,” she says, setting her bag down before turning to me. “But it’s too weird. I’m sorry.”