Pieces (Riverdale #1) (8 page)

     
When Jake made his way blindly, to their
table, Sam and Nick were going back and forth about some sort of nonsense, but
he had to give it to his friend, he managed to get her to sit on his lap. He
rolled his good eye and patted Nick on the back. “Time to go, lover boy.”

Nick
looked up at him hazily. Oh man, he didn’t have time for this. In about ten
seconds, all hell would break loose when those two jerkoffs crawled out of the
bathroom, looking for him. “Come on. Sam get off his lap.
 
We got to go.” His sister heard the urgency
in his voice, used to his shit by now, and scrambled off of Nick’s lap.

     
“What did you do?” Sam asked him, before
turning to Cara. “What did he do?”

     
“Oh for the love of God, can we just get
out of here.” Jake said, exasperated.

     
“What happened to your eye?” Nick asked,
as he threw some money on the table and grabbed the car keys from his pocket.
At least he was moving, quickly.

     
“I lost my contact. Shit. Where is Luke? I
can’t fucking see guys, can you help me out. We need to get Luke and get the
fuck out of here.”

     
Nick rubbed his face and let out a
strangled breath. He handed Sam the keys. “Here, take him out of here, I’ll go
find Luke.”

     
“There he is!” Jake heard asshole number
two shout.

     
“Ah, shit! Come on Jake!” Nick said when
he looked at the two bloody men stalk through the crowd.

     
Cara and Sam followed Nick’s gaze. Cara
eyes widened. “What the hell did you do?” She asked him.

     
He looked at her sheepishly with one eye.
“Can we talk about this later? I’m about to get my ass kicked.”

     
“Get him out of here.” Nick told Sam. “And
bring the car around, I’ll be right there.”

     
Sam nodded and grabbed Jake, pulling him
through the crowd, with Cara, right behind them.

     
Nick moved through the crowd, keeping a
watchful eye on the two bloody messes that were in search for Jake. That kid
had some anger issues; either that or he was just bat shit crazy. He spotted
Luke at the bar, talking to some girl. He walked over, and stood beside him,
his back against the bar, so he could still keep an eye on the two guys hunting
Jake. “Luke, we have to go, wrap it up.” Nick said, feeling sorry he had to cut
Luke’s fun short.

     
“Nick, I’m kind of busy here.”

     
“I get that, but your one eyed brother
beat the shit out of two guys in the bathroom.”

     
“Damn it, Jake!” Luke muttered, slamming
his fist against the bar. Nick rolled his eyes, at least he knew where Jake got
it from. Luke bid his farewell to the girl.

     
Sam pulled up directly in front of the
entrance to the bar, and waited for Nick and Luke. She tore her eyes from the
door, she was watching so closely, to sneak a glance at her brother through the
rearview mirror. “Are you going to tell us what happened?” She asked shortly.

     
“In a minute,” Jake said, clutching his
chest with his free hand. He felt like someone sucking all the air out of him.

     
“What’s the matter?” Asked Cara, noticing
he was obviously in discomfort.

     
“I don’t know.” He took a deep breath.
“I’m having trouble breathing.” He exhaled slowly.

     
“Maybe you’re having an anxiety attack.”
Sam said, dismissing it. It served him right, for, acting ridiculous. “Here
they come.” She said and climbed over the center console, into the passenger seat,
so Nick could drive. Luke opened the rear gate of the truck and climbed into
the third row. The rear gate was still open. Nick peeled out of the parking
lot, just as the two guys had made their way to the parking lot.

     
“Man, the trunk is open!” Luke shouted.
“I’m getting too old for this shit.” He said, breathless and reached over and
pulled the trunk shut.

     
“Jake, you’re sweating like a farm
animal!” Cara said as she reached over his body to open his window, so he could
get some air. He wished he wasn’t having anxiety attack, because he would’ve
taken complete advantage of her right then and there.

     
“Is he okay?” Sam called over her
shoulder.

     
“I’ll be fine.” Jake choked out, the air
felt great and he started catching his breath. “Maybe I’m the one getting too
old for this shit.” He said thoughtfully.

     
“You think?” Luke said, smacking him
upside his head.

     
Cara climbed the grassy hill, regretting
her decision to wear her new boots. It had rained the night before, leaving the
cemetery a muddy mess, and her boots were getting demolished. She frowned down
at them and continued her trek up the hill. She spotted the willow tree that
was just beginning to bloom, and smiled. Her mother rested right next to it. In
the summer she always found herself sitting under that willow tree, with a
book. She’d sit there for hours and just read, lost in her book, feeling close
to her mom.

     
When she made it to the willow tree, she
stared down at her mother’s headstone. She brushed away some of the dirt that
was on it and stared at her name. Corrine Sloane. Beloved Mother. She could
still remember the first time she went to her mother’s grave.
 
She was fifteen years old, and her father had
never taken her to see her mother’s final resting place. No many how many times
she begged, the heartless prick never once took her.

     
 
On
her fifteenth birthday, she had been at the Lanza’s and Deb had a birthday cake
waiting for her when they got out of school. Cara had burst into a fit of
tears, when she saw Deb holding the cake for her. It had taken her five minutes
to stop crying and explain to her that she had always wished to celebrate her
birthday with her mother.

     
Without any hesitation, Deb placed the
cake in a Tupperware container, grabbed the candles and told Cara and Jake to
get in the car. She drove them to Riverdale Cemetery, and when Cara had told
her, she had no idea where her mother was buried; Deb went into the main office
and found her plot number. A grounds keeper had to escort the three of them up
the hill and show them where her mother was buried. The marker had long faded
and all that was there was a slab of concrete. Her father had never bothered to
put a headstone up. She made a mental note then, to always look for the giant
willow tree. The three of them sat under that tree, and Deb lit the candles on
the cake. She and Jake had sang, happy birthday to her and when she blew out
the candles she would’ve sworn she felt her mother’s presence.

     
The following year when she went back on
her birthday, alone, she had brought a cupcake for herself and one solitary
candle. She searched for the willow tree, and made her way to her mother.
Instead of staring at a piece of cement there was a beautiful headstone marking
her mother’s place of rest. Cara touched the stone to make sure it was real,
and noticed there was a beautiful bouquet of pink roses nestled in front of the
stone. She kneeled down, placing the cupcake to the side, and opened the card
that was addressed to her.

“Dearest
Corinne and Our Sweet Cara,

We
wish we could’ve met the wonderful woman who brought this beautiful girl into
our lives. We will always be in debt to you for giving her to us. May you rest
in peace.

Cara,
may all your birthdays always be full of love and the memory of your mother.

Love
Deb & Joe”

     
When she thought of that day she still
cried at the beautiful sentiment. The woman, who had been like a mom to her,
had given her a piece of her mother back. And so on her twenty-ninth birthday,
she kneeled before her mother’s head stone, placing a bouquet of roses in front
of it. She ran her fingers over her name and smiled.

     
“Hi, Mom, sorry I haven’t been here that
much. I may not come to visit as much as I’d like, but you’re always on my
mind.” She smiled and folded her hands in her lap. “I miss you so much. I tell
myself it should be easier as I get older, but the truth is it’s not. No matter
what age I am, there’s always something I wish I had my mother for. It’s true
what they say; you’re never too old to need your mom.” She smiled sadly, and
looked down at her hands. “My life hasn’t changed much. Well, except for one
thing.” She bit her lip and glanced around the cemetery. All she could hear was
the slight noise the, leaves made as the wind caused them to brush against each
other. “Things are getting strange between Jake and me. I don’t know how to
explain it.” She paused. “That’s a lie. I know exactly how to explain it, I’m
realizing I’m in love with him, and probably have been for a very long time.”
She leaned back on her heels and took a deep breath, feeling the weight from
her admission, ease off of her chest. “I don’t know what to do with my
feelings, mom. Part of me wants so badly to tell him and then I hear this voice
in my head, telling me I’ll ruin everything. I’m so scared.” She whispered to
her mother’s stone. “I’m so scared I’ll lose them all if things don’t work out
between me and Jake. They’re the only family I have, and Jake.” She shook her
head as her eyes filled. “Jake is everything to me. He’s my friend, my
confident, my light at the end of the tunnel, with him in my life, I feel like
I can go on, that I’m not alone.” The tears fell freely. “I look at him, and I
see his imperfections, and they don’t matter to me. I know he’s wild and
reckless, but I know his heart. Mama, he’s got the biggest heart and I want his
heart. I want him. I want to be the girl that’s enough for him.”

     
She wiped the tears from her cheeks and
stared up at the sky, willing her tears to stop. “He knows all of my flaws. He
knows I’m broken, and he still looks at me like I’m the best thing to ever
happen to him. When he stares at me sometimes, I feel like we’re the only two
people in existence.” She sighed and became quiet for a while, soaking up the
serenity. “I wish you were to push me in the right direction.” She said
finally, and then remembered the cupcake and the tradition. She lifted the
little white box and took the cupcake out of the box. She reached into her
pocket and pulled out a candle and a lighter. Cara stuck the candle into the
creamy frosting and her fingers maneuvered the lighter. She held the cupcake in
her palms and stared at the lone lit candle. No one was there to sing happy
birthday, so she closed her eyes and made a wish, hoping her mother would hear
it. She blew out the candle and opened her eyes. “Happy Birthday, to me.” She
whispered.

     
Jake knew where Cara would be, for the
last fourteen years, she always visited her mother on the morning of her
birthday. His heart ached for her, and wished she hadn’t lost her mother. If
Corrine hadn’t died, maybe Cara wouldn’t have endured all the pain she had. He
couldn’t erase the bad memories, he concluded, but he could damn well give her
the best birthday ever, and that was exactly what he set out to do.

     
Jake spotted the willow tree perched on top
of the hill. He climbed the hill, his long legs making the strides quick. When
he spotted her, kneeling beside her mother’s head stone holding a cupcake, his
heart clenched. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and buried
the emotions that he was drowning in. He forced his feet to move, and though
they felt like lead, they moved. She must’ve sensed she wasn’t alone because he
hadn’t made a sound, and she still turned around. Her hazel eyes staring at
him, like he was a figment of her imagination. He pushed his sunglasses up on
top of his heads so she could see his eyes.

     
“Happy Birthday.” He said softly. She
didn’t move right away, instead she simply stared up at him quietly. He walked
closer to her and held out his hand. With one hand holding the cupcake, the
other fell into his and he helped her stand.

     
“Thank you.” She said so low he barely
heard her. She gathered her bearings and dropped his hand to dust the dirt from
her pants. “What’re you doing here?”

     
Jake glanced at her mother’s stone, and
the pretty bouquet of flowers that adorned it and smiled slightly before
looking back at her. “I came to whisk the birthday girl away.” He said
confidently, and stuck his finger into the frosting on the cupcake. He smiled
up at her sheepishly as he sucked his finger dry. “Double chocolate, my
favorite.”

     
Her lips broke into a small smile and she
handed him the cupcake. “Here, have it.”

     
He glanced down at the cupcake, she hadn’t
tasted it. He took it from her hands and peeled down the paper. “Take a bite or
your wish won’t come true.” He said as he held it up to her lips.

     
Her eyes bored into his and for a moment
she considered his words. He grinned widely as her teeth sank into the tiny
cake and took a bite, sealing her wish. He brought his fingertip to the corner
of her mouth where a spot of chocolate was left. He wiped it with his finger
and licked the remnants. She swallowed, as if her mouth was completely dry and
it was hard to get the cake down. He smiled and took a bite of her cupcake.

     
He finished the cupcake in two bites and
crumbled up the paper. He glanced around and saw a trash can on the edge of the
aisle and walked over and dumped the garbage in. He strode back towards her
wiping his hands on the backs of his jeans. “Are you finished with your visit?”

     
“Yes.” She pressed her lips to her
fingertips and then ran them across her mother’s name. “Love you.” She
whispered and then looked back at Jake. He took her hand in his and kissed her
knuckles. “Where are we going?”

     
“It’s a surprise.” He said as he laced
their fingers together and helped her down the hill.

     
“Jake, where’s your car?” She said as she
searched the cars that were lined along the road, none of them were his. He
smiled at her and then she noticed a man step out of a black town car. He
walked around to the back seat, doors and opened it. She looked back at him and
he shrugged his shoulders. “You hired a car?”

     
“Didn’t feel like driving. Come on.” He
said and pulled her towards the town car. “Thanks George.” He patted the
chauffer’s shoulder and waited for Cara to climb in. She looked up at him as if
he had lost his marbles, and he laughed before slapping her behind kiddingly.
She climbed in and he followed suit. Once they were in the car, she turned to
him.

     
“Okay, really, what’s with the car? Where
are we going?” She asked inquisitively and Jake took her hands in his and
pulled her closer to him.

     
“We’re going to Manhattan.” He said simply
as his fingers played with the ends of her hair. They had been calling for his
touch, he told himself.

     
“Manhattan.” She let it register and then
looked down at her dirt stained pants and her mud covered boots. “Jake I look
like I was playing in a mosh pit.”

     
“So? When we get there we’ll go shopping.”
He looked at his jeans and casual thermal. That had been part of his plan
anyway. “I need something to wear too.”

     
She smiled at him and grabbed his hand.
“Come on. Tell me where we are going.”

     
He loved when she smiled and he knew he
put that smile on those lips. “I just did.”

     
She rolled her eyes, and leaned her head
against his shoulder. “You’re not going to get into specifics are you?”

     
“Nope.” He said and kissed the top of her
head. “Just enjoy the ride. We’ll be there in a few hours.”

     
She looked up at him and he smiled at her
easily. “What would I do without you?” She asked him so seriously. He wanted to
take the negativity away from her life, he wanted her to be carefree and just
enjoy herself, and here she was asking him a question with such fear in her
eyes. He pressed his lips to the tip of her nose and tickled her sides, letting
all the angst in her eyes free.

     
Her laughter engulfed the back seat of the
sedan and her eyes were smiling up at him. Only then did he answer her, “You’ll
never have to worry about that.” He promised so sincerely. She looked at him
for a moment, letting his words sink in, and believe him, then she wrapped her
arms around him and hugged him tightly.

     
Two and half hours later when the driver
peered into the rearview mirror and announced they had arrived at their
destination, Cara looked down at Jake. He had fallen asleep a half hour after they
left the cemetery. To make him more comfortable, she had laid his head on her
lap. She brushed her fingertips down the outline of his jaw. She was worried
about him, and wondered if all this back and forth between them had anything to
do with why he was so tired. Deciding that he had put a lot of heart and soul
into making this day perfect for them, she would nag him about that another
day. There was always tomorrow. “Jake, wake up. We’re here.” She said as she
nudged him slightly.

     
He opened one eye and peeked at her as he
yawned. “Sorry.” He sat up and worked the cramp in his neck. “A lot of fun, I
am. I fell asleep on you for a two hour trip to the city.” He arched his hips
and pulled out his money; that was tied up in a rubber band. No matter how many
wallets she or his mother bought him, he never used them. Instead, he would
only take the little plastic insert and place Ava’s pictures in them. When he
pulled out a few bills and handed them to the driver, she smiled, catching a
glimpse of the plastic insert that was tucked safely with his money.
 
“Thank you George, see you tomorrow morning.”
He climbed out of the car and held his hand out to Cara. She took it and
followed him out of the car.

     
“Tomorrow morning? We’re staying here
overnight?” She watched him dig into the trunk and pulled out a backpack. She
knew what was in the backpack he never left home for long periods of time
without. Inside the bag was, his sketch book and the set of shading pencils she
bought him. That he remembered to bring, clothes, not so much. She laughed
slightly. He swung the bag over his shoulder and placed his hand on her lower
back. She glanced up at the large building, The Omni Hotel.