Safe and Sound (16 page)

 
A knock sounded at the door and she recoiled from it. Lola searched her room; she wasn’t sure
for
what, a weapon or something, and grabbed a book from the nightstand.

 
Lana opened the door.
She had on a pair of jeans and a white tee shirt. Her hair was in a lopsided ponytail, like she’d fallen asleep with it in.

 
“Are you okay?” She pointed to her chin.

 
“Fine.”

 
“
Bob
didn’t mean to be so rough earlier.”
She trailed a finger up and down the door
, eyes on her hand.

 
“I need to get ready for work.”
Her words were stiff, dismissive.

 
Lana looked up. “Oh. Okay.” She turned to go. “We’ll get you paid back. Don’t worry.”

 
“I’m not.” What was the point?

 
Lola pulled her work clothes from her dresser. “Lola?” She paused, looked up.

 
Her mother’s lips trembled and her eyes watered. “Please don’t hate me.”

 
Lola clenched her teeth together, willed tears not to come, though they did anyway. She stood there, silent and still, until her mother left.

*
**

 
Roxanne was glaring at her again. Lola sighed and turned away, wishing a customer would show up, anything to keep her busy from Roxanne’s hostile looks and snippy comments.
She could actually feel her burning hatred boring two holes in her back.

 
What did she have to be mad about? Lola was the one with fresh stitches in her face.

 
“How’s your face?” she taunted from two checkout lanes over.

 
“What happened to your face, Lola?” Dot asked.

 
“
How’s your love life?
” Lola returned
, glancing over her shoulder
.
Roxanne’s eyes widened. Lola herself was stunned she had said such a thing back.

 
Dot laughed and clapped her hands. “Watch out, Roxie, Lola
ain’t
taking your crap no more.”

 
“My love life is
fine
,” she said in a voice that quaked.

 
Lola ignored her and checked out a customer.

 
“Too bad
yours
isn’t,” Roxanne continued when the customer was gone.

 
“Really?
Considering
your
boyfriend was with me tonight and not
you
.”

 
Roxanne squeaked. Dorothy slapped
a hand over her mouth, but the snort was still heard
.

 
“You take that back.”

 
Lola looked at Roxanne. Her face was pale, her eyes red. She’d been crying.
A lot.
It wasn’t just fury that twisted her features, though there was
that, but it was more
. She was upset.
Very
upset.

 
“
After you take
tripping me back
and my stitches
.
Not going to happen? Okay then.
”

 
Roxanna’s hands clenched at her sides. She stared at Lola
for a long time, imagining all kinds of mean things, Lola was sure
. Out of nowhere she burst into tears and ran toward the break room.

 
Amazingly Lola didn’t feel good about stooping to Roxanne’s level. She sighed and met Dorothy’s gaze. “I feel bad.”

 
“Don’t you feel
bad.
I’m proud of you. Finally stood up for
yourself
.”
She leaned over to Lola. “By the way, he broke up with her tonight.”

 
Lola’s stomach churned.
Great.
Now she felt doubly worse.
On the other hand, it was about
time for Sebastian to smarten up.

 
Roxanne didn’t return to work and a new boy took her spot. He didn’t know what he was doing and kept making mistake
s
, so at least the rest of the night went by fast
as Lola and Dorothy continually had to help him
.

9

 
The day had been too long and Lola was relieved when the cool night air touched her skin.
The rattle of a loose muffler caught her attention and Lol
a looked over the parking lot.

 
The lot was empty, but a
black Buick sat idling across the street.
No.

 
“
Lola.
”

 
She whipped around, relieved and upset to see Jack. He stood near the door of the locked store.

 
Jack
straightened
, eyes trained on her face
. “What’s wrong?”

 
The car was put in gear and headed for them.
Oh, God.
Panic shot through her.
She clutched his arm, felt his muscles constrict under her fingers.
“You have to leave, Jack, you have to go.”
He’ll hurt you. He’ll hurt anyone he thinks I
’ll
tell.

 
Lola inhaled sharply, shook her head. Where had that thought come from? And why did it make such sense?

 
Jack grabbed her arms, held them tightly in his hands.
“
Lola, w
hat’s going on?
Tell me
.
”

 
She heard the car slowly approach. Why was he there?
Bob
never picked her up from work.
Never.
Lola would be all
alone with him, all night. He could hurt her. He could force himself on her. No one would be there. It would be just the two of them.

 
Sick with panic and fear
,
Lola stared into Jack’s eyes. “We have to go. Please.
Please
.
”

 
He looked over her shoulder, met her eyes, and nodded.
Jack grabbed her hand and took off at a fast jog.

 
Lola
struggled to keep
up
.
She’d never been very athletic and it showed in the cramp in her leg and the fire in her lungs.

 
An engine revved and the car sped up. Jack pulled her behind the building, into the alley. They zigzagged through yards and alleyways, intent on losing the tailing vehicle.

 
The headlights followed them. Lola had the insane
thought
,
I wonder if this is how deer feel when they’re hunted
down
.

 
Jack suddenly jerked
on
her hand and
she fell against him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled
Lola
into the shadows
behind a garage
.
They stayed that way, locked in each other’s arms, their breath coming out in little bursts of frosty air.

 
A car roared down a nearby street, tires squealing as it took a turn.
It sounded farther and farther away
until it could be heard no longer
. She was safe.
For the moment.
But
when she got home…
Lola refused to think about it.

 
She looked up, discomfited to find Jack’s eyes on her.
The look on his face took her breath away.
It was furious and intense; protective.

 
“Who was that?”

 
“My mom’s husband.”

 
“What was he doing there? Does he always pick you up from work?”

 
“
Never
.”
Lola’s body convulsed; fear of the unknown maddening to her senses. She couldn’t think about what his appearance at her workplace meant
.

 
Jack stared down at her, features closed. He
suddenly dropped his arms from her and backed away.
“I heard you had to get stitches in your lip.”

 
“Chin.” Lola angled her face and pointed at the strip of medical tape on her chin.

 
“Good thing Sebastian was there to rescue you.”

 
Lola heard the
scorn
in his tone and didn’t understand it. “What do you have against Sebastian?”

 
Jack lifted his arms out, palms up.
“Nothing.
Nothing at all.
I’m glad
you have someone
so great
to turn to.”
His voice was at odds with the words leaving his lips.
Someone unlike me
, he seemed to not say.

 
Lola blinked eyes that
burned
. She looked at the grass black with night. She didn’t have someone to turn to. Lola
’s gaze collided with Jack’s
. At least, she never used to.

 
She wanted to tell him he made her feel special, she wanted to tell him he made her forget
; that he was the
only
one she could turn to
. Lola didn’t know how to put into words how grateful she was for Jack.
She didn’t know how to tell him he was a good thing in a sea of bad things.

 
Some foreign emotion started in the pit of her stomach
; like a million butterflies flapping their wings
,
rose up to slam
into her chest, and Lola
acted instinctively.

 
Lola
fisted
Jack’s shirt in her
hands
and yanked him to her. He stared down at her with one eyebrow lifted, daring her, challenging her.
Lola tugged him the rest of the way to her, until their lips met.
Jack’s full lips were warm and melded to hers perfectly
, like their lips had been formed just for each other’s to enjoy
.

 
The emotions racing through her were tum
ultuous, frightening, dizzying. Jack’s fingers threaded through her hair, he whirled her around, and pressed her up against the garage, his hard body fitted to her softer one.
It was hard to
breathe.
Lola had never felt so alive.

 
That’s what she felt with Jack;
alive
.

 
A low growl sounded from his throat and Lola shivered in response. Jack’s hands went up and down her
spine
, back to her hair.
The kiss deepened. Lola’s skin flushed, her heart raced. She wanted more. Lola broke off, afraid of that knowledge.

 
Jack stared down at her, eyes dark. His chest heaved and the hands that clasped her arms trembled. “You okay?” he said in a gravelly voice.

 
Lola
stood on legs that shook, feeling overwhelmed. She gave a brief nod.

 
He ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath. Jack reached for her hand and they began to walk.

 
They headed in the direction of the woods.
Houses became spaced more and more apart the farther they ventured. A dog barked. The moon shone high in the sky, practically lighting the whole sky up like a big glow stick.

 
As the quiet deepened, Lola got more and more uncomfortable.

 
She couldn’t believe she’d kissed him.
Lola wasn’t particularly impulsive.
             

 
Lola had only kissed one other boy in her whole
life
and that had been Sebastian and it didn’t count because
she’d been eleven and he twelve
.
It had been strictly for experimental purposes. Neither had liked it.
Lola had liked
kissing Jack
.
A lot.
Her stomach fluttered.