Jake

25. Your Guardian Angel

"Okay, come on, what happened back there?" She shook her head again.

He said, "I know it was something."

She managed to get out, "It-It's not important."

He said, "Yes it is." They walked up her front steps and he stood in front of the door, blocking it. He said, "I'm not letting you in, then. Not until you tell me."

She said, "It's...trivial."

He said, "Stop using different words that mean the same thing! Just tell me."

She let out a big sigh and said, "Ugh, fine."

She handed him her phone and said, "Hold that." He grabbed it and she took off my sweater, dropping it on the porch next to her. She pointed at four different scars on her left arm.

She said, "You see these?"

He nodded and she said, "These happened three years ago. I was 12. It was 11:00 at night. My first cuts. Do you know why I did it?" She waited a few seconds. "Do you?" He shook his head.

She said, "Remember I told you about a guy named Todd Forrest?" He nodded.

"Well, this is what happened in the simplest form. I went to a party with him, he left me in one spot for a few minutes and came back with everybody. And when I say everybody, I mean everybody. Everyone from that stupid school was there and..." She could barely speak, then she realized how stupid it all was. She said, "It may seem stupid now, but I was 12 and a complete idiot and it pushed me over the edge. It's fine when a few people make fun of you. But...everyone did it. Even the adults joined in. And they all threw things at me. I was alone. And I couldn't do anything. After a while, they got bored and just kicked me out. Then I went home and did that. It was a stupid thing, too. But worse. Tonight, I saw someone who was there. And he wasn't just there. He threw both parties. And he was the one that made the plan with Todd. His name was Adam Crestview. I didn't know it before, but I was sure I knew him. Then it finally clicked."

He said, "Oh. Wow. But how did he get here?"

She shrugged. "He was a smart kid. He got into a good school and moved, I guess. I didn't live too far from here, so it's possible."

He said, "Wow."

She shot him a look and said, "Really? All you can say is 'Wow'?"

"Well--"

She interrupted him, "Just-Just forget it. It doesn't matter." She grabbed her sweater and stared at him in front of her door. She said, "Excuse me." He just stood there. "Move." She waited again. Nothing. She looked him straight in the eyes with tears building up in her own, and said, "Jake, move. Now."

He looked down and walked away from the door and started across the street.

She unlocked it and was about to walk in when he said, "Wait, Soph! Your phone!"

She sighed and threw her sweater on the porch again before walking towards him. She looked at him and he started walking towards her, too. They met in the middle of the street and his arm raised to give the phone to her. Out of nowhere, two bright lights started racing towards them. She turned her head to look at it and it was so close to them. She couldn't even think before she pushed Jake as far away from her as she could and ended up falling on the ground. She laid on the ground and shut her eyes as tight as possible. She heard screeching and waited for something to happen. She waited for it to hit her. She knew she was going to die and she couldn't stop it.

But then she didn't.

She opened her eyes and saw a stopped car a few feet away from her and Jake sitting on the curb, looking extremely shocked.