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

Chapter 34 - He'll Have to Go

That Friday at school, Jess and Louise exchanged knowing glances and smiles with each other all day in anticipation of being able to celebrate Louise's birthday.  Jess knew Louise was excited, but she was practically giddy at the prospect of her first outing with a friend.  Maybe she'd even get to meet Louise's parents, or at least one of them, if they were going to the family restaurant.

When the last bell of the day finally rang, Jess and Louise grinned at each other, having just changed clothes in the gym's locker room.  They quickly gathered their things and left, having beaten the other girls who were rushing to finish getting dressed.  Reaching her locker, Jess opened it and started pulling out the books she'd need for the weekend's homework and Louise leaned close. 

"You have it all set with Doug, right?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, we'll meet him in the parking lot and he'll drive us."

"Swell!" Louise replied more loudly.  "We're going to the soda fountain at Dwyer's."  Jess straightened as her stomach sank. 

"Uh, you mean Dwyer's Drugs?"

"That's the one!" Louise chimed happily.

"Oh, okay."

Jess turned back to her locker suddenly filled with worry.  What if Doug saw Marty there?  Would he say something to him?  It would ruin Louise's birthday if he caused a scene.  But Marty usually just made deliveries after school.  Probably Doug wouldn't see him at all, she decided. 

Pushing aside her worries, she got the paper sack holding her wrapped present for Louise and added it to her stack of school books.  It hadn't been possible for her to go shopping for a birthday present without raising questions from her uncle, so she'd asked Annie to go shopping for her and given her a list of favorite books to choose from.

"I'm ready!" she announced, gathering up her pile and closing her locker.

When she and Louise walked out and headed for the parking lot, Jess saw Doug waiting for them leaning against his car with his arms crossed over his chest.  Just as they stepped off the sidewalk, Louise put her hand on Jess's arm, stopping her.

"Oh, no!" she cried.  "I forgot 'Of Mice and Men'!  I'll get too far behind in my reading this weekend if I don't have it.  I'll just be a minute!" she said, rushing back towards the building.

As Jess reached Doug, he came off the car asking, "What happened to your friend?"

"She forgot a book.  She'll be back soon."

"So are we going to her house, or to their restaurant?"  She opened the car door and put her books in the back seat to hide her face.

"No, uh, we're going to the soda fountain at Dwyer's Drugs," she said as nonchalantly as she could, hoping her nervousness didn't show.

"What?" Doug said loudly, and when she faced him, she was surprised by the alarm in his eyes.

"Uh, we're going to Dwyer's D–."

"No!" he growled, his blue eyes suddenly hard. 

"What?"

"We're not going there!  Tell her to choose somewhere else!" 

"I can't make her choose somewhere else!" Jess cried.  "It's her birth–."

"Then forget it!  It's off!" Doug said harshly.  "When she gets here, tell her I'm taking you home!"

Jess's mouth fell open as she stared at Doug, speechless with shock.  She couldn't believe he was going to make her cancel with Louise, and then she closed her mouth as a wave of emotions hit her.