Chapter 16

I woke up later confused and disoriented, there was a crick in my neck that I massaged out while sitting up and trying to remember why I was sitting in the back of the car before the realization flooded over me.  S**t. I fell back into the seat wishing for nothing more than the ability to completely disappear off the face of the earth.

I  glanced at the sketchbook before noticing a small piece of paper was sticking out of it, it wasn’t mine all my pages stayed in the book unless Ronnie ripped one out and then I would just have to rip his head off because I worked my a*s off on every picture in there.

Picking up the sketch  pad I opened to the page before taking out the small note “ april 5^th 2001” was all it said but it was all it had to say. It was on the perfect page, it was on the picture of Ronnie sitting on the swingset with Evan, a real smile on his face. The picture from April 5^th 2001.

I turned the page to see if there were any more, and well there were. On every single page there was the date,  the date of the day in question from pre school right up to middle school.

Until the last picture, the one I had been working on for months Ronnie as he is now, wrapped completely around Jessica. Emotion gone from his face.

There wasn’t a date, but instead a note I pulled it from the book and read it.

“let me explain” was all it said.

F**k, he still knew me too well, well enough to know that I was going to run away before he got to tell me whatever story he had. But I wasn’t sure it was a story anymore… why would he remember every date from our childhood.

The day we met, the day we all decided we would always stick together, the day we built the tree house that still stood in evans back yard. The day he left.

I was suddenly overwhelmed by confusion, but the only feeling stronger than confusion was curiosity.

I pulled out my phone and selected his number, “You better have a good excuse, Or I’m going to punch you.” I spoke into the phone, “my car, five minutes be here.”  Then I hung up before I lost my nerve.

Not even a minute passed before there was a knock on my window and I was unlocking the door and letting him in.

“are you going to let me explain now.” He asked sliding into the backseat with me knees tucked up to his stomach.

I just glared at him, him and all his perfection. “this better be good.” I said, hoping that he really did have an excuse that would make it justifiable.

“youre going to have to listen to the whole thing, because in the beginning it wont make much sense.” He said quietly waiting for my approval and as I nodded he started his reasoning.

“ My dad was popular in high school he was the head jock and he was great at everything. Until his junior year when he met my mom. He had a scolership to some college I don’t remember and he threw it away to be with her.” He took a deep breath and I just nodded, I didn’t see where this was going but I said I would listen all the way trough so I kept my mouth shut.

“after my mom died, his drinking got worse. He kept telling me I was going to make the same mistake and he wasn’t going to let me. He kept telling me that I couldn’t be like him that I had to be different, that I couldn’t risk myself to be with a girl.” He looked down tears clouding his eyes.

“ I think you reminded him of her in some way, not that I cant see it you’re both…amazing. Anyway one night it got bad, he threw bottles at the walls screaming and yelling about how if I didn’t stop talking to nerds I was never going to get anywhere. H-he shoved me into the wall and that’s where I got this one.”

He said lifting his shirt an inch and showing me a scar that was three inches long. I felt myself gasp and have the urge to hug him and never let go.

“so when we went to school the next day, I ignored you and evan and it made me miserable.  Any time that I spoke to anyone unsavory id get a new bruise, or scar to remind me not to talk to them again.” He frowned remembering all the horrible things that had no doubt been done to him.

By this point I was crying but keeping my mouth shut because I said I would.

“jess isn’t unsavory in my fathers eyes, she was perfect. A link to my old life and all I had to do was pretend that I liked her and I could talk to you. I know its stupid and I should have just talked to you and delt with the concequences but I was scared. So I put up with Jessica and if my dad asked about why I was speaking to you I told him jess wanted me to.”

I reached out and grabbed his hand stroking over the back of it with my thumb, a silent reminder that im here and it was okay now.

“eventually I got the courage to tell someone, dad’s in jail and im living with my moms sister. It took me a while to realize that he isn’t coming back, that I can speak to whoever I want to but I got there, and now I just wanted to let you know why. Feel free to continue hateing me, or thinking this is a joke…or whatever.”

I just tugged on his arm pulling him forward and wrapping my arms around him holding so tight I was surprised he had any air left in his body. “I am so sorry.” I said, and there was nothing else I could say.

I pulled away with a grin on my face, “I have an idea” I said before jumping out the back door and sliding into the drivers seat patting the seat next to me.

Ronnie climbed up from the back seat smile on his face as I turned on the car and pulled out of the school parking lot.

“I missed your ideas,” he said twining his fingers into mine in between the seats. “I missed everything about you Janie.”

Author's Note

So... was it a good enough excuse cause i sure think so.

Reviews

[melissa]

Wow what amazing book I have to day it is one of my favorite books so far keep the great work you should get this book published because an.amazing book

[Jake Donald Stephens]

So his dad kicked his a*s if he talked to kids that weren't cool?!
Because he didn't want him to end up a loser?!

Clearly, this dad was either decades out of touch, or he had already drank away every last brain cell. Because everybody knows the cool people in high school are the ones who aren't going anywhere in life, and the nerds end up being their bosses.

Wtf, Ronnie's dad.

Anyways, it is a good excuse on Ronnie's part. And I'm glad he and Jane made up and came to an understanding.

Poor Jess, though. She's kind of the victim in all this, if you think about it.