Between Me & You.

Chapter Twenty

I walked in the front door after school.

Kasey was still at work.

I ran up to my room to get ready for my date with Jacob. I plugged in my curling iron and went to find something in my closet to wear. I pulled out a red lace ruffle dress from the back of my closet. It had delicate-looking spaghetti straps. I laid it on the bed. I pulled my hair back in a hair tie, curling the tips of my hair. I added little to no make up, but enough to my eyes pop. I found a white lace cardigan to go over the dress in case I got cold. I put on my converse and headed downstairs. It took longer than I thought it did to get ready. I heard the door ring. That's strange, I thought to myself. I opened the door to find Jacob standing there in khaki pants, a white button-up shirt.

"Aren't you handsome?" I said to him.

"You look gorgeous. Are you ready?"

Jacob asked while I nodded my head.

We walked over to his motorcycle. We both got our helmets on and headed down the road. The directions felt familiar, and it was once we pulled up to the house I knew where we were — the large old farmhouse with the beautiful wrap-around porch and rustic looking French doors.

I smiled.

The farmhouse was the first place he ever took me.

We got off the motorcycle and Jacob grabbed my hand.

"Were heading to the garage." He said calmly.

As we approached the garage, I could see lights and hear music playing. We walked inside, and Jacob pulled down the hideaway ladder. We both went up to the glass-filled attic.

Jacob had it all set up, with music, beautiful lights.

"Wow, Jacob, this is beautiful," I said, dumbfounded.

"Did you do this all by yourself?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, I wanted it to be perfect for you." He said, proud of himself.

"I love it." Jacob placed a blanket on the ground.

"Take a seat," he said while grabbing a few pizza boxes. I got excited once I saw the pizza.

"Eek, pizza. I am starving." We sat on the blanket, eating the pizza.

"Okay, I have to admit something," I said embarrassed. Jacobs eyes opened.

"I have never been to one of the school dances." Jacob started laughing at me.

"I haven't either." He said, chuckling.

His laugh was the best sound.

"I love your laugh," I told him. He leaned over and kissed me. We finished our pizza before Jacob got up and changed the channel on the 1930s Zenith classic Bakelite radio he rebuilt. Jacob grabbed my hand, helping me up off the blanket. He spun me around before grabbing onto me, placing his hand around me, pulling me into his body as we danced to the song playing on the radio. I put my head on his shoulder, and I couldn't help but hold onto this moment. I felt whole.

We were still slow dancing before we realized the radio stopped. I started crying.

"Ellie, are you crying?" That caught me off guard; Jacob has never called me by my first name.

He held onto me.

"I opened the package. You were right. It was the answers I wanted. I wasn't expecting what I found, however. Both my parents, in one way or another, have lied to me."

Jacob stood there, stunned. I sat down on the blanket.

"Kasey isn't my aunt." Jacob's face dropped.

"I'm sorry, Harrison," I heard Jacob say.

I lied down, looking at the stars.

"The stars are pretty from this view," I said distractedly.

Jacob lied down beside me. He grabbed my hand.

"You know the most fucked up part, and I am not even mad. I thought I was going to be so upset with Kasey for lying to me, but I am relieved. Is there something wrong with me? I should be mad right?" Jacob looked at me.

"I think you're relieved because you knew deep down. You know Kasey; she wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt you. She was young and dealing with a lot herself." I sighed. We lied on the blanket, looking up at the stars. I was thinking about what Jacob just said, he was right. She was young.

Wait. I thought to myself.

"Wait, how did you know that?" I asked confused. I didn't mention anything to Jacob about Kasey being young.

"Know what?" he asked concerned to say something wrong.

"I didn't tell you," I paused. "I didn't tell you that." I started getting upset. How did Jacob know anything about Kasey going through a lot?

"Harrison wait, I didn't know. Well I did when you told me, but I didn't know until this morning."

I was angry.

"is there anything else you know that I don't?" I asked rudely.

"Harrison, I think you need to calm down and hear her out. She didn't mean to keep it from you." Jacob said so easily.

"Kasey talked to you didn't she?"

I watched Jacob nod his head yes.

"I'm out of here." I said before walking down the pull-down ladder. I started walking through the path we walked up on the way here.

Jacob chased me.

"Ellie, please, I messaged her asking if you were okay this morning. When you came to me yesterday I never saw you like that before. You were so shut off from the world"

I kept walking as Jacob followed me yelling at me.

"Ellie, I only asked her because I care a lot about you. She explained everything to me." I stopped in my tracks and turned around to face Jacob.

"You're taking her side? Like I'm not allowed to be upset I was lied to my whole life, did she tell you max is my dad too? That I went to find him, and he lied right to my face. Kasey has lied to my face for 17 years Jacob. 17 years. I mourned the loss of my mother who wasn't even my mom, and Max, he made up this whole grand lie about being my uncle for only God knows why. This isn't like being taken away from your family and given to a new one, Jacob. So I'm sorry if I don't want to hear her out. She could have told me the truth herself." I said crying.

Jacob stood there dumfounded.

"Just leave me alone Jacob, I am done." I said before walking away.

I continued walking. It wasn't long before I came to the dirt road, I looked both ways and headed right.

The opposite way from home.