It Started With Lake (Book 1)

Chapter 18: Lake

I returned to school two days later, after being suspended. Jordan wasn't happy about my suspension, but he understood that I was protecting Emani. He called himself trying to ground me for two weeks, and I thought it was hilarious.

"Hey, Lake."

Emani's soft voice rang from behind me in math class. Her hair was parted down the middle and bone straight. She was wearing a grey sweater, black leggings, and boots. She looked beautiful, as always.

"What did I miss?" I asked, turning around in my seat. She handed me her notes from the last two days.

The teacher stood up. "Everyone clear off your desk. Pop quiz time."

Shit.

The students groaned, and everyone put their things under the desk. I rubbed my temples in frustration because I barely had a C in the class. At this rate, I'm going to need a freaking tutor just to pass.

When I got my test, I barely recognized anything on it. After fifteen minutes, I stood up and handed in my partially blank test. Emani was behind me, ready to turn in her exam. I was able to catch a glimpse of her paper and noticed all of the answers were filled in. She was so smart and good at everything.

"How do you think you did?" Emani asked me once we were in the hallway.

I shrugged. "Bombed it. What about you?"

"It wasn't too bad. I can help you study for the next test if you want," she offered.

We walked to the cafeteria, and Sasha waved her hand in the air motioning for us to sit with her. Emani grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the table. I rolled my eyes when I noticed Jason sitting beside Sasha. When did they become cool again?

"Hey, guys!" Sasha said to us. I waved.

"How was the math test?" Jason asked, and I was surprised he was making conversation with me.

"Brutal, but I didn't get a chance to study," I replied, taking my jacket off."

Jason nodded. "I just studied a few minutes ago." He set his fork down. "Lake, can I talk to you for a second?"

I blinked, wondering if I heard him wrong. "Um, ok."

Grabbing my phone, I followed Jason into the hallway. He looked nervous, sweat running down his face.

"I want to apologize to you. I know I've been an asshole, and I'm sorry about that. Also, I disagree with Gunner hitting you the other day. I think he took things too far," he said, scratching the back of his head.

Wow.

"What brought this on?" I asked, not trusting him.

"Well, when you stop hanging with certain people, you see the error in their ways. When I told Gunner I was tired of picking on you, he called me a traitor, and we stopped being friends."

"Well, thanks, I guess."

"I hope you don't mind me eating with you guys. Sasha and I are just friends. She has a boyfriend now."

Double wow. "Who?"

Jason shrugged. "Some older guy. I'm happy for her, but I miss her too."

I actually felt bad for him. "That sucks."

When we returned to the table, the girls were discussing prom, college, and other girly crap. Emani's phone beeped, and she checked a notification on her screen squealing. I sat down next to her.

"Math grades are up. I got a 92%."

I kissed her forehead. "That's good, E."

I decided to check my score and saw I got an 80%. I did a double-take. I couldn't have possibly gotten that grade. I barely finished the quiz.

"What did you get, Lake?" Emani asked me, setting her phone down.

"I got a B."

Emani clapped, kissing my cheek. "You did better than you thought."

Later that night, I entered the front door of Jordan's house. He was perched on the arm of the sofa, typing on his phone. He'd sent me messages earlier saying he had something important to discuss with me. I raced home to see what was going on.

"What's up?" I asked. I sat down on the couch.

"I petitioned the court to be your legal guardian. I told them about Larry's drinking and abuse, and the judge approved my request. You won't have to deal with Larry anymore."

My face went blank. "You did that for me?"

I was in shock. I closed my eyes. Was I dreaming? I pinched my arm. Nope.

Jordan nodded. "I know I'm not your father, Lake, but you're my brother, and I can't sit back and let Larry get away with this. He drinks too much and doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself. There's also something else."

I had a bad feeling. "What?"

"Larry is in jail awaiting charges for child abuse. You and I will have to testify in court."

I would have to dig into my past, but if it meant putting Larry away, I'm in. "I'll do it."

Jordan breathed a sigh of relief. "I know this is a lot, but I think things will be better now."

I got up and hugged Jordan. He regarded me closely and returned the embrace. I didn't realize I was crying until his shirt felt wet beneath my cheek. I had so many emotions flowing through me at once. I felt happy, relieved, scared, and free.

"I hope those are happy tears," Jordan joked, wiping his own eyes.

I nodded my head. "Definitely. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

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I'm not crying 😭 , so what did you think of this chapter? First, Jason is turning over a new leaf by being nice to Lake, and now Jordan will be Lake's legal guardian! Are you happy Larry is out of the picture?