20. Between the Raindrops
twenty
Between the Raindrops
W hen the phone rings, I look at the clock; it’s nearly midnight.
Leave it to Jasmine to call this late. Not that I was asleep.
I’ve been lying in bed analyzing my conversation with Jacob, why he came back to fix my car, why he keeps showing up at my house.
Mostly, I'm thinking about what I'm going to do for the next couple of weeks while he's gone.
“You can come back to school,” she sings into the phone. “I guarantee nobody will be talking about you tomorrow.”
“What?” I sit up in bed. “What did you do?”
“It wasn’t me,” Jaz says. “It’s Lexie.”
“Lexie?” I’m thoroughly confused. “Is she the one who told my counselor I had an abusive boyfriend?”
“No,” she sighs like I’m being slow. “Lexie is gone.”
“Gone?”
“Gone. Moved. Left school. Permanently.”
“Gone? Why?”
“No one knows for sure, but the rumors are flying. Some people say that she and Brad got in a fight, and she ran away. Someone else said she’s pregnant, that she went to her aunt’s house either to have the baby or get an abortion.
Whatever it is, she’s gone. Her mom withdrew her from school today.
I saw her leaving with the stuff from Lexie’s locker.
The rumors about you are old news. Congratulations. ”
“I guess that’s good,” I say, but an uneasy weight settles on my chest.
“Good?” Jasmine laughs. “It’s the best. Ding dong, the witch is dead.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Try to muster some enthusiasm by tomorrow. I want to celebrate.”
“I’ll work on that. Right now I’d better go. If Dad catches me on the phone this late, he’ll freak.”
“Got it, bye. Ding, dong the witch is dead...” She’s still singing when she hangs up the phone.
Lexie has tortured me since middle school. Her leaving should make me happy, but the news that she's gone with no explanation leaves a pit in my stomach I can’t explain.
I dodge puddles as I run down the rain-streaked trail.
The light rain I started my run with has morphed into a full-fledged downpour, and I'm still a couple miles from my car.
My arm feels light, but weak. This is my first long run since I got my cast off.
I felt so good when I started out that I went farther than I should have, leaving my car at the far end of the trail.
I head for the shelter of a bridge built across the trail so cars can pass over.
I jerk my earbuds out and pull my phone from my pocket.
I need a rescue, but Mom has a meeting and I'm not sure what it will take to bribe Matt to come get me.
I type in J-A, thinking Jasmine is my best option.
Jacob's name comes up. I rub the raindrops off the screen, wishing I could call him.
He's still gone. Not that I'd have the courage to call him if he were here.
"I told you the last time we met here that it wasn't safe for a girl to go running alone."
I freeze. My heart stops as the figure moves out from the shadows of the overpass. It races again as I recognize first the large frame, then the sweatshirt, and then the face that grins back at me from under the hood.
I take a breath to steady my voice. "Brad, you scared me." I grip my phone.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to." He lifts his palm to catch the rain. "Beautiful day for a run."
"It was," I keep my distance. I'm not sure where I stand with Brad now, only that I can't trust him. He hasn't tried to talk to me again. Actually, Brad has kept a low profile at school since Lexie left. There have been so many rumors about what happened between them I don't know what the truth is.
"Yeah. It’s been a tough couple of weeks. I thought it would be good to go for a run to clear my head. I didn't expect a monsoon."
"Me neither," I answer.
"Luckily, I didn't get very far. I left my truck in the parking lot at the trailhead.
I was going to go for a long run, but now I think I'll turn around and head back before I drown.
" Brad looks back like he can see across the distance through the rain.
"What about you? I didn't see your car in the parking lot. How far away is it?"
I hesitate. I don't want him to know how far away my car is. "Not too far."
He nods, "That's good. Looks like you've got the Mustang running. Your Army friend fix it up for you?"
"Yeah," I answer. The rain picks up, pounding against the bridge above us. I'm trying to decide whether I should brave the rain and continue my run, or brave a continued conversation with Brad.
"That's good. I never liked the idea of your having to walk everywhere."
I don't know how to respond to his false chivalry, so I stay silent.
He reaches above him and fingers a patch of graffiti on the side of the bridge—two sets of initials in faded red spray paint. "Ironic that we'd meet here, don't you think?"
I take a second to understand what he means.
Then it hits me. We're standing where we had our first kiss. That time we’d ducked under the overpass to get out of the sun while we took a water break.
His kiss was salty and sweet. I thought it was the most romantic moment of my life. Well, maybe the second most.
"Yeah, ironic." It comes out cold—the rain-soaked chill seeping into my heart as I remember how thoroughly he destroyed my trust and relationship.
He lifts his head and smiles. "We had a good run, though, didn't we, Jess?"
"No. If I remember right, that was an excruciatingly hot run."
"I don't mean the actual run. I meant us. You and me."
"Also excruciating."
I wait for his denial. Instead, he nods.
"I guess you'd see it that way." He hesitates.
"I should never have lost my temper at that party.
I should have listened to what you were saying, and not let that little—" He shakes his head.
"I know you won't believe me, but I didn't do what you think I did. "
"Don't try to deny it!" My temper flares.
For a second I forget that I'm stuck alone with him in a secluded spot.
"I only drank a couple of sips, and I forced myself to puke as soon as I walked out of the party, but I was still sick and dizzy.
Matt thought I was drunk when he came to pick me up.
There was definitely something in my drink. "
He doesn't answer my rage. Instead, he hangs his head.
"I can see why you'd think I did it. I was the one who handed you the water.
" He looks up, his eyes earnest. "But it wasn't me.
That's why I've been trying to get you to talk to me.
I need you to know that I wasn't the one who spiked your drink.
" He closes his eyes. "It was Lexie. She brought drugs to the party.
She slipped them into your water while we were talking.
" He lets out a long breath. "She was jealous.
She wanted me for herself. She did it to get between us.
I didn't know what she'd done until a few days ago. She got really drunk one night and told me everything. She thought it was a big joke.”
I'm staring at him, trying to decide if I believe him. He looks sincere, repentant, vulnerable, but I know if I can trust him.
"I'm such an idiot for falling for it, for falling for her.
" He steps closer, and I don't move. "I know things will never be the same between us, but I don't want you to think I'd ever hurt you like that.
I was stupid to let you go. Your reaction hurt and embarrassed and confused me at the party.
You tore the hell out of my face, and I saw red.
I'm sorry about that. And I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that Lexie is a sadistic, manipulative monster with a ton of issues. "
A long silence stretches between us as I work to take in what he's saying. Finally, I ask, "Why did she leave?"
He waits for a few heartbeats, like he's debating something with himself.
For a second, I don't think he's going to tell me anything.
Then it all spills out in a rush. "Like I said, she has issues.
The roofies were just the beginning. She's into much harder stuff than that now.
Her mom finally forced her into rehab." He shakes his head.
"No one else knows where Lexie is. If I say anything, then I'd be breaking the promise I made.
Better to let the rumor mill drag me down, right?
" He chuckles a mirthless laugh. "You'd know about that one too, huh? In case you didn’t already guess, Lexie started the rumors about you.
When she found out I played paintball at your house, she got insanely jealous.
She told your counselor that crazy story about an abusive boyfriend and that he was the reason you broke your wrist. I went in and cleared that one up after you left school that day. "
“I didn’t... I don’t...” but I don’t know what to say to him, or how to begin to believe him.
He looks at me with a sad smile. "Your boyfriend from base seems like a good guy. I'm glad. You deserve someone special."
"Thanks, but I..." I stop myself from telling him Jacob isn't my boyfriend. Even if everything he said is true, he's right; there's no way for us to go back to the way things were. I’m not sure I’d ever want to go back.
He moves toward me again, but doesn't get close enough to touch me. Instead, he steps out from under the bridge. He turns his face toward the rain. "I think it's slowed down, at least for a few minutes. I’m going to make a run for it. Can I give you a ride back to your car?"
I shake my head. "I'll be fine."
"Right." He reaches as if he's going to touch my shoulder, but lets his hand drop. "Be careful, Jess. Like I said. It's not safe for a girl to be out here running alone."