AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I pulled down my sleeves and pretended to focus on some of my homework, but I kept feeling Justin’s gaze on me. My stomach tightened in fear and worry.
Lunch ended as quickly as it started, and I was back to dragging through the rest of my classes. I expected Justin to say something to me or to one of the boys, but he was silent and I was grateful for it. It wasn’t their business.
Of course, I thought I was home free until Justin pulled me to the side before I could go into the girls’ locker room just as PE was about to begin.
“What the hell, Justin?” I asked, yanking out of his grip.
He grabbed me again. “Let’s go.” Without giving me a moment to retaliate, he tugged me down the hallway.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, growing concerned. I didn’t like his expression, and I didn’t like the determined way he walked. This was Justin on a mission. A new kind of Justin I hadn’t had the chance to see yet. He was up to something and it wasn’t going to be something I was going to like.
“Out,” he said, reminding me he was definitely a man of few words.
I tugged back, forcing him to let me go. I rubbed at my wrist as if he’d hurt me, though he didn’t. He just momentarily reminded me of another incident when a man tried to drag me into a guest bedroom when I was fifteen. I’d nearly blinded him.
I wouldn’t do that to Justin of course, but the memories were there and I was a bit scared.
Justin watched me rub at my wrist. It was hard to force myself to stop, letting my arms fall to my side. My mouth felt glued shut. I had so much I could say, maybe should say, but all I could do was stare at him, begging him to fill in the blanks. I couldn’t take surprises or mysteries. Those never turned out well for me.
I tried to say something, anything, but my jaw refused to open. Knowing I wasn’t going to say anything to him, Justin sighed, and I was pretty sure there was a curse that went along with it. The tensions in his shoulders disappeared, and he relaxed. Suddenly, I was faced with the Justin I was used to seeing. The attentive one who was careful with how he acted and what he said.
“I want to show you a place,” he said in a low voice. “I found it when I was younger and go there when I need to find peace. Trust me? Please?”
He was so sincere, the sadness in his eyes so clear despite his stoic face. They begged me to follow him. That what he couldn’t say was that he was trusting me with one of his secret spots, and he wanted me to trust him not to steer me wrong.
I nodded, hoping I wasn’t going to regret this. The weight of his stare made it impossible to say anything out loud. I had a feeling he was going to reveal something to me that was going to change our relationship.
A small sigh escaped Justin. He gave me a weak smile and held out his hand. I eyed him and the hand, briefly considering turning around and going back to class. Finally, I caved and reached out to him.
This time, as he pulled me along with him, his grip was softer and his pace slower. He never let me go as we went to our lockers to grab our things then snuck out into the parking lot with no problem.
Justin held out his free hand patiently until I finally caved, giving him my keys before climbing into the passenger seat. Neither of us spoke as he drove. We didn’t even have the music on. It was complete silence, sometimes broken by the sound of the blinker when Justin made turns. For twenty minutes, he followed the weaving roads, the town disappearing until it was only trees around us. There was a little space on the side of the road that Justin pulled into and parked. He got out and came around, opening my door before I had a chance to get my seatbelt off.
I smiled at him and climbed out, letting him close it behind me. Then he gently grabbed my hand and led the way into the woods.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll murder you and throw your body into the Hudson?” I asked.
“Of course not,” he replied with a small chuckle. “And shouldn’t it be the other way?”
“You wouldn’t hurt a spider,” I said.
Justin’s smile stretched as he looked back at me. “I’m glad you think so.”
We walked for at least ten minutes, with only the crunch of our footsteps to keep us company. I had never been a good hiker, and that meant a few times, I tripped over branches, roots, or rocks. Only Seth’s support kept me from becoming an embarrassment.
Finally we stopped, and I was able to focus on our surroundings more than on the path I had to walk.
“Oh, wow,” I said. We were in a small beach looking area leading up to the Hudson River.
Justin walked over to a spot by the grass and motioned me to join him. Instead of sitting, I stretched out on my back, enjoying the softness of the grass underneath me. Justin smiled down at me before settling down next to me, but stretching out in the other direction. If I turned my head to look at him, he’d be only inches away from me.
We stared at the sky for a while, and I could see why he liked this area. We couldn’t hear the cars pass by on the highway or the airplanes in the sky or other people hanging around. It was just us two. This was what peace felt like.
I became completely relaxed as I watched a cloud inch across the sky.
“I used to have a sister,” he said in a whisper.
His words slowly registered, and I turned my head to look at him. Justin was still staring up at the sky. His lips were pressed hard against each other as he fought whatever was keeping him from telling me.
