by Kelly Martin
Chapter Six
I woke up on Tuesday morning to the sound of thunder in the distance. It wasn't like I'd watched the news or anything and heard it was going to rain, but from the sound of the thunder, it would be here at least by nine. Frustrated, I shut my eyes and mentally read the map I'd written down the day before. Yeah, there would be a lot of walking outside today. Perfect for a first day of school. And I didn't even own an umbrella. Maybe they'd have them in the Student Center store, I thought. I knew if they didn't, I'd be screwed. Four classes in one day, all across campus from each other, no umbrella.
At that one small moment in time, I sort of missed high school. At least it was in one building. Who cared if it rained? We were confined to the building going along our merry way, not caring what Mother Nature threw at us. Well, unless it was a tornado — or snow. Snow was good.
After a few minutes of whining like a baby, I rolled out of bed and got ready. It only took like five seconds to decide what I was going to wear: jeans, slightly faded, a dark gray shirt and black hoodie. The hood would keep me semi-dry — or so I reasoned. It really didn't.
I threw the corner of a pop tart in my mouth, grabbed my backpack, my map, and my keys and headed down to J's apartment. Like the night before, I didn't even have to knock. She was busy hurrying around, picking up things and throwing them around all frantic. I'd never seen her frantic before. Of course, I'd only known her twenty four hours.
Truth be told, I probably should have spoken before I did. I mean, obviously I saw what she was doing and the mess she was making. It was clear she was looking for something, but I didn't say a word. I just smiled and leaned against the door frame, watching her. She had on slim dark jeans and black boots up nearly to her knees. They caught my eye immediately because Lauren had a pair like them in brown — I remembered because I was the one who bought them for her last Christmas. Money wasted.
To be fair, they looked better on J. Lauren's legs were sort of scrawny and too skinny. J's were just right. A little meat, but not overly so. I'd never been a guy who was attracted to model skinny girls. Just my preference. To each his own.
Now, what was I saying?
Okay, right. She had on her dark jeans and knee high boots and a white shirt under a black sweater. Her hair, which I assumed had been fixed in a ponytail at one time or another, was falling around her face and she was mumbling something under her breath. From what I could hear, they weren't pleasant words.
The one thing I did hear her say was, "Where are they!" And then a pillow flew over her head.
Though it would have been fun to watch her longer, my eyes glanced at the huge clock over the couch and saw we really needed to get going. I cleared my throat and she jumped like she'd been… like she'd been...
Like…
I can't do this, okay? I can't… I can't talk about her... about...
But I guess I have to. It's why I'm here, isn't it? To talk?
It shocked her, okay? My throat clearing. It shook her. She stood up straight and she looked at me with those big, huge wide blue eyes. I have to admit, as amused as I was, she was not. "How long have you been standing there?" she huffed.
"A few minutes," I answered, still smirking. It was, apparently, the wrong thing to do.
J stood up in a huff, crossed her arms, and said, "You've been standing there all this time I've been looking for my keys and you didn't have the decency to come in and help me look?"
Yeah. Totally mad. It wouldn't be the last time J got mad at me. One other time, it ended much, much worse. This time just ended with her throwing the last couch cushion at me. Stealthy as I was, I ducked out of the way, and the unfortunate cushion tumbled down the stairs to the first floor. She started calling me names I won't mention right now and finally looked down at the couch. Her expression changed and she picked up the keys, right where the cushion had been.
"Looks like I helped you find them after all."
She glared but didn't look as mad. I could handle that, so I asked if she needed any more help. She said to go get the couch cushion from downstairs.
So, I did.
We left about ten minutes later. J had to go back to her bathroom and fix her ponytail. When she came back out, it was as sleek as ever. I sort of missed how it had been when it was untamed. It suited her better.
I offered to take my car since carpooling was my idea, but she said no. She didn't explain why she said no, and I knew better than to make an issue out of it. She was still mad about me not helping her find her keys and I didn't want to make it worse.
As I got in the car, I glanced across the road at the police station. Sure enough, Sheriff Rivers sat outside the door, leaned back against the wall, staring me down. "Does he live there?" I asked J, who sort of shrugged as an answer and waved across the road.
"He's short staffed and feels the need to be in the office at all hours. Especially now."
We slid into the car — her on the driver's side and me on the passenger.
I had to ask. "Why especially now?"
She put her key in the ignition. "Don't tell me you haven't heard about the Linley Lady Killer?"
