Shattered Rose (7 page)

“
Issy, it’s not happening. What’s your plan B?”

“Fine!” She headed to my closet and pulled out a pair of stretchy, shin length, white jeans with a gray
zig zag pattern on them and a mushroom t-shirt that had a silky feel.  “Find some sexy heels to match and I’ll deal with this,” she resigned, totally exasperated.

While I wouldn’t have paired up this outfit, I had to admit it looked pretty good when I put it on. I wore my hair down, with a small braid in front to keep it over to the side. Maybe a new guy was exactly what I needed too. Jake obviously wasn’t interested, and there was no reason to continue to pine over something that was never going to happen.

Issy and I walked into Sammy’s and immediately spotted our dates. They were both cute, but in that I-look-like-a-member-of-a-boy-band kind of way.  Issy had staked claim to Pete on the way over, so that meant I had the one named Bobby. He seemed alright, nicely dressed and stood up when we got to the table.  Neither of them held a candle to Jake, though, and I knew it within the first five minutes. 

We ordered our food
, and Bobby started talking about school. He was in his second year of law school and felt the need to explain the meaning of torques and how civil and criminal law differed. I was amazed at his ability to continue talking without so much as a breath. It was almost fascinating to me, and I wondered how many different, interested faces I could make for him before he took a break. I had made it up to number seven, when his hand on my leg brought me screeching back to reality.

“You’re an amazing listener,” Bobby said in a sultry voice as he started to lean in.

I suddenly felt my stomach turn and stood up to excuse myself to the bathroom. I got to the mirror and reapplied my lip gloss. How was it possible a person could be that boring? I had no idea how I was going to make it through the rest of the evening, but friend status required I stay, as Issy was in full flirt mode with Pete and had scowled at me every time she saw me looking at my watch.

I walked back to the table and sat down as Bobby moved his chair closer to mine and put his arm around the back of it. I subtly scooted away and asked him another question about his classes in the sweetest voice possible. It was a toss
up which was worse, his hands on me or his constant blabbering.

The check finally arrived, and I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I leaned over to grab my purse off the chair when I saw Jake walk in the door, and he wasn’t alone. Standing next to him was a beautiful brunette with long straight hair and a perfect body. She was stunning, no question. I immediately turned my head to try and focus on anything else in the room as I heard
Issy say, “Oh crud, here comes Jake. Boys, be on your best behavior.”

In a flash, she was out of her chair and giving Jake a big hug. “When did you get back in town?” she asked innocently.

He looked at the table and without acknowledging any of us, turned back to her. “What are you doing with these guys. They are way too old for you.” He had grabbed Issy’s arm tightly and was pulling her away from the table. His date stood there awkwardly, unsure of where to go. I was staring at her, as subtly as I could, comparing each of her assets with mine and was sadly coming up short.

Issy
jerked her arm away. “Jake, back off. I’m not a kid.” She grabbed her bag and headed out the door. Pete cleared his throat and took off after her.

Meanwhile, I was living out my worst nightmare. We were all frozen in painful silence until my date
asked, “You ready?” and we politely excused ourselves. I peeked over my shoulder on our way out the door and made eye contact with Jake for just a second. He looked furious, and I quickly turned back around.

I couldn’t wrap my head around the difference between him now and the other night.
Issy was right. I got a small glimpse of Jake, but that was it. The caring, affectionate guy I fell for was gone and this other person was there instead. It felt tragic.

In the parking lot,
Issy was back to her old self, hugging and kissing Pete with full abandonment.  I could have sworn she was upset, but you’d never know it from her charming smile and excitement. When she saw me, she grabbed me by the arm. “I’m going to let Pete take me home, do you mind?”

“
Issy, we live five blocks away from here. Why not just come with me?”

“Because, with you I can’t make out in the car. Please…I’ll be home in twenty minutes, I promise.”

She gave me a quick hug and was gone before I could argue, leaving me to drive my date home. The night was quickly turning into a disaster, and I suddenly had a whole new appreciation for how Jake felt when he went out with her.

I dropped Bobby, the bore, off at his old fraternity house and somehow managed to avoid the good night kiss he tried to get. He asked me for my phone number, and I just said I would get his from
Issy.  This guy was really delusional if he thought that was a good date. Turns out Jake had been right. Pete and Bobby were four years older than us and seemed to only have one thing in mind. Note to self…this would be the LAST time Issy set me up on a date.

It had been forty-five minutes since
Issy left me in the parking lot at Sammy’s. I had already gotten ready for bed, cleaned up the apartment, and now was fully pacing.  I checked my phone and texted her for the third time. Come on, Issy, where are you? I didn’t know how the time clock worked in Issy’s world. Did twenty minutes mean an hour? Should I be worried? Was this a normal thing for her? She had never ditched me like that before, and I had no idea what to do.

I heard the door unlock and loud voices in the hallway.

“Jake, I have had it!” Issy was screaming as Jake dragged her into the apartment. “I am almost twenty years old, and I don’t need a chaperone.”

“You could have fooled me! That guy is twenty-four,
Issy, and has a horrible reputation! What were you thinking going to that frat house?” He was matching her anger, pitch for pitch, and the tension between them was so fierce I didn’t know whether to run or stay completely still. I opted for the latter. 

“I was having FUN! You remember FUN. You used to have it when you were my age, why can’t I? Its not my fault you are out of the scene…I like it!”

“You like it? You like dancing on a table in front of ten slobbering guys that are only thinking of one thing? You really have that little respect for yourself? No wonder your dad has threatened to transfer you. Hell, I may call him myself!” That was the last straw for Issy. She slapped him across the face and ran to her room. I watched as Jake turned his rage toward me, as I was still standing in stunned silence.

“And you? What kind of friend are you to abandon her like that? You are supposed to take care of her. Watch her back.”

I flinched at his tone. “I tried…she wouldn’t come home with me.”

“How hard did you try? You could have called me, gone with her, or done anything other then leave her alone with a snake!” His body language was vicious, and I could see total hostility in his eyes.

The tears were dangerously close to spilling over, but I refused to let him see me cry. “I don’t even have your number…” I whispered, my eyes transfixed on one of the circles in the carpet.

His tone softened
, and he walked over to stand across the coffee table from me. “Give me your phone.”

I handed it to him and watched as he added himself to my contact list. Then he sent himself a text to make sure it went through. I looked back up at him. He looked wrecked and so tired I could almost see the circles under his eyes. I hated that I added to his stress. “I’m sorry…I’m new at all of this.” My voice was resigned. I felt like I had failed
Issy and failed him. 

He sighed and walked around the table until there was no space between us. He lifted my chin, leaned down and put his forehead on mine. I held my breath, afraid that if there was any movement, the moment might vanish. My Jake was back, the one who made me feel as if I was the only person in the world he wanted. He pulled me close and just held me with his chin on my head.

“I feel like I have to be everywhere.  That if I let her out of my sight for one second, she’ll disappear. You make me feel like for one moment I don’t have to be the only strong one. That for once in my life, someone else could share the burden.” He was talking as if to no one, holding me tight in his arms.

He leaned down and kissed me softly, taking in every inch of my mouth. His hands were lightly rubbing my cheeks, then my hair and finally moving down to my back. I was lost in his arms, still remaining as still as I could and letting him drive the moment. He slowly pulled away and I looked straight at him, keeping eye contact as long as I could, hoping to convey to him all the feelings that my mouth had no ability to say. How I would be there for him—how much I cared about him. I wanted his trust; I wanted to be close to him in a way I’d never felt before. He turned away and walked out the door without a word, leaving me more confused than ever.

“Lord, I pray you reveal your glory to her in mighty ways. I pray she sees your hand in all that nature offers, and she knows that same God has every hair on her head numbered…”

4. zip line

The next morning Issy was on a tirade, swearing she was going to call the University first thing Monday morning and get our locks changed. I was pretty sure I had heard her say the phrases, “How dare he?” and “Who does he think he is?” at least fifty times. Pete, in the meantime, was excessively texting and calling her. She ignored him, rolling her eyes each time the phone made a noise. I guess that infatuation was a one-night event. I wished I could be as lucky. I couldn’t seem to get Jake out of mind. There was so much I didn’t understand. Who was he with last night, and why was he kissing me when he had just been on a date with someone else? I wondered who he really was. Issy kept alluding to the fun loving, partier he used to be, but all I had seen up to this point was a serious guy who seemed wounded in more ways than one.

It took all of my willpower not to ask
Issy those questions. However, the last thing I wanted was for her to know the depth of my feelings for him, and she was incredibly perceptive. She fell on her lip love seat and looked at her phone

“Ugh! Stop calling me!”

“Why did you go out with him in the first place?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I was mad at Jake
, and I knew it would bug him.”

“Why were you mad at him? I thought you two were bonded by some supernatural force.” I was hoping the teasing in my voice would mask the pure curiosity I had to find out as much about Jake as I could.

“It’s a long story. Let’s just say that he and I don’t always agree on the ‘family’ issues, and the older he gets, the more he tries to intervene. It has reached new levels since my Aunt Kathy died.”

My heart skipped a beat. His mom had died. I looked up at
Issy. “When?”

“This summer. She had an inoperable brai
n tumor that slowly took her. Her death was really hard on him and my mom. That’s part of why we fight so much. He idolizes my mom. He thinks she hangs the moon because she took care of them. It’s like he has this need to pay her back, and that means dote over her and protect me at all costs. And the cost right now is our friendship. Things just haven’t been the same since.”

My heart was heavy as I tried to imagine the pain he must be in. No wonder he was tired. No wonder he was guarded. My compassion for him overwhelmed me. I looked at
Issy with a serious stare.

“Maybe you should cut him a break.”

“Oh, not you too! Ugh, is there no safe place from him? I told you to stay away from him. You didn’t listen,” she accused shaking her head. “Do you want to know why Betsy left? She was in love with Jake, and she couldn’t take being around him every day when he acted as if she didn’t exist. He charmed her just like he’s doing to you and broke her heart. Avery, I’m not exaggerating about this. You have to let it go.”

“
Issy, I don’t have to be in love with him to feel bad for him. I just think if you would put yourself in his shoes every once in a while, your relationship might not be so heated right now.”

Issy
wasn’t hearing it. She got up and left the room. The tension in the apartment was more than I could stand with my already heightened emotions, so I grabbed my books and headed to the library.

I was thankful to see my study group in their usual corner and sat down next to them. They were working through problems in chapters one and two to get ready for the quiz. When it became glaringly obvious how behind I was, I excused myself, not wantin
g to hold them back. A corner table was available in the back of the room, and I set my books out, ready to tackle the impossible.

I
worked through five of the twenty practice problems, only having to re-work one of them to get the right answer. I was so engrossed in my studying that I had failed to notice my study group was gone, and I had company at my small table. He was leaning back in the chair with a book and highlighter. He had a baseball cap on and was turned to the side so I could barely see his profile. I leaned in, feeling that I knew him from somewhere, and that’s when the scent hit me. I settled back in my chair, not knowing if I should say anything or not. I had encountered two different sides of Jake, one I adored—the other I slightly feared.