Things That Go Bump At Night Part 7

"Yes?"

"These aren't your pants." I said.

"No, they're yours." She answered. I smiled to myself yes, Kendra could still make me smile- she bought me pants.

Next I pulled a three quarter sleeve bless her yet again- cream colored sweater from the bag. It was long and flowy; though I discarded the belt that came with it, no way I was wrapping that around my middle. The shoes were flats again, but plain instead of sparkly with a simple string bow over the toe. I crawled to the front seat and used a shaky hand to push my damp hair away from my face.

"Can you do something about this?" I asked. She looked at me with sad eyes.

"Does a bear s.h.i.+t in the woods?" She asked, and despite the humorless tone of her voice, I smiled again.

Kendra worked for another ten minutes to cover the bruise as best she could. Eventually she had to cover my entire face with the makeup just to blend it all. Then she handed me a tube of lipstick.

"I know I told you to never cover up that natural beauty, but I guess there is an exception to every rule, isn't there?" She was so upset right now.

"Please don't be mad at me." I said accepting the lipstick.

"I'm not mad at you Rem. Please don't ever think I'd be mad at you for what that piece of garbage does to you. My heart is just breaking right now, so, put the lipstick on, or we're going to be late."

But it became evident that with my shakes I would only produce a mess, so in the end, she had to do that for me as well. I looked in the mirror and barely recognized myself. I looked like me...only maybe a clubbing me. There was no pulling my hair back today, I needed all the protection I could get. Even the hair curtain. Kendra drove us to school in silence. Once there, it took everything I had to pull myself from the car and pretend that everything was fine.

"Remi, please." Kendra begged quietly as she watched me put my game face on. "We don't have to do this today, you can be sick. Go stay at my house."

"Who are we going to get to pretend to be my dad?" She frowned at me. Hooky was out of the question. If school called my house there'd only be more h.e.l.l to pay later, besides that, how would we explain to her mother why I was at her house instead of at school? "I'll be fine Kendra. Just...be my s.h.i.+eld today okay. Don't let anyone touch me." It should be an easy job, no one ever touched me. She didn't like it, but Kendra agreed. I inwardly winced with every step I took. My body protested, it did not need rigid right now, it needed rest. But I pushed myself, made myself act normal.

This was going to be a difficult day.

Jake spotted me when we turned down our hall and made a bee line straight for me. Kendra grabbed him in an overly friendly h.e.l.lo before he could make it to me, giving me time to position myself to his left, so he couldn't completely see the left side of my face. The makeup hid the bruise well enough for people not to notice if they didn't look too closely. But it was still a black bruise under peachy makeup; hiding it entirely was impossible. And even though the lipstick did a better job of hiding the cut on my lip, it couldn't hide it entirely either.

"I have to get to cla.s.s. You good?" She asked me. I nodded.

Jake looked down at me and smiled, I caught it at a sidelong glance and smiled back. We walked down the hall together. I held my breath as we pa.s.sed a group of guys playing paper football, and was nearly exhaling when one of them crashed into me. I cried out and pushed into Jake's side. His arm came around me and I had to swallow another cry.

"Hey!" He said to the guy that was still too close to me. "Back up off her."

The guy called a happy apology and jogged off to his friends who were moving down the hall. Jake gave me a squeeze and I made the mistake of biting my lip to suppress a whimper. It brought tears to my eyes and I prayed that I hadn't broken the cut open again. "You okay?"

"Fine." I said on a breath. I knew he was probably frowning but I couldn't look at him yet, not with the tears swimming so dangerously close to my lids. I caused myself further agony by wiggling out of his grip but if he hugged me again, I would scream.

"Remi-"

"Let's get to cla.s.s, we're going to be late." I hurried ahead of him and he quickened his steps to catch up. I got to the cla.s.s before Jake could speak again, but stopped in my tracks just inside the door, he had to grab the doorjamb to keep from running into me from behind. I looked at my seat in the corner. The one time in my life it was going to work against me. Jake would be sitting on the wrong side of me.

"Hey-" Jake started, but again I cut him off by moving quickly into the room. My body ached for me to rest it. I slid carefully into my seat and pushed my hair forward. Good ole hair curtain. "Remi?" Jake said softly, settling in the seat next to me.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, not looking at him. "I'm really tired today. Do you mind if I just sit here and kind of zone out for, like, forty-five minutes or so?"

"Of course. Are you feeling okay?"

I just shook my head and let my eyes close for a minute.

Big mistake.

With my eyes closed I didn't see his hand coming to tuck my hair behind my ear. My eyes flew open at his touch and I looked at him with what I was fairly certain was pure panic. He shot out of his seat.

"Jesus Remi!" He didn't bother to keep his voice low. "Who did this to you?"

"Shhh!" I said desperately, but everyone was already looking. "Please, Jake. Sit down." I reached out and took his hand, tugged him gently down. He sat, but was no less tense.

"Who did it Remi?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now Jake." I begged at a whisper.

"Like h.e.l.l. I'm not just going to sit here silently and look at your bruised face for the next hour. Who did it?"

"Jake-"

He closed his hand around mine and pulled me from my seat. I winced. He pulled me from the room, entirely ignoring the instructor's protests. He led me outside and to his truck and opened the pa.s.senger door for me.

"Get in." He ordered softly. Watched with growing fury as I had to gently lift myself in like a hundred year old lady. "Remi." He whispered. I'm pretty sure he figured out that it wasn't only my face that was bruised. He closed my door and hurried around to the driver's seat, then turned to face me and ever so gently took my face in his hands and turned it so he could better see the damage. I let him. What else was I supposed to do?

"Your arm yesterday..." His voice was soft, but very strained. "Can I?" He reached for my sleeve. I kept my eyes on his face while he pushed the sleeve up enough to see the finger marks. I watched his jaw twitch and work under the skin as he gently pulled and replaced the soft fabric over my arm. It was several moments before he spoke again. "Who did this to you?" It was several more moments of silence before he'd meet my eyes. I was still looking at him. I could see how so many emotions were warring inside him right now, right through his eyes. "Please Remi, you have to tell me. I can't see this...can't sit here and just ignore it. I won't. I'll find out another way. But I'd really, really, love for you to trust me, right now, and tell me yourself."

"My-" my voice came out as a croak, I cleared my throat as a tear finally rolled down my cheek. "d.a.m.n it." I swiped at it with the back of a shaky hand. He waited me out. I was tempted to just let him find out another way, but I was pretty certain that that would ruin our relations.h.i.+p. And right now, that was the scariest thing I could think of. I wanted him so much more than I wanted a nice quiet exit from that monster's house. "My dad." I finally whispered out loud. Once it was out there I couldn't take it back. And strangely, I found I didn't want to. I was actually kind of relieved that someone else knew about it. As if handing the knowledge off made it a little less painful. I finally looked back at him. He was staring out the winds.h.i.+eld, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. "Jake?" My voice was suddenly as shaky as my body was.

With suddenness Jake started the truck and peeled from the parking lot at a speed that had tires squealing. I scrambled for my seat belt and my body was not happy about it. He drove us directly much to my horror- to my trailer, and jumped out without waiting for me. The truck still running.

"Jake!" I called and scrambled after him. The front door was locked, so he kicked it in. Which had me calling out again, I raced in after him, getting there just in time to see him lift Bob off the couch by the throat and plow a fist into his face. Bob fell backwards over the cheap wooden coffee table and yelled out in both surprise and pain, he looked up long enough to see me standing back, my hands over my mouth, just before Jake reached him and plowed another fist into his face. Jake grabbed Bob by the shoulders and literally threw him over the couch so that Bob landed at my feet. He looked up at me, partially concussed, partially angry and all b.l.o.o.d.y. Jake was on him again before he could yell even one obscenity at me, he grabbed Bob around the throat and held him against the floor. His face turned red quickly and I realized that Jake had cut off his airway.

"You see this woman here?" Jake hollered, pointing at me with his free hand. "She is now under my care, and if you ever lay a hand on her again, I will end you! I will end you in the most horribly painful way that I can possibly imagine up. Blink if you understand me, you piece of s.h.i.+t!"

Bob blinked, rapidly. Jake released him and Bob gasped for air, clawing at his throat.

"Better yet," Jake added; he kicked Bob in the ribs when it appeared that Bob was more interested in grabbing air than he was listening. "Are you listening?"

Bob nodded and looked up at Jake with fear.

"She's coming with me. As soon as we leave here, you're going to call her school and explain that she came home sick, and she'll be staying home tomorrow as well. If I find out you haven't, I will come back and finish what I started. If I find out that you are in any way attempting to get Remi back under this roof, or if you ever contact her again, I will come back and finish what I started. Is this in any way unclear to you?"

Bob shook his head and rasped.

Jake turned to me.

"Get your things." He said softly. It was amazing to me that he had just raged and was so nearly ready to kill a man, but he could look at me with such tenderness. Tears welled in my eyes again. "Remi, go get your things." He repeated when I stayed frozen where I stood.

"I-I don't have th-things." I explained. That little admission made him frown. He pulled me into his arms, ever so gently, yet I still whimpered. He sighed and let me go, settled instead for squeezing my hand.

"Let's go." He murmured and led me back out the door and to the waiting truck. He helped me into my seat, then drove us out of town. It was nearly ten minutes before he turned us down a long dirt driveway. As we crested a little hill a beautiful white two story farm house appeared before me, complete with a wraparound porch and a big red shed just beyond the house.

"Where are we?" I asked. It was gorgeous here, completely surrounded by trees; secluded and safe.

"My house. Yours now too, for as long as you need it." He reached over and linked his fingers with mine.

"Jake..." I started but I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to say. Or argue against. I certainly didn't want to go back to Bob's house and I had nowhere else to go.

I squeezed Jakes hand as we parked in front of the house.

"Stay, I'll come around and help you out." He did, he helped me from the truck and took my hand again to lead my up the steps. He unlocked the door and motioned me in.

His house smelled wonderful. It was bright. The furniture was modern yet very comfortable looking. To the left was a huge living room, to the right was a big library. In front was a hallway that led to the back of the house and next to the hall was a staircase that led up to the second story.

"Come with me." Jake led me down the hall, there was a doorway under the stairs which he turned me into and flicked the light on. A bathroom lit up; it was enormous. I could live in this bathroom. The shower had a bathtub, the sink had more counter s.p.a.ce than a girl could ever need. "Can we wash the makeup off?" He asked.

I nodded and actually smiled.

"Yes please." I don't know how women wore so much makeup, my face felt hot and stiff. I accepted the towel Jake pulled from the linen closet just inside the door and leaned over the sink to scrub. It hurt, but I didn't care so much. Afterwards I dried myself and looked in the mirror. I hadn't seen my face in full light yet. It was ugly.

"Oh my G.o.d." I whispered. Jake turned me to face him, then lifted me to sit on the edge of the counter.

"There's not much I can do for the bruising. We'll ice it. But I do have something for that cut." He reached around me for the medicine cabinet, but paused when his face came close to mine. Our eyes met and he leaned in and I leaned up, our lips touched and lingered there for just a moment before he angled his head to deepen the kiss. My breath caught and before I knew it we were nearly devouring each other, my arms went around his neck and I arched up to him, my body seemed to be acting on its own accord, and wow, I was going to let it. Jake reached out and grabbed my hips, he pulled me to the edge of the counter and settled to stand between my legs, and I wrapped them around his waist like I actually knew what I was doing. His hands snaked under my sweater and traveled up my back. I broke the kiss sucked in a sharp breath through my teeth when he touched my bruise. Jake immediately stepped back.

"I'm sorry." He rasped. His chest was heaving.

"No, no, don't apologize. It wasn't you." My chest was heaving too as a matter of fact. Jake's brow creased and he stepped up to me again.

"Do you trust me yet?" He asked, his voice was still rough.

"Do I..." Did I trust him? I was here, wasn't I? "Yes." I answered. Honestly.

Jake reached out and grabbed the hem of my s.h.i.+rt on either side of me. I held my breath and almost pushed his hands away, but didn't I just tell him I trusted him? He hesitated long enough for me to say no, when I didn't he pulled my s.h.i.+rt up.

"Arms up." He said softly. I complied and he pulled the s.h.i.+rt up over my head. Thank you Kendra for pink lacey underwear. Jake's eyes lingered for just a few seconds, then they flicked back to mine. I said nothing as I stared back and his gaze traveled down to my ribs, slowly, as if he was afraid of what he'd find there. He swore long and slow on an exhaled breath.

"I should have killed him." He whispered and I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again and he was still staring at my ribs.

"Jake." I whispered. He leaned his forehead against mine. All these little intimate gestures, I wondered if people did this every day minus the bruises of course- and I felt slightly jealous of them, and hoped I could have more of it. But...my adrenaline was leaving me and I felt..."tired." I said on a breath. He lifted his head and looked at me before he kissed me, keeping it gentle this time. He then lifted me from the counter, keeping his hands near my waist and away from my injuries. He grabbed my sweater but didn't offer to slip it back over my head. I wanted to ask for it, to cover the ugliness, but...if he wanted me covered, he'd cover me, right?

He led me up the stairs and down another hall and into another room. It was a bedroom. A huge bed against the far wall, impressive tables, dressers and nightstands took up the s.p.a.ce, a large area rug covered the middle of the dark hardwood floor at the end of the bed. There was actual framed art on the walls and a few framed photos on the dresser, but I was too far away to see who was in them. I looked over my shoulder to see Jake leaning against the door frame. I turned to face him, and fought the urge to cross my arms over my chest, now only covered by Kendra's little bra, and he was making no effort to hide the fact that he was looking.

"This is my room." He said. "You can stay here. Take a nap." I swallowed and nodded.

"Um," I looked down at my hands, still fighting the urge to cover myself. "Can you..." This was all new territory for me, I had no idea how to ask. But this clearly wasn't new territory for Jake, because I looked up as he pushed himself away from the door way and came to stand before me, all confident swagger.

"You want me to stay with you?" He asked, taking my hands. I nodded.

"Okay, come on." He led me over to the bed and pulled the covers back while I toed my shoes off. I crawled in but had to lay on my right side, the left was still in so much pain, I didn't think it'd ever be right again. I felt Jake nestle right up against my back, his body curved into mine. His arm slid over my waist and he pulled me tight against him. Oh my G.o.d, I was lying in bed with a boy! That was a feeling I couldn't describe if someone actually asked me to.

"It probably didn't come at the best time, but...what did you think of your fist kiss?" He asked, his breath tickled my ear.

I couldn't help but to feel warm at the memory. And despite what he thought, it had actually come at the perfect time.

"I liked it." I whispered with a blush. I couldn't see him, but I felt him smile. His arm tightened around me for a time before he relaxed again. "Did I do everything alright?" I had to know. What? It was my first kiss.

"Did you...?" He lifted himself up on his elbow and looked over my shoulder at me. "Yes, you did everything right. Very right."

"You're not just saying that?" I asked, I could tell he wasn't, but hey, I'll fish for a compliment when it came to this any day!

"No. I'm not. I would though, just so you know, because I want to do it again sometime soon. But I'm not."

I grinned, still not satisfied.

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls you kiss."

He scowled down at me.

"I've never said that before in my life."

I smiled then. Satisfied. I was thrilled when he leaned in again, not so thrilled when his cell phone rang. He rolled away from me to grab it up off the nightstand.

"Dad." He said, then listened. "No, I'm at home. A friend had some trouble." He listened again. "No, not that kind of trouble, personal trouble." More listening. "Yeah, we'll be here, I'll see you later." I heard him set the phone back on the table, but instead of leaning over me again he resumed his position behind me and pulled me back up against him.

"Are you in trouble with your dad for skipping school?" I asked.

"Far from it." He kissed the top of my head then tucked it under his chin. "Rest, okay?"

I sighed, part of me wanted to be disappointed that he wasn't kissing on me, but the bigger part was just really glad that I was lying here with him.

I woke up on my stomach, my pillow half tucked under me. I felt stiff and when I stretched, a dull ache went through my back and the memories rushed back. I sat straight up in bed and looked next to me. Jake was not there. I looked around the room, sun streamed in the windows, I spied my cell on the night stand, my backpack which I had left in the truck- was on the desk chair and my sweater was slung neatly over the footboard of the bed. I stretched again more carefully this time- and was surprised at how rested I felt. The clock on the nightstand told me it was nearly one. I had been asleep for three hours, but it felt like I had gotten a full nights rest. I had napped better in Jake's king sized cloud of a bed than I had ever slept in my little twin bed of nails at home.

No, not my home. I wouldn't refer to it as that anymore.

I reached for my cell and wasn't surprised to see nearly a dozen messages from Kendra. They ranged from worry to anger, to annoyance and back to worry again but they pretty much meant the same thing: Where are you? What happened? And why haven't you called or text me back yet?

I shot her off a quick text.

Sorry I've been dark. I'm w/Jake safe and sound. Will call u after school w/all the deets.

She must have been clutching that phone close to her because I knew she had to be in the middle of cla.s.s and yet her reply came immediately.

Don't ever scare me like that again! I will b waiting for ur call, but Im dyin now for deets! Give me sumthin 2 get me thru the day. I heard u and Jake got in2 it in cla.s.s this AM and he hauled ur b.u.t.t otta there.

I rolled my eyes. Of course. Was it too much to hope that the story would have been under-exaggerated?

He saw thru my face paint. I knew Kendra would understand what that meant. He went after Bob. I'll call u later, k?

Don't keep me waiting.

I didn't reply after that.