Biker Class (39 page)

"I just... I can't believe this. You can't be telling the
truth," Jake scrutinized him with untrusting eyes.

"Can I not be?" Lawson smirked, but it wasn't demeaning. It
was like he was hiding something... but a
good
surprise. He held up his
left hand, and Jake nearly passed out and fell back onto Melanie. He had to
hold the
door frame
for support.

"
What
the
hell
is
that
?" he gasped for
breath, staring at his hand with cloudy eyes. He had to be seeing things. He
just
had
to be!

"That's right. I'm hitched," he grinned, wiggling the ring
finger. A shining, new gold band lied there, boasting in the afternoon sun.

"No."

"Yes."

"To
who
?" Melanie couldn't help but blurt out.

Lawson laughed and smiled at her good-naturedly. "To a woman I
met in therapy. She was going through the same thing I was... trying to cast
out inner demons that seemed to control her whole life—her whole
self
.
We started talking, sharing experiences, going out to coffee..." he shrugged
nonchalantly, "and it just developed from there."

"
Married
?" Jake choked, his voice a wheeze.
"M-Married. As in, you have a WIFE? And you're
not
cheating on
her?"

That was the first flash of anger they'd seen in his eyes since he'd
arrived. "Hell no! I'd never cheat on Stephanie! I love her!"

Now, Jake
did
stumble a bit at that. Melanie quickly caught
him, but not too coherent herself. She was almost in as much shock as he was.

"
L-love
?" Jake repeated, pale white. This was all too
much to take in at once. First, the man who tried to ruin his life, rape is
girlfriend, and kill him, was telling him that he was sorry; then he tells them
that he's changed, and gone to freakin'
therapy
; and then informs them
that in the past year, he's met a girl that he has dated for longer than two
days and
married
? It was just too good to be true.

But the small, rational part of Jake's brain had to believe it. The
thunk on his head
had
resulted in a slight personality change... maybe
it had been the little push that he had needed. And if he wanted to chase them
down, he would have done it a long time ago. Not to mention, he knew Lawson.
And if he wanted to finish them off, he would have the second that door was
opened.

Holy shit
.

He was telling the truth!

It suddenly dawned on both of them that this wasn't a reuse... he was
being totally honest, yet another new trait.

"Um..." Melanie was finally able to say after what felt like
hours of awed silence, "c-congratulations?"

"Thank you very much, Melanie," he nodded. "I
appreciate that." He turned to look at both of them. "I know that a
simple 'I'm sorry' won't fix anything or undo what I did... but I'm hoping that
it's a start."

Lawson stuck his hand out for Jake to shake. Both Melanie and Lawson
waited for Jake to reply. The blonde was just staring at him, mouth rudely wide
open. He blinked his blue eyes once or twice, in a daze.

Slowly... centimeter-by-second... Jake reached out his hand. He wasn't
doing this because he wanted to... he wanted to make that clear right this
second. He was doing this for Melanie. She'd be proud of him for being the
bigger man. He couldn't have
Lawson
standing there, trying to be a 'man'
and put all of the crap behind them, and he stand there and look immature and
refuse him.

They shook hands.

They were surprised to see that Lawson still had a motorcycle when he
left. They halfway expected him to have traded it in for a minivan.

***

That night, Melanie and Jake were cuddled on the couch, his arm around
her waist and her head resting on his lap, watching a movie. All of the lights
were turned off, the blue light of the TV the only thing shining. Rachel had
gotten back a few hours ago, put the groceries away, and immediately went to
bed, apparently too tired to even bother teasing them about their nonexistent
sex life.

Catching them so off-guard that they both jumped, the phone began to
ring. Melanie hopped up, paused the movie, and answered the phone confusedly.
It was ten at night. Who would be calling them at this hour?

"Hello?" answered Melanie, brows furrowed.

"Hello? Is this Melanie Hart?" asked a woman's voice that
she didn't recognize.

"Um... yes, it is. May I ask who's calling?"

Jake watched her, curious, confused as well.

"Oh... um, yes. I—I am, uh... oh god. I can't believe I'm
doing this..."

"Ma'am?" Melanie asked politely, but unable to keep the
confusion and slight creeped-out-ness out of her tone.

"Oh, please don't hang up! I've been trying to work up the nerve
to call for the longest time."

"Um... I think you may have the wrong number," Melanie
chuckled uneasily, finger itching to punch the red hang-up button.

"No! No! I know I don't!" she exclaimed quickly. She took a
deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I called Mr. Cooper and he said that
Jake wasn't home. He gave me the number of—of one of Jake's friends that
he was staying with... and that boy gave me your number..."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but who are you?"

"Is—is Jake there?" she asked nervously.
"I—I need to talk to him. It's...
so
long overdue."

"Miss, I'm sorry, but can you please tell me who's wanting to
talk to—?"

"
Please
, Melanie, just let me talk to him," she
whispered desperately. The woman sounded too old to be a past girlfriend or
anything, so in an unsure way (and a little creeped-out), Melanie handed over
the phone to her boyfriend. "It's for you," her brows knitted,
puzzled.

Jake mouthed, 'Who is it?' Melanie shrugged exaggeratedly. Forehead
wrinkled in curiousity and unsureness, Jake slowly said, "Hello?"

Melanie couldn't decipher what the woman was saying, but all she could
tell was that the woman was talking speedily, nonstop, and almost hysterically.
At first, the expression on Jake's face was much like Melanie's had been, but
the more time went by, the more the confusion faded away and his face went stony.
He stared into oblivion unseeingly; his eyes shining and mouth slightly agape.

"Jake? Jake, what's wrong?" Melanie demanded. What could it
be? Did Lawson attack someone? Was something wrong with Rage or Rod? Had Jake's
bike been stolen? Was something wrong with Jake's father? What could it be?

His mouth opened and closed, as if he couldn't find words. He looked
as if he was about to pass out from stress, right then and there on the couch,
as he muttered two fateful words with a small smile.

"Hi, Mom."