~~~~~
I ignored Jack the next day. When I had a chance to see him in the light, I saw just how awful he looked. He was so skinny and had cuts and bruises all over his face. He favored his right leg and his left wrist was wrapped up. I felt sorry for him and so badly wanted to spend as much time as I could with him and talk to him about everything, but every time I started to think of what I would say, I would just get angry at him for not considering me a close enough friend to tell me what he was going to be and for putting his selfish desire to kill Mina over my mothers' safety.
When he tried to seek me out at lunch, we quietly argued about letting Mina go. Well, it wasn't so much that we were arguing about it as it was that I was ranting and raving at him about how he apparently didn't value our friendship or my mothers' safety enough to make them a priority, but I was still angry at him and I felt better justifying it by saying that we were arguing with each other.
He continued to try to talk to me between the final bell and dance practice, but I ignored him and headed straight to the girls' locker room. After I changed into my dance practice clothes I took the long way to the auditorium in order to avoid him.
We were doing full rehearsals now, so practice took a little longer than usual. Dad was relaxing the rules a little bit and told me that until the dance show I could get a ride home from a friend, just as long as I got home before four thirty. I thought the extra time would be long enough that Jack would go away, but apparently he was going to be persistent and had camped right outside the auditorium. In the cold and snow. I should have been touched, but his persistence just annoyed me more.
As I walked out he caught my hand in his and said, "Kenna, can I at least give you a ride home? It'll take less than five minutes, I know, but I just want to talk."
I yanked my hand away from his and hissed, “No. I already have a ride home." At that moment Dane walked out of the auditorium doors. I made big, quick strides over to him, threw my arms around his neck, and gave him a kiss more passionate than I had ever been willing to give him before. We got a few whistles and whoops from the other dance members, which ended up encouraging Dane to kiss me back just as passionately. It was a shameless display, really, and incredibly childish, but it got the message across loud and clear - when Dane and I finally parted, Jack was nowhere in sight.
When Dane pulled up to my house, I invited him to walk me to the door. He declined, but put the car in park anyway.
"Kenna, what's going on between you and Jack?" He asked sullenly.
"Nothing. Why?"
"I'm not stupid. You only kissed me like that because it was in front of Jack, wasn't it? I know you two were close before he disappeared, so now that he's back I just want to be clear as to whether or not I'm just your rebound boyfriend."
I felt stupid and embarrassed at that. "It's not like that at all. I mean, I don't know how he feels about me, but I had thought that he was my best friend and he... did some things to show that having a friendship didn't mean much to him. He's been bothering me all day and I wanted him to just leave me alone."
"So you were using me to get back at him."
"No! Well, I mean, I worded that poorly, but... well, all I really needed to do was kiss you on the cheek to get the message across. The rest was because I wanted to."
He leaned over and kissed me passionately. I enthusiastically kissed him back, running my fingers through his hair and pressing up close against him. It was cold outside but the air in the cab was getting very, very warm.
He pulled away and I involuntarily let out a little disappointed whine. He chuckled and said in a deep, husky voice, "No more. Not for now, anyway. There'll be a time and place for that." He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into an embrace. We sat like that for a few blissful minutes, then he broke the silence and asked, "Am I your friend?"
I sat back so I could look at his face to try and get some clarification to his question. "What do you mean? Of course you're my friend."
"Well, I know I'm your boyfriend, but if we weren't going out, would I be your friend? Would you tell me your feelings and secrets, or would I just be some guy you knew from dance club?" I could hear the words he was saying, but I felt like he was trying to ask me some other question.
I couldn't understand what that question was supposed to be, though, and answered, "Jeez, I don't know. I mean, I feel like I can tell you almost anything– "
"Only almost?"
"It's just an expression, Dane."
"Then what aren't you telling me?" He looked at me expectantly, and even had a touch of anger in his eyes.
I realized that he didn't trust me. I shouldn't have felt so hurt since I really didn't trust him with some of my deepest secrets, but the difference was that I could see it in his face - he knew I was keeping something from him, something that was the difference between being close friends and being two teenagers that were physically attracted to each other.
I sighed sadly. "I'm happier with you than I've ever been at any point in my life. I thought you knew that." I let myself out of the truck and walked up to the doorstep alone.
I was restless, though, knowing I had left Dane like that and texted him with Arvin’s phone a couple hours later.
I'm sorry. There's some things going on with my parents that are unresolved and I don't really want to talk about it with anyone right now. It was part of the truth, anyway, and vague enough that maybe he'd interpret it as my parents splitting up. My mom had been gone long enough that it was plausible.
He texted back about a half hour later. It's okay. I understand. I shouldn't have gotten so upset at you, either. If there's anything I can do for you, will you let me know?
I will. Thanks. See you at school tomorrow.
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