Chapter Seventeen
Time passed, and between studying, dealing with her parents, and just trying not to panic, Lucia found herself staring into her locker to see the single red rose lying on a card. Lifting it up, she pressed her nose to the petals and breathed it in.
“Oh, you got a little Valentine’s Day gift?” Marie asked.
“It’s Valentine’s Day?”
“February fourteenth, the very day to celebrate love or to celebrate being completely single and alone.”
Lucia put the rose down and lifted up the card. Sliding it out, she saw two bears snuggled together. When she opened it up, she found a small message from Jack.
“You wondered why I wanted your locker number, and this was the reason. Happy Valentine’s Day, my love. I hope you have a wonderful day. Also, I’ve left you a little package at my house. Get dressed for me. I’m taking you to dinner. Love, Jack.”
“Taking you out to dinner? Isn’t that a bit risky?”
“I don’t know. He always has something up his sleeve.” She lifted the rose and pressed it against Marie’s nose. “Sniff.”
“Ew, gross. No, thank you. It’s probably got some weird, shitty chemicals all over it.”
“You’re showing off your jealous side.”
“I’m totally not jealous, but does this mean you need a super sexy cover?” Marie asked.
“Yes. Can I say I’m staying with you?” she asked.
“Yes, you can. Of course, you can.” Marie winked at her. “Who am I to get in the way of true love?”
“You think it’s true love?”
“When I look at you, I know it is. You have that mystical glow about you.” Marie did some weird hand thing. “I’ve got to get to class. Catch you later?”
“Yes.”
The rest of the day went by quickly. She didn’t have a class with Jack, nor did she see him at any point during the day. She was tempted to stop by his classroom, but he’d warned her that Ms. Bertram was watching and how she had advised him to be careful.
She didn’t much care for Ms. Bertram after that, but she didn’t say anything, instead, keeping to herself and being careful not to seek him out.
After school she dropped off Marie and sent her parents a text to say she was spending some time with her friend. They didn’t respond, so she drove to Jack’s home. The car his parents had sent was still in the driveway, and she smiled. She had caught him several times staring at the large vehicle as if it had some kind of disease or something.
Parking up, she made her way into his home, which she now had a spare key for. Making her way upstairs, she found the package that he referred to. Opening it up, she found a deep blue dress. Unable to resist, she quickly removed her clothes and pulled the fabric over her body.
It fit her figure snugly. She’d started out the school year as a size eighteen, and with the running she’d been doing, she’d gotten down to a sixteen.
She ran her hands over the dress, and she started to pin her hair up just as Jack entered the bedroom.
“How do I look?” she asked.
“Stunning. It’s exactly how I imagined you’d be.”
“So, you imagined me like this?”
“Yes.” He stepped up behind her, his hands going to her hips. “You’re perfect.”
“Are we staying in for dinner?”
“No. We’re going out.”
“Jack?”
“Don’t. I know what I’m doing, and I’ve found a restaurant that’s quiet. Yes, it’s expensive, but I’m taking you out to dinner.”
“I forgot Valentine’s Day,” she said, feeling guilty. “I forgot.”
“I don’t care. I want to take you out. Now, will you let me?”
“Yes.” She didn’t even hesitate. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“I’m going to get ready.”
As he entered the bathroom, she pulled on a pair of heels. They were only a couple of inches high, so she didn’t feel like she was going to tumble over in them.
Jack came out of the bathroom minutes later, dressed, looking sexy as hell in a tuxedo.
“Now, my lady, are you ready?”
Putting her arm through his, she followed him downstairs, and they left his home. He stopped at his car, opening the door, and giving her the chance to climb in.
“Your parents’ car?”
“No, this is my car that my parents bought for me. I have no other use for it so I may as well use it for something good.” He put the seatbelt around her before climbing behind the wheel.
Her heart pounded as they pulled away. This was the first time they’d left his home together, as a couple, heading out for dinner.
“Marie’s covering for me in case my parents call.”
“Do they call?” Jack asked.
“Never, but just in case. They seem to be all over the place now. You know, bouncing from one job to the next around the house.”
“How is everything looking?”
“Well, they’ve sent over a lot of artwork and photographs, along with books, and a few other things. Furniture they’re keeping here. The buyer doesn’t mind either having a yard sale, donating it, or even using it.”
She didn’t want to be talking about the future that didn’t hold him.
“Let’s not talk about that though. How about you? How was your day?”
“It’s going good. Principal Brandt has her hands full right now with going through past student records.”
“Was Dowed really that much of a problem?”
“Seems so. Even Derick has been suspended until further notice, and Bertram too. They both took bribes to hike their students’ grades.”
“Wow, that’s … what, three teachers now,” Lucia said. It was quite the scandal, considering it had been over a month since it all happened. She liked Principal Brandt. She had been called into the office for questioning over the lunchroom event.
Much to her surprise, she’d been given an official apology over the incident. Whatever had happened, it had taken the school by storm.
“Yep. It would seem Mills pissed off one too many teachers. I don’t blame them. I had every intention of notifying them of the situation.”
“Why didn’t you?” she asked, curious.
“Kind of got myself into a certain pickle. Started falling for a student and fighting it.”
“Ah, that’s just an excuse.”
He took her hand, locking their fingers together. “It’s a damn good excuse.”
Her stomach fluttered, and she smiled, pleased with his words.
“So, this restaurant.”
“It’s a French place. It’s nice, and you’ll enjoy it. Well, I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will. Have you brought other dates here?”
“No. This is the one I tend to reserve for myself when I want to celebrate.”
They drove out of town for nearly two hours before he pulled up in front of a very expensive place. A valet waited to take his car.
The man opened her door, offering her a hand. She didn’t feel comfortable taking his hand, but Jack was there, offering his.
“I’ll do the honors, thank you,” Jack said, handing the keys over to the valet.
“Jack, this is a really posh place.”
“I know. See why I knew we could come here.”
“I feel a little out of place.”
“Don’t be. Hold your head high and ignore everyone around you. You’ll fit right in.”
She couldn’t help but laugh.
Jack moved up to the maître d’ and gave his name. They were escorted through the restaurant toward a private table. Jack pulled out her seat, tucking it underneath her.
“We’ll have a bottle of your best red,” Jack said.
“Wine?” Lucia asked.
“At least one glass, to toast your upcoming success. I know you’re going to do remarkably well.”
“I adore your confidence in me, but I’ve still got exams to take.”
“Please, I’ve looked over your reports. You’re a star pupil, Lucia. You’ve got this.”
The waiter brought back their wine, and she smiled at him before turning her attention to Jack.
He handed her a menu, and as she flicked it open she saw there were no prices on hers.
“I don’t know how much anything costs.”
“Lucia, this is my treat. You are my valentine. Let me do this.”
She nodded, glancing down at the menu. She settled on a dish that had pasta and mussels, letting Jack know what she wanted. He went for the steak with herbed butter and potatoes.
Glancing around the restaurant, she was pleased that she didn’t recognize anyone here.
“You’re nervous,” he said, pouring them both a glass of wine. She also noticed he’d gotten some water as well and was doing the same in a second glass.
“This is my first-ever real date. Water?”
“Yes, it suddenly occurred to me that I don’t want to ply you with wine. It’s there for you to taste, but I know you love water.”
He smiled at her while taking a sip of the wine.
Lifting the glass to her lips, she took a sip of the dark red liquid. It was nice, fruity, but it also had a burn to it that she didn’t like. “It’s very nice.”
He chuckled. “You hate it.”
“I’m sorry.”
He reached over the table, taking her hand. “Don’t keep saying sorry, Lucia.”
“This is … it’s an expensive place. I guess I still have you as the teacher in my head.”
“I am still the teacher. I’m just someone who can afford a little more luxury when the need calls for it.” He sipped at his wine, holding her hand. “I’m still me, Lucia. Nothing has changed.”
“This is beautiful, thank you.”
“Anything for you,” he said.
The waiter brought them their first course. She’d opted for a salad that had grilled fruit and chicken while Jack had a soup. They talked about small things, neither of them wanting to ruin their date. She spoke about one of the classes she was finding difficult, and he mentioned a couple of students that concerned him. They never named people, but she liked that he could be open and honest with her. There was trust between them.
As their main course came out, she was about to tell him how she felt when someone stood next to their table, clearing their throat.
Glancing up, she saw an older couple. The woman was dressed in a floor-length black gown, and the man looked like an older version of Jack.
“Son, you’ve not been answering my calls,” he said.
She turned her attention to Jack and saw his jaw clench.
“Hello, Dad,” Jack said. “Lucia, I’d like you to meet my parents, Nancy and George Parker.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said.
“And you are?” Nancy Parker asked.
“Erm, I’m Lucia Deen.”
“How old are you, honey?” George asked.
She glanced over at Jack, and she didn’t know what was going on. Wasn’t it rude to ask someone their age?
“She’s eighteen, Dad.”
“Jack!” Nancy said.
Looking behind them, she saw they were gathering a couple of curious looks.
“Dad, I’m having a dinner with my date.”
“We need to talk about this. We’re staying here. I expect you to come to our room before you leave.”
Jack didn’t say anything. He watched them leave, and all the time, Lucia felt so nervous. This was the first meeting with his parents, and it didn’t go well.
As she twirled the fork in her pasta, the thought of food actually made her feel sick.
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Jack, that was your parents.”
“Yes, they were. They always come here for their anniversary as it was where they first met.”
She bit her lip, her nerves getting the better of her.
“Please, Lucia, enjoy your food.”
“You’ve got to go and talk to them.”
“I can talk to them anytime. Please, let me just … I want to enjoy this meal. Can we do that?”
She nodded her head. “Of course.”
It was just another crash down to earth once again.
****
Jack didn’t go and see his parents straight away. After their strained meal, all thanks to his parents, he took her back to his place, where he made love to her all night. He knew why she was panicking as he felt it too.
The ticking of that invisible clock. Everyone around them that seemed to want to tear them apart was happily making it tick away.
He wasn’t ready.
Not yet.
There would come a point soon, so very soon, when he’d have to let her go, but right now, he couldn’t think about it. There was no way he’d be able to live without her. He didn’t want to have to live without her.
This wasn’t about him though.
He shouldn’t have fallen for her.
The line had been crossed, and it was up to him to be the one that fucking dealt with it.
The following day as Lucia was with Marie, he took the two-hour trek to the restaurant that also served as a hotel. He handed the valet his car keys once again and made his way toward the hotel reception, letting them know his name.
They gave him access to the elevator, and he stood inside it, staring at his reflection. He looked … troubled.
Releasing a breath, he waited for the elevator to stop before making his way toward his parents’ room, which they always booked in advance to be sure they got to stay in the same one.
Valentine’s Day was always a big deal for them as that was the day they first met. Going on a blind date all those years ago in college, he believed they said. The rest was history. No one else would do for either of them, apart from their precious careers.
He did have loving parents who were power-hungry as well.
His father opened the door first. “You kept us waiting long enough.”
“I have a life as well. It’s not about catering to your demands.” Stepping over the threshold, he saw his mother on her cell phone, doing whatever kind of business. Following his father to the sitting room, he sat down just as there was another knock at the door.
Rubbing at his head, he drowned out the noises they were making until his father held a coffee beneath his nose.
“Drink it,” he said.
George wasn’t asking but demanding.
Taking the coffee, Jack gave it a sip just as his mother came into the room. “Did I miss anything?”
“No, honey. We’re not starting without you.”
“Is this going to be the moment where you all gang up on me?” Jack asked. “Tell me that I’ve been bad.”
“We’re not blind, Jack. You never come this far away from that little school that you teach at. We may have been a lot of things growing up, but we know when you’re trying to hide something.”
“I wasn’t trying to hide Lucia.”
“No, but you were trying to hide from the people who’d have spotted you, weren’t you?” Nancy took a coffee for herself, taking a seat on the chair opposite.
They always had to have luxury on Valentine’s Day. It was the one day a year that they indulged. Rarely took any business calls.
“You never work on Valentine’s Day or the day after. Who were you talking to?”
“I was actually talking to the dean of a private school.”
“Why? I’m a little old to be forced into boarding school.”
“To teach, Jack. I swear, thirty years old you may be, but you certainly like to test me at every single turn,” Nancy said.
“This relationship with your student cannot go on. We will not have the Parker name dragged through the mud if this is ever found out,” George said.
“So, we found a solution for you. End your relationship and move jobs. That way you don’t have to be near temptation. You can start fresh, problem solved. We know you love teaching so much.”
“You hate that I teach,” he said.
His parents always had this way about them that made him feel so fucking small. He was a thirty-year-old man, not a child. There’s no way he was going to let them bulldoze into his life as if it didn’t matter.
“No, we hated you teaching if you were doing it to get back at us. We’re aware that is not the case and have in fact been made aware of exactly how good you are.”
“Wait? What?”
“Look, we’re not blind that we weren’t the best parents,” George said. “We wanted the best for you, and you wanted to do the complete opposite. Neither of us wanted you to throw your life away doing something you hated. When we saw and heard that not only were you damn good, but we saw your passion, we knew that it was what you wanted.”
“But it’s not what you guys wanted.”
“Wrong, we wanted you to be happy,” Nancy said.
“I need a drink,” Jack said.
“You have one.” George pointed at the coffee in his hand.
“I need a stiff one. This is too early in the morning to be having this conversation.” He ran a hand down his face, not exactly sure what the hell was going on. His parents had always disapproved of his life as a teacher, of his passion. Now they were saying they accepted it?
“Grow up, Jack, we’re being serious here. This is your future. This passing fancy of screwing one of your students must stop,” Nancy said.
“This is not a passing fancy.” Jack stared straight ahead, not looking at either of his parents. “I love her. I love Lucia more than anything else in the world. This is not some game where I’m trying to ruin your reputation. This has nothing to do with the two of you. This is actually about me.”
It felt good to finally speak his feelings. He’d been keeping them under lock and key, even when Marie had told him how Lucia felt. His woman hadn’t mentioned how she felt.
Neither of them had spoken about their feelings, but he’d noticed the way she looked at him. The softness, the love shining in her eyes. This wasn’t for a bit of fun and hadn’t ever been.
What future could you possibly have?
He didn’t want to think of all of the other difficulties right now.
There had to be a way to make this work.
Turning the watch on his wrist, he glanced down and saw her smiling face in the memory they had shared of Christmas. He’d given her a necklace, which she didn’t take off, and she’d given him a watch to always remember her by as well as the time.
“Jack, honey, this is … it’s not going to work out.” Nancy placed a hand on his arm.
“You don’t know that.” He glanced between his parents, seeing that they were communicating something between each other. “What? Don’t give me that look or each other that look that I know you both love to share.”
“Jack, there is no good ending to this, son. You’ve got to cut her out of your life.”
Nancy leaned forward and scribbled something on a piece of paper. “This is the dean’s number.”
Jack took the number and laughed. “Wow, an all-boys school. You really are pushing me away.” He got to his feet and walked toward the door, aware of them looking at his back. “You know she has parents exactly like the two of you. They push her away. They didn’t want kids, but she was their mistake. They kept her though, raised a beautiful, intelligent daughter they rarely see. I bet if I asked them to describe their daughter or what she even liked, they wouldn’t be able to list five things.”
“What are you getting at, Jack?”
“I know she hates vegetarian food. In fact, she hates zucchini, and finds tahini too sticky. She loves peanut butter and spaghetti. She has a ticklish spot near the base of her back, and if you touch it just right, she giggles for hours. When there’s an old lady needing assistance at the supermarket, she’ll help her across the street, and even bag her groceries for her. She’s self-conscious about her weight, and that’s why she rarely wears anything but damn jeans. She doesn’t have the first clue how to put on makeup. It’s why she doesn’t like it. Cream cheese bagels are her favorite. She snores ever so lightly when she’s in deep sleep. Her best friend is like a sister to her.” He stopped, realizing he could go on and on. “You don’t like that I’m in a relationship with my student, I get that. You think I haven’t driven myself crazy with knowing I broke my own rules? This isn’t just about ethics. I love Lucia Deen. I care about her. There were times she’s been alone that I’ve been so worried I couldn’t even think straight. I get it. I’m a failure. A fuck-up. I’m a good teacher, but I love that woman more than anything.”
He couldn’t stay a moment longer.
Turning on his heel, he left his parents’ hotel room.
Once he climbed inside his car, he threw the folded piece of paper with the dean’s number into the glove compartment. The journey between his parents’ hotel room and the car was a bit of a blur. He didn’t recall making it.
Pulling out of the parking lot, he began the journey home.
Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he turned up the radio, but he couldn’t find any decent music. Either love songs, which he really didn’t want to listen to right now, or a bunch of people talking about their feelings.
He didn’t want to talk about his feelings.
He was pissed off.
Angry.
Even before he arrived at their hotel he’d known they were going to be their judgmental selves. They didn’t even ask him what the hell was going on. They simply assumed that he was being naughty, or doing something that he really shouldn’t, and he was so fucking pissed off.
He focused on the road, trying his best not to think about everything that had happened in his life in the past year.
Meeting Lucia, watching her walk into his class for the first time.
“Am I in the right place?” Lucia asked. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, looking a little out of place.
She was biting her lip.
“What’s your name?” he asked, moving toward his student list.
“Lucia Deen.”
He ran his finger down the page, spotting her name. “Yep, you’re in the right place. Welcome to English Lit, one-oh-one.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
She had been the first student to arrive, and as he began to write on the board, the scent of strawberries had filled the classroom.
He loved strawberries so damn much.
Jack had ignored her.
That first class, he’d introduced himself to everyone. He taught more than senior classes, and he liked to have at least one day at the beginning of school where he learned everyone’s name, but also spotted the hard-working students from the assholes.
Connor had been the asshole.
“I’m Connor. You all fucking know who I am, so you can suck my large dick.”
“Colorful.” He looked around the room and landed on Lucia. “Well, introduce yourself.”
“We already know the pig in the class, sir,” Rachel said. “Don’t forget to hide your lunchbox.”
He was about to say something when she spoke up.
“Lucia Deen, sir. Not much else to tell.”
She’d been so quiet. Her gaze wasn’t even on him as she spoke but on her notes.
“You shouldn’t have given her a ride.” He could spend all day listing everything that he’d done wrong when it came to Lucia Deen, but what twisted his gut wasn’t that he’d done them. No, it was at the thought, for even a second, that he did something wrong.
She needed someone to care for her. When everyone else seemed to be pushing her aside, he’d been the one to give a shit. To care.
There was nothing wrong with caring. With being worried about her.
He knew he’d crossed the line. He’d been the one to break the rules, and now he had to deal with them.
She was going away.
Her parents were taking her somewhere, and knowing that was tearing him up inside.
There was no way for him to stop it. It’s not like he could ask her to marry him. Her father knew who he was and had seen him, and it wouldn’t be hard to figure out that they’d been together for some time.
Time was ticking away.
Arriving at his home, he sat in his car, staring up at his home. So much had changed in his life. The school had gotten a new principal. Beth, Derick, and a couple of other teachers had been suspended or fired during their investigation. Connor and Rachel, two students who concerned him with the way they treated Lucia, were gone due to a drug bust, which didn’t surprise him.
He’d stumbled onto their little problem, but he’d been so consumed with his own he’d not even given it a thought other than to demand that they didn’t do that shit on school property.
Running fingers through his hair, he climbed out of his car, smiled at one of his neighbors, and entered his home.
He went to his fridge, pulled out a beer, snapped the lid off, and took a long pull on the liquid inside.
Resting his hand against the counter, he closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and tried to fucking focus on all the shit that seemed to be going wrong in his life right now.
She’s going to leave.
You’ll be here.
She’s going.
She’s younger than you.
She deserves a life of her own.
“I know. I know. I fucking know.” He finished his beer, tossed it into recycling, and grabbed another.
Right now, the only way for him to deal with anything was to get drunk. Really fucking, mind-numbingly drunk.
He grabbed a couple more beers and headed upstairs, intent on taking a shower, but he didn’t go straight to his shower. Instead, he went to the drawer where the engagement ring still lay.
Lucia hadn’t found it. She didn’t rummage through his stuff.
In fact, she tended to give him privacy. His stuff wasn’t hers.
His home wasn’t hers.
Nothing was hers, and yet whenever she was with him, in his home, he fucking relished every single second of her.
This was her home, and that was how he’d come to see it.
What was his belonged to her.
In his heart, he already belonged to her just as she belonged to him.
There was nothing he could do, so he drank his beer and tried to numb the pain that was building.
****
“So, his parents caught you two?” Marie asked.
Lucia nodded, taking the soda that her friend offered. “It wasn’t bad or anything. I didn’t say I was his student, but you could see that they knew. They looked really disappointed in him.”
Marie winced. “Parents have that way about them. Don’t they? Without even trying they can look at you, and they have that, ‘you’ve been naughty, and we’re going to look all disappointed,’ and there’s nothing you can really do about it.”
Lucia burst out laughing as Marie kept trying to pull the same face that their parents were notorious for being able to do without any effort.
“Please, stop. You look more constipated right now.” She sipped from her drink, and Marie’s face relaxed.
“I imagine when we have kids it’s like a natural occurrence.”
“From all the sleepless nights.”
“Let’s not forget the cock-blocking,” Marie said in between sips of her own drink.
“Cock-blocking?”
“Yeah, think about it. You’ve been screwing away quite happily. Then this little being comes along. They have no bladder control. Need love, feeding, changing, nursing, all of that stuff. Cock-blocking any chance for you to have any real fun.”
“Wow, you sound so morbid.”
“What you’d call me is realistic. Speaking of kids and all that stuff, is that something you guys have spoken about?”
“We’ve not talked about the future. In fact, Jack has said moving to the U.K. sounds like an amazing opportunity.” She deepened her voice, adding in a splash of sarcasm as she did.
“Ouch. I take it that hurt.”
“Yeah, no, I don’t know. I feel like we’re moving forward, and that this separation is going to be … it’s going to hurt.”
“You love him,” Marie said.
It wasn’t a question, and she didn’t answer it.
“I don’t know if he loves me,” Lucia said. “It’s not something that comes up all that much.”
“You’re seriously going to doubt that man loves you?”
Lucia shrugged.
“You know, I think you’ve been taken over by aliens or something.” Marie leaned forward and began lifting up hair and looking behind her ears. “Have you been probed?”
“Get off. Stop being a crazy person right now.”
“The only person who sounds even remotely crazy is you. How can you even doubt that Jack Parker, our very sexy Lit teacher, loves you?”
Lucia didn’t know what to say.
“Oh, come on, Lucia. Don’t you get it? He’s not doing this for kicks or anything, or even to cross it off his bucket list. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He loves you. You’re just too blind to see it.”
“I … I don’t know.”
“Ugh, I swear I’m going to have to spank you for you to see the truth. I mean, seriously. He smiles as you enter a room. His eyes are always on you. It’s kind of scary. Imagine a scary horror movie meets, like, the teacher from the nicest of television shows.”
Lucia started to giggle and collapsed onto the floor, resting her head against Marie’s. They were spread out in her room, and she stared up at the ceiling, wondering what the hell was going to happen.
“What are you thinking right now?” Marie asked.
“That it would be the best thing in the world if he loves me.”
“You know, I don’t even have to question it. He loves you. Has those big cuddly feelings for you.”
“What about your guy?”
“My ranch hand guy?”
“Yes.”
“He’s having fun making this big-ass name for himself. I think our thing was fleeting, but that was okay. I enjoyed it while it lasted.”
“You still talk to him though.”
“I probably won’t stop. I like hearing the stories he tells me.” Marie sighed. “You know, who would have thought it? I would lose my virginity to a dirty-talking ranch hand, and you’d lose it to a teacher.”
“Senior year is supposed to be crazy.”
“Yeah, but not for those reasons.”
“I’m not going to complain,” Lucia said. “It has been one amazing year.”
“Did you know that the woman who got attacked pressed charges?”
Lucia turned her head. “She did?”
“Yep.”
“How do you find out these things?”
“Mom made me take a big batch of cookies to the guys at the sheriff’s office. It wasn’t that hard to listen in to conversations. It turns out in three different towns this guy had attacked women. Random things.”
“Jack took me home,” Lucia said.
“What?”
“I was walking home. I didn’t have a car, and he didn’t like me walking the streets, so he took me home.”
“And you’re worried that he doesn’t love you.”
“That’s how we both started, really. I had this crush on him, and I was so scared that I’d say something or do something that would be so embarrassing.”
“Did the man ever fart?” Marie asked.
“You’re gross.”
“You didn’t have to spend Christmas with your brother permanently releasing gas. I’m sure he ate chili regularly just so it was like poison to be in the same room as him. Disgusting.” Marie took her hand. “Everything is going to be okay, Lucia. It’ll work out in the end.”
“Is this your unending belief in romance?” Lucia asked.
“No, it’s knowing that when you love someone and they love you back, it doesn’t matter what the world throws at you. So long as you’re together and you have best awesome friends named Marie on your side, it’ll all work out.”
Lucia chuckled. “You are the most awesome best friend in the entire world.”
“And don’t you forget it either.”
Her cell phone buzzed. Her heart leaped and she quickly grabbed it, wondering if it was from Jack.
It wasn’t
Dad: Hey, honey, we need help. Will you come home?
“Is that Jack?” Marie asked.
“Nope. My parents. They need help.”
“They’re probably wondering what’s important, your study books, or theirs?”
Lucia chuckled. “I’m going to have to head on over there.”
“Okay. Leave me. I get it.”
She giggled but got to her feet.
“Let me know if Jack calls or lets you know what is going on, or anything that is really fun and important.”
“You just want all the gossip,” Lucia said.
“Hell, yeah.”
Leaving Marie, she made her way to her car. She was tempted to blow her parents off, go to Jack’s place, and just wait. Instead, she went home. She couldn’t keep blowing her family off, and right now she didn’t want to see Jack.
Everything seemed to be going up all around them, and it was scaring her.
Arriving at home, she saw a large moving van was there.
They were one step closer to moving.
One step to her not seeing Jack again.
Climbing out of the car, she found her dad, lifting boxes. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Ah, honey. We need you to work on some of your stuff in your room. We’re taking this in via boat. It’ll take a few weeks to get there, but it will all be set up by the time we arrive.”
She licked her lips, seeing her home slowly diminishing to just a carcass. The television, stereo had all gone. The furniture was staying, but all the throws and added personal touches had gone.
Leaving her father to lift the large, heavy box, she made her way toward her bedroom. It was the only room that had barely been touched. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stared around the room that had been hers for as long as she could remember. This was her place.
“Hey, honey, what’s wrong?” her mother asked, entering her room.
“I got your text.”
“Yes. We know that you hate change, but we really need you to get a move on. We have to put this on one of the moving vans soon.” Her mother entered the room and touched her dressing table. “This stuff can easily be packed away.”
The necklace Jack had given her was around her neck. She rarely took it off, and she was careful that her parents didn’t see it, just in case it was one of the few things that they noticed on her.
Her mother was about to say something else, but Bill shouted her name.
“Sorry, honey, I’d help, but I really need to get a move on with this.”
She watched her mother leave, and stood up, moving from one space to another, picking stuff up, and boxing it away. Each item she placed away, that ticking clock in the back of her mind started ringing harder than ever before.
Checking her cell phone to see if Jack had called, or she’d missed something, she found her cell empty. No alerts. No messages. Nothing.
Putting it away, she finished packing up her room and carried it out to the loading van. Her parents were talking to the men.
Laughing.
Joking.
Happy about their life and the change that was about to be made.
She wasn’t happy.
They were turning her life upside down, and they didn’t even see it.
“I can’t wait. It’s going to be so good. I can feel it. A fresh start,” her mother said. “Look at this, Lucia. This is our home.”
Her mother’s cell phone was thrust beneath her face, and she had to force a smile as she was shown each new picture and image. The bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, garden, utilities. Each room looking more and more like her parents’ place.
This home had started out being theirs, but she’d taken it over. She’d been the one to add the throws, the pillows, to turn it into a home. They hadn’t even noticed it.
“Oh, dinner has arrived. Go and set the table, Lucia. We’ll be in in a moment.”
She went through the motions, going to the kitchen, grabbing utensils to eat with, heading to the table, then back to get drinks.
Her parents came in carrying a large box of Chinese food. They were talking animatedly to each other, completely oblivious to her struggle.
She listened as they talked about what was going to happen. The changes to their lives. How the English live. Nothing that Lucia cared about.
“What if I want to go to college here?” Lucia asked.
Compared to her parents’, her voice sounded dead.
“What?” her father asked.
“What if I want to go college here and not move away?”
“Lucia, you’re our daughter. England has some amazing colleges.”
“Yeah, and what if I want to stay with Marie, or go to college here, or stay in this house?”
Her parents stared at each other as if she’d lost her mind.
“Lucia, this is a great opportunity,” her mother said.
“For the two of you. Like always. This benefits you. You’re both happy about it because it is a decision the two of you have made. This is not my decision. You didn’t ask me. You told me we were moving.”
Silence met her words.
Lucia stared at the two of them. “Did you even consider what this would mean for me?”
“It’s a chance for us all to have a fresh start. To travel the world, to see new things.”
“I see. I was the last thing on your mind, right? You were both approached with these amazing job offers, and so you took it.” Lucia took a deep breath.
“We’re going to make this work.”
“I know.”
“I’m not … I’m not very hungry.” She got to her feet and made her way toward her bedroom.
Her parents were silent until she got to the stairs when their conversation picked up.
“She’ll see this is a good place for her, Bill.”
“Really? Again, we’re doing what we want and we’re taking her along for the ride.”
“We love our daughter. We’re not bad people.”
“No, we just don’t listen.”
“Do you remember Lucia saying she was going to the gym?” her mother asked. This made Lucia freeze.
“What? That is changing the fucking subject, Pat.”
“I’m being serious right now. Did she ever say that she was going to the gym?”
“I don’t fucking know. What the hell has the gym got to do with our daughter?”
“I called them today to change the cancellation date. They informed me it hadn’t been used in all the time I got it.”
“What?”
“Lucia wasn’t going to the gym, Bill.”
“I can’t even remember if she said she was going. Don’t turn this around. Don’t cause a problem right now.”
Lucia didn’t linger to see what else was said. She was very much aware of what she’d been doing, and she’d do it all again. Sitting on the end of her bed, she glanced down at her cell phone, hoping to see something from Jack. There was nothing there.
When her cell phone started to ring, her hope picked up.
It was Marie calling.
“Hey,” she said, answering.
“Wow, don’t sound so excited to hear from me.”
“I am, I promise.”
“Yeah, it totally sounds like it,” Marie said, laughing. Slowly, the sound stopped. “You’re upset.”
“Just trying to deal with everything right now. I had to pack up my stuff, and I finally asked them why they didn’t come to me asking me what I thought.”
“We’re talking about your parents right now?”
“Yes. They didn’t have an answer.”
“I don’t know why you’d think they’d say something different, Lucia. Your parents are a little selfish. You always knew that.”
“It doesn’t make this easier though.”
“It’s never going to be easy.” Marie sighed. “I … I don’t want you to leave. It’s why I try not to talk about it.”
Lucia’s eyes filled with tears.
“We’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember. We had plans, you know. A future together, college, a family.”
She remembered all of their plans. How they were going to get pregnant, share babysitting duties.
“Now you’re leaving and I’m not going to be able to do that, so I get it.” She heard Marie sniffle.
Leaning back on her bed, she wiped the tears from her own eyes, trying not to sob. “It’ll be okay.”
“Is this where you try and tell me everything is going to be okay? My eternal partner of doom?” Marie asked.
“Yeah, it will all work out in the end. You have to have hope.” Lucia burst out laughing. “It sounds so crazy, right?”
“Let’s talk about something else. Have you heard from him? Mr. Parker?”
“No. I haven’t. I’m a little worried about him.”
“Do you think something might have happened?” Marie asked.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t really talk much about his parents.” She sniffled. “If I get a chance I’ll go over there. I don’t think that will happen before school though. I don’t know.”
“It’ll work out,” Marie said.
This made Lucia laugh. “Listen to the two of us. We’re making drama.”
“I know, but it makes a change to be the two of us.”