good, actually,’ I said, stifling yet another yawn. Battle was waging in my eyes, and it was getting harder by the minute to keep them open. ‘But only if you don’t mind.’
‘I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it. Just let me go and throw some jeans on, OK?’
‘OK. Thanks, Jake.’
‘No worries, it’s been fun,’ he said. ‘Maybe we can do it again sometime?’
Say what?
‘Yeah, I’d like that.’ I wasn’t just being polite either, I really meant it. It had been fun. No pressure, no hassle, no second guessing. What was there not to like? ‘Do you think Gemma will be ticked if I’m gone when she wakes up?’
‘She’ll be fine once I tell her you needed your own bed.’ Jake stood and reached for my hands to help me stand up, then made for the door once I was upright. He made it halfway before he stopped and turned around to face me. ‘D’you think maybe we should keep last night to ourselves?’
‘Huh?’ Did he mean the attack or the movie marathon? It was a bit late to be the former, since he was the one to involve the police.
‘You know, just in case she gets the wrong idea.’
‘Who? Gemma?’
‘Yeah, who else? You saw how weird she got when
I
came to pick you up instead of her. It might save us both a load of earache.’
‘Oh, yeah, I see what you mean,’ I said, not wholly convinced but now wasn’t the time to question his motives, not when he was doing me a favour. I didn’t want to know if it was more a case of his being too embarrassed to be associated with me, anyway; plus, he was bang on about Gemma acting weird. ‘I guess it can be our little secret then?’
‘Cool.’ With that, Jake nodded and left the room.
Left to my own devices, I carefully gathered my stuff up. Every movement took forever. My phone was still up in Gemma’s room but I was in no mood to attempt the stairs. It would be like having my left arm severed to leave it behind but far less painful. Jake bounced into the room looking far too awake. Dressed in dark-blue jeans and the same hoody he’d worn the night before over his T-shirt, he held my beloved phone in his hand.
‘Oh, you remembered it,’ I said, my voice bordering on an excited squeal and earning me a raised eyebrow from Jake.
‘You looked just like Gollum, then, you know. I hope you’re not going to go all “my precious” on me.’
My cheeks burst into flame again. ‘Course not,’ I mumbled.
‘Good,’ he said, teasing me with it until finally handing it over. ‘You ready?’
‘Yep, I’m ready,’ I said, stowing my
precious
phone in my coat pocket. We snuck out of the house together, trying not to make a sound, and were back at my house within minutes.
‘Home sweet home,’ Jake said, dragging the handbrake on.
‘Yeah.’ Except I couldn’t quite bring myself to open the door.
‘You OK?’
‘Yeah, it’s just …’ My words tailed off so I sucked in a deep breath. I puffed my cheeks out, even though I could tell Jake was looking at me, before letting it out in one big blow. ‘Right. Time to face the music. If they decide to lock me up for ever, you will come and bust me out, won’t you?’
Jake laughed and instantly defused my nerves. ‘Sure thing. But I doubt it will come to that,’ he said, patting my good knee. ‘Besides, it’s too late to chicken out now: they’ve already seen you.’
‘What?’ My gaze whipped to my house and, sure enough, my mum was peering through the front window at us. ‘Oh, God, here goes, then …’
I opened the van door and stepped out, trying not to show how much it hurt. Jake reached across the passenger seat, ready to close the door from the inside for me, not fooled for a moment by my act. But
he
wasn’t the one I needed to convince anyway.
‘Go on, Lena, you’ll be fine.’
‘Wish me luck.’
‘Luck,’ Jake said, before pulling the door shut.
He waited until I was through the front door before backing slowly off our driveway. With one last smile and
‘I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it. Just let me go and throw some jeans on, OK?’
‘OK. Thanks, Jake.’
‘No worries, it’s been fun,’ he said. ‘Maybe we can do it again sometime?’
Say what?
‘Yeah, I’d like that.’ I wasn’t just being polite either, I really meant it. It had been fun. No pressure, no hassle, no second guessing. What was there not to like? ‘Do you think Gemma will be ticked if I’m gone when she wakes up?’
‘She’ll be fine once I tell her you needed your own bed.’ Jake stood and reached for my hands to help me stand up, then made for the door once I was upright. He made it halfway before he stopped and turned around to face me. ‘D’you think maybe we should keep last night to ourselves?’
‘Huh?’ Did he mean the attack or the movie marathon? It was a bit late to be the former, since he was the one to involve the police.
‘You know, just in case she gets the wrong idea.’
‘Who? Gemma?’
‘Yeah, who else? You saw how weird she got when
I
came to pick you up instead of her. It might save us both a load of earache.’
‘Oh, yeah, I see what you mean,’ I said, not wholly convinced but now wasn’t the time to question his motives, not when he was doing me a favour. I didn’t want to know if it was more a case of his being too embarrassed to be associated with me, anyway; plus, he was bang on about Gemma acting weird. ‘I guess it can be our little secret then?’
‘Cool.’ With that, Jake nodded and left the room.
Left to my own devices, I carefully gathered my stuff up. Every movement took forever. My phone was still up in Gemma’s room but I was in no mood to attempt the stairs. It would be like having my left arm severed to leave it behind but far less painful. Jake bounced into the room looking far too awake. Dressed in dark-blue jeans and the same hoody he’d worn the night before over his T-shirt, he held my beloved phone in his hand.
‘Oh, you remembered it,’ I said, my voice bordering on an excited squeal and earning me a raised eyebrow from Jake.
‘You looked just like Gollum, then, you know. I hope you’re not going to go all “my precious” on me.’
My cheeks burst into flame again. ‘Course not,’ I mumbled.
‘Good,’ he said, teasing me with it until finally handing it over. ‘You ready?’
‘Yep, I’m ready,’ I said, stowing my
precious
phone in my coat pocket. We snuck out of the house together, trying not to make a sound, and were back at my house within minutes.
‘Home sweet home,’ Jake said, dragging the handbrake on.
‘Yeah.’ Except I couldn’t quite bring myself to open the door.
‘You OK?’
‘Yeah, it’s just …’ My words tailed off so I sucked in a deep breath. I puffed my cheeks out, even though I could tell Jake was looking at me, before letting it out in one big blow. ‘Right. Time to face the music. If they decide to lock me up for ever, you will come and bust me out, won’t you?’
Jake laughed and instantly defused my nerves. ‘Sure thing. But I doubt it will come to that,’ he said, patting my good knee. ‘Besides, it’s too late to chicken out now: they’ve already seen you.’
‘What?’ My gaze whipped to my house and, sure enough, my mum was peering through the front window at us. ‘Oh, God, here goes, then …’
I opened the van door and stepped out, trying not to show how much it hurt. Jake reached across the passenger seat, ready to close the door from the inside for me, not fooled for a moment by my act. But
he
wasn’t the one I needed to convince anyway.
‘Go on, Lena, you’ll be fine.’
‘Wish me luck.’
‘Luck,’ Jake said, before pulling the door shut.
He waited until I was through the front door before backing slowly off our driveway. With one last smile and
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