24. Twenty-Four
Twenty-Four
Tessa
I t’s the end of Spring Break, and Jake was given quality time off to enjoy himself for the first time in forever. Taking advantage of his free time, we’d spent most days holed up in my room, making love, watching mind-numbing movies, and simply talking for hours.
We hung out at the diner for wing night and took Anna and Jude to the movies, where we treated them to an ungodly amount of popcorn and candy.
The way their eyes lit up like sparkly diamonds upon spotting the array of goodies cradled in our arms actually coaxed a genuine look of delight out of my otherwise sullen boyfriend.
We took a shopping trip to Barton Creek Square in Austin, where Megan and I had the time of our lives tearing through a variety of stores while the boys trudged after us and acted like a pair of disgruntled toddlers.
I’d exchanged several pleased glances with my friends over the past few days as we finally got to see a version of Jake we’d all dearly missed.
Furthermore, Mr. Nelson surprised us all by granting Jake two afternoons a week off to seek tutoring.
With his workload lightening, the ever-present tension in his shoulders slowly seemed to dissipate, and as a result, we were frequently treated to his infectious laughter.
I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed the sound until I had the pleasure of hearing it again.
We’d spent a near-perfect afternoon at Carter’s house, where Megan and I painted each other’s toenails while Jake gave his friend yet another tedious guitar lesson.
This went on until Megan’s tummy growled so loudly that I dragged the nail brush across three of her toes.
Our hysterical laughter drew the boys' attention and prompted us to pool our money together for a round of fries and ice cream floats at Jackie’s.
Jake, who didn’t trust his dad not to send his little brother to bed hungry, insisted on swinging by his house to bring Jude along.
There’s a content smile on my face as I listen to Jake and Carter rib each other while we stroll down the sidewalk, but it’s quickly wiped away when a loud crash from within the Nelson residence startles our group into silence.
All the lightheartedness of the day seems to vanish in an instant when the jarring noise is immediately followed by a high-pitched scream. Jake snaps into action, and before we can react, he’s already darting across the front lawn.
“I’ll meet you guys at the diner. Just go ahead without me,” he calls over his shoulder just before he slips through the door, leaving us standing in the street.
Another muffled bang has me staring at Carter and Megan with pleading eyes.
The uncertainty and concern in their mirroring gazes tell me they’re just as torn while we silently contemplate the best way to help.
No way am I leaving him to deal with whatever is going on behind those walls alone.
I already carry enormous guilt for not having done more to end this sooner.
I can tell by the angry expression taking over Carter’s features that he’s come to a similar conclusion.
We’ve all turned a blind eye to the abuse happening under that roof long enough.
It’s time to take a stand and end this madness once and for all.