Too Close To Home - (A Mystery Suspense Thriller)

Chapter 2: Three Days Later...

After the school bell rang, signalling the end of the day, the students of Greysville High School started pouring out of their classrooms and filling the halls. Melissa Howard and her best friend Jenny Griffin, walked side by side toward their lockers, engaged in chit chat about their day. As Melissa closed her locker, a tall, handsome blonde-haired young man appeared at her side.

"Hey gorgeous," he greeted her, smiling brightly.

Melissa's face lit up at the sight of him.

"Hi Jake," she replied, returning his smile.

"I'll call you, later, Missy," Jenny told her, giving the young couple some privacy. She nodded at them both and then walked off to go get on her bus.

The two of them began to walk toward the exit doors together.

"So, what are you doing later?" Jake asked Missy, looking at her with his piercing blue eyes.

"Today is 'counseling day'," she told him, rolling her eyes as she said the last part of the sentence. "Your crazy girlfriend has to go get her weekly therapy fix."

Jake grinned at her comment.

"My girlfriend isn't crazy," he retorted. "A little touched in the head, maybe, but certainly not crazy."

Missy swung at him, giggling at his joke. He blocked her swing with his right arm and chuckled. They were approaching the exit and Missy stopped before they went through the doors.

"You know my mom always picks me up on Thursdays," she told Jake, turning to face him.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. God forbid your mom actually see you with your secret boyfriend," he commented, rolling his eyes at his own statement.

"Come on, Jake, we've been through this. You're a senior, and I'm..." he cut her off in mid-sentence.

"I know, I know, I'm such an old man. We don't wanna freak mommy out, now, do we?" he said, jokingly.

"I promise I'll tell her, Jake. Really, I will. It's just not the right time. You know, things have just started to settle down between us, and..."

"I get it. Really. I understand, Missy. I told you, I'm not going anywhere. When you're ready to introduce me to mommy, I'll be right here waiting." He took her by the hand and looked into her eyes.

She smiled at him and pulled him in closer to her, kissing him softly on the lips.

"Thank you, Jake," she said, smiling at him again. "I'll call you later tonight, okay?" She kissed him one more time before letting go of his hand and turning to walk out of the school exit doors.

Sheila honked the horn of her silver SUV, alerting Missy to where she was waiting for her outside of the high school. Missy hurried over with her backpack hanging off of her right shoulder. She climbed into the passenger seat and greeted her mom with a peck on the cheek.

"Hi mom," she said with a smile.

"Hey, sweetie. How was school?" Sheila inquired.

"Fine," Missy replied.

Sheila pulled out of her parking spot and headed out toward the busy street. Missy looked back to see Jake standing out in front of the school socializing with a couple of his guy friends. He looked up and saw her looking back at him so he waved at her. She smiled back at him before turning back around in her seat.

**

Sheila sat patiently in the waiting room of the therapist's office, looking through files in her folder as she waited for Missy's session to end.

Inside the therapist's office, Missy sat in a chair, facing her therapist, Mrs. Stacy Graven.

"So, Melissa, how have you been feeling, lately?" Mrs. Graven asked her, looking at her inquisitively.

"Things have been better," Melissa replied, quietly.

"Better how?" Mrs. Graven asked, intently.

"Well, better between me and mom," Melissa replied. "We've been getting along really well for the most part and she seems a lot happier."

"What about you, Melissa? Are you happier?" Mrs. Graven inquired.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Melissa replied. "I mean, I feel happy a lot more often, now. I try to think about the good memories I have with my dad. You know, focus on the good times we shared instead of focusing on the fact that he's not here anymore. That helps a lot."

"That's good, that's really good," Mrs. Graven commented. "Do you still have feelings of  wanting to hurt yourself?"

"No, actually. I haven't felt that way in a long time," Melissa replied.

"That's wonderful." Mrs. Graven shifted her position. "So tell me more about Jacob."

A smile crept across Melissa's face and she began to twirl a lock of her hair with her finger.

"Jake 's great. He's really great," Melissa said, as her gaze shifted downward. "He's sweet, thoughtful, kind and...patient."

"Patient?" Mrs. Graven raised an eyebrow slightly at her statement.

"Yeah. He really wants me to tell me my mom about us, but...I don't know, I just feel like..."

"He's a bit older than you, right?" Mrs. Graven asked.

"Yeah. He's a senior. And my mom says I'm not allowed to date until I'm 16, but...I really like him a lot--more than I've ever liked any other boy, at least."

Mrs. Graven nodded silently.

"I just think it would really freak her out if she knew, you know? And I just don't want to mess things up now, especially now that things are finally going so well between us again. I just don't want to upset her, you know?" Missy said with an exasperated sigh.

"Are you worried that she'll find out about him, eventually?" Mrs. Graven asked

"Well, actually, I was hoping to tell her on my 16th birthday," Missy stated and then giggled slightly at her own comment. Then, she sighed deeply and looked back up at the therapist.

"He wants me to tell my mom so that we don't have to sneak around anymore. Plus, he really wants to take me out on a 'real' date. You know, pick me up at my house, meet my mom and  small talk with her before we head out..." her words trailed off as she looked away.

"Mm hmm," Mrs. Graven nodded again.

"Yeah. He's really easy to talk to and he makes me feel comfortable, you know? Like I can just relax and really be myself with him," Missy explained, allowing a smile to play at the corners of her mouth as she thought about her beau.

"He sounds like a really nice guy," Mrs. Graven stated plainly.

"He is. He really is, but I'm just scared my mom will freak out because he's 3 years older than me," Missy said softly, fiddling her thumbs as she spoke.

"I see," said Mrs. Graven.