Safe and Sound (5 page)

 
Lola swallowed and looked at the blackboard
for help
, but it was blank. “Um…”
Her palms
turned sweaty and she turned to
her classmates, but they were all conspicuously
faced
forward in their seats.

 
“Or maybe I should repeat the question?”

 
Her eyes flew to his and she nodded
, relieved
. “Yes. Please.”

 
One corner of his thin mouth quirked up and he pushed away from the desk. “Of course, if you were
listening
, I wouldn’t have to do that, now would I?”
Mr. Welsh strode to the front of the room and faced the classroom.
“Anyone want to help Miss Murphy out?”

 
Lola’s heart pounded and that sick feeling from the night before returned, but for different reasons.
No one said anything.
Either
they didn’t know the answer, were
scared to help her, or simply didn’t care.

             
He smiled and looked at Lola.
“
Since
my class i
s so boring and unnecessary
you don’t even pay attention, you might as well sit outside until it’s over.”

 
Her heartbeat tripped.
“But—“

 
Mr. Welsh pointed at the door and said, “
Out
.”

 
Something snapped
inside her
.
Rage, instant and red hot, swept through her. Trembling
,
Lola got to her feet and slammed her book on the desk. “No.”

 
“What did
you
say?”
Mr. Welsh’s voice shook with anger.

 
Oh God, she was out of control. “I didn’t do anything wrong.” The words flew from her lips. “I’m not leaving.” Her voice and body
trembled
, tears threatened
to fall, and her lips kept moving. “I don’t deserve this.”
Lola’s voice cracked.

 
The history teacher’s lips thinned. “Now you have detention too. Go to the office.
Now
.”

 
The impulse to throw something was strong and Lola’s fingers tightened on her books. Mr. Welsh stared her down and she finally moved. Lola avoided the stunned eyes of her classmates and hurried from the room.

 
Once outside, she leaned against a row of loc
kers and let her head drop back
against the cool metal.
T
ears leaked from the corners of her eyes.
What had she just done? What had she said?
What was
wrong
with her?
She didn’t
do
things like
that;
she didn’t have outbursts like that.

 
“Lola?” a
small
voice spoke.

 
A hand li
ghtly touched her arm and
Lola jerk
ed away fr
om the
contact
.

 
“Are you okay?”
Concern pooled within the chocolate depths of Rachel
Conrad’s eyes.

 
Sweet, friendly Rachel.
They were once close friends, but didn’t talk much anymore outside of school.
Rachel was one of those people who never had a bad thing to say about someone, who always saw the good in a person, even when it was hard to find.

  Rachel
was short and thin with short brown hair. She habitually wore black and today was no different. She had on a black turtleneck and black slacks. The only splash of color was her blood red heels.

 
Lola glanced down at her plain purple long-sleeved tee, dark jeans, and tennis shoes. She felt underdressed next to Rachel. Not that she had money to buy clothes like hers anyway.

 
“What are you doing out here?”

 
Rachel
had a loving mother and father, a younger brother and sister who looked up to her.
She was praised instead of put
down,
she was hugged and told she was loved.
She was
safe
.
Rachel couldn’t understand what it was like.

 
“I volunteered to make sure you made it to the office, but really I
just wanted to make sure you were okay
.”

 
She
wanted to disappear, to vanish, to no longer be.
“I’m fine.”
Lola
turned toward the office.

 
“Lola.”

 
Lola stopped, but didn’t face Rachel. “What?”

 
“Nothing.
Nevermind
.”
Rachel’s voice was tired.

 
She hesitated
. They
used to tell each other everything, just a year ago. She closed her eyes against a wave of tears.
So much had changed.
Lola had lost so much.

 
Lola remembered the carefree, unimportant conversations they used to have that had been so vital to them. The giggles they’d shared. Their shopping adventures at the mall in the next city over.
She missed all that, but most of all she missed the illusion of safety she’d had.

 
Rachel’s mother was a secretary at a law office; her father worked construction.
They were by no means rich, but they were stable and happy.
They had family meals and family game nights.
They asked how everyone’s day was and listened when one responded.
They were on another planet from Lola.

 
Lola gave herself a mental shake and went to the office.

*
**

 
Lola
spent
detention in the library, doodling on her notebook
once her homework was finished
.
The room smelled musty and had pale wood paneling on the walls. There were five computers, lots of books, and Mrs. Horton.
The librarian had to be in her seventies, but rumor had it she refused to retire.
Lola wondered if eventually she’d just be kicked out of the school.

 
She sat behind her desk, plump and
red
curly-haired
, dressed
in a
black
and pink floral print top and green slacks
. Lola watched out of the corner of her eye as she shoved candy bars in her mouth and chewed away.

 
Her stomach grumbled and Lola real
ized she hadn’t eaten since the
granola bar
she’d choked down
at lunch.

 
Lola
and one other boy were
in there. He stared at her and she ignored him.
He had shaggy black hair, pale green eyes, and a surly disposition.
Lola couldn’t remember his name, but she knew he was a senio
r like Sebastian and
he got in trouble a lot.
The boy was a loner, kept to
himself
. Lola didn’t think he had many friends, if any.

 
A lot like you.

 
His jeans were always holey, his shirts black or red or some other
dark color, and he liked to draw disturbing things
.
             

 
“Time to go,” Mrs.
Horton announced at exactly five o’clock.

 
Lola packed her things up and shoved them in her backpack, intent on getting out of the school and away from the creepy boy as quickly as she could.

 
Her footsteps echoed down the empty hallway. It was odd to be there afterh
ours and see the darkened, uninhabited rooms.
It made her think of scary movies with
predators lurking in
dark corners and shadows. Lola shivered and picked up her pace.

 
“
Hey.
Goody Two Shoes.
”

 
Lola stumbled and glanced over her shoulder, unnerved to find the boy
from detention
not far behind. She hadn’t even heard him.

 
“What did you call me?”
Lola was immediately annoyed at the label
and it showed in her voice
. She was so
sick
of being
ridiculed when she didn’t deserve it
.

 
One side of the boy’s full mouth lifted and his eyes darkened, like he was having naughty thoughts. Lola’s pulse tripped and she turned away. Ignoring him wo
uld probably be the best option.

 
Only he strode along beside her, looking completely at ease and in no hurry to go his own way.
Lola glanced at him, surprised by how tall he was; even taller than Sebastian. He wasn’t as muscular
as Sebastian
; his was a more lean build.
He smelled faintly of cologne; expensive, good-smelling cologne.

 
Why am I even thinking of this?
Lola asked herself and pushed the door open, blinking i
n the blinding light of the sun. It was a nice day out, in the sixties with a light breeze.
The wind caught her hair and played with it.

 
“I called you Goody Two Shoes. What were you in for? Did you forget to say please when you asked to go to the bathroom? Show up one minute late for class? Wear white on a red only day?”

 
Face
on fire
, Lola glared at him. He
waited,
an innocent look on his sharply angled face.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”

 
“You have no idea,” was his response.

 
“Well, I’m not.
So…goodbye.”
Lola
turned in the direction of her house
, her steps leaden with dread
.

 
“Lola.”
Softly spoken, like a caress.

 
She stopped and slowly turned to face the nameless boy, breath uneven.
“Who
are
you?”

 
The sunlight hit him just right and he seemed to glow
; become otherworldly, angelic even
. Lola shook her head
and he was just a
troubled
boy once more
.

 
His lips twisted. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

 
Something nagged at her subconscious, but she pushed it away
, feeling sick
. “No. I don’t know you.”

 
I don’t want to know you.

 
Where had that come from?

 
An emotion flickered within the pale green depths of his eyes and was g
one; his perpetual brood
back in place. “The name’s Ja
ck, Goody Two Shoes. Jack Forrester
.”

 
“Don’t
call
me Goody Two Shoes. It’s not nice!”

 
He laughed. “It’s not nice?
Really?
You can’t even have a comeback that doesn’t sound preppy.”

 
Everyone was always ganging up on her, belittling her, criticizing her
, making her feel less than
.
A burst of anger erupted in Lola and she reacted without thought. She slammed her palms against Jack’s hard chest and shoved.
It felt
amazing
.

 
He propelled back, arms waving, and landed on his rear end in the grass with a grunt.
His look of incomprehension was
comical
.

 
Lola put her hands over her mouth, eyes wide, a
nd stared at him in horror. “Oh!
I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I just did that.
”

 
When Jack just sat there looking at her like
he couldn’t believe it either,
l
aughter
bubbled
up
. She was stunned by the sound of
it
, and her expression must have shown it, because
Jack intently watched her, like he knew some secret about her even she didn’t know.
Lola’s laughter abruptly cut off.