I sent him a text instead:What’s up?I didn’t want to risk answering and having him hear Peter’s tantrum. He would freak out and drive over here in a second to pick a fight with my brother.
Sophie’s gone and Julie and I are bored. Wanna hang with us?
My fingers flew across the keys.Yes yes yes
He responded that they’d be here in ten. I changed from my pj’s into jeans and an old jacket of Julie’s I still had from sophomore year. I smacked myself for leaving my shoes by the front door. I didn’t want to risk passing Peter’s freak-out in the kitchen.
I looked out my window when headlights flashed across my room. I heard something crash again in the kitchen and cursed. Julie and Jackson were idling in the truck in the driveway, and my heart started to race.
Be out in a sec, I texted Jackson. I could hear them singing along to the music in the car. I prayed for Peter to go downstairs, worried that he would hear the music and walk to the door. They had to have seen Peter’s car in the driveway—they knew better than to be this loud. God, what if he approached them?
I looked out the window again just as Jackson was getting out the truck to walk up the front porch. A feeling in my gut alerted me that something really bad was going to happen if Jackson walked up to the door. He was a loose cannon these days, and if he saw Peter inthis condition—or the mess he had caused in the kitchen—I knew he would throw down right there.
I felt a wave of panic crash over me, and I rushed to unlock my window and pull it up.
“Hey! Hey!” I whisper-yelled, waving frantically against the screen.
Jackson looked around until he spotted me, then he furrowed his eyebrows before walking toward my window.
“Uh, whatcha doing?” Jackson asked with a grin as he looked around. He had no idea what kind of situation was behind my door right now, and I wanted to slap the smile off his face and yell “Danger!”
“Peter’s having an absolute meltdown right now, and the last thing I want to do is walk by him in the kitchen,” I admitted.
Jackson’s eyes narrowed, and he started to move for the front door.
“Jackson! Get your ass over here.” My entire body was shaking now. I could barely hold myself together imagining an interaction between him and Peter. Sure, Jackson was bigger now, but it was not the fucking time to be a hero. He reluctantly turned around and walked back up to my window.
Julie was in the truck still, the music lowered now as she watched us. She was playing with one of her French braids, nervously twirling the end around her fingers.
“I’m just gonna come out the window. I don’t have my shoes, though. Can you catch me?” The drop wasn’t far—our house was only one story, but it was up on a slant, so I couldn’t reach the ground from the ledge. Plus, I wasn’t about to jump into the frozen bushes without shoes on.
“Addie this is insane. I’ll go grab your shoes from the front door and come get you from your room.”
“No, you are not coming in this house,” I pleaded. I didn’t give him time to counter. I pushed at the screen and it popped right out.
I swung one leg over the edge and Jackson jumped forward to catch me. He positioned us until I was piggyback riding him, and then he carried me to the truck. As soon as he set me down, he started walking for the house again instead of sliding into the seat next to me.
“Jackson!” I yelled out the window.
“What was up with the dramatic window escape?” Julie asked as she looked back and forth between me and Jackson.
“Peter. I didn’t want to have to walk by him in the kitchen—he was breaking a ton of shit.”
Julie’s eyes widened, and we both turned toward Jackson just as he opened my front door, bent down, and then turned around with my Converse in his hands.
My jaw dropped, and Jackson slid into the truck, plopping my shoes on my lap like it was no big deal.
“Let’s go,” Jackson said in a low voice.
Julie backed up faster than I was ready for, and my shoulder smacked into Jackson’s as I slid my feet into my shoes. I tucked in my laces, not even attempting to tie them.
“Did you see Peter?” I asked nervously.
Jackson’s jaw was clenched, and he leaned forward to turn up the music.
“I didn’t see anything, Addie. Just grabbed your shoes. I don’t even think he noticed,” Jackson said.
I let out a relieved sigh.
