The Boy in the Woods (2014 Wattys Winner, Wattpad Version)

Chapter 15 - Why

The next morning, Jess woke feeling lighter, free of the nerves that had been bothering her over the last few days.  Opening her wardrobe, she looked at her new clothes with excitement before choosing what to wear.  Once she was dressed, she went down the back stairs to the kitchen carrying her large stack of books and a small purse with her pencils and erasers.

She greeted Annie with a huge smile and a happy, “Good morning!”

“Look at you!” Annie exclaimed, and Jess twirled, letting Annie get a good look at her circle skirt, short sleeve sweater, ankle socks, and loafers.  “You look so nice!”

“Thanks!”

“Set your things on the counter,” Annie said, and when she did, Annie handed her a pitcher of orange juice.  “Take this out to the dining room for me and I’ll get breakfast on the plates.”

“Okay,” Jess said, keeping the smile going while she wished she could stay in the warm kitchen. 

To keep the juice from spilling, she slowly backed through the swinging door and entered the dining room.  When she turned around, Uncle Jonathon looked up from a stack of documents and scrutinized her carefully.

“Good morning,” she said, trying to sound casual.  It suddenly occurred to her that he might not approve of her clothes and she watched his face.  Would he make her take them back if he didn’t like them?

“Morning,” he replied tersely, and returned his attention to his papers.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she went to her seat, just as Doug walked in.  She made sure she ate more quickly than the previous morning, and as soon as they were finished, they left through the kitchen to collect their lunches.  While they were sitting in Doug’s car, waiting for James so he could open the gate for them, Doug looked over at her. 

“Why’d you bring all your books home?” he asked, looking at the stack on her lap.  “Did you have homework or something?”

“Uh, no.  I had to bring them home.  I don’t have a locker yet.”

“Where’s your class list?” he asked impatiently with his hand out, and she opened her purse to find it.  When she handed the index card over to him, he glanced at it, then pointed to a series of numbers at the bottom.  “There’s your locker number, and the numbers after are your combination,” he said. 

“Oh, okay.  Thanks,” she said, taking it from him. 

“That Janet,” he muttered, shaking his head as he started driving behind the black car.

When they reached the school, Doug gave her a curt, “See you after school,” and got out of the car. 

He strode off towards a cluster of older students, leaving Jess and she began walking towards the entrance.  She looked around for Marty, but didn’t see him.  Then she spotted Janet and Patty with a group of girls.  Seeing Louise with them, she decided to join them, and Louise gave her a friendly ‘hello’. 

While they chatted, Jess was happy to find out they were in five of the seven class periods together. Grateful to have found at least one girl she enjoyed spending time with, they walked into the building after the bell rang together.  Louise helped her locate her locker and she managed to figure out the combination.  Finally rid of most of her books and lunch, she walked to homeroom, excited to see Marty.

As soon as she entered, she looked to the rear of the room but he wasn’t there.  After sitting next to Louise, she tried to carry on a conversation while sneaking glances at the door, and then he was there.  Like the day before, he had his head down and his hands shoved in his pockets, but then he lifted his head and their eyes met.  Jess beamed at him, and he looked momentarily startled before scowling at her and turning towards the back of the class.