The Soulkeepers

Chapter 35:

Chapter 35
Apology

Days and then weeks went by without any word from Malini. Jacob tried to call but she refused to talk with him. He decided to send her an email, apologizing for the way he'd treated her. He sat down at the glass desk, which she'd picked out, and booted up the computer, that she'd also picked out. Everything in this room reminded him of her.

Malini,

I know there's nothing I can say that can make up for what I did. I tried to force you to do something you didn't want to do. I have no excuses. But I am sorry.

I'm not sure how to live in Paris without you. I decided to stay because of you but here I am without you anyway. It feels like I've lost everything. When I think about starting school again, everything hurts. Please forgive me. Hit me, scream at me, anything, but please talk to me.

If you ever talk to me again, I swear I'll tell you everything; everything I know about the water, the tree, and me. I am still Jacob. You do know the real me. But I'll tell you the rest, if you just talk to me again.

Love,

Jake

As hopeful as he was when he hit the send button, the last days of August faded away and school rolled in with no response. The first day of his junior year at Paris High School was spent in silence, moving from classroom to classroom in zombie-like indifference. He didn't have to see Malini in trigonometry or foreign language because she'd passed into college-level Spanish, French, and calculus. For once, he was happy that she surpassed him academically.

But English was the great equalizer. He saw her take a seat at the front of the room. Thinking he didn't want to feel her stare in the back of his head all period, he sat in the back. Unfortunately, the strategy backfired. He spent the entire period watching her and didn't hear a word Mr. Brown said.

Lunch was an endurance exercise. He sat on the opposite end of the only empty table in the cafeteria. She seemed completely engrossed in her pulled pork sandwich, never even looking in his direction. Jacob, on the other hand, didn't touch his lunch. He spent the period feeling like his heart was being dragged out of his body through his throat.

Chemistry was even more of a problem. There was no getting around being lab partners. Everyone else in the class paired up immediately, leaving the last table empty. Jacob sat down first. She eventually followed, taking the stool diagonally from him with a huff and never making eye contact. Luckily, they didn't have to talk with each other. Mrs. Casey covered the requirements of the class and then ran a movie on taking accurate measurements. Jacob couldn't stop looking at Malini, but she never turned her head. When the lights came back on and the bell rang, he leaned across the table and put his hand on her arm.

"Meet me at McNaulty's?" he pleaded.

She didn't look up but yanked her arm away. Grabbing her books, she was out the door before he could close his mouth.

After school, Jacob walked alone to McNaulty's anyway and waited. He left alone.

By early September, Jacob was ready to chew his own arm off. With no place to go and nothing to do, he spent entire days staring at walls. He hated to admit it, but he missed working for Dr. Silva. Even a fight with Katrina would've been a welcome distraction, but she'd moved out at the end of August to attend college. So, when he saw the cross-country team gathering after school on the football field with Coach Schroeder, he found himself joining them for no other reason than an absence of nothing better to do.

"Coach Schroeder?" Jacob said.

"Yeah. What's up, Jacob?"

"I know I missed the informational session but I was wondering if I could run on the team."