Jacob – Past
“Jacob!”
I’m on my way to Mr. Wells’ class when I hear Amie calling after me.
“Listen.” She puts her hand on my shoulder. “I know you’re not into parties, and after the last one I can’t say I blame you, but it’s her birthday, and you’re her boyfriend, so…”
“When’s the party, Amie?”
She smiles. “It’s this Saturday, at my house. There’s a pool, so bring a change of clothes if you want to get in.” She hands me a slip of paper.
“That’s my address and the time. Don’t come early. No one comes early. Come around nine.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you. If you weren’t there, I think she’d kill me.” She glances over her shoulder. “Sorry, I’ve got to go. I told Scarlet I’d meet her before class.”
She runs off in the opposite direction she came from.
I glance at the card, then slip it into my jean pocket and walk to Mr. Wells’ class.
He calls me over to his desk while the rest of the students are coming through the door. Opening his drawer, he passes me some leaflets.
“All of these are community colleges. They’re close by, so travel should be easy and you won’t have any living costs.
” He points to three of the leaflets, then he separates the pile and lays out five others.
“These are not community colleges, but I really think you have a strong chance at a full scholarship, Jacob. I looked at your test scores from your other classes, and you’d be eligible to apply.
And this one.” he taps the top of the final pile, “is right here in Rockport.”
I take the leaflets from him. “Thanks, Mr. Wells.”
“Have you given any more thought to college?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you interested in any degree in particular?”
“I think architecture.”
He grins. “That would be perfect for you.”
The rest of the class have arrived, so I step away from his desk and slide the leaflets into my bag. For the first time, I actually feel positive about my future.
I hope Mr. Wells is right. If I can get a full scholarship, I might be able to go to the same college as Layla.
I can’t wait to tell her.
***
Amie’s house is on the beach, close to where the last bonfire was.
I walk up by the sand dunes. It’s half past nine, and I don’t need the piece of paper Amie gave me with her address on it because her house is the only house packed with people.
The music is so loud I could hear it from further down the beach.
She has an infinity pool in her back garden. It’s a three story house with a large balcony overlooking the pool. There are people on the balcony, and even more on the roof above it. I spot Parker and Miles in the hot tub with a few girls from school. I recognize Blair from business class.
I walk through the patio doors. It’s an open plan layout, with a glass staircase by the front door. More people are crammed into the living room. Three kegs in the center, where people are taking turns filling their cups.
“Jacob.” Owen is tapping into a keg. He passes a cup to me. I don’t want it, but I take it anyway.
“You never come to these things,” he says.
“It’s Layla’s birthday.”
“Is that what we’re celebrating?” He stops the flow into his cup and steps away from the keg, swaying slightly. “You’re still with her?” he slurs. “She’s hot.”
I ignore that.
“Do you know where she is?”
He shakes his head. “I saw Amie go upstairs with a few others, she might’ve been one of them,” he shouts over the music.
I thank him and head toward the glass staircase. Most of the couples on the stairs are making out. I move past them, pushing open the first unlocked door.
Rhett’s bent over the counter, sniffing at a line. He looks up at me and wipes his nose.
“What are you looking at, Evans.” Alex sneers as he kicks the door closed.
Olivia walks out of another room with Jonah behind her. “Have you seen Layla?”
“She’s in there,” Olivia says, pointing to the room at the far end of the hallway.
“I still can’t believe she’s with him,” she whispers to Jonah.
I knock on the door and wait.
Amie opens it a second later, see’s it’s me, and sighs.
“It’s good to see you too, Amie.”
“It’s just Jacob,” she calls over her shoulder, then grabs my arm and pulls me inside.
Layla has her feet up on Amie’s bed, one elbow propped on the cushions. She smiles at me, and suddenly, the whole party feels worth it.
“She’s being antisocial. I blame you.” Amie pokes a finger into my arm.
“That’s because you told me it would be a few people. It’s the entire year, Amie,” Layla complains.
The bed is soft as I sit down beside her. I set the red cup on Amie’s bedside table.
Amie rolls her eyes. “Your birthday’s the weekend before summer break. What did you expect?” She turns her attention to me. “Did you see Parker?” She takes a seat on a stool in front of the dressing table by the window.
“Yeah.”
“Did he look upset?”
I stay silent. He was in a hot tub with a beer. I’m not sure I’d call that upset.
“They’re fighting,” Layla tells me.
“Where did you see him?”
“Outside.”
“Who was he with?”
“Miles.” I leave out the fact they were surrounded by girls.
She sighs. “Good. He’s upset.”
I glance down at Layla, and she shakes her head, warning me not to say more.
“He’d be with Alex if he wasn’t,” Amie concludes, she looks to Layla for reassurance.
Layla stays silent, instead, she moves closer to me.
Amie lets out an audible breath. “Right. I’m going back out there! Jacob, please make sure Layla doesn’t spend her entire party up here. Unless, of course, you both have other plans… in which case, please don’t get her pregnant, a baby at prom is not going to work.”
She closes the door behind her.
Layla covers her face with her hands and groans.
I laugh and kiss her shoulder. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you for coming. I’m sorry. I know it sucks.”
“It doesn’t suck.”
She gives me a look.
“Your birthday doesn’t suck. The party, on the other hand…”
She laughs.
“I have something for you.” I reach into my pocket and pull out a small, wrapped box.
“I told you not to get me anything.”
“Just open it.”
She tears at the paper, then pushes off the lid.
It’s a bracelet. I saw it a few weeks ago in town and it made me think of her. It has a small heart with tiny lilac stones inside, the same color as her bedroom walls.
Her smile reaches her eyes. “I love it.”
She holds out her wrist. I fasten the clasp for her, and she swings her leg over me, then kisses me. I push her hair out of her face and kiss her back.
“Do you want to go downstairs?”
“I want to lock Amie’s door, turn on her TV, and watch a movie with you.”
I want to do that too.
“Amie would never forgive me though.” She sighs.
“Then let’s go.”
Neither of us move. She rests her head against me. “One more minute. Then well go.”
“Why don’t we go down to the beach? There are people out there too?”
“Yes! I like that idea,” she says. “We can gradually move further down the beach and then leave.” She grins then takes my hand and leads me toward the door.
She starts to kiss me as we leave the room.
Amie’s door clicks shut behind us. She stumbles, I put my hand on her waist to steady her.
She laughs, her lips still against mine.
I move my other hand up to her cheek, her back pressed against the door frame.
She does this thing I love, where she bites my lip, and I slip my tongue into her mouth, pulling her body to mine.
“What the hell, Layla!” Alex yells.
We stop kissing. She takes my hand, her fingers digging in as she pulls me toward the top of the stairs.
“Not so fast.” Rhett steps in front of us, blocking our only way out. “I thought I told you not to see him anymore.”
“When have I ever listened to you?”
“And look where that’s got you, slumming it with trailer trash.”
“You let him touch you. It makes me sick.” Alex shoves me back, turning to Layla. “So that’s it, is it, Layla? You say yes to him and no to me?”
He spits. “Slut.”
That’s it, I’m done.
I swing out, hitting his jaw.
He stumbles back and lands on the ground.
I wait for Alex to stand. I want to fight him tonight.
Alex starts to get up, but then he smirks, and I hit the ground.
Rhett has me pinned, his fist pounding down on my face over and over.
I throw a couple punches back at him, and he gets off me.
Alex kicks my ribs. I grunt at the impact. Then it stops abruptly.
I roll over and start to stand. I feel Layla’s hands on my back.
I curse, my ribs burn.
Parker has Alex pinned against the wall. His eye red from Alex’s punch. Amie’s at the top of the stairs, her hands over her mouth, while Parker yells at Alex.
Rhett is already halfway to the living room.
“I’m done with this,” Parker says, dropping him.
Alex fixes his shirt, jaw clenched as he points at me
“This isn’t over.”
***
I’m on Amie’s countertop, leaning my back against her cupboards, holding a frozen bag of carrots to my face. Parker’s on the floor in front of me with a bag of frozen peas to his.
“Thanks.”
He makes eye contact with me then nods.
Layla and Amie walk back into the kitchen. Layla jumps up beside me on the counter. She moves the frozen bag away from my face and looks at it.
“It’s swollen pretty bad already. Keep that on.” She presses my hand with the bag against my cheek again. Then she starts lifting up the bottom of my T-shirt. She sucks in a breath.
“Give me another frozen something from the freezer, Amie.”
Amie opens the door and throws her another bag. Layla keeps my T-shirt up and holds the bag in place.
Amie sighs. “It’s never a dull night with you around, is it?” She looks at me, then leans down to Parker. “Alex and Rhett aren’t going to like what you did,” she says to him.
He doesn’t respond. Instead, he leans his head back against the cupboard door and closes his eyes.
“I should get home.” I jump down.
“I’ll walk you out.” Layla follows me past the mess of Amie’s backyard and down to the beach.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
“You didn’t start it.”
“Rhett’s just–”
“I saw him doing drugs in the bathroom with Alex. Did you know he does that?”
She nods. “I’ve caught him a few times. He gets angry if I bring it up, so I don’t bring it up.”
“Does your dad know?”
“He pretends it doesn’t happen. He’s pretty good at that, he’ll ignore it unless other people start to notice.”
We sit down in the sand together.
“How are your ribs?”
“Okay.”
“That’s it. I’m done with parties.”
I laugh and it hurts. “Good, because so am I.” I pause. “I have something to tell you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Mr. Wells gave me college leaflets today. He said I have a chance at a full scholarship.”
“Jacob! That’s amazing!” She does this cute little high pitched scream. “You’ll be the best architect this town has ever seen.”
I lean over and kiss her. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do,” she smiles.
***
When I get back to the trailer, the police are there. An ambulance too. I look at Mary’s trailer, she’s old, maybe something happened?
Then I see them go into my trailer.
I run.
An officer stops me.
“You can’t go in there.”
“That’s my house!” I push past him and run inside.
The paramedics are in the living room. Mom’s on the couch. A bottle of whiskey spilled on the floor, like she dropped it from where she’s laying. They’re shaking their heads and putting their equipment away.
“Mom?” I run over to her.
“Get him out of here.”
They’re trying to pull me away.
Her eyes are closed. She’s lying in the same spot she always does when she’s drunk too much and I’m not there to help her get to her room.
“Mom!”
I shake her.
She doesn’t respond.
“Mom!”
She feels cold.
She looks like she’s sleeping, but her skin doesn’t look right.
Like she’s sick.
“Mom, wake up.”
I know I’m crying, the tears are wetting her clothes.
“Mom, I’m home now. I’m home. I’m sorry I’m late. I’ll help you get to your room.”
Someone’s pulling me away.
“No!”
I push them back.
“Mom, come on, wake up.”
She doesn’t move.
She doesn’t open her eyes.
She doesn’t do anything.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you helping her? She needs help!” I scream at the paramedic, who’s just zipped up his bag.
The officer is in the room. He pulls me from her and takes me outside.
“Do you have any other relatives?”
“No.”
“We’re going to have to report this to social services,” he says it more to the officer next to him than to me. “They’ll get you somewhere to stay tonight.”
“No.”
He shakes his head and goes to speak with his colleague.
I watch as they wheel out the stretcher. A black bag covers her body. They put her in the back of the ambulance, and they close the doors.
“Jacob?” Mary folds her arms across her body.
“She’s dead.”
“Oh my—” Her hand rushes to cover her mouth.
The officer returns. “We can take you to the station. There’s a bed there. Social services will try to get you somewhere tomorrow until they can get something more permanent.”
“I want to stay here.”
“That’s not possible unless you have an adult that can stay with you.”
“I’ll watch him,” Mary offers.
The officer walks Mary over to his colleague. They talk for a bit, then they return.
“Social services will be in contact with you.” He hands me a card. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Then he gets in his car and leaves.
Mary stares at me.
“I don’t need you to stay with me.”
“I know you don’t. I just wanted to get them away from you,” she says. “What about that nice girlfriend of yours? Do you want to use my phone to call her?”
“It’s okay. It’s late. I don’t want her to drive over here.”
Mary nods. “If you need anything at all, Jacob, you know I’m here.”
“Thanks, Mary.” I wipe my nose with the sleeve of my jacket and walk into the trailer alone.
The bottle of whiskey is still there, staining the carpet.
I go into my room, and I close the door.
I regret not using Mary’s phone.
I need Layla.