I walked quietly into the bedroom and shut the door behind me. I got ready to walk over to the bed when I noticed a shadow in the corner of the dim room. I jumped.
"Caleb," I muttered, scared half to death.
I blindly reached over and flipped on the switch to see Caleb leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his bare chest. He gave me a friendly smile and walked over to stand at the foot of the bed.
"I just thought maybe you could use some company." He pointed down at the bed and grinned. "Come here. I'm not really tired and the couch is a little stiff." He rolled his shoulder as if it hurt.
The thought of Caleb in bed with me angered me. I didn't want to be anywhere near him.
"No," I said firmly. "If you want to take your bed back then you can. I don't think I can sleep anymore tonight anyways." I reached for my leather jacket and slipped it on.
Caleb hurried over and reached for my purse at the same time as I did. "Where are you going?" He kept his eyes on mine, not loosening his grip on my purse.
I snatched my purse from out of his hand and threw it over my shoulder. I didn't have to explain myself to him and I wouldn't. "I'll just be back," I muttered.
His eyes studied my every movement, sending chills up my spine as I opened the door and dashed through the house to get outside and into the early morning air.
It was still dark outside, but somehow I managed to feel safer outside than I did inside the house with Caleb. I had to get out of there and fast.
I heard the door open behind me, but I ignored it and kept walking.
First thing in the morning, I was going to grab my things and call Dex. He gave me his personal number in case I ever needed a ride again. He said that he stayed on call most of the time because he really needed the cash to save up for college. I would be more than happy to give him a call.
The more that I walked, the colder that it got, but I didn't care. I actually welcomed the feeling. It reminded me that I was alive.
It was quite strange. The things that I had been feeling for the last few weeks were so intense and unlike anything else, I had ever experienced in my life. No matter how hard I tried to deny it, I had Jace to thank for that. I think.
After about an hour of walking, I noticed that I had been circling the same block repeatedly. Looking up to see where I was at, I noticed that I was just down the street from Jace's house.
I took a deep breath and threw my hands in my hair as I stood staring over at Jace's house. The place that I once called a home. Every part of me wanted to go there, just open the door, and crawl in bed. Maybe even with Jace. Just being in his arms was a feeling that I missed. To be honest there was no better feeling in the world.
I gradually found myself getting closer and closer to his house until finally I was standing at the bottom of his steps, the cool wind whipping through my hair and smacking me in the face, as I stood there frozen in place.
The house was dark and I got a feeling of peace knowing that Jace was inside sleeping.
I willed my legs to work until I found a spot on the stairs and took a seat. The cement felt cool through my clothing and made me shiver up in a ball with my arms wrapped tightly around my body.
I leaned my head back into the wooden railing and closed my eyes to rest. Just for a minute. The longer that I sat, the heavier that my eyes got. I tried repeatedly to open my eyes until finally I gave up.
~•~
The porch light flickered on, waking me from my short sleep. My heart dropped to my stomach as I scrambled to get back to my feet. I couldn't let Jace find me sitting outside his house like some kind of idiot.
I ran off his porch and somehow managed to trip over my own feet, sending me landing on my face. I quickly pushed my arms out in front of me and pushed myself back to my feet. Without looking back at the house, I took off in a sprint and made my way down and across the street.
The walk back to Caleb's house seemed to go by quickly as I found myself standing at the end of his horribly long driveway. I could tell by the brightness of the sun that it had to be at least seven o'clock a.m. by now.
I couldn't believe that I had let myself fall asleep on Jace's porch and not to mention that I almost got caught.
Once I got closer to Caleb's house, I noticed a brown Station Wagon sitting toward the side of the garage.
It seemed as if Caleb always had some kind of company. It was annoying and strange.
Shaking my head, I reached for the door and let myself inside. The house was surprisingly quiet as I walked inside and set my purse on the table.
"There you are," Caleb squeaked. "I was worried about you. You've been gone for hours." He stepped out from behind the curtain and threw his phone down on the couch. "I've been calling you all morning."
I shrugged my shoulders, not caring what he thought. It wasn't his job to worry about me.
"I was fine. My phone was in my purse. You know that I never pay attention to it." I reached into my purse and grabbed my phone out. "No one ever calls me..." My voice trailed off when I noticed six missed calls. Five from Caleb and one from Jace that was sent at 6:15 a.m. I swallowed hard. "I'm fine."
I shoved my phone in my coat pocket and turned toward the hallway.
"Wait," Caleb shouted.
I slowly turned around and shook my head. "Caleb. I have places to go. I'm leaving after I-"
"There's someone here to see you." He grinned, pleased with himself. "I wanted it to be a surprise for a later time, but I was worried about you so I gave him-"
"There's my little girl."
The room went silent, as my father stepped into the kitchen, with his arms out in front of him.
My heart stopped at just the sight of him. He stood there with his old flannel jacket and graying hair, looking at me as if I was truly his little girl.
His face and hands were bruised and bloody and he looked as if he was on a mission.
Fighting to catch my breath, I dropped to my knees and tightly gripped the carpet for support. I placed a shaky hand over my chest and gripped my hair with the other. My body started quivering as the bile rose in my throat and threatened to spew out.
"No," I spat. "No! No! No!" I said while furiously shaking my head. I wanted it to all be a dream. For the man standing before me to just disappear.
Caleb looked between my father and me before he leaned down and gripped my shoulder. "What's wrong?" he questioned. "Your dad is so happy to see you. Are you in shock? I know that it's been a while." He smiled and ran his hand over my arm.