Because of that Night (Book 2)

Chapter 29: Lila

"Brittany Gutherson," Zooey said.

Lila looked around the student parking lot, surveying the grounds as she saw a high, red ponytail bob over to one of the cars in the lot. "Erica Strouse," she responded, nodding towards her as Erica's head ducked down into the car's driver's side.

"Brian Gabel," Zooey pointed out. "Jeez, it's like every upper classman at Borne has a car of their own."

Lila groaned and pulled her legs up to her chest. She and Zooey had been playing this game of tallying all of the upperclassmen at Borne who drove cars to school to further argue Lila's need to have one to her mother. Even though she couldn't go for her license just yet, she would be able to very soon, and she already couldn't wait for the freedom of being able to drive wherever she wanted on her own. No more pawning for rides off of Hunter, her mother or Aunt Nova. No more riding her bike every possible place she could. Soon, she could do it all herself.

"I know," Lila said to Zooey. "But I've been saving every penny since working at Garnsey this summer and now working at Sparky's, and my mom said if I get up to a savings of at least 3,500, she'll help out with the rest. I'm so close."

"And just think, we won't have to worry anymore about having to freeze our asses off waiting on this cold, hard bench because someone said they would be here at two thirty when they really meant three," Zooey scowled, her entire body shivering as she pulled her arms tighter around herself.

Lila gave a sympathetic smile but nudged Zooey. "Give him a break. Hunt's nice enough to give us a ride on the days he's here. Plus, it's a crappy time for them right now."

Zooey nodded, recognizing this comment from Lila. "Have you talked to Michael at all about it since it's, you know, two years tomorrow?"

The bitter cold of February had set in, but February also brought with it the continued growing length of time from which Mrs. Cooper had been gone. Lila was a bit unsteady about what this year's anniversary would bring from Michael. The year prior he had been nothing more than silent on the subject, avoiding Lila for the most part when the day his world had changed just the year before arrived once again. Lila was preparing herself for a similar fate, and she couldn't help but be walking on eggshells for that past week leading up to the day. Tomorrow, the day would come, the way it always did, but Lila knew for Michael and Hunter, it would feel entirely different than how it felt for everyone else.

Lila shook her head, giving a melancholic smirk. "He hasn't really mentioned anything."

They heard giggling coming from behind them as Seth trudged up the slick and icy hill to the student lot, two girls in tow ahead of him. One of the girls who Lila realized was Katie Bryce, called for him to hurry as he walked carefully up the incline, moving to be beside her. But it wasn't he who should have been worried about slipping. Katie stuttered stepped for a moment and instinctively grabbed hold of Seth's hand. She giggled as she let out a sigh of relief from avoiding a full-blown fall, and Seth smiled at her as the other girl who Lila now recognized from the cheer team joined in on the laughter again.

That hill always seemed just a bit too icy every year, making students prone to falls, especially when arriving to school on the descent down. Lila recalled one especially icy morning when school had been delayed for an hour and half. She and Zooey had done their best to step with care, really only shuffling as they made their way to the front of Borne High. It hadn't mattered. As soon as Lila heard the sound of Zooey's heel slipping more so than usual, she knew they were both going down. Zooey fell like a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel, taking Lila down with her. The two had immediately burst into a fit of hysterics, even as Zooey groaned and announced the she refused to go to school at all that day now. Hunter and Michael had joined in on their laughter, helping the two up as they continued down the path still despite Zooey's continuous notion that she really was just going to go home because she simply could not focus on learning anything now that her butt was soaked with ice and snow.