Before You Know It

Chapter 11

As I was walking out the door with my bag slung around my shoulders and a crutch under each arm I looked up and saw Jake parked in front of my house on the side of the road. He was leaning against the side of the truck with sunglasses on and didn't seem to notice me. I loudly slammed the front door to make him hear me and it didn't matter much how loud I slammed it, mom wasn't home, again.

When Jake heard the door slam he looked up at me and smiled.

"Are you trying to pull and Sixteen Candles moment?" I yelled at him from my porch.

"Why yes. Did it work?" He yelled out and outstretched his arms widely, "Was it romantic?"

When I heard him I started laughing and he made his way over to me on the porch laughing with me.

When he reached me he slid the sunglasses onto his head and looked at me with his pearly white smile.

"Good morning." He said as he reached down and cupped my face and leaned down to kiss me.

I laughed and said, "Good morning."

As we were about to reach the high school Jake turns to me and asks, "Where's your mom been lately?"

I look at him then back out the window, "I'm not sure exactly. I haven't seen her in awhile."

"Oh okay." And at that he dropped it, thankfully.

Days went on exactly like this. Jake showing up at my house every morning to pick me up, barely seeing my mom except for when she was sleeping, and all of the stares from everyone at school. It was an emotional roller coaster.

I was having a great time with Jake, but at the same time, the days dragged on as I missed the boys.

But there was something that seemed off the second I woke up that next Monday morning for school. When I walked out the door Jake wasn't there. I stood there for a second in confusion and then quickly decided to walk to school.

I was standing at my locker first thing in the morning grabbing my books when I suddenly see a hand grabbing for my book in my hand. I turn and see that I was Jake. He looked doleful but when he looked at me he suddenly looked pleased to see me.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there this morning." He said sheepishly.

"It's f-." I started

"It's just Sarah was running late so I had to help her and then my dad was fighting with my step mom." I looked down at the ground when he finished.

I touched his cheek and looked at him, "As I was saying, it's fine. I can walk you know." I ended this is the lighthearted chuckle in an attempt to cheer him up a bit.

"Okay. Okay, good. I felt so bad."

"It's fine." I laughed at him again.

"I-I would like to apologize." He said with a smile.

I turned and looked at him with my interest suddenly peaked, "And how are you gonna do that exactly Mr. Roys?"

"Like this." He said with a smile and grabbed my face and leaned in and kissed me. It was soft and tenderly like most of our kisses.

But suddenly I quickly feel Jake pull away and I hear a loud bang of a locker being hit.

I open my eyes and see that it was Jake who hit the locker and was staring at Tom. Tom was in his typical baseball tee and was standing his whole height as he looked at Jake. Tom was shorter than Jake but also muscular built which didn't really match his round face that had high sticking black hair.