Wanting His Girl

Chapter | 8

Pulling up outside Emily’s house Jack noticed Carla’s car in the drive and as he slowed out the front she appeared, waving over at him. Pulling up on the verge, Jack got out instantly noticing how worried she looked.

“She isn’t home or answering her phone. Please tell me you’ve heard from her” Carla looked at him hopefully but Jack only shook his head.

“No nothing all day. Do you think she’s ok?” He had wondered if she had gone to her parents but surely Carla would have checked and when she spoke it was as if she could read his mind.

“Her parents haven’t seen her either. She hasn’t been to work or gone and hid at the shelter she volunteers at. I don’t know where else to check” She ran her hand through her blonde hair clearly frustrated. “I’m getting worried Jack”

“It’s Em, I’m sure she just needed some time to think” He considered going up to Kings Park, she often went up there to take a break and wouldn’t be surprised if she was there now.

“That’s it! I know where she is!” Jacks words made perfect sense to Carla, where else would her friend go to disappear from the world? She practically ran to her car, pausing as she opened the door. Looking back Jack looked like a lost puppy and a new idea formed in her mind. Getting in the car she grabbed the notebook from her bag, writing down the instructions on how to get there and took it over to Jack. “If she’s there text me immediately. I’m going to try one more place”

Jack didn’t ask questions and nodded, getting into his car he struggled to keep within the speed limits as he made his way to the one place he would have never thought to look but made sense. The cemetery car park was empty apart from a white sedan and a navy vw beetle and pulling up beside it he texted Carla to tell her she was right.

A million thoughts raced through Jacks mind, should he interrupt her, should he even be here considering the rumors going around about them but most of all was there hope for something to happen between them now?

“Turn left at the angel tombstone and head towards the large oak tree,” He mumbled, tucking Carla’s directions into his pocket and following the path he passed the angel. He had never spent much time in a cemetery, especially not at nightfall. The silence was unsettling and only broken by the gentle whooshing of the leaves on the tree and someone nearby a crow was cawing before settling for the night. Passing the oak, he didn’t need to look at the note again as the telltale head of red was seen over the grey and white tombstones and crosses marking the numerous lots occupied by the dead. This was it.

Taking a deep breath he headed over, his footsteps crunching loudly on the fallen leaves as he approached but she sat there unaware, the street light on the corner sending a dull light in her direction as the sky let the night take over. As he got closer he could hear her talking softly to the black marble marker of her brothers final resting place and he felt his heart breaking for her. “Em?”

Blood shot eyes found his, her cheeks were damp with tears and the bruise had reached its purple glory, instantly getting his attention. Her hand went up to wipe away her tears, shivering slightly the coldness seemed to be rising from the earth and remembering her bruise tried to hide it by dropping her head down and letting her hair cover her face. “What happened to your cheek?”

“Nothing. How did you know I was here?” Emily only felt a longing to go to Jack, the feelings she had been forcing herself to ignore all these months rising to the surface and she went back to looking at the tiny picture of her sibling in the corner of his tombstone.  She had been talking to Scott about him knowing the pair would have got along famously, was Jack turning up now a sign? It didn’t matter, despite the fact she was long over due to leave Greg it had only been hours since it happened. She couldn’t throw herself at the first available man she came across since that, not even Jack.